Teeny Tiny Ponytails

When Madeline was a wee tater tot, she was in the care of a nice lady named Ms. Sarah who ran the baby room at daycare.  Among Ms. Sarah's many talents was the ability to create pigtails on the baldest of babies.  

The first time I saw Maddie's teeny-tiny pigtails when I picked her up in the afternoon, I cocked my head to the side in confusion.  How was it even possible to put rubber bands in such fine hair?  

Somehow it worked, and the pigtails were there to stay.  When I think back to toddler Madeline, I always envision her with teeny tiny ponies.  

This morning, in the spirit of Ms. Sarah, I gave Vivi her first teeny tiny ponies.  She's officially a toddler now.  

Vivi: Fifteen Months

Dear Vivienne,

You are quite the toddler now.  You're constantly on the go.  You zoom around the house from dawn to dusk.  We should put a pedometer on you.  I bet your little legs walk miles around this house before the day is out.  

Taking you places is becoming harder because you want to get down to explore.  You only last so long in restaurants, and you try to climb out of the grocery cart at the supermarket.  For a baby who spent most of her life hiding from strangers, you aren't worried about staying with us either.  You're off without so much as a backward glance to make sure we're following you.  In fact, you think it's all so hilarious when Mumma has to chase after you.  The aisles at the library are endless fun because you can run ahead of me without me worrying about losing you in the crowds.

The stranger danger phase is over.  You might be a little wary of new people, but you warm up quickly.  Madeline had a field trip to a local indoor sports center last week, and you ran around with the big kids like a champ.  You had no problem demanding balls to play with from kids and grownups alike.   

You are demanding at home too.  You point and grunt with great persistence.  You cry when you don't get what you want.  No is a tough lesson to learn, but you're starting to get the hang of it.   

When you want a snack, you know where to go.  You run to the kitchen and point at the cabinet door until I find you a cracker to munch.   

Even with a spill-proof container, you find a way to dump your cereal on the floor.

You nod and say, "Yeah" in response to a lot of our questions.  Sometimes it's obvious that you know what we're talking about.

 "Vivi, do you want a snack?"
"Yeah, yeah!" head nod.  "Mmmmm."

At other times, you clearly have no idea what we're talking about, but you're willing to give it a try anyhow.    

"Vivi, do you like snakes?" Dada will ask.
"Yeah, yeah!" you nod.

Along with "Yeah," you've picked up some other new words.  Mumma and Dada are down.  But you also say, bubba, belly, baby, and juice.  You try to say Madeline.  Sometimes it's "Duh" sometimes it's "Mah-Duh"  sometimes it's "Ine-ine-ine."   

Poor Madeline.  You've started terrorizing your big sister a bit more.  The other afternoon I heard a terrible whining noise from where you two were playing.  Maddie was sitting at the dining room table with her guys, and you were tugging roughly on her arms and screeching loudly to get her attention.  Maddie, good big sister that she is, tried her best to ignore you, only letting out an occasional grunt of annoyance.  Yesterday, you pulled her hair pretty hard when she wouldn't let you see her Lego castle.  I understand that it's frustrating, Vivi, but you can not pull your sister's hair.  Ouch.   I'm waiting for the day that big sister turns around and slugs you.   

You had a follow-up with GI last week, and everything is looking great.  You weigh 18 lbs, 4 oz, which puts you in the 10th percentile.  You're curving upwards!  Your skin is clear.  There's very little rash remaining on your body.  I'm interested to see how you do this summer because that's when your skin really gave us trouble last year.  The sweaty creases of your body were a mess.   You still get bad BMs on occasion, but we know how to manage them now to keep the discomfort minimal.

The limitations in your diet is starting to get a bit more tricky because you're starting to notice that you're getting different foods than the rest of us.  We try to eat the same thing, or at least close to it, for dinner.  But if you see Madeline with a treat you can't have, it drives you crazy.  I've started stocking the pantry with Vivi-friendly treats to make up for it.

You love fruit and pasta.  You LOVE bread.  Dinner rolls are where it's at.  I still can't get you to eat any veggies unless they are mixed in a puree with fruit.  The only meat we've been able to get you to eat was in a taco, which is the same for Madeline.  My girls love tacos.  Go figure!  And, you're warming up to almond milk.

Above all, you're such a sweet, happy, plucky little thing that we all simply adore you.

