I am sad to say that Tyler has not received nearly the amount of updated posts that his older brothers did when they were his age. Three kids can keep you busier than two, I guess. But that in no way means that he is any less of a joy! It has been so much fun the last few months to watch his personality start to development and the infectious smile he always has. Tyler is very sociable and admires his older brothers. Although he loves them both, Aaron is his best friend! This is an example:
Tyler wants to walk so bad and is on his feet as often as possible, holding on to anything to make that happen. It won't be long before he's walking on his own. And when that happens I better watch out! I will no longer need to run every day- I'll get plenty of exercise chasing him all over!
(I hate it when the writing turns blue and underlines. And I don't feel like retyping all of it so it won't be. So the rest of it'll be blue!) Tyler is very small and skinny for his age and this picture shows it. In fact, the last time he saw the pediatrician his weight showed him at the 0.5%ile on the growth chart. Starting in January his eating of solid foods started to decline to the point that he refused everything. For a couple of weeks he was barely drinking any liquids each day. I was beginning to get worried, especially when he lost 1 lb within 2 weeks. He didn't have any extra pounds to lose and at this age it's not a good thing to lose any weight regardless of skinny or not. When I talked to the pediatrician in February about this he referred me to a GI doctor, the same one that Andrew sees for his acid reflex.
After having a thorough blood test done nothing was found. A swallow test indicated no problem. By this time it's mid March and we had already visited the ER twice for dehydration. Last week he had an endoscopy done and a diagnosis has finally been found! Eosophophilic esophagitis. In English that means his esophagus is inflamed from top to bottom. Whenever Tyler eats solid foods he feels like he's choking and gagging, which he sometimes does. Right now the only solid foods he'll eat are small crackers, cookies or cereals (Cheerios, etc.) that dissolve quickly. The solution: a steroid (through the nebulizer) and a visit to an allergist. Most likely the cause of it is food allergies. My guess: dairy. Because right now milk is about the only things he eats/drinks. And I started noticed a decrease in solid foods in mid-January when he transitioned from formula to whole milk. An allergist has been referred to me and I hope to see him ASAP. This evening we started with the steroid, which can help to decrease the inflammation as well.
But Tyler is a trooper! He is happy, cheerful, and ALWAYS active and moving everywhere! We love you Tyler!
