Pre- Easter, Easter Egg Hunt

One of the many perks about living in the area that I do is that there are a TON of fun festivities for the little ones. Today was the first Easter Egg hunt along with a bunch of other fun games that Landon is to young to take part in, but I took him anyway :)
He had a lot of fun meeting the Easter Bunny (for the first five seconds) then grabbing some Easter Eggs. He is still pretty young for this kind of stuff but it was so much fun watching all the other kids! Landon especially liked the fire truck!
Hope you are all enjoying your week and looking forward to Easter Sunday!

Eight Months

Well it's here... my precious boy is eight months old. I'm going to stop saying time flies... that is an understatement at this point.
Landon is doing wonderfully! This little boy is constantly on the go, I swear I've lost five pounds just trying to keep up with him! He is crawling all over the place and is very fast. He LOVES to walk! Wether he walks along the sides of the couch, ottoman, chairs, holding your hands or he is pushing his walking toy - he much prefers to be walking, which is surreal!
He gives the BEST hugs and his wet messy kisses melt my heart! He still says ball, Gubbie (our dog Gabbie) and Memme/Mama. We're working on some new words but nothing has come out quite yet. His laugh is contagious and he finds so many things to be hilarious. When the dogs sneeze he literally falls over laughing, I have to try and get it on video! He'll also grab my feet when I'm sitting on the couch and turn away quickly, sometimes laughing so hard he falls down! He cracks me up!
He has become a serious mama's boy. The separation anxiety has definitely set in. He plays really good independently and I can leave a room with no problem. But when we are in a setting with a lot of people and he loses sight of me, he's not a happy boy :(
We have been co-sleeping since he was about two months old. I'm not sure why we started at two months but he has been sleeping with me ever since. I have recently decided that co-sleeping is no longer practical. There's the part where he is so mobile he could easily crawl right off the bed, then there's also the part where I have been woken up by him hitting me in the head with a remote, stuffed animal or just his open fist banging away. Once I come to I can't help but laugh - but in all seriousness this baby needs to sleep in his crib! Wish me luck on that fun venture!
First Birthday parties are in full swing! We have been to quite a few already and the invitations keep rolling in! I can't wait (but I really can) for Landon's first Birthday. I have figured out the theme and am working on putting it all together!
In other news we will be trying solids again this week. I am excited for him to be able to eat as I think he is definitely ready to explore real food, but am anxiety ridden as well. I do not want my baby back in the hospital! Fingers crossed all goes well and we can find him some safe foods!
Hope you are all enjoying your weekend!

Catching up...

It seems like it has been forever since I last posted! So much has been going on I don't know where to begin! Landon is doing great! We are getting ready to start trying solid foods again. I'm excited and terrified all at the same time. He shows a ton of interest in food, grabbing at plates, bowls, spoons and forks. I want so badly to give this little boy some food! I am keeping my fingers crossed that we come across some safe foods for Landon so we don't have to rely exclusively on breast feeding.
Landon is all over the place, constantly on the move. He crawls like a champ and pulls himself up onto everything. He has a push toy that he loves making he way around the house with. It is hilarious to watch him try and "bull-doze" through his toys and the dogs. He laughs all of the time. He finds Gabbie to be absolutely hilarious. Those two are pretty much inseparable!
Landon has his eight month well baby check this week. I am in disbelief that my sweet baby boy is going to be eight months old in six days! The time is truly escaping me!
In other news, I have started planning his First Birthday Party :) I have so many great ideas... I am giddy with excitement!
Here are some cute pics from the last few weeks. You can always keep up with us on Instagram (emilylongacre) as well :)

Valentine's Day

I meant to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day yesterday but, as usual, the day got away from me. I hope you all had a day filled with love! Here are a couple of cute pics!

Seven Months and Crawling!

Well I say it every month, but I can not believe how fast time is flying and how fast my baby is crawling! Things sure have changed in the last few weeks! The days of putting Landon down to play with his toys and stepping away for a second or two are over! He is all over the place and seems to get there really fast. The easy days are over!

