November 20, 2016

Adelaide is 10 months old.

Month 10
October 19 - November 19
Adelaide:
At 10 months, she:
  • finally broke 4 teeth and is not a happy teether...like crying for hours at night;
  • is eating so much more now that she has teeth;
  • still has not slept more than 3-4 hours at once...ever;
  • is much more adventurous and daring than her big sister;
  • still beams when Genevieve walks in the room;
  • has twice as much hair as Genevieve at this age;
  • is cruising and even walking while assisted;
  • squeals and shrieks with happiness all day;
  • and gives smiles to everyone. 


Genevieve:
Genevieve turned 3 this month! What?! Check out her birthday blog here.

The biggest news this month is that we got her results back from a food sensitivity test. And we found out she has sensitivities to 29 things... These include: all dairy, soy, most nuts (cashew, peanut, walnut, and almond), all gluten, bran, rye, green peas, mustard, coconut, tomatoes, banana, pineapple, honey, dill, barley, malt, sesame, safflower, and lemon. 

Ugh. I have a new part-time job: trying to feed my 3-year-old. So we can't do typical dairy alternatives because she can't eat almond, cashew, soy, or coconut. And I had no idea safflower, honey, and lemon were in so many things, like so many gluten-free options have safflower oil. Genevieve is the pickiest eater and unfortunately the only food she will eat contains all the things causing inflammation.

My only hope is that once we figure out the food she can eat and will eat, we will start to see behavioral changes. Her verbal skills are not super great yet and she is very stubborn about things like potty training. I hope that once she doesn't have headaches, tummy aches, and inflammation she will emerge as a much happier little girl. But it's going to be a rough road. 

Other Happenings
Words cannot express the range of emotions this month brought. As I was writing this post I was surprised that so much could possibily have happened in 30 days. 

This was our second year going to Boo at the Zoo. We decided while the kids were so little that we would go to this Halloween event in lieu of Trick or Treating. It was a blast and we loved being with some of our favorite families. We asked Genevieve what she wanted to dress up as and she decided "a doc". So we followed suit and dressed up as a nurse (Michael), a skeleton/x-ray (Adelaide) and I dressed up as a Midwife from the show "Call the Midwife".

My coworkers have become some of my best friends. And this month we attempted a sleepover with three families: crafting, dinner, and late night fire talks. It was chaos, but it was really good. We also celebrated all of Nashville Doula Services' clients. It was great to have so many sweet babies and pregnant mamas together. Although I can't attend many births in this season of my life, I love that I am still part of so many in a small way. 

Those are the high moments of this month, but goodness, this month brought some low moments, too. The election results hit us in a way we did not anticipate. Along with half of the country, we are still in a state of shock, trying to figure out what to do now. It has fired us up to really explore how we can get involved in local politics and activism.

But that paled in comparison to doulaing my dear friends through labor as they learned they would be saying hello and goodbye to their baby boy. Grief is intense. The last 3 weeks I feel like I've been walking in a cloud of shock, trauma, and pain, while simultaneously celebrating my daughter's lives. In the grief I am so glad Michael and I have been able to spend lots of time with our friends. There is a peace that surrounds heartache and I count it a huge honor to be able to simply sit and process and rest with our friends. I am exhausted, but I know tomorrow is a new day. 
My Sweet Adelaide,
You have been my joy and slice of hope during this last month of so much heartache. The all night feedings have turned into the sweetest times and I don't find myself wishing them away anymore. I feel so attached to you and I had no idea how healing it is to cuddle you through my tears. Baby girl, we've got lots of happy exciting days ahead. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and your first birthday are around the corner, not to mention you will be walking before we know it! But I am grateful that you just let me hold and snuggle you as I heal. You are so precious to me.
Love, Mama

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