.JPG "Ramona at 9 months")
So I’m still doing a restricted diet here due to Ramona’s potential allergies to wheat, dairy, egg, and peanut. We did take her to an allergist in December, who did a skin test, which did say she’s allergic to those things. Now, I don’t want to dismiss food allergies, especially when it’s my own kid, but I gave up those things between the blood test and the allergist, and she still had bad eczema (which was the reason they thought she might have allergies). The allergist recommended a different lotion — I had been using Aquaphor, which didn’t do anything except make us all greasy, but the allergist recommended CeraVe. Switching moisturizers made a bigger difference than any dietary changes, and all but eliminated her eczema. So I don’t know what to think. I’m still avoiding those foods, and she has another allergist appointment in May, where they may do a “food challenge” (when they give her a tiny bit of the potential allergen) with wheat. Meanwhile, she did her own personal mini food challenge the other day by stealing a Cheerio from Zuzu (nothing happened).
I would really love to go back to eating wheat.
I haven’t really gone fully into any kind of wheat-free baking or anything. I make cookies with the kids and just don’t eat any. I know there are all kinds of wheat-free baking mixes, and allergen-free baking methods, but honestly I still think that she’s going to outgrow these allergies (at least the ones that affect baking — wheat, dairy, and egg), and I don’t really need to go too crazy with alternative flours in the meantime.
And as you can see, she’s hardly wasting away, and doesn’t worry about food at all, but instead works hard at being adorable. (By the way, that finger she has going into her mouth in the photo — her right index finger — is the one she sucks on. Very cute.)
freaking. adorable.
Such cute cuteness, that Ramona! I really hope she grows out of her allergies, because being allergic to all that would really suck. Re: eczema, did I ever tell you about Catrix Correction cream? I used to use that occasionally when I would get really dry, rough, scaly eczema on my face or neck. It was made for helping people recover quickly from chemical peels, but it seemed to really work. I haven’t had a problem for years (due to a rigorous moisturizing program I follow) but it did help back in the day.
Like mother like daughter with the index finger, eh? Ramona is absolutely adorable – what a cutie!
Glad to hear her skin is starting to clear up and I sincerely hope this allergy situation is a temporary one. Life is much better now that we can have ice cream!
Kate, you’re one of the few people on the planet who knows that I sucked my index finger as a kid! 🙂
Lori, I haven’t tried (or heard of Catrix Correction), but the Cerave has been our lifesaver so far.
We have been able to nearly eliminate Vi’s eczema with supplements (probiotics, vitamin e, fish oils) . When we took out non-food (additives,flavorings, chemicals, food coloring, nitrates, etc.) the remainder of her rash disappeared…and she started sleeping at night. Eczema is such a beastly problem. There is some smelly salve at whole foods that has helped, too. Good luck!
Lindsay, I’ve gotten so totally laissez-faire about the food issue lately, on the pretense that potential allergens filtered through breastmilk are a method for building resistance. And we’ve honestly given Ramona everything except for peanuts at this point — sometimes she does have an eczema flare-up as a result, but her skin definitely goes through majorly clear phases now, which is such a huge improvement over six months ago. You know, though, I’m going to keep an eye on additives. I don’t think she really gets any (ahem…cough cough…except for that hot dog I gave her earlier) (which she didn’t actually really eat), but maybe making a conscious effort to eliminate those will make a difference.