We Have a New Baby

At 13 months Peter was as unhappy as ever  He was regularly and frequently throwing up when he ate.  I had concluded he had a highly sensitive gag reflex, but however I tried to help him, it wasn't working.  He cried A LOT.  He hated lying down for diaper changes.  His naps were short in duration and not as frequent as they should have been.  His diapers were so frequent and messy.  Our interactions with him tended to be negative and not very rewarding.  He rarely seemed calm and settled and we really avoided taking him places because he was so unpredictable.  In short, we were all struggling.

But then earlier last week I had an idea.

I wonder if Peter could be allergic to milk?

None of my other children have had any kind of allergies.  I have no experience with allergies.  Surely, he couldn't have a milk allergy.  Could he?  It was worth a little experiment to find out.

I asked Abe to bring home some almond milk and soy milk.  Last Wednesday afternoon was the last of the dairy milk for Peter.  And consequently, it was the last of the throwing up and the shortened naps and the screaming.  He is a whole new baby.  Happy, relaxed, and playful.

I'm partly pleased with myself for figuring out why he was suffering.  But I'm more horrified that I didn't figure it out sooner.  I feel very sad that he has been so uncomfortable for so many months.  I am so grateful he is feeling better and that we are all able to enjoy him more now.