Poor Baby

RJ is sick for the first time ever. It's so dis-empowering to have him feel bad and not be able to help. We went to the Dr. today, and it's a viral thing that COULD lead to an ear infection later on, but it's NOT AN EAR INFECTION. (bolded for my sister, queen of ear infections :)) 

Instead, we are using allergy medicine to keep fluid from building in his ear, and treating the fever aggressively. I had to buy a rectal thermometer today, but the new design is so much better than the one I remember my mother wielding, that RJ had no issues with it- and I didn't have issues using it. 

He is sleeping a lot more than usual, which is the best part, since I have a touch of a cold too, I'm getting to rest. The hard part will be later in the week, if he has not recovered, he cannot go to daycare. I've activated PLAN B, which involves a couple of hours of help from a friend while I run to work for the essential meetings, then work from home for the rest of the day.  We won't know until tomorrow if I have to use this plan, or have a normal week. We shall see...

Butt-Update

I know you are all anxiously awaiting the results of the butt Olympics, right? (RJ's diaper rash)
Well, it is 97% cured, thanks to the baby bidet technique.
We perfected it this morning, as the little man stood spread-eagle against the edge of the tub, holding on for dear life with a huge grin on his face as I sprayed his tushie clean. I've never seem such a happy little criminal, even on COPS. Thank goodness that during our bathroom remodel I requested a detachable spray head on the shower. I'm also glad that he never pooped while we were out and about during the past few days.
In short, wipes flare up even the slighest diaper rash, but a warm spray of water and a soft washcloth can go a long way toward a happier baby.

Shameless baby photos

So, I mentioned that we went to Indiana for my brother's wedding, right? Well I just downloaded the pictures, and there is NOT a.single.one of my brother and his wife. They all star, you-guessed-it- my baby! Some were not even taken by me or CJ, as evidenced by the ones of us dancing with RJ at the wedding! If you look closely in the background, you MIGHT catch a glimpse of the bride and/or groom. SHAMELESS.

Also pictured, my sister and niece and my parents with RJ. We had a lot of fun with them, and after these trips, it is really hard to live so far away from them. :(

My favorite subject-poop

Ok, so I suck at consistent blogging. Sue me. I've been on vacation. I'm all caught up on reading EVERYONE else's blogs and being annoyed when THEY don't update. I'm such a hypocrite. :)

We went to Indiana and my brother got married to a lovely lady. It was a good time. We spent a whole week catching up with friends and family. We've been back almost a week now and only have one more suitcase to unpack. CJ and I both detest unpacking and we have a standoff a la Ray Ramone after every trip.

RJ has made amazing progress since my last post. Tomorrow he will be 8 months old! He now has two lower teeth, and can get into a crawling position and bounce! He will be crawling any day now. I've caught him scooting backwards, but he doesn't realize that he can do that yet, it's all accidental. In other news, he has his first real diaper rash.

The "expert" advice on butt rash is to:
1) Air it out. We did this for over an hour yesterday with a nudist baby on a blanket in the backyard. I was prepared to wash all fabrics involved expecting a shower of urine. He was dry the entire nudy-hour! Good boy!
2) Don't use baby wipes. I am going to partially blame Huggies super chemically, overly perfumed butt wipes for the rash to begin with. This morning, I handed the young lad to his father in the shower for a "crack rinse"-post tiny poop. This was the hardest worked-for tiny- poop EVER. I would LOVE to send a video of my son's crapping face to America's Funniest Home Videos, as he tries REALLY HARD every time he makes, even if the result is less than a rabbit would produce.
The shower power spray was great, except the boy immediately pooped again after being creamed and re-diapered. So I had to make a baby bidet by holding his tushie under the faucet of the tub.
3)Hold off on the new foods. We also tried yogurt for the first time yesterday, so that could be a secondary factor in the butt rash. I have an issue for "The Man-like" big corporations, so I'm mad at Huggies. Jen- add them to the list!
I'm using Aveeno baby butt stuff, it seems like all brands are variations of 16% zinc oxide. Bloggers, what is your favorite butt covering for treating the rash?