We had a Doctors appointment and Landon is gaining weight and is healthy as can be. We will soon approach eating and dealing with his FPIES but for now he is just going to be a happy seven month old!

Six Month Photo Shoot and First Words!

On January 10th, Landon's six month birthday I had his photo's taken. We had a lot of fun at this photo shoot! Landon was very cooperative and was very happy that morning which got us some great pictures! I swear this baby just gets cuter and cuter and his personality amplifies his cuteness!

He has officially said his first word! "Ball" won, quickly followed by "Momma!" I know everyone says when they say momma it doesn't always mean they know what/who momma is, but when he is upset and someone else is holding him, he says "momma or mem mem" while looking at me. He also says it when he wakes up from a nap ;-) so I know it's more than just baby babble! He is also learning what and where things are. You can ask him where is the light, and he looks up at the light. We also ask him where is his ball? And Where is Gabbie? He scans the room until his eyes settle on them. It is the sweetest thing ever! He is the happiest baby, always smiling and laughing! I pinch myself often and am so happy I have this little guy in my life! Truly the best thing ever!

Too may favorites to post them all, so here a just a few :-) You can always follow us on Instagram (emilylongacre) for more cuteness!

Photos by Eva Baker

FPIES Positive

Yesterday we went to see a specialist and had an allergy work up done. As expected Landon did not show a reaction to anything he was tested for, even rice which we know makes him ill. So between the specialist and Landon's pediatrician, he has been diagnosed with FPIES.
What does this mean? I wish I knew. I do know that the anxiety I have over giving my baby any food is tremendous! This is going to be a "trial and error" process and we just have to introduce him to food extremely slowly. Fortunately most cases outgrow this condition by the time they are three years old, and some times even sooner. In the mean time I have to be so cautious with what goes in my baby's mouth, read the ingredients listed on packages and keep an ever so watchful eye on my baby.
Although not ideal, I know there are hundreds of families that deal with this and they get through it, just like we will.

My hope is that more people become more aware of FPIES and what the signs and symptoms are. With how severe and serious the reactions are, I can't believe it is not more well known.

I will keep you up to date on what Landon eventually eats and how we go about it. For now he's just going to continue nursing as I know for sure he's safe with that!

I do have two very cool things to share! I will post on them this weekend!

Sneak Peek of Landon's Six Month Shoot!

Here is a sneak peek of Landon's six month photo shoot. I am so in love with this little boy! He keeps getting cuter and cuter!! i could just eat him up! So blessed he is mine!

Once again, the fabulous Eva Baker is to thank for these adorable pictures!

FPIES

While I was pregnant I spent many hours reading and researching all things baby. I felt pretty confident that whatever might come my way as a mom I would be able to navigate through the process and be some what knowledgeable on the situation. One thing I had never even heard of was FPIES (Food Protein Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome). 

On December 21st, 2012 I decided that I would start Landon on solids, and as many moms do, I started him on rice cereal. He loved it! I gave it to him that evening and he slept okay, I remember him being a little fussy but didn't think much of it (could be teething, tummy ache, ect.). The next morning I gave him rice cereal again, and again he loved it! He ate it all up (about four tablespoons) and was perfectly fine for a couple of hours. Shortly after nursing him he had projectile vomiting. He seemed to be taken back by what had just happened and a little cool but recovered within minutes as if nothing had happened. This happened again later on in the evening after nursing him but again, he recovered quickly and was back to being my happy smiley baby. The next morning after nursing he vomited again, and again recovered as if nothing had happened. I called our pediatrician and they said to back off the cereal and that it was probably just a random bug and to discuss at his six month well baby check. 

At his six month well baby check Landon was perfectly healthy and our pediatrician said to go ahead and try the rice cereal again. A couple days later on January 10th I mixed a few tablespoons of the cereal with breast milk. This time was different. Landon was not interested in the cereal what-so-ever, even gagging. He maybe had a total of two spoonfuls. This was around 6:00PM and by 8:15 Landon was vomiting. As this is happening my baby is not himself. He is very pale, extremely lethargic and only waking to vomit then later, dry heave bile. I called his pediatrician and described what was going on and he said to get him to the ER immediately. At this point my baby is lifeless. He is not coming to and can't even be agitated - only waking to dry heave and get up bile.

