Today we head down to Williamsburg to take advantage of a little Grandparent assistance. Though a part of me feels like we should stay here and tough it out, proving that I can do this alone, a smarter, less prideful part of me has realized that asking for help is not a sign of weakness, it is the mark of being a realist. For the last few nights, poor Miss Kayla has been suffering from a very gassy stomach. You can literally hear her little tummy gurgling every time she feeds and then you can watch her poor face contort as she struggles through a bout of gas. It is so hard to watch her little legs pump, her arms flail, and her face turn three shades of red as she suffers through the turmoil that is going on in her stomach. Apparently, she has decided that she no longer wants to suffer in silence and so, the gas has also helped her to find her lungs, which she is giving quite the workout as she screams and grunts her way through these little attacks. Unfortunately, if baby ain't happy, ain't nobody happy, so her mom and dad have likewise been pained by her bloated belly, not just because we hate to see her suffer, but also because we are now going on night 3 or 4 of VERY limited sleep and a whole lot of eardrum shattering screaming. As it turns out, wo/man cannot survive on 2 hours of sleep alone. After three nights of 2-3 hours of sleep, mommy finally broke down this morning and admitted that if she doesn't get a solid block of sleep sometime in the next couple days, her body may just shutdown and refuse to wake back up. I am definitely noticing a pattern with pregnancy, labor, and now motherhood. All the things you deal with/go through, while finite in duration, also have undefined timelines for duration. Again, if someone could just say "Hey, listen, I know this gas thing is bad, but it will only last for 12 days and then you'll be good to go," you could power through. But when you read that gas and colic go hand in hand and that colic can last up to three months...well...three months of 4 hours of sleep a week is VERY different than two weeks of limited sleep. And so, we're off to Grandma's house for some help and support.
I'm also off on a new diet scheme. According to the doc and various friends, there are a large number of foods than can wreak havoc on a breastfed baby's belly: broccoli, cabbage, onions, dairy, tomato sauces...PS It is shockingly hard to avoid onions and dairy. You would not believe how many things they sneak into. Seriously, try cutting those two things out for a week. Not easy. But, if it might help poor little Kayla feel better, I will manage!
And now, I'm off to pack for our trip. As an aside, packing for a two week get-away with a baby is a little more involved than packing for a two week trip with just you and the hubby. The amount of paraphernalia that is getting packed into the car is amazing. The neighbors are likely writing up "Bon Voyage" cards for us as we speak, since surely we look like we are moving out.
Wish us luck on our first long car ride!
The Ducks
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