Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Halloween and Milk Proteins.

So, we had a scare last Friday. When Kate was changing Zoe's diaper, she saw a spot of blood. We wound up taking her to the pediatrician, and they believe she has a milk protein intolerance. They recommended that I cut out dairy from my diet for three weeks (as both girls are exclusively breastfeeding right now) to see if that improves her condition. If it does, I imagine that will be a permanent dietary restriction until she either grows out of it or stops nursing. We didn't get too many details.

Thankfully Zoe seems to be holding up well. We are watching her to make sure she doesn't get worse, or show signs of a true milk protein allergy. I am very hopeful that this will be a temporary thing for her. I have little experience with food allergies, but after spending a good chunk of the weekend on the web trying to find dairy-free recipes and products, I am amazed at what is out there to fear. I pray that Zoe gets through this without any true allergy.

Taking her to the doctor due to illness was a terrifying thing. She is so much our "baby" of the two girls -- just because she is smaller and more delicate, quieter, and more pensive. It somehow made it worse. Luckily, we have a wonderful pediatrician's office and the doctor we saw was very nice. In the meantime, please send good thoughts Zoe's way. (And refrain from eating any frozen yogurt in my presence. Thanks!)


Grace and Zoe continue to amaze me with how much they grow. Their chattering has increased, and we often hear Grace talking to herself in her crib at night. They are laughing occasionally - the most adorable sound ever! Both like to "stand" in our laps and be pulled to standing positions from the floor. They are doing better with tummy time and Grace is still rolling on her side. We bought them an exersaucer recently and both seem to really enjoy it, although Zoe is still growing into it. They are both in size 2 diapers now and I bet Grace will graduate again soon! They have also started to skip their nighttime feeding some nights! We are still not sleeping through the night, as they have several wake-ups, but lately they haven't been eating. We're hoping this gets even more stable as they grow.

Grace

Zoe's turn

We lost power with Hurricane Sandy back in October, so that was an adventure. The girls were troopers -- they slept with a glow stick as their nightlight and ate their nighttime (and first morning) bottles by candlelight. We were just about to pack up and head to a friends' house when our power came back on. Whew! It was very cold in the house, but the babies looked all adorable bundled up. That being said, that was a stressful experience that I did not particularly enjoy.

Brrr!

Grace and Zoe also celebrated their first Halloween! While they didn't go trick or treating, they did rock their costumes (as you can see from the pictures below). They also helped hand out candy on actual Halloween. It's exciting to think that they can probably go around the neighborhood next Halloween!

GZ Week 15 and Halloween 2012 125

GZ Week 15 and Halloween 2012 060

GZ Week 15 and Halloween 2012 050

GZ Week 15 and Halloween 2012 056

First Halloween Compilation

Mom & her girls

We are settling in to a routine of our days in our family. We are so incredibly blessed to have my Mom, who is willing to watch the girls twice a week while I work. The girls absolutely love their Gram, and they are all having a fun time together. She is a trooper, for sure! It is much easier to leave in the mornings when I can leave Grace and Zoe with their Gram or their Mom. We are enjoying our time together at home on Wednesdays, and I'm certainly learning to work amongst naps, down periods, and after they go to bed!


Kate & Grace
Mom & Grace

Punky Zoe
Zoe

2 comments:

  1. First of all: WELL DONE on exclusively breastfeeding twins. I know how hard one baby is at the beginning, so I really commend you. And, you're a work-outside-of-the-home mom too. Really, my hats off to you!

    Secondly, I empathize about the allergies while nursing. I hope that she grows out of the milk allergy, hope no other ones crop up, and that you don't have to give up foods you love for too long. C just had another scary incident regarding his allergies yesterday. :(

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    1. Thank you, E.! I really appreciate the words of encouragement. It can get very discouraging and overwhelming at times!

      I cannot imagine such a scary incident as you had with C. You are so brave! It's certainly hard, and I hope Zoe grows out of it all! She's handling it like a trooper, for sure.

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