PB for me

Ever since learning that Cameron is allergic to dairy, his pediatrician has been wary about us trying any nuts. I've wanted to give him peanut butter (yes, I know peanuts are legumes) for awhile now, but the pedi wasn't comfortable having me try it unless we did so in the presence of the allergist.

Well, we finally had the PB "oral challenge" today at the allergist's office. It meant sitting in the small room for 3 hours (!), so I made sure to bring a backpack full of toys and books (so glad I did). He started out with the tiniest bit of PB (it was maybe about the size of a ladybug?). And then we sat for 15 minutes before he got the next sample. There were 7 samples in all, and each sample got incrementally bigger, the last one being about the size of a tablespoon. We sat and waited after he ate each one, and the doctor would periodically peek his head in to look at the skin on Cameron's chest and back. Chest sounds and his throat looked good before and after. All clear! Yippee!

Now, this doesn't mean we're clear for all nuts, and the allergist still thinks it's wise to hold off until he's 3 and we're retesting him for dairy anyway. But good news for today!

I'm a what?

A big brother?! 

Though Cameron really doesn't know what that means yet, yes, we are very pleased to announce that he will be a big brother to baby #2, who is due to arrive sometime around February 11, 2012!

Counting

Cameron's vocabulary is growing in leaps and bounds lately. He recognizes all the letters of the alphabet and has even started counting objects. He's got 1 through 4 down, and will sometimes make it to 5. "Un, too, free, fouah..." Though sometimes it's hard to know he's counting until he makes it to 2, as "one" sounds a lot like "on". He also knows 8 and 9 (by numeral), but has not yet gotten that far in sequence.

He surprises me every day by new words he has learned that I didn't know he knows. I came home from a 4-day work trip and he's speaking in more complete sentences than just a few days ago! Of course, he still says "uh-vuh-vuh" (his default when he doesn't know the word he's looking for), but he's getting better about finding other ways to make me understand what he means when I tell him I don't know what he's talking about. :)