Love is all she needs

So says the shirt. But how can we NOT love this cute baby? :)

Teresa's health update

On Friday we went to see a Pediatric Gastroenterologist. He was a very friendly, very laid back doctor. We explained everything that has happened with Teresa in the past 3 months and all the steps we've taken to try to help her. I told him that I'd last seen blood in her stools about 4 days prior. It seemed to appear every 3 or 4 days, just a tiny bit, even when I was on the elimination diet. The doctor reviewed our family medical history (which is rife with G.I. illnesses).

And then he said Teresa should be just fine. He suspects she has allergic colitis - an intolerance of the milk and soy proteins that make their way into breast milk. He hopes this allergy will clear up by the time she is 6 months old. He told me there is no need for me to avoid any other foods or to stop or supplement my breastfeeding. He tested a fresh stool sample for blood and the test came back negative. Then he did a brief (but painful, for dear Teresa and her protective papa) rectal exam and said he found nothing of concern. He ordered some blood work and we agreed to see him again in 3 weeks.

Shortly after we left his office, Teresa pooped again...and it had blood in it. We've seen blood in her stools at least 5 times since the appointment. We wonder whether the doctor aggravated her rectum with his (well-intentioned) prodding. When we return to his office we will ask more questions.

One thing is certain: Teresa is a much happier baby today than she was 2 months ago. Her fussy times are far less frequent and it's not too difficult to console her. Nursing continues to go well, and now that I can eat a lot more I'm feeling better, too. The improvement (or, I should say re-broadening) of my diet may have contributed to Teresa's stools improving in color, too (from green to yellow).

After Mass on Sunday I spoke to another mom whose first child had blood in his stools at 10 weeks of age. Her doctor had her stop nursing and put the baby on the super-expensive hypoallergenic formula Nutramigen. A colonoscopy revealed that the casein protein had inflicted much damage on the baby's colon: it was highly ulcerated. Yikes. What made that case different from Teresa's? Could her condition be more serious than our doctor suspects?

We're still not on top of this, and we continue to be grateful for your prayers for our sweet daughter.

1st Mother's Day as a Mama

Thank you, Frances, for being an amazing mother and wife.

Thank you for bearing Teresa into this world.

Thank you for helping to bring her up in Holy Mother Church.

Thank you.

Surprising, awesome video

This message is set to air during American Idol's season finale, according to a post I read at Faith and Family Live. I'm not going to give it away...just watch and tell me if it doesn't make you think, "Wow!"

Teresa with toys

Here are two videos that show how Teresa's playing skills are developing. She can now grasp toys and shake them and hit toys with greater control.

Play Date

My friend Lindsay and I got together today for a picnic and walk at Freedom Park. Because I am still off dairy, soy, gluten, and peanuts, we had to be creative and careful about our picnic fare. Lindsay made a delicious chicken salad (with canola mayo - most mayo has soybean oil), which we enjoyed in lettuce wraps. I brought tortilla chips, hummus, salsa, strawberries, cantaloupe, and grapes. We ate well and the girls (her Adelaide is just one week younger than Teresa) were in good spirits. They enjoyed sucking their fists together:


Then they took turns sucking their fists:



It was a beautiful day for a walk on the paved paths through the woods and around the big pond. The girls decided they were hungry at the same time (or maybe one prompted the other) and they cried in unison while we searched for an open bench:

Lindsay and I look forward to the day when Teresa and Adelaide will play together, but for now we enjoy opportunities to get out of our homes and talk.

More faces

I thought these deserved their own post (photos taken April 17th - Teresa is 2 months old):

The many faces of Teresa

Here are just a few:

Smile (4/8)

Complaint (4/11)

Irritation (4/13)

Blowing bubbles (4/13)

Looking over Papa's shoulder (4/14)

Crying (4/19)

Wonder (4/19)

Concentration (4/20)

Teresa's first bottle

Yesterday we decided to try giving Teresa a bottle of breast milk to see if she would take it (one previous attempt when she was around 3 weeks old hadn't worked). I had about an ounce of milk* in the fridge from that morning, so I warmed it in a dish of warm water and David offered it to Teresa when she appeared hungry midday. She accepted the nipple without much hesitation and proceeded to drink more than half an ounce. Not bad for a first time! Afterwards, I nursed her until she was satisfied.

Although we do not plan to offer Teresa bottles often, it's good to know she will accept her nourishment from one just in case we need/want to leave her in someone's care for a couple hours or if anything should cause me to not be able to nurse her for a short while (hospital stay, medication, etc.). To that end, I have a half dozen bottles of expressed milk in our deep freezer.

*(only read this if nursing details don't make you uncomfortable!) This ounce of milk was not expressed - it was caught while I nursed Teresa from the opposite side first thing in the morning. I am amazed at how much will just drip out of me due to let-down when I'm full! Catching while nursing is an easy way to get foremilk to store, though I know I should express some hindmilk to add to it.

Can I have a scapular, too, Papa?