Campbell, Camp, CJB, Buddy...the list goes on!

This is a blog post that is all things Campbell. These days the little guy (well not so little any more!) goes by a plethora of names, Camp, CJB, "C", Bubba-bear, Bud, Buddy, Doodle-bug, Chicken-Noodle (thanks Cole!)...the list goes on and on! Just whatever you do, don't call him late for dinner! This kid is serious about food! 

I hate that I have not been keeping up with his daily/weekly changes on this blog. He has reached so many of his important milestones and I have yet to tell you all about them...totally my fault! Well, maybe I should back up a few months to better explain the situation and then maybe it will make sense why I've not had the time nor the energy to keep up with things properly. 

From the get-go I had a feeling that something was a little "off" with the baby. He was nothing like Brooks when it came to eating, sleeping and pooping...you know, the only things that babies really do for the first few weeks! Camp was a little fussier than most babies but honestly I just summed it up that he had a feisty personality and that we were in for the ride of our lives! :) After two plus months of dealing with an inconsolable baby and multiple trips to see the pediatrician (who confirmed colic) and even a trip to see a Chinese doctor (I was at my whits end) we finally got some answers and a few solutions. Long story short, Campbell has a dairy and soy intolerance. Colic was a good guess seeing that studies have shown that upwards of 75% of babies with colic actually have some sort of dairy sensitivity. Babies who have dairy intolerances cannot process the milk protein (casein) and are usually sensitive to soy as well. That was the case with Camp...poor baby was in so much pain and was just trying to tell us! During this time he was such a "hot and cold" baby. Some days he ate and slept beautifully but the majority of the time he was fussing and wanting to nurse every two hours...even at night! He and I were both not sleeping and that is a terrible combination! Oh and to top it all off he was the gassiest, most irregular breastfed baby I knew! That was what really tipped me off in the long run that something was terribly wrong. Leave it to a mama to inspect her baby's dirty diapers! Without getting too graphic, C was only pooping every 4-5 days and when he would finally go it was the most foul thing you can imagine...and remember he is ONLY nursing so this should not be the case! When I started seeing blood and mucus in his diapers a red flag went off in my head and I finally sought the advice of the Chinese doctor (after being told at the pediatrician's office that this is "normal!"). She immediately told me that I needed to eliminate diary out of my diet as well as some other very acidic foods that might bother his "immature" digestive system. Two weeks later, there was a totally different baby residing at 1307 Nottingham Street!!!! It was the miracle that we had been praying for for months. Campbell started sleeping better at night and he actually would nap during the day for longer than 20 minutes! Looking back at pictures of the little guy you can really tell how "sick" he was especially seeing how healthy he looks now. The pictures below were taken about three weeks apart...the first was about 2 days before I went to see Dr. Loi and began my dairy free diet and the second was taken about 2 1/2 weeks after becoming dairy-free...what an amazing difference!

Look at those dark circles...poor baby!

He's starting to fill out and not look so "stressed"

So what does it mean to be "dairy-free?" Oi! Let's just say it's a sacrifice I am willing to make for the health of my precious baby boy. He is totally worth it and seeing the turn around is making it so worth while. It is a major challenge to maintain a dairy-free and now minimal soy diet. Dairy is just not milk, it includes ANYTHING that is made from milk or milk bi-products! This includes but is NOT limited to cheese, butter, cream cheese, milk (including lactose free products), cream, chocolate, whey, and pretty much anything processed! Ugh!!! Eating out is no easy task seeing that everything is cooked in butter or has some sort of cheese or creamy sauce! It's such a pain and boy oh boy do I know when I screw up! Campbell let's us know in less than two hours after eating whether or not there was dairy in my diet. He is miserable for about 3-4 hours and there is literally nothing we can do to comfort him or help him feel better. It has to run its course and then he feels better and is back to normal. There have been a couple of times that I didn't realize I ate something containing diary until after the fact and I just have to pump and dump and give Camp some frozen breast milk for about 24 hours. The last time is was a homemade BBQ sauce that was full of butter and I had NO idea until after I'd eaten my weight in the stuff! Next time, I'll make sure I ask before I eat! Funny thing is, that day I was the one that ended up with the tummy ache...I guess my body is not use to the dairy so needless to say my stomach was not happy!  

A few weeks ago, we attempted to try out some hypoallergenic formula. Campbell totally refused the stuff! I took one taste of the Nutremagen and I don't blame him one bit! We started mixing it with breast milk and lo and behold he would take it! It was such a relief to know that he can have something other than me and that it won't hurt his belly. I can't say he loves it but he'll drink it! 

A week or so after C turned 6 months we started him on solid foods! He's a HUGE fan! As you can tell from the pictures below he doesn't complain when it comes to what's for dinner...just make sure you brought enough because this boy is not happy when it's gone! :) 

Trying puffs for the first time...wasn't too sure about the texture at first but now he loves them!

First bowl of rice cereal...yummy! (notice at how much he fills out in the course of about three weeks...from this picture to the last!)

mmmm...this spoon is suppose to have something on it mom!

avocado...interesting!

first banana with daddy....he digs it!

more please!

oh man...this stuff is GOOD!

stop taking pictures and feed me already!

chunky boy!!! love those chubby cheeks!

see! just a few days ago he took a bottle of straight formula!!!! 

 

Daddy and Campbell time...he's such a happy boy these days!

and he loves his mommy too!

and big brother is definitely his favorite these days...especially now that he's on the go and want to get into everything B is in to! 

brotherly love...yes Brooks is licking him! 

 Campbell is mobile! Yes that's right...our just now 7 month old is on the go! Over the past few weeks he has gone from hardly sitting on his own to army crawling to full on crawling! Let's just say I had to get down on my hands and knees this week and baby proof again! It's so much fun to have C be so healthy and to start enjoying his awake times. He loves to play with his toys and to go after whatever Brooks is playing with...much to his aggravation! Guess he will have to learn to share with his little brother sooner than later!

Pool time in the backyard...it was no suit Friday!

Look Ma! I can grab my toes!!!

Army crawling pro!

Within 30 seconds he can go from sitting in the middle of the blanket to here! 

What cha doing?

Sitting assisted with the Boppy and so happy!

Sitting all by himself and very proud of it!

This guy loves to ride in the stroller...I can go on a 45 minute jog and he will not make a peep! 

A bouncing boy! He loves the jumperoo! He will entertain himself for about 20 minutes...it's awesome!

He also loves the Ergo carrier now that he's big enough to ride on my back...let's just face it...he loves to be on the go! 

So I hope this helps to explain what we've been going through with our little guy. I am happy to report that he is growing like a weed and continues to reach his important milestones. Oh by the way, he cut another tooth since the last post so now he's sporting a cute pair of bottom teeth! I just love the daily changes and challenges...life would be so boring without our boys!