I was supposed to write the third entry of my Scratchy, Sleepy Baby series today, but I was in the ED with T from 5-10am experiencing his first bout with asthma.

If you’re not familiar with the atopic march, it’s not the type of march you hope to be a part of. It’s essentially a progression of atopic (or allergic) diseases that develop in a sequential order throughout one’s infancy and childhood.

Reviewing a year of scratchy baby purchases. The first wave - realizing we can’t live on Vaseline alone.

Let’s start with some definitions. There are some words that we quickly realized we needed to know: Emollients: help to fill in cracks in your skin, and Occlusives: keep moisture in.     

What a journey this eczema experience has been so far…My sunshine baby, T, is nearly 15 months old. He was a happy surprise as our second child after a fertility struggle for our first. T was born on a sunny day in June and has been a truly joyful presence in the lives of everyone around him ever since. He is usually grinning, chortling, and dancing, despite being so uncomfortable much of the time.