Love,
Mumma 

Other People DO Exist, And Maybe They're Not So Bad

Recently Vivi has had a breakthrough.  She seems to have accepted the fact that other people exist in the world.  More importantly, she has decided that since they exist, she might as well like them.  It only took her fourteen months, but baby girl is making friends.

For example, Nana and Pop visited over the weekend, and even though she hadn't seen them since Christmas, she let them both hold her without so much as a whimper.  They read stories, played games, held hands.  Life is good with Nana and Pop, Vivi decided.

Then Amy, my best friend, came over on Sunday afternoon.  There was a time when Vivi wouldn't even look at her.  Now?  She cuddles with Amy too.   

And yesterday, when my mom came over, Vivi toddled right over to sit in her lap.     

There were no tears, no clinging to Mumma in fear, no awkward introduction period even though she's met these people more times than we could count.  She's all good.

We can even go out in public without her bursting into tears every time a stranger glances her way.

She didn't mind the random old man who patted her on the head at CVS then called Madeline a "handsome fella." (Although she probably shouldn't make friends with that guy.) She went around handing plastic balls to several dads at the playground on Saturday morning.  She tried to make friends with another baby at the bookstore by standing awkwardly close and staring at her.  (That's how I make friends too.)  

On the other hand, she gave the stink eye to a perfectly nice waitress who smiled at her today.  She didn't like a nurse we saw last week, or one of those cashiers at the supermarket yesterday.  Nor did she enjoy a different baby we met at the library recently.

But that's okay.  She doesn't have to like everyone, and she should be a little wary of strangers. Besides, who knows?  Maybe that baby at the library was a real bastard.  Vivi knows.  

Vivi Eats: Life With Food Allergies 4

This is the last "Vivi Eats" for awhile.  After four weeks of these updates, you're probably getting the idea.  Avoid dairy, eggs, and peanuts...yada, yada, yada...and she loves blueberries!

If you want a recap, see here, here, and here.  

Otherwise, this is what Vivi ate on Monday:

Pre-Breakfast:

Dry Cheerios

Juice/ Water mix

Breakfast:

Thomas' Cinnamon Raisin Bagels

Blueberries

Juice/ Water (leftover from pre-breakfast) 

We tried these bagels out for the first time this week, and she loves them!  She likes them plain, but I'm trying to convince her that they're better covered in jam.  

Nap:

8 oz Nutramigen formula

Lunch:

Sunbutter and jelly roll up (using Joseph's lavish bread) 

Watermelon

Frozen peas (she did not eat)

Almond Milk 

Snack:

Wheat Thins

Clementine (which she saw me eating and stole) 

Almond Milk

Dinner:

Baked lemon chicken

Rice Pilaf

Broccoli

Almond Milk

I chopped the chicken and broccoli into super tiny pieces and mixed them with the rice.  Vivi LOVES rice, so she didn't notice the additions while she was busy shoveling fistfuls of food in her mouth.  

Bedtime:  

8 oz Nutramigen Formula  

Vivi doesn't like almond milk that much, and she likes coconut and soy milk even less.  Even though I offer her almond milk throughout the day, she rarely takes more than a few sips.  We ran out of formula the other morning, so we tried giving her almond milk in her bottle instead.  She drank for about three minutes before she realized that something was different.  Then she was mad.  Really mad.  Mad enough to yell right through her nap.  Boo.  She might be drinking Nutramigen till she's sixteen, and insurance is no longer covering it...so awesome...

Sister Drama

Vivi gets angry when I brush her big sister's hair.  She whines, screeches, and tries to claw her way between us.  I'm not sure if she's jealous of the attention I'm giving Madeline, or if she's jealous of the fact that Madeline has hair while she doesn't.  Either way, it's a problem.

After her usual tantrum yesterday, she suddenly gave up whining, snatched book Madeline was reading out of her hands, and toddled quickly out of reach.  

Since I had Madeline gripped firmly by the hair, there wasn't much the poor girl could do to defend herself other than cry out, "Hey!  Vivi!  Mumma, Vivi just took the book I was reading right out of my hands!"  

I looked up in time to see a look shoot across the room from one sister to another. THE look.  An evil, vindictive, glass-cutting glare.  And it was coming not from Madeline, but from my baby!  

It only lasted a second, but it was enough.  The message was clear.  "You took my Mumna. I took your book! And if you cross me again, I'm gonna have to cut a bitch."  

