Vivi: Twenty-Three Weeks

Vivi has been a bit of a crab apple this week.  She's not sleeping as well, and she wants to be carried constantly.  

The no dairy thing was going great, but then I forgot that there's cheese in pesto until after I ate it all.  Now she's got a horrible rash again.  I'm not sure if that small amount of cheese caused it, or if she's allergic to something else I'm eating.  I just need to wait another week or so for the cheese to pass through in order to tell. Either way, it's pretty frustrating.  Moo!  

After last week's hold out, she finally pooped on the tenth day!  She's been regular ever since.  Lots of red-faced grunting around these parts.  

I made some baby applesauce this week.  She doesn't like it nearly as much as she likes bananas.  She made a few faces when I first scooped it in her mouth.  But, she is eating it.  

She hates being left out of anything.  She wants to sit on Eric's lap all through dinner otherwise she grunts, moans, and screams dramaticaly.  He found out that she loves his water glass.  She rubs her hands all over it and tries to eat it.  She must like the cold.  

Tonight, she sat in a high chair while we ate dinner for the first time.  She liked being closer to us and whined a lot less.  I fed her some mashed bananas between bites of my own food.  She seemed very content with that arrangement.    

She is sitting beautifully and is able to balance on her own for a minute or more before wobbling to the side.  

She watches Madeline all the time.  She loves to "play" with her.  The two of them roll around on the floor together.  Vivi loves to grab and gnaw on her sister.  

Cuties!  

Dancing with Vivienne

When Madeline was a very little baby, I'd dance her around the living room every afternoon before nap time.  The music, movement, and snuggling always lulled her to sleep.

Vivi doesn't get the dance treatment before her nap time.  Sometimes she drifts off while nursing, but mostly she's left to fall asleep in her crib or in her rocker while I zoom around the house trying to get other stuff done.  It's tough being the second child.  

Madeline still holds roughly eighty percent of my attention and thoughts.  This is partially because I've had a lot of practice worrying over Madeline in the past three-and-a-half years.  Partially because Madeline demands a lot of attention...loudly.  Partially because it's easy to function on auto-pilot while taking care of a baby.  Change her, rock her, feed her, repeat.  Meanwhile, my brain is elsewhere.  

I'm not saying this is necessarily bad, and I certaintly love Vivi just as dearly as her sister.  This is just how it has to be.  Yet, when I catch Vivi so sweetly and quietly watching my every movement from across the room, my mommy guilt comes knocking. 

Today, Vivi had a tough time settling down for her nap.  After I finished tidying the kitchen, I scooped her up for some snuggles.  Madeline usually comes to around the second she sees me with Vivi, but she was happily engrossed with a game in the playroom.

As I held Vivi, she didn't wiggle against me or crane her neck to observe the room as she usually does.  Instead, she rested her cheek heavily against my shoulder and sighed. 

I brought her into the kitchen and we danced to the music I had playing.  She didn't move at all as I swayed and spun her around.  Her whole body stayed relaxed and heavy in my arms.  I glanced in the mirror a few times, certain she'd be sleeping only to find her eyes wide open.  

We danced through so many songs I lost count.  We danced until my arms ached and my back grew sore.  When I gently put her down nearly an hour later, she looked up at me and cried.  She didn't want to stop.  

Parenting is a demanding, and often thankless, job.  But it's moments like these, when you realize that this little person loves and needs you more than anything else in the entire world, that make it all so worth it.  

Vivi: Twenty-Two Weeks

I've been 100% dairy free since Monday. It's not so bad except I'd be much more psyched for my salad if there was cheese involved.  Obviously....cause....CHEESE.

I decided to go completely dairy free even though I don't really have to because I want to see if there's truly a difference in Vivi's health.  Plus, I want to make sure there aren't any other hidden allergens lurking.  Otherwise I'd blame every side effect on dairy when it could really be dairy and wheat for example  Please no.  Just.  No.  

So far, I don't see much of a difference in Vivi, but I'm told it takes a while to get results.  All those dairy proteins are still mooing wildly through our bodies at this point.  Apparently it can take a whole month to tame those cows.

Meanwhile, I'm the mom who obsesses over her child's poop.  Last week, after the great formula incident, Vivi was a little too regular.  But now? We're going on eight days.  This isn't really unusual as Vivi has always been a once-a-week-er, but I'm anxious to see what it looks like after changing my diet the past few days.  I know, I don't like myself either when I'm like this.  It's not a pretty picture.  It's gonna be epic when it finally does happen though.  Toats ma goats.

In other news, Vivi is developing a sense of humor.  Vivi has been a serious baby through her life thus far.  Her facial expressions and general demeanor remind me of a little scientist earnestly studying the mysteries of the world. This week, however, she's exhibiting the sillies.  

