Wonder Boy!

Tonight Andrew gave Isaac (aka - "Ike," "Bro," "Brother," and "BrudderCup" - that last one is ALL Andrew) a new nickname, "Wonder Boy!" ...as in, "I wonder what will happen next?" (Not to mention his wondrous tenacity for overcoming the little setbacks in his young life!)

Here's the latest on our big 4 & a 1/2 month old! (shown here on his 4 month birthday.)

First of all HAPPY 1 YEAR!
On February 19, 2011, we found out we were expecting! That means our little guy has been in our lives and on our planet for over a year! Wow! Here's Issac on 2-19-12
At 4 months, Isaac is super smiley, very social, and just adorably handsome. He has his Daddy's cheeks and his Mama's coloring. He is learning to fall asleep on his own and now has an 8:30 PM bedtime and 7:00 AM wake up. His naps are still all over the place, but with our busy lives, we are all over the place too.

Everywhere I take Isaac I get comments about how fair and handsome he is. He is pretty irresistible to the general public, even with his constant eye goopies (he still has narrow tear ducts, although they should grow by the time he is one), and my sign has come in handy on more than one occasion. I also constantly get compliments about how well behaved he is. He's way too young for me to take any credit for this, but he is an incredible mellow baby. He loves to look around at what is going on and take it all in, but he is equally happy to gurgle and coo at anyone who pokes their head into his car seat.

Isaac is getting stronger at tummy time and can raise his head up completely when on his tummy. He also likes sitting in his BebePod chair and looking at toys. He is SO close to rolling over and wants to roll so badly. Today he found his feet and spent 30 minutes after dinner marveling over them.

Isaac is still eating a lot more and a lot longer than the baby books say he should, and today we found out why. He has not gained an ounce in the past month. Hi GI Dr. showed us his growth charts and he is continuing to grow well in length. His weight chart went from a steady incline to a flatline, and his weight-to-height chart went from a steady incline to a decline. It was a huge bummer to see.
Here are his stats:
- Height: 25" (40th percentile)
- Weight: 13 lbs 3 oz. (10th percentile)
- Weight for Height: Below the 3rd percentile

I've been off milk and soy for a while now - although I cheated at a baby shower this last weekend, and off eggs for a week. I'm also not eating nuts or shellfish. The GI dr. said that rather than have me cut out more foods, she wants to start Isaac on elemental formula - formula that doesn't contain food proteins, but is broken down to amino acids. I was supposed to start today, but I am going to start tomorrow.

The formula is super expensive (35-40$ a can) and I'm REALLY heart broken about stopping nursing. I cried a little at the GI office and one of the nurses started crying too. She had gone through the same thing with her son. The office gave us two cans of formula - Wow, when you think of the cost! - and I am going to pump to maintain my supply while we try the formula. I know that this is better for Isaac right now, but I feel so strongly that breast milk would be best for him, if I could get my diet down. Unfortunately time is of the essence, so I don't have the luxury to adjust my diet and see how he does, like I did with Isla.

I posted about everything on my food allergy support group and got a lot of feedback and support, so I'm feeling a little better. I keep reminding myself that I am still going to get to cuddle him and feed him. It is just hard to accept that after being his soul provider for nourishment for the past year, I have to pass the buck to an overpriced can.