This was not an act of innocent babyhood.  Stealing that book was vindictive.  Calculated.  Aggressive.  

Somewhere beneath the chubby cheeks and doe eyes, there lurks the natural instinct to kill or be killed.  Vivi does not intend to loose in life.  Not now.  Not ever.  I admit.  I was a little scared by what I witnessed.    

By the time I finished Madeline's braid, the brush, the book, and the look had all been forgotten.  They went right back to playing as if nothing had happened.

I've witnessed this pattern over and over again.  For the briefest of seconds, after some wrong or another, they are worst enemies.  Five seconds later, they are best buddies again.  I don't pretend to understand it.  I try my best to stay out of it and let nature take its course.  Although, after seeing that look, I would watch my back if I were Madeline.

So, in an effort to help me forget that my sweet child may actually be Rosemary's Baby, here are some cute pictures of the girls loving one another. 

The protect one another from the vacuum cleaner.

They watch cartoons together.  

They share toys.  

Maddie reads books to her little sister.  

That Vivi in the Window

Vivi loves to look out the windows of our house.  

I like to think that she's having deep thoughts about life, love, and truth like whether that darn dress is black or gold. 

 Or maybe she's just nosy. Vivi could be the Gladys Kravitz of our neighborhood, and she knows everyone's dirty little secrets.  Someday she will use this knowledge to bend the neighbors to her will.  

I saw what you did, Mrs. O'Sullivan. Now hand over those frozen blueberries and nobody ever has to know.  

As long as she doesn't get Rear Windowed, this could lead to big things.  She could be the blueberry mob boss of the Merrimack Valley.  

Or maybe it's been cold for so long that she doesn't know what outside is.  After all, she has the long-term memory of a small rabbit, and it's been a really long winter.  To Vivi, the world is made up of our house, the car, the entry-way to Maddie's school, and the supermarket.  It's a small world after all.  

Someday, little one, there won't be snow over your head, and I'll bring you out into that magical place you see through the window panes.  It will be great.  

Vivi Eats: Life With Food Allergies 3

Man, my child is becoming a very picky eater!  A month ago she loved butternut squash! But tonight?  My kitchen floor is plastered with the stuff.  Plus, I don't think she's ever eaten a piece of meat without spitting it out.  Madeline doesn't like meat much either unless it's in a taco.  My girls are fruit and carb girls all the way.    

As I mentioned here and here, Vivi is allergic to eggs, dairy, and peanuts.  I'm sharing samples of what she eats, but this is in no way a complete picture of her diet.  Some days she eats nothing but blueberries, and some days she surprises me by scarfing down an entire bowl of chicken soup.  Babies...You feel me?    

Pre-Breakfast:
As always...
Dry Cheerios
Juice/Water mix

Breakfast:

Apple Raisin-Bran Bread
Blueberries
Banana
Juice/Water mix (left over from pre-breakfast)

I used the recipe on a box of Raisin-Bran to make the bread, but with dairy/egg free substitutions.  (original recipe here) I replaced the milk with almond milk, and I replaced the eggs with mashed banana.  I left out the walnuts, and added shredded carrots and extra raisins instead.  Yum!  

Nap:
8 oz. Nutramigen Formula

Lunch:

Avocado Quesadilla (using  Joseph's Lavish Bread and Daiya "Cheese")
Sliced Strawberries
Almond Milk

Afternoon Snack:

Frozen Peas
Back to Nature Honey Graham Sticks
Almond Milk

My mother picked up some of those graham crackers for us last week.  They are dairy, egg, peanut free. The girls share a bag for snack, and they are gone in about ten seconds.  Madeline tried stealing Vivi's when she was done with hers today.  Not cool, Maddie Bear.  

Dinner:

Roast pork loin and veggies (which she did not eat and angrily threw to the floor)

Applesauce
Almond Milk

Strawberries for dessert

Bedtime:

8 oz. Nutramigen formula

Vivi: Fourteen Months

The big news since last month's update, Little Miss Vivienne, is that you're walking now.  One night you walked across the room like it was no big deal, and you haven't stopped since.  

You remind me of a little wind-up toy toddling from room to room, round and round, following us everywhere.  You never stop moving.  

The other afternoon, Madeline giggled at something you had done and cried, "Mumma, Vivi is hilarious!" between chuckles.