She laughs a lot.  She likes it when I make funny voices and shake my head.  She gets that we're playing a game and will start smiling and wiggling before I even start tickling her.  Her screams of glee sound just like Madeline's.   It's pretty awesome.    

The girl is also very grabby.  She can yank on a chunk of hair like it's a competitive sport.  Ouch!  She has pulled an entire plate of food onto my lap.  She tweaks Madeline's nose and claws at her cheeks.  I have to be careful when changing her diaper because she will grab for the diapers, wipes, and cream like they are snacks.  No, no.  We don't eat our dirty diapers, thank you.  

I gave her a bit of banana this week.  She loved it!  She growled with pleasure, lunged at the spoon, and tried to pull the bowl out of my hands.  Then she took a three-hour nap.  She was just so satisfied.  The poor girl still nurses every two hours, has a dairy allergy, and is a skinny little thing, so I often feel like my breast milk is just not enough for her.

We've been practicing sitting up independently.  When Maddie was a baby, Eric just kept propping her up and letting her fall over till she figured it out.  I didn't like it at the time, but then I came home from work one day to find Madeline sitting on our bed smiling at me while Eric sat in a chair next to her playing video games.  So now, we're following the same method with Vivi!  I sit her up on my bed, she balances for a few moments, then topples over.  Madeline thinks it's hilarious, and Vivi is really close to sitting unsupported.

Sleep is better, but still touch and go.  She's sleeping through the night more often, but a few times a week she wakes up to eat constantly.  Getting her down is still rough.  Girl has lungs and a temper.

We'll be moving her from our room into the girls' room soon.  My mind boggles at the idea of this.  I can't imagine how we will get our two girls to sleep in the same room successfully with any of us getting any kind of sleep.  Madeline still sings herself to sleep most nights, and Vivi is a light sleeper.  Plus, Vivi's bedtime is a full hour before Madeline's.  Usually just as Vivi is falling asleep, Madeline is heading up to bed. If anyone has any suggestions, that would be great.

We love you, Little Viv.  My heart literally aches when you smile at me first thing in the morning.  You're such a treasure.  

Today

May today bring rain, thunder, and high winds.  

Let us be cooped up in the house watching The Cat in the Hat repeatedly.

Let Madeline whine about being cold but refuse to wear long sleeves or socks.  

Let Vivi's bouncy seat run out of batteries and Piggy Blimp fail to amuse her.

Let juice spill on the floor, and then let Madeline use an entire roll of paper towels to try and wipe it up.  

Let us listen to Let it Go twenty times in a row.  

Let me find yogurt on the underside of every surface in the kitchen. 

Let Madeline's hair have extra tangles and my eyebrows be extra bushy.

Let no snack in the house be what Madeline is craving, and let Vivi spit up on my freshly changed shirt.

Let all this come upon us today.  

Just please, please, please let Vivienne poop.

Little People Probs

We have a little problem.  A Little People problem to be specific.  Fisher Price's Little People to be even more specific.  We do not have actual little people wandering the halls of our house like Munchkin Land.  Scratch that.  First, it's probably offensive.  Secondly, Madeline and Vivi are little and are people. Anyhow.  I think you get what I'm saying.  Here's a visual just to be sure:

Yup, that them there's a LOT of Little People.  

Eric and I both had the original esophagus-sized Little People when we were kids, but were lucky enough to survive to adulthood without choking on them anyhow. Somewhere along the line, our nostalgia may have gotten out of control.  Then they started releasing little Cinderella Little People and little Batman Little People, and we just could not resist the cute!  

We really only had a second child because Madeline is starting to outgrow them.  I kid.  Mostly.  

I left about ten of the little guys behind at a restaurant a few weeks ago. (There was a poop disaster and a fire alarm incident happening simultaneously...my mind was occupied elsewhere.)  When I realized my mistake, Eric and I almost cried.  (Madeline didn't notice that they were gone.) No more Mimi and Bob Little People?!  Poor Flynn Ryder, Dopey, and Superman!  

Thankfully, the restaurant had them stored away in its safe.  I may have cried tears of joy. Crisis averted!  

Our loss would have been extra tragic because Fisher Price just changed the design again.  The newest Little People are taller and skinnier.  

I don't get it. Are they on a juice cleanse? Have they been eating Kale nuggets? Is this part of the effort to fight childhood obesity?  Perhaps they should talk to Barbie about their body issues cause we liked them short and chubby!  

And so, the scouring and hoarding of leftover chubby Little People has begun.  We look for them everywhere, and if they have some cool ones we don't already have, we scoop 'em up. 

