Giving dairy-free a go

The sweetest little baby in town has been having digestive discomfort. Pretty much from the get-go. He's so sweet and easygoing that he doesn't cry about it, but you can see that he's in discomfort quite often.

I gave up broccoli and onions and beans and such, but it wasn't having much effect. The doctor suggested trying Baby Mylicon, which we've been doing since Friday evening, but we haven't noticed much of an improvement. So, I decided it was time to bite the bullet and give up dairy to see if that makes a difference.

I don't know why I was resisting this so much; yes, cheese and yogurt are the staples of my diet. And the other day I bought some soy yogurt just to give it a try and I hated it. But yesterday when I was talking about it, George suggested I just replace cow cheese with goat cheese(s), and I felt both relieved (I really, really love cheese!) and stupid for having been so resistant to trying something that might make my baby feel better! Of course I'd do anything for him. What's doing without a little dairy for a while, especially when there really are so many alternatives?

So this morning, full of optimism and resolve, I headed to the most upscale grocery store in town (where I would find the biggest variety of non-dairy alternatives). I was feeling strong and brave, and decided to go with Ben but without Bob or George. For most of the trip, Ben slept peacefully in his car seat inside the grocery cart. But when I was nearly done, my baby-who-pretty-much-never-cries awoke with a start and began screaming his head off. Of course. What to do?

I could tell he was hungry. But I wasn't quite feeling brave enough to nurse him in the middle of the grocery store!

I opted to check out; I was pretty much done anyway. But I just couldn't leave him in his seat screaming his head off while I made my way across the entire store to the check-out, so I picked him up and held him, which definitely helped. The super-humanly loud screaming turned into mere fussing, much to my relief, but the downside was that he kept trying to suck on my neck whenever he got his mouth close enough! Plus it was very tricky to push the heavy cart with one hand while I held him with the other... but somehow I managed. Checking out with one hand was ok, but maneuvering the cart back across the uneven parking lot with one hand was another story. I really should have asked for some help with that from the employees. But you try thinking clearly when your baby is screaming in the middle of the grocery store.

When I got back to the car I quickly got everything unloaded from the cart, but wrenched something in my back in the process. UGH. I didn't fully throw out my back (which I have done many times in my life), but I'm taking it really, really easy; there's no telling if by tomorrow I'll be feeling fine or will be unable to move.

On a happier note, almond milk is delicious, as is raspberry-flavored soy yogurt!