Your sister is right.   You are one funny baby who delights in making us laugh.  

I found you sitting up in your crib after nap the other day with the blankets pulled up over your face.  As I approached, you pulled them down suddenly, revealing a broad grin and wicked twinkle in your eye.  "Surprise, Mumma!  It's me!"  You seemed to say.  You know how to be silly to get a laugh from us.  

You like looking at photographs.  I have to keep my phone hidden because when you find it, all you want to do is look through the pictures for the afternoon.  You find the pictures we have framed around the house and point at them.  "Dat!  Dat!"  you insist until I say the name of the person in the photo.  

"Yes, Vivi.  That's Madeline.  Yes.  That's Dada."  Then you laugh before pointing to the next photograph.  

Another favorite game of yours is to make piles.  You empty your toy box, toy by toy, into a neat pile, and when it's empty, you neatly put everything away again.  

We recently took you to an indoor playground.  You didn't like going in the baby ball pit, but you did really enjoy putting the balls back where they belonged.  The other kids would make a mess, tossing balls everywhere, and you were thrilled to to clean up after them.  

I had a pile of shoes in our front hall that needed to be brought upstairs.  You took it upon yourself to carry every shoe to an empty cardboard box that your sister had been playing with.  It made bringing them upstairs very easy.  Thanks, Vivi!

You know how to point to your nose, eyes, and ears.  That game can be repeated for an entire afternoon.  

You like to bring me my hat.  You thrust it at me until I put it on.  Once I do, you laugh at me.  I guess I look funny wearing hats.    

You're still not saying many words, but boy, do you make a lot of noises.  Sometimes you yell what sound like commands at us.  Sometimes you babble short statements then look us deep in the eye as if checking for understanding.  You shriek in frustration quite a bit, and follow me around the house whining for a good part of the day.

You need to be the center attention of my world.  If I'm not focused on you because I'm doing laundry, or eating lunch, or talking to Madeline, you let me know how unacceptable that is.

You are demanding.  But that's okay.  The world needs more demanding women.    

Thankfully, you're also mighty sweet.  You love cuddles.  You've started hugging me back, arms wrapped tightly around my neck.  When Dada gets home from work, you toddle to him with your arms outstretched for him to pick you up.  You've started crawling into Madeline's lap.  You hug and throw yourself on your sister a lot actually.  Maddie giggles and rubs your back while you sigh, "Awww" and "Ohhh."  It's pretty darn adorable.

You're less stranger shy.  You like members of our family now.  You don't cry in the supermarket whenever an old lady glances your way anymore.  We had a plumber at the house last week, and I was shocked at how chill you were around a perfect stranger who had entered our house.  You kept your distance, but you kept toddling toward him, curious to see what he was up to.  Meanwhile, big sister hid in the playroom until he was gone.  

You have four perfect teeth, and based on the amount of gnawing you've been doing this week, we suspect more are on the way.  

Your eyes are still green.  Your hair is red and thickening in the back.  We're entering the baby mullet phase.  

You feel sturdier, more solid, in our arms.  And you finally have a big, round baby belly.  

You're growing, little one.  So, so fast.  And it's so, so fun watching it all unfold.  

Vivi Eats: Life with Food Allergies 2

When it rains, it pours.  Or in our case, when it snows, it blizzards.  It's been a hell of a week with even higher snow banks, sub-zero temperatures, a stomach bug, and a frozen dishwasher.  Thankfully, Eric is on winter break this week just in time to save me from running through the streets stark raving mad.  Mad, I tell you.  Maaad.

But crazy Mumma or no, baby's gotta eat!  Just like last week, I'm sharing what we feed Vivi on a typical day.  I plan on doing this once a week for a month to provide an overview of what it's like feeding a toddler with food allergies.  

Again, Vivi is allergic to eggs, dairy, and peanuts.  Also, in the effort of keeping things real, I'm purposely not gussying up her meals.  If you want pictures of gourmet, perfectly-plated baby food, then I suggest browsing Pinterest.  The place is dirty with them.  There's a shocking lack of protein in Vivi's diet again this week, so feel free to silently judge me from behind the glow of your electronic devices. I'm working on it, I swear.  

