Standing up monster!

Standing up is such fun!

We seem to be in the middle of a heatwave. Today looks like it’s going to be a scorcher – its already 23 degrees in here at 7.30. Normally it’s gone down to around 19-2o degrees. Yesterday was almost too hot to do anything. I had been going to stay in and sort out a load of boring stuff that I’ve been saving up, but most of these boring things involved phone calls and what do you know, my phone decided to pack up. So that scuppered that plan. The  temperature climbed and climbed. Me and Owen had lunch in the garden, under our new gazebo. I had salad, Owen had a slightly unusual combination of sweet potato, courgette and cucumber sticks! Yes, I have started baby led weaning properly now! I am going to give Owen one meal a day, probably lunch usually but sometimes evening meal. I will offer him two or three food choices on his bumbo tray and see how he goes with them.

The problem is that he has had allergic reactions to some fruits, specifically grape and melon so far. The first time it happened was last week, it was frightening. I had just given him a little taste of some grape flesh, crushed up on my finger – the tiniest amount. I don’t even think he could have ingested any of the flesh, but he seemed to be enjoying the taste of the juice. Then suddenly he became very distressed and began scratching his arms and squealing. I looked at his arm and it was covered in angry, raised weals. Then I noticed that round his mouth was all red and sore too. My heart stopped, then started again at triple speed. I phoned mum in a panic, then the doctors. They were closed, but there was still a doctor there so they said to go in. I tried to drive sensibly but was terrified that Owen would stop breathing in the car, so it was hard… but by the time I got to the surgery he was giggling and smiling and the healthiest, happiest baby you ever could see! I think he does it to make me look silly or something! He still had the weals though, and the redness round the mouth so the doctor could see I wasn’t making it up!

She was going to give me an Epipen but then phoned the paediatric ward at the hospital and they said it wasn’t standard practice to do that, and they wouldn’t do it unless he’d had an anaphylactic reaction, ie. his breathing was compromised. So he has to be that close to dying before I am given the means to save his life. How ridiculous is that? Since then he has had another reaction – to melon.

My little man is getting harder to please too- he is prone to throwing dreadful tantrums! Oh, and his new favourite thing is standing up! He is not happy unless I am holding him in the standing up position. Aaargh… what manner of monster have I created? A standing up one, for sure!