Tyson as Salvador Dali

Remember how our buddy Tyson recently had his first paid modeling job in a Bealls ad?  Well, now he has finished his first television commercial!  Check it out :)

Photo Bomb

There's always someone that doesn't want to cooperate....

Once Upon a Time, Nine Years Ago...

February 2, 2003

Three Months Old and a Sensitivity

Kaelyn is three months old.  She smiles most of the time, though I have yet to get a picture of it.  I get happy pictures, but not her real, big grin, which is so cute.  She giggles when she thinks something or someone is funny and she is very ticklish.

All of this is a welcomed change with my little girl.  I don't know that I have mentioned it before on my blog, but Kaelyn has been a very fussy baby from about two weeks on. 

 It started out slow with just fussing at night for a little while. Then, it turned into fussing and crying for five to six hours straight every night. Then, it turned into fussing anytime that she was awake...to the point that I couldn't wait for her to just go to sleep! Then, it turned into her fussing/crying/and screaming, along with some back arching. Then, her bowel movements became extremely foul smelling.  She is a 100% breastfed baby, yet her poops did not smell like it and they were not the right consistency (very runny/watery).

 I googled.  I talked to friends.  I googled some more.  I had even mentioned her fussiness to her pediatrician at her one-month check-up, but it was more or less excused as a fussy/colicky baby.  I have not talked to her pediatrician about her symptoms getting worse.  I googled some more. 

Everywhere I looked, I got the same answer.  I struggled with the results for a while, hoping it wasn't the case, because it would mean a diet change for me.  But the symptoms were getting worse and I knew it was time for a change.  What were my findings?  Kaelyn is sensitive to dairy.  This is a fairly common problem for babies.  It doesn't mean they are allergic to milk, but that they are sensitive to the proteins in cow's milk...this is different than being lactose intolerant.  Kae's doctor and I had discussed this at her one-month check-up, but because she was not spitting up and she was gaining weight, it was dismissed as "probably not the case". 

So, I have given up almost all dairy.  I am keeping butter in my diet for now, but not eating any other dairy or any other foods containing dairy.  The lactation consultant that I spoke with told me that the proteins can stay in my milk for up to two weeks.  She told me to go ahead and keep the butter for now, but if her symptoms don't go away, I may have to give that up too. 

I have been off dairy for eight days now (Any suggestions for dairy free meals?????).  By day two, we had a different child.  She was happy and content while awake!  What a blessing!  Since then, there have been good days and rough days as her body adjusts, but overall, things are going much, much better.  I have always loved my baby dearly, but I am able to enjoy her now :)

Since I have removed dairy, Kae is happier and she now does tummy time for longer periods of time without fussing :)

Other developments:
- gets excited to see people
- gets upset if she is ignored
- she's a drooly baby, but not to the point of soaking her clothes - she usually just has some spit bubbles around her mouth

- plays with rattles and other small toys
- stands in her jumpy activity center (not sure what they are called)
- LOVES being outside
- Is still adored by her sisters :)


Things I LOVE:

Sweet baby hands


and feet

and this sweet little swirl

My favorite time of the day is in the morning.  Ella wakes first, followed by Arin, followed by Kaelyn.  The big girls climb into my bed, so excited to see their baby sister.  They talk to her, sing to her, and hug & kiss her.  Such special, sweet moments :)

Photo shoots are tiring :)