We have a few neatly tucked away in the closet waiting for the next holiday/birthday.  Vivi is going to be getting chubby Little People for her sweet sixteen.

Great, Mom and Dad...a Little People dump truck driver...Yeah, I was kinda hoping for a car, but this is cool too...I guess.  

Yes, I know we sound like crazy people.  Yes, this is clearly a First World Problem. But until you feel the stininging regret I feel over letting the chubby pirate ship set slip through our fingers, you can't possibly understand.  

Twenty-one Weeks or Why I'm Not Eating Ice Cream This Very Second

After months of suspicion and speculation, Vivi has been diagnosed with a dairy allergy.  Excuse me while I go cry into my bowl of not ice cream. 

We've suspected dairy to be the culprit for a while, and I've seriously cut back on the amount I eat.  Still, I have at least some dairy (milk in my coffee, for example...sometimes two, maybe three bowls of ice cream) every day.  Yet, Vivi's symptoms don't appear daily.  Most days she's fine.  Because of this, and because I'm stubborn, I was hesitant to blame Bossie the Cow too quickly.  

Last week, I introduced rice cereal for the first time.  I mixed it with formula, which we've given her before without incident.  But here's the rub.  Vivi won't take a bottle.  Even though we've given her formula, she hadn't actually  drank much of the stuff.  

She loved her rice cereal, however, and gobbled up quite a bit of formula along with it.  She liked it so much that she had some three days in a row.  Oops.  

On the third day, her facial rash appeared.  That's a sign that she's about to get fussy, so I stopped the solids.  

Then the pooping started.  Epic pooping.  Red-faced, grunting, screaming in pain pooping.  Pooping four or five times a day from a baby who usually only goes once a week.  Then there were chunks of dried blood in her stools.  Poor girl.  

We met with the GI doctor today, and he said these are text-book symptoms of a dairy allergy.  

(Photo by Maddie Bear)

She's pretty much back to her happy self now.  Her cheecks are still red, and she's still pooping more often, but the pain and blood are gone.  

I gained two main insights into Vivi's problem from this unfortunate incident.  One, her sensitivity clearly depends on the amount of dairy consumed.  Some dairy proteins pass through my breast milk without bothering her at all.  It seems it's when I eat ALL the cheese that we have a problem.  I plan on eliminating most dairy from my diet, but the doctor said I didn't need to go crazy worrying about it.  That's a relief on my end.  

Secondly, it takes a long time for the dairy to work its way into her system.  I stopped the formula over a week ago last Wednesday.  The pooping started on Saturday.  The blood appeared this Tuesday.  

Looking back over the past few months, it all makes sense now.  For example, I thought it might be eggs for a long time, but that's probably because I only eat eggs when we go out to breakfast.  And when we go out to breakfast, I usually end up drinking several cups of coffee (with cream) instead of just one.  

It's going to be a long summer of no ice cream and cheese-free pizza on the grill, but I'm happy we finally figured this thing out.  It was frustrating thinking maybe it's dairy, but maybe it's eggs, no, it's kale...I'll just eat cardboard...over the past few months.  

The doctor said 67 percent of babies outgrow this by the time they're one.  Ninety-seven percent by the time they're seven years old.  Let's hope for sooner.  

It would be sad for Vivi to grow up watching the rest of us eat ice cream.  "Here, Viv, you just eat this cup of blended carrots and beets!  It's just as good, we promise!"  

Maddie Bear Says

But if we got a lot, a lot, a lot, of paint and a lot of money then we can paint our house pink!

M: Vivi, do you know why I love you?

Mumma: Why, Madeline?

M: Cause she's my baby.  

M: (playing with her princess figurines) They need rescuing! 

Mumma: They need to figure out how to rescue themselves.

M: Mumma...but Ariel's not smart.

While Mumma's getting dressed, we can play Little People! That's a splendid idea!

(Running down the sidewalk with her arms spread wide.) I'm free! Pasta, pasta, pasta!

M: Mumma, I love you.

Mumma: Aw.  I love you so, so much.

M: I just love you a little bit.

(Coming up the stairs to bed) 

Eric: Remember, no talking cause Vivienne is sleeping. 

M: (Loudly) Dada, when's it my next birthday?

E: shhh

M: (whispering very loudly) Dada, when's it my next birthday?

(Cuddling) 

I love you!  You're the most beautifulest Mumma!

M: It's hard growing up.

Eric: Why?

M: Cause you grow slowwwww.  

Mumma: Yeah.  It's hard to be patient, huh?

Eric: But why do you want to be a grownup?

M: Cause I want a husband.  

The first time I lost Bell I didn't determined to find her.  

(Looking at a box of things we're donating.)

Let's give Vivienne away!