Why My Angel-Baby Scares the Crap Out of Me

My baby is an angel. No, really. Yes, he has his moments like all babies do. But he sleeps through the night 99.9% of the time. 12 hours +, people. He's happy everyday. He smiles at everyone. He patiently waits while I prepare his bottles (sometimes). He sits happily in my lap when I am watching TV or eating or working on the computer. He cries maybe 3 minutes a day on average. No, I'm not bragging. Read on.

I'm telling you this because I am scared #$%*less to ever have another baby because you know that ISH ain't happenin' twice! Since having a baby, we've now been exposed numerous horror stories from other parents who've had difficult babies. Babies who had colic and cried all day or babies who would not sleep. There have been a few nights when our little guy has woken up for an hour at 4am and just a handful where he has woken a second time and I am an absolute sleep-deprived zombie the next day! Even with our sleeping champ, my house is currently a disaster and I still have a hard time keeping up with daily duties like laundry. How in the world would I handle a baby who wakes up multiple times a night or does not go back to sleep or cries and cries and cries???

Let me back myself up a bit. I feel like I have 3 kids already in some ways. I have 2 pugs that are so high maintenance, they are like children. Ok, I'm slightly exaggerating; but at least combined they are like one child. They are allergic to anything and everything, so we have to homemake food for them and heat it up twice a day. Luckily, John can make and freeze large batches once a week at the restaurant. If they don't get their homemade meals, they start losing their hair and smelling really, really bad. The grass makes them itch so they poo on the porch - yay. They have been to the vet more than Asher has been to the pediatrician in the past 5 months. They always have ear infections and even need a special shampoo. They try to eat anything of Asher's, so I have to make sure to move all of his things to an unreachable-by-pugs spot before leaving the room with him. The get into the bathroom trash at least 3 times a week even though it's gated off (I need to get a trash with a lid in there... it's on my list.) And here's the real kicker - they randomly get fits of vomiting and diarrhea such as this morning when I let them out of their cage only to release poo-covered dogs to go running through the house. That's right - think mop, vacuum, mop again, the disposal of two rugs, and some serious dog baths before Asher's morning bottle. I think it was a test of my patience and strength. I hope I passed.

We haven't been talking about expanding our cozy little family any time soon. I never imagined stopping at one, though. I feel like Asher might be lonely without a sibling to play with or grow up alongside. I grew up the middle girl of three girls, and we had our fights and your normal familial disagreements that may or may not have gotten physical from time to time, but we have so many wonderful memories with each other. We text or talk to each other almost everyday. We share silly jokes that no one else gets. We're there for each other when we need advice or just to vent. I would hate for Asher to miss out on that.

In all honesty, I know its something we could handle, either way; we would make it work like so many have done before. Every baby is a blessing, even the difficult ones. Maybe we are blessed to have had our first be easy so that we can settle into this new life and all the changes that come along before having our world flipped upside down by a little night partier. I mean, at least we have most of the basics down and know some of what is coming our way. Praise-worthy parents who have been there can assure that you find ways to adjust, you learn to make it work. And, yes, those early days do pass and these are only short stages that do not last a lifetime. In fact, they pass more quickly than you can even imagine. That still doesn't ease my anxiety that we may down the road end up with a tiny little tornado that keeps us up all night or drives us to invest in earmuffs. It makes me happy that we are in no rush to add another to our roster. Or maybe we will pull our chips while we're still ahead and our magical number will just be one.

Have any of you dealt with a difficult baby or was there a big difference between your babies' temperaments? Pin It Now!

Formula Update

This picture doesn't even show our entire "formula stash". Now, finally, I think we've found it!

Similac Alimentum in powdered form. (<--- Imagine singing angels and lots of light!)

This post is mostly for those who may be in the same boat as us when it comes to finding the right formula for their baby. It may get a little "TMI" up in here... but sometimes you just gotta go there.

I made a spreadsheet with Asher's reactions to the different formulas so that we could see which one is working out the best. Yes, I'm that mother. I'll show it to the doctor, too. Ain't no shame.

We gave up on the sensitive and the spit-up formulas within a week or so of trying them because the spit-up got so bad and was very curdled with a really acidic smell. Although this was still early in the game, my instinct told me we did the right thing. And things have been working out very well with this new formula. It's amazing the difference in his complexion since switching to the Similac Alimentum. Asher's always had lots of baby pimples, and now his face is almost completely clear. Amazing! The doctor agrees that he must have a mild milk and soy allergy.

When searching online, the symptoms and images of soy and dairy allergies show are always so dramatic, so for those who are unsure with their own babies, it may be helpful for you to see what Asher's skin looked like when he was on a formula he had an allergy to and now on the Similac Alimentum:

untouched photos taken with my phone

You can see how much healthier his skin looks now.

He also had these bumps and redness on his shoulders, back, and chest. I'm also wondering if it was contributing to this diaper rash that wouldn't go away. He is pretty clear now in his diaper area, although I've switched up a few things in our diaper routine, as well, so it could be a result of one of those things, too.

