Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Little Babe Gone?

I haven't really felt the desire to share all my thoughts and worries about Caleb up until this point. But I've been thinking lately that maybe it will help a little if I just get it all out there and maybe ask for you to pray for him (and the rest of us, for that matter).

A couple weeks before we moved to Florida, Caleb began to show signs of separation anxiety. Honestly, I was hoping we had passed right by that stage because he was already 10 months old. For those of you that remember, Laura Anne developed separation anxiety when she was very young. Four months old, I think. So yes, I was hoping Caleb skipped it completely. But no. He only wanted Mommy or Daddy to hold him.

I'm not sure when this happened, but some time in the past couple months or so he also lost his interest in playing. On the floor, in his exersaucer, pretty much anywhere. He just doesn't act like he has the energy or desire to play. He's not crawling. He's not pulling himself up. He doesn't like it when I make him stand up. This little boy has been missing for a while:

The photo above was taken in August. I was looking through all of our pictures from the past year to try to figure out when he started acting this way. I came to the conclusion that it was sometime in January. For most of the pictures taken since January, I can remember him being fussy and that's why he wasn't in some pictures, or I just happened to catch a little smile on camera, but he was being fussy that day. Anyway, I say all that to say that since January, he has become a different kid.

As I'm writing this, I think about all that has gone on since the beginning of this year. Right after New Year's was when Chris and I first started discussing the possibility of moving back to Florida. Obviously, things moved a little bit quicker than we anticipated. So part of Caleb's change in attitude could be from all the stresses of moving. But really, let's be honest. Could moving cause a baby to lose interest in food, drinking, playing, etc...?? Could it cause a baby to lose weight? Could it cause a baby to become so clingy to his parents that he will let no one else hold him? Could it cause him to become anemic? Cause constipation? Cause ear infections? I don't think so.

Therefore, I am concerned for my son. I am concerned about his development and his health. It bothers me that he didn't smile once at his birthday party Saturday and that in most of the pictures, he's laying his head on my shoulder. I just want someone to tell me how to help him, because frankly, I don't know what else to do.

What about his allergies? Well, he has an appointment at Duke in less than two weeks to be tested again. We are hoping and praying that we'll find some answers then.

God has plans for our sweet boy. We know that God is aware of our situation and He will not leave us to handle it on our own. But it is frustrating to struggle with one issue or another for the past year and still not have any answers. So I would ask that if you have a spare minute, can you please say a prayer for Caleb? Pray that we can find some answers and get help for our little guy before anything gets worse.

Thanks, and obviously I'll keep you all informed.