Much ado

I know I have been a negligent blogger when I have to log back in to my account to post an update. And much has happened during the past couple of weeks to write about, I’ve just been too tired to do it. Since I last wrote:

• Colin has added a second type of eczema to his “collection” of skin problems
• Colin has been tested for celiac disease (the test came back negative — that’s not what’s causing his problems)
• Colin needs to go back to the ophthalmologist to find out if he has an underlying problem that is causing his eye irritation (and his constant blinking)
• We are finishing Day 5 of 30 of a completely lactose-free diet for Colin to see if that’s what’s making his tummy unhappy. 

This last one is killing me. Do you know how hard it is for this Wisconsin girl to make 30 dinners in a row without using dairy? (Okay, I have a planned a couple of dinners that involve dairy for the rest of us — I just have to make a second dinner that’s dairy-free on those days for Coin.) 

Do you know that Nutella is made with skim milk? I didn’t — despite the fact that they print it right on the label in big type. Great, we had already made it through four days and had to start the clock over. (On the plus side — for the kids at least — I just discovered Biscoff spread, which is dairy free and REALLY yummy. Just what I need. More temptation.)

Do you know how expensive lactose-free milk is? Even more than my organic milk. Yikes! And now I'm having to use it for baking too. We’re taking this lactose-free thing pretty seriously. 

What makes this even worse is that so far it doesn’t seem to be helping. Colin continues to have stomach problems with about the same frequency and type as before we stopped the dairy. Honestly, both John and I still feel like it’s the gluten that’s bothering him, even if the test shows that he doesn’t have celiac disease. But the doctor thinks it may be that the stomach virus he had a couple of months ago may have damaged his intestines, making it hard for him to digest the milk and that it may heal itself after the 30-day break. So we’re trying it.

On the bright side, Colin has not lost much weight; he weighs 24 pounds 9 ounces, down from just over 25 pounds (little peanut), but he’s grown an inch and now stands at 34.5 inches. And his language skills have really taken off over the past couple of weeks. He now will start conversations, tell long stories and sometimes even win the “who can get the most words in at the dinner table” contest that every meal is. 

Veronica is growing too. She now stands 36 inches tall, and weighs 28 pounds 6.5 ounces. She is obsessed with yoga, and has appropriated the Athleta catalog that came in the mail last month and regularly “reads” her “poses magazine” while trying to imitate the poses the models are doing. I’m trying to find a kids yoga class (or a Mommy and me class) for her, but most of them either fall at nap time or are for slightly older kids. 

We’re still flirting with potty training. Colin has been less interested recently (probably in part because he hasn’t been feeling 100%), but Veronica has stayed dry the last several afternoons, and was pretty close to dry this morning too. I think if we can get Colin back to feeling good and just spend a few days really focused on it, we’ll be able to get there. Maybe next month.