Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep, little baby…

I had big plans for after I recovered from giving birth to Vega. I was going to make and send birth announcements (I even pre-addressed the envelopes), I was going to be quick about sending thank you notes (I’ve written them, but they’ve been sitting on my table unsent for over a week), I was going to start cooking again, I was going to start back to work on my organizing/purging/decorating/painting the areas of the house that still need it, I was going to keep up with simple tasks such as calling the insurance company so that I can actually schedule the MRI, acupuncture, and physical therapy that my neurologist referred. I was going to return phone calls and reply to emails. I was going to take lots of awesome newborn photos!!!

I wasn’t anticipating two things: still being in head-to-toe pain 3 1/2 weeks later (thank you, fibromyalgia!), or a baby with colic *and* reflux.

Vega is SUCH a good baby. She has an incredibly calm and pleasant and aware personality. She’s a joy! But her tiny belly hurts, and she spits up all the time – which also hurts her. It’s so sad and pitiful. She even tries to be pleasant when she’s in pain! But we have lots of grunting and crying too, and a near-constant need to be held and consoled. And I’m naturally a very nurturing hold-my-baby-as-much-as-they-need-or-want kind of a mom, but I also enjoy showering on a regular basis (extra note: thank you, Andrew, for holding and consoling a crying Vega last night so that I could get a decent shower for a change! You are such a good dad!).

So… what are we doing?

I have eliminated eggs and dairy from my diet – both of which I think are bothering her. Today is my first day off tomatoes (I had been eating a lot of them in the forms of pasta sauce, chopped up in salads, bbq chips, organic ketchup… and it’s the next suspected food). After a few days, if there’s no improvement, peanuts and peanut butter will be next. I already don’t eat gluten, corn, and most chemicals (when I’m exhausted and in pain, even though that’s when I need to be more diligent – not less, I tend to be more lax about eating organically, and I tend to stuff my face with junky convenience foods instead of thoughtfully prepared nutritious meals).

I’m currently researching new diets (on my phone while breastfeeding, when I have a chance), and I am about to order a couple of books off amazon. I had a goal of getting super healthy this year, but it looks like Vega’s dietary concerns are forcing me into it sooner and with more zeal than I had planned. I don’t want to put my infant on medication, but if I can’t figure out her belly issues, I will accept the reflux meds the doc said she can start on her one-month birthday. I hate seeing my baby in pain! It’s so sad and pitiful!!! And I’ll do whatever I can to fix it. I’m praying that God gives me wisdom and direction in getting it all figured out. And sleep — I’m praying for sleep too!

{The afternoon is Vega’s most-likely-to-sleep-peacefully time of day, so on Thursday, Andrew and I took her on a small ‘date’ to the farmer’s market, to get a yummy meal at Angelina’s, and on a whim – we stopped at the Jordan Lake dam and walked a little (in the bug-ridden heat and humidity, but it was still so nice to just be *out*!).}