Lily had an appointment with a pediatric allergist today and many of our pediatrician’s findings were confirmed: she reacts to just about everything. Eggs, wheat, dairy, oats, rice, corn, dust, cats, dogs – all came up strongly positive (enough to warrant the doctor prescribing an EpiPen). There were some others, too, but that’s the gist. So now we’ll continue working with the pediatrician and allergist throughout the coming months. It’s really tough for us to feel like she’s getting nourished when she can only eat about five things, and her non-dairy formula makes my Visa ache. But everyone tells us the same thing: the vast majority of cases like Lily’s outgrow the allergies within a few years. We all hope so. As long as she doesn’t have to suffer through all those pokes again any time soon!
Last week Stephanie’s parents were in town from Richmond, and she and Lily took them to the Newseum. Unfortunately, I had to work and wasn’t able to go along, but they all came back raving about it. We’ll need to plan a return trip! It did get me thinking about all the sights and attractions around here, though, many of which we still haven’t seen despite living in the area. Of course we’ve made the rounds through the usual Smithsonian museums: art, natural history, American history, air and space, and even the Udvar-Hazy Center out near Dulles. But we still haven’t made it to the Holocaust Museum, the International Spy Museum, and several others that aren’t coming to mind right now.
Any suggestions that you’ve enjoyed and would recommend? Hit the “comment” link below and let us know!
I have updated Lily’s photo album with the latest batch from the holidays, and it was quite an effort. We typically like to publish three or four shots a month so as not to inundate people with Lily’s cuteness – but this month I had a whopping 194 photos to pare down. I settled on twelve of the best. Enjoy!
And many thanks to everyone for such a nice Christmas weekend! Stay safe tonight!
Lily is a crazed handful of a baby. It’s amazing how much development can occur in such a short time, but she now spends most of her days pointing, babbling (loudly), crawling around, and getting into everything within her reach. We knew we weren’t fully baby-proofed – “Hey, we’ll always be right next to her. How quick can she be?” – but jeez, what a monkey! We’re having a blast, though, and with each passing week we’re anxious to see what new antics she’ll surprise us with.
Incidentally, I probably won’t do these monthly update posts once Lily turns one. I figure we’ll simply update when the need arises, whether that is more or less frequently. And probably similar changes with her photo album – that will be renamed to something like “Year One”, and we’ll make a new album to continue on. More on that, in February, though.
And happy holidays to all! We’re looking forward to seeing my parents here in northern Virginia for Christmas Eve, then down to Richmond for our annual Christmas Day spectacular with Steph’s folks. If we don’t see you, be safe and enjoy the weekend!
Six and a half years ago, Stephanie and I got married and bought a townhouse. I can’t believe it’s been that long, but since then we’ve settled in and among other things, brought Lily into the world. The idea had been creeping around for a while, but when the baby arrived it was obvious: we could really use a bigger place.
So the other day, we contacted our Realtor to get the ball rolling. Our goal is to be out by the summer, so we need to get our finances in order, sell our townhome, and find a new home. To date, luck has been on our side: other places in our neighborhood are selling very well, which is a Good Thing™ with regards to securing a loan and making a down payment on a new place. We’re staying close, so far looking at places on realtor.com just west along route 7100 around West Springfield and Burke; fortunately prices aren’t too bad. Sidewalks would be nice for Lily, and a garage would be great (I’m done with leaving my car in a parking lot). Other than that, we’re not too picky – we’re just not in the mood for any big remodeling projects in a “new” place.
That’s the plan. We’ll see how things work out, and will continue to report our progress here on TeamAHearn.com!
Here’s another little cellphone video of Lily discovering one of the baby gates and attempting to yell her way through it.
Are all babies this vocal, or is Lily destined to be this talkative forever? And the girl has got some volume – it makes my brain rattle. Seriously, check your speakers before playing this clip.