When we got to Children's Hospital we were rushed into a room and seen immediately. They gave him an anti-nausea medication which seemed to take forever to work. The doctors that saw Landon mentioned that it was probably a bug. I felt it had to be something more than "just a bug." As I was sitting there with my lifeless baby in my arms I started googling allergies to rice cereal and found a wealth of information on FPIES. All of the signs and symptoms describe exactly what Landon had. After mentioning FPIES to the Attending Doctor, I was shocked that they didn't seem to have much knowledge about it.

After hours in the Emergency Department and making sure Landon was able to nurse and keep his food in his belly we were able to go home. It will go down as one of the scariest nights in my life! We followed up with our pediatrician and although not officially diagnosed, we believe that Landon has FPIES. Next week we will see a specialist and although FPIES allergies do not show up in the test that allergist conduct, maybe we can get a better understanding of how to move forward and make sure Landon does not have another episode as he did the other night.

I have started a new page on my blog, "FPIES," and will post updates on Landon and our journey through what looks to be FPIES. In the meantime Landon is happy and healthy and back to his normal self. Hopefully we will never have to experience something like that again!

Six Months!

My sweet boy is six months old today! Time seems to be going by faster and faster! Everyday with him is something new. A new discovery, a new noise, new movements, new loves and new dislikes. Getting to know Landon over the last six months has been beyond magical! All that he has learned to do and all that he continues to master is the greatest gift for me to be able to witness.

At his five month well baby check-up our pediatrician said it would be okay to start solids right around Christmas, so a few days before Landon had rice cereal! He loved it! For quite some time Landon has been watching me eat and grabbing at my fork/spoon and even the plate so I figured he would get the hang of eating really quick. He did great eating off the spoon but preferred drinking the cereal right out of the cup I prepared it in so I let him drink it. He was so cute figuring it all out! A couple days after the rice cereal I made him sweet potatoes and he loved those as well! Then for some reason the next day he had projectile vomiting, twice one day then one more time the next. I couldn't figure it out. He had no fever, did not act lethargic and there was no pattern of specific amount of time between eating and being sick. I called the nurse and she said to just keep an eye on him and to bring him in if it happened again. We stopped solids and went back to nursing for the time being but got the okay to go back on solids after his doctors appointment on Tuesday. Fingers crossed it was just a fluke!

Landon has mastered going backwards and doing circles on his tummy. I'm not sure how much longer my baby will not be mobile but I am savoring the moments I have until I have to baby proof the house!

Three Months

 Six months

Landon's First Christmas

Landon's first Christmas was absolutely wonderful! So many people said he's to young to really enjoy it but he had a blast. He loved staring at the tree, all the lights and ornaments, and he loved the shiny packages under the tree as well!
On Christmas Eve we spent the most of the day with my brother and sister-in-law. We watched the babies open their presents and to my surprise Landon was totally in to ripping his presents open! I'm not sure if it was grabbing at the shiny paper or the paper going into his mouth but he loved it! Sheila, my SIL made an amazing dinner then we headed home. I put Landon in front of the tree and he almost started shaking with excitement! He couldn't wait to open his presents! I put him to bed then shortly after Santa came!
Landon woke up Christmas morning with the biggest smile on his face. We went out to the living room and he immediately started pulling apart his stocking then it was onto his presents. The best part was just watching him. This was truly the best Christmas! As much as I want him to stay my little baby forever I know each year will get better and better as he starts to understand the real meaning of Christmas and all the fun festive traditions that go along with it.
I spent the majority of today taking down the tree and all the decorations. Looking back on these pictures made me happy to have experienced such a special first with my baby. As the new year is quickly approaching, I can't wait for all the new things and new beginnings that await us.
Hope you all are enjoying this Holiday season!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! We hope you are enjoying this special day! I will be posting more pictures form Landon's First Christmas soon!