Done deal

Many of you have been on our "tummy trouble" journey since Addy. A brief refresher might be warranted. Addy was born with multiple food protein intolerance meaning.....protein I ate caused her to have severe colitis resulting in months of attempted problem solving. In the end, I had lost too much weight by giving up every "likely" allergen, she was dropping off her growth curve and we still didn't know what proteins she was reacting to. It was a very difficult time for us. In the end, she could only tolerate a prescription formula that was completely pre-digested. Fast forward to Molly Kate. I knew there was a chance I could have another baby with these same tummy troubles; however, the "Pollyanna" in me kept saying, "I've had one normal one, what are the chances????" Well, within 5 days after her delivery I knew.....we were about to face some of the same challenges. However, I was blessed with the knowledge having finally gotten into a routine with Addy. I hoped this would be a simple fix since we were catching it so early, unlike Addy (we didn't know until she was 4 months). Maybe just milk this time???? Not so. It turned out that Molly had the same EXACT intolerances as Addy. Anytime I ate dairy, rice, oat, egg, or chicken products Molly's colitis would relapse. So I gave all those up and continued to breastfeed upon the recommendation from her GI doc. My goal was to get her through the "cootie season" aka winter. She will be six month's on April 19th.

Well, Scott came into town this weekend (ahhhhhh!) and Mary Ella had reached a significant milestone. She has stopped sucking her thumb and her "jewel" jar was full. Therefore, that meant we were going to have a pizza party to celebrate her success. I've been contemplating weaning recently and I really wanted to participate in the pizza party. With a little nudging from Scott and assurance that I was not "damaging" or "short-changing" her, we decided it was time.

So here is Mary Ella. She was so excited and proud of herself. She wanted cheese and hamburger pizza and the cinnamon sticks....of course! We are so proud of this girl. She has worked so hard to give up this habit she's had since she was 5 months old. Her little thumb callous is going away.

Here is my first bite of something cheesy in almost 6 months! Yes, it was wonderful! I wouldn't be telling the truth if I said I wasn't sad, because I am. There is a little guilt in my heart thinking I am being selfish, but logically I knew it was time. She is about to start solid foods and it would be very difficult knowing if she was reacting to something I'd eaten or was giving her. I keep forgetting I can have that glass of milk or that Reese's peanut butter cup I've been eyeing for months. Mmm they are so good.

We SO enjoyed having Scott in town this weekend. We picked him up from the airport and as he opened the door all you could hear were girly screams of excitement. Everyone waiting on their rides turned and smiled when they heard our excitement. Unfortunately, we were homebound all weekend because Addy developed Croup. Thank God Scott was home. After we finally got them in bed the first night, Scott hugged me and I melted. It felt so good to be in his arms again and comforting to have him back under our roof. We are anxious for him come home for good!

Now on to our list of restaurants we want to "hit" before we leave town....Rudy and Pacos here we come!