How life has changed since...

we brought home our little pug named Po. Even though I had a puppy a few years back and got too overwhelmed and sold her, I really thought I knew what I was doing last month when I was looking for a new one. Uh, surprise!! :) As cute as he is, he is a little handful as most puppies are. And to be honest, I have entertained the thought of selling him a few times, but as of now he is still in my home and making our life interesting. Here are just a few examples:1. My favorite red flats are now chew toys (cry) along with any blankets, throw pillows, kids' toys or anything else that is left on the floor.
2. Thanks to Po's little bark, we have a lot more noise than we used to. He loves to play with the kids and chase them around. He especially loves Emmi; it must be her size. If Po isn't following me he is following her.
3. Naturally, we have a lot of these little clumps dotting our backyard that I get to pick up. Not only that, but we have a few big holes in our fence that allows him to escape. I have spent more time chasing him around our neighbor's yards than I really care to. For that, he deserves a little time-out in his room, which brings me to #4 ...4. I have a little captive who has taken over my laundry room. There are 2 little eyes that are always peeking, looking for the kids to free him. Actually, Po has been doing so well with his house training that he is rarely put in there anymore except for nighttime and when we leave home.5. Unfortunately, part of having a puppy who likes to play is occasionally getting nipped. Or in Emmi's case, getting the feet of your footie jammies constantly chewed on, while your feet are still in them. This is a face we see quite a bit, can you tell? Her new favorite word is "Owwie".Given all of that, the kids, myself, and even Chad are still loving this little guy. And all of the excitement that a little dog can bring.

F.Y.I.

Since my last post I have had many people ask what I have been using on Emmi to clear up the eczema. So, if you were wondering, the dermatologist prescribed her an oil called Derma-Smoothe and a lotion called Epi-Ceram. I have been using both twice a day for these past few weeks and think that it has made all the difference. I was also told by my dermatologist to give her Clorox baths. I put in 1/2 cup of Clorox bleach in a tub full of (warm, not hot) water for her to bathe in. I was worried since Emmi does still try to take sips of the water, but I was assured that it is diluted enough. She says the Clorox baths kill the "bugs" on her skin that make her itch and I'm supposed to give her one twice a week. I have also switched her to soy milk, and left a humidifier in her room during naps and bedtime, which I think have also helped.

At Last...

After a year of trying different creams and lotions, Emmi's face is finally clear. Wahoo!!! It is so nice not to see rough red patches on her cheeks. I'm sure most of you know but she has a pretty good case of eczema, and we have been fighting it all over her body. Over the last year I have seen 2 pediatricians, and 1 dermatologist who basically told me just to keep putting lotion on it as much as I can. No matter how many times I put it on it didn't take the redness away or soothe her itching. Finally I decided to get another dermatologist's opinion and I went to one that my mother-in-law recommended (thanks Kim) who was so great and gave me some new oils, and instructions. It has only been 3 weeks later and I am very happy with the results. This is a post in celebration!!
Look at those white cheeks!!
To remind you all of just how bad of a problem this was let's go back in time shall we? This was taken by my little sis Erin in Dec 2007, (thanks Midge :) when Emmi was 7 months old and we started noticing a little redness on her face. Not too bad. Now let's fast forward to just a few weeks ago...
This was taken on March 27th, just after our dermatologist appointment. In my opinion, her eczema was pretty severe there at the end.
As is her face wasn't bad enough, she had these little rough patches all over her body and scalp. Needless to say again how happy I am that I finally found something that works for Emmi. Being her mama, I want her to be as beautiful as she can be and at long last I have the right tools!! Hooray!!