My gluten-free baby

It's going on two months now since Izaac began a strict, gluten-free diet and we've yet to see any changes in his skin. At one point, his skin cleared up almost completely after using a medicated cream and what a marvelous week that was! No scratching! None. He was able to toddle around the house bare-footed and lie still during diaper and outfit changes and play with toys in the bath all without feverish, uncontrollable scratching. But since regular use of a steroid cream on a baby is potentially harmful we have gone from clear skin right back to where we began (head-to-toe red, scaly, scratch-till-he-bleeds eczema), even with twice-daily applications of thick, sticky lotion. Seeing how much he suffers with it brings me to tears some days, knowing nothing we're trying is working. The next step is to take him to an allergist to see if we can pinpoint what is causing the eczema and to take him off dairy and see it that makes a difference. I am going to keep him on a GF diet, as trying as it is, because I've heard other opinions that say it can take up to six months to notice a difference.

Apart from the eczema, Izaac is an indescribable light and joy to this family - he has an outgoing, loving personality and it is infectious!

Random Christmas memory

Christmas Eve, Elijah and Joel drifted to sleep without seeming excessively excited that the next day was Christmas. Christmas day was amazing and eventful and I thought for sure the kids would pass out at the first touch of their heads to their pillows but Joel kept getting in and out of bed, wiggling and acting as I thought he might act on Christmas eve. So I asked him why he wasn't able to sleep and he sat up straight, opened his eyes wide and said, "I can't sleep because now I'm too excited about Easter!"