Pre-Breakfast:

Dry Cheerios

Juice/ Water 

Breakfast:

Blueberry pancakes

Sliced banana

Almond milk (Almond Breeze) 

I use Bisquick (which is vegan) to make pancakes for the girls.  Instead of cow's milk, I substitute almond milk, and I use two mashed bananas in place of the eggs.  They turn out slightly more banana-y in taste and are much thicker than the original recipe.  The girls don't mind.  Maddie, a pancake connoisseur, doesn't even notice.  We're usually left with enough pancakes for two days of leftovers, which makes breakfast easy a few times a week.   

Nap: 

 8 oz Nutramigen formula 

Lunch:

Avocado

SunButter and jelly roll-up (using Joseph's Lavish Bread) 

Coconut yogurt (So Delicious) 

Almond milk

I forgot to take a picture, but I think we all know what an avocado looks like, right? Although I once bought what I thought was a mango only to find out it was a giant avocado, so be careful in that produce aisle, folks.  Things can get weird.  Luckily, Vivi LOVES avocado, so giant ones wouldn't go to waste in our house.  

Snack:

Frozen Blueberries

Crackers (Westminster Bakers Co. Multigrain Snack Crackers) 

Juice/ Water

Dinner:

Frozen peas

Bagel pizza (with vegan Daiya "cheese" on a Thomas' plain bagel) 

Clementines for dessert
Almond milk 

We were supposed to eat Shepherd's Pie for dinner, in which case I would have set aside some beef, corn, and potatoes for Vivi before adding any dairy products for the rest of us.  But, as I mentioned above, we're living in a frozen hell scape, and our dishwasher froze.  I was worried about bursting pipes and floods and dirty dishes I would have to wash by hand, so dinner was kept fast and easy instead.  

My mom sent me a link to an article from Babyccino Kids last week with tips on getting kids to eat.  One suggestion was to serve kids frozen peas instead of cooking them.  I dished some up for Vivi as a snack that afternoon and watched her scarf them down like I go at a bag of potato chips.  Then Madeline dove in, and before I knew what was happening, they had eaten two bowls full. 

Frozen peas are the answer, friends.  First they soothe your swollen, postpartum lady bits, then they nourish your children.  

Bedtime: 

8 oz Nutramigen formula 

And that's that!  Have any suggestions? I'd love to hear from you!  

Vivi Eats: Life with Food Allergies

At a year old, Vivi is beginning to eat more like a real human being and less like a kooky celebrity on a faux-milk cleanse. 

She's taking a bottle much less frequently. (Twice a day.) The purees have been replaced with solids. She can even feed herself.  Only about half of the food on her tray makes it to her mouth, and half of that gets spit back out.  Still, I call that good odds.  

But since Vivi is allergic to peanuts, eggs, and dairy, we're still figuring out what to feed her.  As a typical toddler,  she also has strong opinions about what she will and won't eat. She loves fruit and carbs, but not much else.  

I will say that avoiding her allergens has been easier than I anticipated.  It's surprising how many common foods contain these ingredients (especially eggs and dairy), but it's been just as surprising to discover how many other options we have.

Below, I'm sharing what a typical day's worth of meals looks like for Vivienne. 

Note: I did not go out of my way to feed her anything special or out of the ordinary to make it look like we're culinary wizards.  Nor did I style the food to make it look pretty.  Some of it looks kinda gross, actually, for which I apologize.  The meals I'm showing aren't perfectly nutritionally balanced either.  I struggle to get protein in this girl for example. Tomorrow she may have more vegetables or grains or meat, and I like to think that her needs are met over the course of a week. This is just a sample of one single day, and I wanted it to be a realistic depiction of what she eats.    

Pre-Breakfast:

Cheerios (dry)

Apple Juice/ Water mix

The girls wake up slowly as Maddie watches cartoons.  They snack on Cheerios every morning until we sit down for a real breakfast around 8 am.  

Breakfast:

Whole wheat toast with blueberry preserves.

I use this recipe from King Arthur Flour in my bread machine.  It's dairy free.  The loaf lasts about three hours before my family eats it up.  Most of the bread I find in the grocery store has milk and/or eggs in it.  I find it easier just to make our own.  Although Thomas' Plain Mini Bagels are vegan, and Vivi loves them.  

Pre-Nap:

8 oz bottle of Nutramigen formula

Lunch:

Sliced banana topped with SunButter 

Raisins

Blueberries 

Almond Milk (Which she didn't drink.)

