Me? Dairy Free?

My little bud was a crier. Thankfully, after the first month or so he became a pretty decent sleeper, once he'd actually get to sleep that is. Sometimes that would take a while.

He started getting increasingly fussy in the evenings. Often he would start around dinner time and keep going until he fell asleep for the night.

Then, at about two months old, we noticed these screaming fits after almost every feeding. We also noticed you could feel and hear bubbles moving around in his tummy.

I talked to his doctor about possible causes of his gas and discomfort. She listed some of the most common sensitivities babies have.

"Broccoli, cauliflower, garlic, other spices, milk..." she told me.

"Basically all my favorite foods." I responded, more than a little disappointed.

But his cries got to me. I just hated seeing my baby hurting. I decided to try experimenting with changes to my diet.

First I cut out garlic, broccoli, and other things that I noticed seemed to affect him right away. It helped, but he still seemed fussy and just plain uncomfortable on a regular basis. I knew the cause either wasn't in my diet or was something I ate all the time.

I had a hunch about what it might be. I stayed in denial about it a little while longer, debating with myself whether or not it'd be worth it. Then I decided to experiment to be sure.

I got my answer.

The answer I was dreading.

It's dairy.

I'm pretty sure. After one week dairy free he was showing some great improvement. Then to be sure it was my changes that we're helping, I did a dairy day. I ate the foods I'd been missing most. Cheesy pizza and a big milkshake.

It didn't take long for confirmation. The bubbles, the tears, and massive amounts of spit up came later that night.

This is terrible news because I LOVE dairy. Every meal should include butter, cheese, and/or ice cream. So there will be lots of experimenting coming up.

What this means for you, dear reader, is some fun dairy free recipe experiments.

Stay tuned.

Too Long

It's really been far too long since my last post.

Here's a Daft Punk song about it. The song itself might be far too long too, depending on your tastes.

Not that we have that out of the way. Some big changes have happened in the past... let's see... almost 2 years. (Has it really been that long since I've finished and published a post?)

With the big changes in my life come some big new topics to discuss on the blog.

1. Home Ownership - We bought a house! We moved in the day before my birthday. No one is ever going to top that birthday present.
2. DIY Home Projects - Since we own this place, we can do whatever we want to it. This is an exciting, but scary thought.
3. Parenting a Toddler - My Little Miss is growing up into a affectionate, independent, amazing little girl.
4. Parenting a Boy - Announcing the addition of Sprout! Our little man has come into the world and we are in love all over again!
5. Sibling Relations - Join me in my adventures having not one, but two tiny people in my care.
6. Pets - As if doubling the number of children weren't enough, we've also adopted two cats. Feels like an infomercial.
7. Cub Scouts - Both my husband and I were volunteer leaders with the Cub Scouts at our church before we moved and my husband has been asked to be a Den Leader again in our new congregation.
8. And more - There's always more to life.

Of course we're going to continue old topics: crafting, recipes, experiments. Sprout is two weeks old, so we're still waiting with baited breath to see if hormones even out or if we are dealing with the same type of postpartum experience as last time.

We'll keep you posted.

And, of course, Little Miss is done with her treatment for plagiocephaly, but if anyone has questions I'm happy to share what I know.

What else would you like to see here?
Let me know in the comments!