Liam Update: I feel like he's changing every day! Yesterday he got up from a sitting position all by himself and today h'es been doing more and more. He's into EVERYTHING and loves anything that makes sound. His puppy (that plays music) is his favorite. He will press an ear, hand or heart and wait for the songs to start. He's very smart and if my computer is on the couch, with my legs up (to block him), he will actually crawl under my legs to get to the computer. He loves books, bags and "organizing" . He actually loves anything on a string that he can drag around.
He usually has pancakes and fruit for breakfast (or egg and toast) and he will either sit down while watching Veggie tales and eat his breakfast (all on his own!). The other day he was eating strawberries in a little cup. The cup kept tipping over so he moved it to the exersaucer (which has a cup holder) and angled it so that it wouldn't tip over but that he could still get the fruit out. So smart!
He is sleeping through the night!!!! I say this with a tear because I didn't think it was possible. We put him to bed any time between 6-6:30pm and he usually wont wake up till 4:45. I usually will leave him till 5:30 (unless he is hysterical). This morning I gave him a bottle at 5 and put him back to sleep and didn't go up to get him till 6:30. This sometimes works... and sometimes he won't go back to sleep = cranky baby. A couple of times he has woken up at 10 pm (usually if he doesn't finish his bedtime bottle). If he doesn't go back to sleep after 10 minutes I will go in and give him the rest of his bottle which does the trick. I am hoping that I won't have to do that for long. How did it happen you ask? Well, one night I decided that when he wakes up, I was going to wait 10 minutes and see if he would go back to sleep. Nine o'clock rolled around and he woke up crying. I waited. Three minutes later, silence! It was wonderful. So now, my limit to wait is 15 minutes. If he hasn't gone to sleep by then, then he usually won't.
As far as naps, we are down to 1 nap a day but it is a struggle. He is so cranky and tired by 12, hes not sleeping as long as he was when he was taking two naps. But I don't want to go back to 2 naps because we have decided to start him early at daycare. Monday will be the start of daycare and it will give me a chance to get ready for school for the fall semester. It's very hard to work with him around. When I am on the computer, he wants to pound on the keys. The only thing that distracts him is Veggie Tales (and I don't want to play that ALL day).
Cloth Diapers: We are back in cloth diapers and so far so good. Washing them has become a challenge as I am still learning how much detergent and water to use with the HE machine. Washing uses less water than our old machine but the process now takes twice as long. Drying also takes longer but I am letting them air dry outside instead.
Health Update: I had a doctors appointment this past Tuesday, and got my blood results back the next day. My creatinine is now down to 1.2 and my protein is down to 3mg from 9! He also said that my potassium is now low and that I need to incorporate that back into my diet (with pleasure!). I am to stay on my low sodium diet (which I will go into more detail below) and I am ok with that. I am feeling a bit better with all the medication and I have been trying to go for small walks early in the morning (when the sun is low, with a hat and sunscreen). Some days my joints hurt or seize up but I am seeing my rheumatologist in two weeks. They will probably put me on more medication to keep the lupus at bay but I will wait and see what he says. Besides the joint pain and muscle spasms, I am also experiencing heart palpitations and tremors. This is "all normal side effects" from the medication but it is rather annoying. I can't wait till they can tone down my pills.
One thing my doctor was concerned about was my white blood cell count. He told me that I was at 2mg, where as a healthy person is at 3000-4,500mg. I am not healing very well with any cut and I am very susceptible to getting sick. He told me to stay away from malls, busy stores and crowds. We did go to the library yesterday but it wasn't crowed and I didn't go near anyone.
Processed Food Challenge: Due to my low sodium diet, I have been a hawk at watching labels. Then this study came out: http://www.whydontyoutrythis.com/2013/06/scientists-officially-link-processed-foods-to-autoimmune-disease.html. They have officially linked processed foods to autoimmune disease, specifically the processed salts in foods! So Steve (husband) and I have decided to change our diet. This change won't happen over night but as we learn what to eat, we are hoping to live a better, healthier lifestyle. We are not going to go completely raw (as we are both carnivores at heart). We also are not going to cut out all sugar or flour just yet. Baby Steps. We are going to make our own sauces, pancakes, bread, and stop buying boxed/canned foods. We are also going to try and increase our produce intake. Wish us luck!
