One of the cutest things ever...

Lizzy in her new Sunday outfit. I wish she would hold still and pose for pictures.

Considering how cute she was, it made it extra super sad when she came downstairs with her doll.

"mom. ask me how my baby is."

"Ok, Lizzy, how's your baby?"

"she's itchy."

and then she started to scratch the baby's hands and neck, the places that she itched herself.

"my baby needs some benedwyl so that her allnergies don't make her itchy."

Brent and I about cried. Life isn't fair. We feel like we've tried so many roads to help her skin and only find dead end after dead end. Whenever we've taken her to doctors, they have always told us that we were over reacting and her skin wasn't as bad as we thought it was. Although I continue to love my pediatrician for most things, I won't try to count the number of times he discouraged me from taking her to a dermatologist because he said that they wouldn't be able to do anything for her that he couldn't. I wanted to smack the allergist that was so kind to inform me that he believed she had eczema and maybe we should try taking her off dairy for several months to see if it made any difference. I had about given up hope that anything could help her even when it seemed as though she was getting worse and worse and obviously having trouble enjoying life.

Anyway, a while ago my mom sent me an article on my email and as I read it, I found myself really liking one of the contributing doctors. I wanted to take Lizzy to THAT doctor. THAT doctor said things that I liked. THAT doctor seemed to know what she was talking about. I was uber pleased to find out that THAT doctor practiced in Alpine. It's been a weird, long, almost miraculous story (i'm going to do you a favor a spare the details, but if you call me, i probably won't be able hold back), but today I was finally able to take Lizzy to her.

For the first time since Lizzy was just a few months old, I finally feel validated. If I'd had to listen to another doctor or nurse ask me if I'd tried using Eucerin Cream, someone would have gotten a swift kick in the pants. Fortunately for us all, that wasn't the case.

The doctor and her PA were both shocked to see her skin and told me that she had the worst case of eczema they'd ever seen. The doctor also told me that she found Lizzy's situation to be unacceptable and that she was going to make sure that she didn't live like that anymore. She said that Lizzy's skin wasn't able to retain any moisture on it's own and that it also lacked naturally occurring antibiotics that most people have, meaning that any germs that touch her skin can easily infect it like so...

For those that aren't so lucky as to get to interact with Lizzy regularly, her body looks like this most of the time. It's sad.

If the doctor hadn't been so abrupt and callused (she really needs to work on her bedside manner), I'd have let myself cry the way I wanted to, hugged her and told her my miraculous story of how I found her and finally got the appointment.

Her new regimen involves several different steroid creams, topical antibiotics, bleach baths, new heavy cream and shampoo and cleanser, a sedative at night and she's also supposed to sleep in WET organic cotton pajamas with a heating pad to keep her warm, (deep breath) but I finally feel hopeful again. I know that it won't be a cure, I know that she'll always have skin issues and I know that using steroid creams isn't ideal, but at least it's something and someone with a plan. I'm so desperate for this to help...

Anyone know where I can buy organic cotton pajamas?