SunButter is amazing stuff.  It looks and tastes a lot like peanut butter, but it's made from sunflower seeds.  

Snack:

Whole Grain Wheat Thins (vegan) 

Almond Milk (Which she barely drank.) 

Dinner:

Pasta with tomato sauce

Peas (which she didn't eat)

Almond Milk (which she didn't drink)

I've found that most brands of pasta are egg free but will include warnings that they share equpiment that processes eggs. (Those darn egg noodles.)  I buy Market Basket brand pasta.  There is no warning stating that they share equipment, but manufactors are not required to include that information on their labels at this time, so I'm not 100% sure that they don't.  We've had success with this brand, but if you're dealing with severe, life-threatening allergies, obviously don't take my word for it.  Just sayin'.  Same goes for the tomato sauce.  Even traditional, plain tomato sauce often contains milk.  Market Basket's does not, but I always read the labels.  Always.  

Bedtime:

8 oz bottle of Nutramigen formula

Parenting Currently

I just read If You Give a Pig a Party for the fifth time today, and it's still hours till bedtime.  I don't know how many times I read it yesterday, but at least five, probably closer to ten.  I estimate that there have been at least forty readings of that particular book this week alone.

Vivi is obsessed.  She toddles over to me with the book in her hands and presses it into my face until I read it.  As soon as we're done, she flips right back to the beginning.  A half-an-hour or so later, the book is back, and Vivi is grunting to read it again.  

Round and round we go.  There should be a book called If You Read a Book to a Vivi.

I think we all know how the plot would go.

I'm very glad that Vivi loves books so much, but my enthusiasm for that pig's shenanigans is starting to wane.  Boy, does she love to party!  

Vivi: Thirteen Months

Vivi's first birthday seems like it was eons ago instead of a mere month.  Once we got past the sparkle of the holidays, we fell quickly back into our regular routine.  Now that it's cold and gray, and we are stuck indoors, time starts to crawl.  Not that I mind.  I know the next few months will be gone in a snap, and I'll be back at work pouting.

At thirteen months, Vivi is still quite the peanut.  I don't really worry about it.  To us, she's just her normal self.  But it always shocks me to see her beside babies her own age.  We visited a play center last week where there were babies  bigger than Vivi who were just learning to sit up.  Meanwhile, a baby the same age as Vivi looked twice as big.  The lack of hair doesn't help.  Maddie's didn't grow till she was three, Viv. You've got a ways to go.  Sorry.  

Vivienne isn't walking yet.  We keep thinking it's going to happen, but she's just happier, and faster, crawling. She'll randomly stand up and walk a few steps across the living room, but the second we look at her, she lowers herself back down to her knees.  It's like trying to catch a glimpse of Sasquatch.  

But holy cow, our girl is a climber.  On Christmas Day she climbed all the way up the stairs and into her bedroom before any of we responsible adults noticed.  She really loves to climb on furniture.  Standing on her rocking chair is a favorite pastime and a good way to keep Mumma on her toes. 

She loves looking out the window at the world.  She can peer over the ledge of the windowsill if she stands on her tiptoes.  Otherwise she uses a chair.  She  'll stay that way for a long time pointing and babbling at everything she sees.  

She's not talking much, but in the past week, words seem to be coming more rapidly.  Tonight she was whining in her high chair at dinner when clear as a bell out came, "All done."  Eric and I both heard it.  

She's got the D sound down.  Dada is Eric.  Duh is Madeline.  A short Dah is That.  There are various sounds for "down" and "done" and "doll."  

 She's constantly babbling, screeching, giggling, or blowing raspberries.  

When words fail, Vivi gestures nicely.  She points, or hands us items she wants to explore.  Yesterday, she opened my fingers and placed a brush in my hand because she wanted me to brush her lack of hair.  She signs for more when she wants more food...usually blueberries.  

She's starting to get picky about what she eats.  She loves all forms of fruit, especially blueberries, but hates most vegetables.  She doesn't like meat.  She does like pasta and bread.  Sometimes she loves beans and sometimes she throws them across the kitchen.  Babies are fickle.  

I'm figuring out what she can eat with her food allergies.  It's easier than I thought it would be.  And she still takes formula in her bottle a few times a day to make sure she's getting the nutrients she needs.  

  She's still very shy of people.  She ducks her head to avoid eye contact with strangers, and she doesn't like being the center of attention.  Yet, she's pretty fearless about everything else.  She often tries to wiggle away from me in stores because she wants to get down to explore.  

