Wow, can't believe we're already a week into December. We've had a rough time of it recently with both kiddos, so it's been difficult to spend much (or any!) time on the blog. There were days last week when Elise was either crying or about to cry the entire time she was awake, day or night. And the sleeping has been pretty disastrous, as she takes forever to go to sleep (via being held and walked around or bounced) and then won't let us put her down. Let me tell you-- our biceps have never looked better! Because of some of her symptoms, the doctor thought she might have a milk intolerance in addition to reflux, so I've been completely off dairy now for just over a week. It takes a long time to get the milk proteins completely out of my system, and then even longer for Elise to do the same, but we are already seeing improvement. This morning she was actually awake and happy for an hour! Not sure if it's the dairy or if we're seeing some improvement with the colic, but we'll take it either way!
Having no dairy is difficult because dairy-free food substitutes aren't as readily available in HK as in the States, and dairy is in basically every type of Western (and Indian) food we eat. We're going to be eating lots of Chinese food! I have already learned that fake dairy-free cheese is just disgusting. Finley tasted my fake grilled cheese and actually spit it out it was so bad. I couldn't help but laugh because it was truly terrible. Fortunately cocoa powder does not have any milk in it, and some pure dark chocolates don't either, and I've found a butter substitute that's tolerable. I made no-bake cookies this week-- the ones with cocoa, oats, pb, etc.-- and subbed almond milk and sunflower "butter" so I could have some sort of chocolate sweet treat. They actually turned out pretty decent, and we ate them all within a few days. :) But I guess the cheese situation is hopeless, and I love cheese!
In another week or so, I'll try dairy again and see what happens. If Elise gets super cranky, we'll have our answer about whether it is in fact the dairy hiatus that is helping her feel better. I have to say, it will be really sad if I have to do a dairy-free Christmas. I think probably all of my mom's Christmas goodies have milk, butter, or cheese in them. The things we do for our kids! But enough about me, we're just happy that Elise is happier and more comfortable! Don't get me wrong, she is still cranky at times, especially the evening, and her sleeping is still very difficult, but it is definitely better than it was. I know deep down that Elise is going to be a happy baby, just as long as we can keep her digestive system functioning comfortably!
