happy holidays, happy new year, happy baby. :)

welcome to 2010, everyone!

i'm hoping that in the coming year i can share with you some of the ways, techniques, recipes, favorite rants, vents, stories, and every day life of the little man that is my son (Logan - 14 months), my husband (Rick), and myself, Lauren. i've backdated some of the entries here with originals from my very first blog. my birth story and some other milestone moments are shared back there and progressively, i hope to engage my readers and fans to enjoy what they're reading, yes, laugh with me, yes, but more importantly... LEARN something. that is what i sincerely hope from all this.

let's start at the current allergy situation with logan... :)

at the moment, he does have a milk "sensitivity." i would say it's an allergy. heh. symptoms... he gets VERY itchy. his head, in particular, takes most of the abuse. behind his ears. his belly takes the next hit... occasionally, he breaks out with lil hives. thus far, we've been treating it with the occasional very mild steroid creams.. but for the most part, we can nip it in the bud if he does get some kind of exposure, as we still don't want to completely eliminate it from his diet at this time... hoping to kick start him a bit to develop some immunities.

so far, it's uncomfortable for him... and it breaks my heart. the mama in me. recently, i purchased some cookbooks, however, and i'm hoping to be able to introduce some dairy-free meals to my family using "Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living" (http://www.godairyfree.org) and "The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook: Delicious Dairy-Free Cheeses and Classic "Uncheese" Dishes". so far, i've only been able to thumb through it... but... something makes me nervous about "nutritional yeast." it's my newest google search at the moment. ;)

oh, and might i mention the array of lotions and different bath products we use in this house. haha. i should buy stock in these... i swear by them if you have a baby with eczema breakouts of ANY kind. natural, soothing, and so great for very sensitive skin.

burt's bees baby bee shampoo & wash for his hair and scalp. it has totally changed the way his skin on his had reacts to his breakouts. also, it has so many natural ingredients in it that it keeps his skin healthy and fresh. he smells like a little like honey n'soap when he's done bathing. :)

also, shaklee makes a wonderful wash called "shakleebaby gentle wash." i use it on his whole body... except for his head/scalp. it dries his head out. still trying to determine what ingredient would be causing that, but... no avail just yet.

some things logan has been able to consume that contain milk are really only small amounts of food cooked with butter/margarine (i mean, SMALL) and the gerber veggie dip lil crunchies. he does very well with them and seems to only be experiencing extremely subtle effects, if any. he doesn't eat them as a meal, obviously, so the milk intake is small, but important.

some may call me meticulous and whatnot over what his allergy consists of, but at this point in time, i'm trying to absorb all i can and mold it into somewhat of a normal lifestyle for us. i have some friends with children who have a similar allergy in their family and i marvel at how they do it and i'm slowly figuring it out too. :)

he's normal! :D he's a crazy, hyper, happy toddler who loves cookies and graham crackers and mickey mouse and cars. he loves his mommy, his daddy, his family and his blue blankie!

there will be more tomorrow. i'm getting wiped. farewell! :) and goodnight.