She's happy and sweet and full of cuddles most of the time, but she has a bad temper.  She screams in frustration when she doesn't get her way.  She's been known to throw things.  

She's also so clever.  She got her hands on the tissue box today.  I watched her pull out a tissue and got ready to stop her from pulling them all out of the box.  Instead, she carefully used it to wipe her runny nose.  Then she carried the tissue around, stopping to wipe as needed.  Then she tried to eat the tissue...so, baby steps.  Still, I was impressed.  

Team Vivi.  All the way.  

Managing Vivi's Baby Eczema

Vivi had appointments with all three of her doctors over the past month, and all three were amazed at how good her skin looks.  We finally have a good skin care routine going, and as a result, her eczema is under control.  

I've found that her eczema never truly goes away.  It's a lot like weeding a garden bed.  You can pull out all the unwanted plants, but three days later, those damn dandelions are back.  It's the same with laundry, and shaving my face, and all the other never-ending tasks that fill up our lives.

If I follow her skin-care regimen every day, we're able to keep her rashes to a minimum.  If I let things slide, it comes creeping right back, and she's an itchy, rash-y baby mess all over again.  Nobody wants that.  So here's what's been working for us:  

Frequent bathing

Frequent moisturizing

Avoiding irritants

It's pretty basic.  In fact, this is pretty much the same routine one would follow for any baby, eczema or no.  There are just a few extra considerations and tricks we use to keep her skin hydrated and clear.  

1. Frequent Bathing

Vivi needs a bath every day.

There are cold days, busy days, and cranky days when I think, "Meh, she's not that dirty...I'll wash her tomorrow."  When she was a tiny baby, she'd scream every time she saw the water, which also made me want to avoid washing her whenever possible.  But her skin really, really needs a daily soak.  I always notice a difference if we skip a day.    

I keep the water warm, but not hot.  We also keep her time in the tub short.  Baths that are too hot or too long irritate her skin.    

We don't use any bubbles, soaps, or shampoos because they also irritate her skin.

Twice a week we use Eucerin Baby Cleansing Relief to wash her body and hair.  It's the last thing I do before we take her out of the water so that she's not sitting in the suds for a long time.  

Sometimes she shares a bath with her sister, which means some of Maddie's shampoo is in the water.  Those baths are extra quick, and we haven't had any problems.

2) Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize

It took a long time to find a moisturizer that works for Vivi.  Every over-the-counter moisturizer we tried, even those recommended by the National Eczema Foundation, caused a horrible red rash all over her body.  For a long time, we used Vaseline, which worked okay but was horribly sticky.  

Then our doctor recommended Hydrolatum to us.  It's now our best friend.

It's odorless, hypoallergenic, fragrance free, yada, yada, yada.  It's thick, but not uncomfortable like the Vaseline was.   Best of all....it works!  Her skin has improved so much since we started using it.

You don't need a prescription for Hydrolatum, but the pharmacy keeps it behind the counter.  You might not see it browsing the shelves.  It comes in a gigantic tub that lasts us about two months.

I apply the Hydrolatum twice a day including directly after her bath while her skin is still damp to lock the moisture in.  And I mean liberally.  It's like rubbing a turkey with butter.  A lot of butter.  If her skin is looking dry, I apply the moisturizer more frequently.

(It's probably also wise to not let your child chew on the container, but I'm a horrible parent, so...)

We also have a prescription for topical hydrocortisone to use when needed.  The hydrocortisone is used only on the problem areas before we apply her moisturizer.

For a long time we were using the hydrocortisone every other week.  After five days the rash would clear, but as soon as I stopped using the cream, it would quickly return.  As she gets older, we're using it a lot less frequently.

Constant moisturizing has been the biggest help in keeping her skin healthy.  Plus, my hands are pretty soft too...

3. Avoid Possible Irritants

There has been a lot of trial and error in identifying what triggers Vivi's rashes.

Eczema and allergies are separate conditions.  Allergies do not cause eczema.  However, people with eczema are more likely to develop allergies.  There seems to be a lot of debate linking food allergies with eczema, and from what I've learned, most people with eczema can eat whatever they want.  

