When I was given the news that I would need to make a little shift in my daily routine to see how it would impact Abi's growth, I never thought I would experience what I have experienced. First, Abi seems like she's grown. Her cheeks are red and rosy and FULL. She is more hungry and less sleepy. She wants to interact more. And, in 14 days, she has gained around 10 - 12 ounces. This is almost double what she was gaining before. Hooray hooray hooray!
Did I know it was going to be a huge shift for me? Nope. Giving up my morning latte was my biggest concern, but then I discovered almond milk. I think I like it even better than real milk. I have learned a lot about food, about other moms who have had to cleanse their bodies of dairy and soy, and expanded my recipe and food repertoire quite a bit.
My number one priority has been Abi. Whatever I need to do for her to be as healthy as can be. But I've also discovered that I feel better on this diet. I am less bloated, I am eating more raw food and less processed food (because soy is in almost everything processed!). And I think this bread loving woman might have some issues with gluten. A lot of the recipes that I have used are dairy/soy/and gluten free. Since gluten free is the "trend" these days - I have been lucky to find some good sources and have made many trips to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. I would have laughed at a "gluten free banana bread " recipe. After I made it (and added dairy/soy free chocolate chips), and the kids devoured it, and I devoured it...and Kyle devoured the non-chocolate parts...I was a pretty happy lady.
We have one more week until we go back in to see Dr. Allen. We have a scale on borrow (thank you Sievers!), which has eased both Kyle's and my mind. We can get a better idea of where her weight is instead of relying on one measurement on one day when we visit. It also has given me reassurance that the energy spent on this shift has been having an impact.
The past two weeks have been physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausting. Since I am pumping and feeding Abi my breast milk by bottle 3 times a day in addition to breast feeding, AND everything I put in my mouth is questioned (since I'm still learning what I can and cannot eat), I feel like I am barely able to make it out of the house or arrive anywhere on time. And when it rains it pours. I have had 5 photo shoots in the past two weeks (which I love - and has been a great outlet!), I learned that I have my first cavity (booo...mostly because I have to make another appointment soon), and Katie's preschool decided to end at the end of March, Alden is getting out on work release next week, and Katie decided she wants to attempt potty training. AND my pump battery decided to die today. My time has been stretched to full capacity and I am exhausted. These are all little things that just add up to make time feel like I don't have a grasp on anything, but big picture, we are thrilled that Abi seems to be responding as health is EVERYTHING. We are praying that this is the answer and she continues to respond positively.
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