A lot of people brush off irritation like this on their skin as "just baby acne" or "just sensitive skin", but obviously it was something more and I'm SO RELIEVED that we figured it out.

This does mean that we are going to have to be extra careful when starting baby Asher on solids.

According to our doctor, we have to be sure to avoid these risky allergenic foods for the first year:

Citrus
Tomato
Wheat
Egg

From research I've done on my own, with the soy allergy, we also may have trouble with:

Green Peas
Chickpeas
Green Beans
Lima Beans
Barley
Rye

...and with the dairy allergy we may have trouble with:

Dairy Products in General...Cheese, Butter, Margarine...
Canned fish
Deli/Processed Meats
Pre-Mixed Cereal
Some Spices / Seasonings

...and there is a whole list of ingredients to look for in foods before serving them to an infant on solids. 

There's really no telling when he'll outgrow his sensitivity to soy and dairy. Could be one year or it could be longer. We'll just have to keep a watchful eye on that.

Since Asher sleeps 12-13 hours through the night already, there's no rush to get him started on solids before 6 months. We are going to try to wait the full 6 months before starting. I really don't want to rock the peaceful sleep boat!

Has anyone else had experienced with food sensitivities and their babies or been through something similar and have advice to offer when starting solids??

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Patterns Week & Baby's First Cold

I'm not gonna lie - this week has been a challenge.

From diaper rashes to sensitive skin issues, possible cradle cap and hair loss to crankiness... we have really run the gamut with challenging baby issues this past week. To top it all off, Asher got his first cold. More on that in a minute.

It seems as though he is going through his second metal leap according to the wonder weeks. He was born about a week early, so supposedly that puts him a week behind in the stages since it is based on his mental development from conception. His behavior for the past week has definitely fallen in line with the signs of the "patterns" week. I haven't bought the book on the wonder weeks yet, but I did download the iPad app and have read a little about them online. He definitely wants to be entertained more than ever, cries at the drop of a hat, has a decreased appetite, and wants to be held all day. This all started about a week ago. While it is trying, it also is encouraging to see him hitting all these new milestones. He is holding his head up like a champ (and actually wants to do tummy time), he's shifting his weight forward while in my lap or when someone else is holding him and he wants to come back to me, he is more engaged with his toys, making new sounds, and has been playing with and staring at his hands... The book goes into much more detail on these weeks and offers suggestions on dealing with the extra fussiness associated with them. He's also exhibiting a lot of the "symptoms" of the third leap, too, though... blowing spit bubbles... sucking on his hands... so I am still sort of on the fence on this theory although it is very interesting and does seem to be hitting a lot of the marks!

Anyways, despite my best efforts to keep my germs away from John and baby Asher, they both ended up catching my horrible cold. Word to the wise - sanitize your hands during and after your pediatrician appointments! Many times! I think I picked this awful thing up at the pediatrician's when Asher was getting his vaccines last week. :(

It started with a few little sneezes here and there. They're cute until you realize that they are happening too frequently. Then I saw a runny nose. He didn't have a fever and he was (and still is) surprisingly happy for the most part, but I called the doctor anyways and they recommended using a nasal aspirator with saline drops if needed, keeping Asher upright, and keeping an eye out for a fever. Basically, we have to let his immune system do its job and just wait it out.



It's the hardest thing to see your tiny baby uncomfortable and sick when you know there is not much you can do! I couldn't help but feel guilty knowing that the cold came from me. I set up our Vicks Humidifier that I received at my baby shower to help decongest his little nose. It blows out "cool moisture" and has a Vicks scented insert for "soothing vapors". It seems to have helped a little! I've also been using our NoseFrida "Snotsucker" and that has been a big help. It's a unique spin on the standard bulb aspirator that instead uses a tube that you suck with your mouth. Lol! It sounds gross but it blocks anything from coming up the tube with a filter. Although it sounds weird, he actually likes it! It's supposed to be more gentle on their little noses. When I hold it up he smiles and after I "suck" at his nose, he laughs! He really is the cutest baby, even when he's sick.

It was incredibly difficult hearing his nasally sounding cries! Fortunately, it seems like he is getting better. He is starting to sound normal again and the runny nose seems to be gone. He's been very clingy and fussy at times, his appetite went down a little (whether related to the wonder week or to his cold, I don't know) - but he's still flashed us his wide grin and let out small bouts of laughter several times a day. What little schedule he had has certainly been disrupted, but hopefully we'll be back on track soon. He's a trooper, this one! I am extremely relieved that this did not progress into something serious and I will definitely be more careful about hand washing and sanitizing from now on!

As far as everything else we've been dealing with, I'm keeping a running list of blog topics originating from our crazy week. One in particular, our sensitive skin problems and seemingly never ending diaper rash. I'm at my wits end on how to keep it away and am going to give cloth diapers a try. I'm hoping that using them a few times a day when we're just relaxing at home will help air circulate better... we'll see! I'll definitely follow up our experience with a blog post!




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