That being said, Vivi's skin has improved greatly since she stopped nursing.  It sucks.  Breast milk is THE BEST.  But in our case, switching to Nutramigen, and thereby eliminating all traces of of dairy, eggs, and peanuts from her system, has been a good thing.  If you need to switch to Nutramigen due to a cow's milk allergy, check with your insurance company.  Ours covered 100% of the cost.

And of course, now that she's eating more and more solids, we keep the foods she's allergic to away from her.

We've also noticed that Vivi is sensitive to certain fabrics.  Micro fleece seems to be the biggest problem, which is a bummer because A LOT of cozy baby clothes are made out of that material.  She wore a fleece hoodie yesterday, for example, and by the end of the day, the area where the hoodie meets her cheeks was all red and irritated.  

Once the garment is washed a few times, it's no longer a problem.  It's only when it's still new, soft, and fuzzy that it makes her itchy.  Back into the wash with that hoodie!  

We also use hypoallergenic detergent for all our laundry.

As already mentioned, lotions do not jive well with her.  If I'm freshly lotioned after a shower, I make sure she doesn't come in contact with my skin as we cuddle.

The weather also seems to make a huge difference in her skin.  While there's not much we can do about that, we make sure we take extra precautions for extreme cold and heat.  During the winter, we lotion more because the air is so dry.

During the summer, her skin was horrible.  The sweaty creases of her body were rubbed raw and bloody.  I had to make sure her nails were kept extra short to keep her from scratching.  Even though it was hot out, I'd pull leg warmers on her at night to keep her away from the back of her knees.  We don't want her skin getting infected.  Poor baby.  



The doctor tells us that her skin condition should improve as she gets older.  In the meantime, we just keep moisturizing and bathing and moisturizing and bathing....and more moisturizing.

Monkey See...

If we made one giant pile of our baby toys and tossed Vivienne in the center of it, she'd never be seen again.

Seriously.  She's a small baby.  She has A LOT of toys.  Enough to keep twenty small babies occupied for quite some time. (As long as there aren't any electrical cords or cardboard boxes around to distract the babies from the toys that is...)

All her toys are age appropriate and awesome.  She has hippopotami that sing, a puppy that walks on his hind legs, and enough Little People to populate Rhode Island.  If I were a baby, I would play with those toys all damn day, son.  

But Vivi?  All Vivi wants to play with is the Disney Princess Glitter Glider Castle Playset complete with MagiClip Glitter Glider Princesses.  Of course.  

After all, it's Madeline's toy, and therefore, the coolest thing Vivi has seen since passing through the birth canal.  

Madeline is a little less than thrilled with her little sister trying to swipe her Christmas present, so Vivi doesn't get to play with it much.  This seems to only make her want it more.  I spend a good portion of my afternoon trying to keep the peace between Madeline, Vivi, and the Glitter Glider Castle Playset.  

Luckily for Vivi, Madeline's not always around.  Sometimes she's at school, or helping Dada shovel, or playing with the mountain of baby toys in the other room.  And when big sister's away, Vivi will play...

She's not quite sure what to do with those princesses once she's not trying to sneak them away from Madeline. Mostly she makes a lot of high-pitched oohs and ahhs while she lines them up on the table.  Occasionally she tries to send them down the slide, but then she gets frustrated and throws them on the floor.  A few second later she forgets her anger and chews on their heads.  This morning she spent nearly an hour repeating this cycle while Madeline was at school.  It was glorious.  I got to drink my coffee in peace while Cinderella's face got gnawed on for a change.  

And so it begins.  Vivi will now spend the next eighteen years of her life trying to copy everything that Madeline does.  Baby toys?  Who needs those when there are four-year-old toys in the house!?  

Vivi will probably try to ride a bike long before she's ready, steal her sister's lipstick, and whine about her unfairly early curfew.

 This also means that if Madeline starts sneaking out of the house to booze with her friends at sixteen, Vivi will start doing it at thirteen. 

 We're hoping Maddie decides to play the tuba. 

Vivi's First Birthday Party

It's a busy time of year for a baby to turn one.  I'm not sure how we'll celebrate Vivi's birthday in the future.  Maybe we'll have a party earlier...or later...instead of the week of Christmas.  But for her first birthday, I wanted to observe the actual day.

We went with a Winter Wonderland theme since our house would be decorated for the holidays anyhow.  

Thank you family and friends who helped us celebrate Vivi's big day.  We love you all!

Happy Birthday, nugget!