This is Beck at the wedding.

He was s-i-c-k. The wedding was on a Saturday. I had taken him to the doctor the prior Tuesday and he was diagnosed with an ear infection (his third). They prescribed amoxicillin, which is what he took for the 1st ear infection. We thought he would be feeling much better in time for the weekend. Turns out the amoxicillin didn't help. By Friday, I realized he was getting worse, so I called the doctor, explained his symptoms, and they called in a prescription for omnicef (another antibiotic). "Okay," I thought, "at least this will do the trick." Nope. Long story shortened, the omnicef didn't work, and Beck broke out in a rash. He was either allergic to it, or he got a viral rash (possibly roseola). Finally, after azythromycin, the ear infection cleared up. Then, he got two teeth almost simultaneously. Then, he got the stomach bug. This all happened over about a 6 week period. And, other than breastmilk, he has barely eaten. It's been sooooo frustrating (and worrisome given his lack of weight gain). I was totally into making baby food for him, and providing him with a variety of interesting, healthy finger foods, but he was not interested in any of it and I lost my motivation.

But, it seems we've turned a corner. This morning, he ate a dried fig, which I cut into bite-sized pieces, 1/2 a banana, and a few bites of a waffle. Yaaaaaaaay! It's hard to explain how satisfying it is just to see him eat. I was convinced that he was the world's pickiest eater. He would barely pick anything up with his fingers, and if he did pick it up, he most often dropped it right off the side of his tray. If he put it in his mouth, he spit it out immediately, or, would chew it (yay!), and then spit it out (no!). And if I tried to feed him anything, he'd just clamp those little lips closed and turn his head.

Anyway, it seems that at least some of that was just due to him not feeling good. He's been so happy this week. He's back on a reasonable sleep schedule. He's eating. And....wait for it....he took his first steps! He's not walking, but he's definitely standing on his own, and he has taken a few steps on his own. We were thrilled, and tried so hard to get it on video, but of course didn't catch it. At the grocery store today, after I told the man in line behind us that he was nearly walking, he said "you'll be shocked at the places he gets into that you didn't think about." I'm nervously and excitedly looking forward to it.