Boo-Hoo Moo Moo.

It turns out our Itty Bitty Liddy Bug has a sensitivity to dairy. If you've read my blog for a while, you'll remember that Naomi had a hardcore dairy allergy that consequently limited my diet drastically, because, let's face it, milk is in EVERYTHING. Thankfully, Lydia's sensitivity seems to only show itself when I consume large amounts of dairy, like a cup of milk or a bowl of ice cream (meaning she gets gassy and fussy). Small amounts of cheese or milk mixed into food do not seem to bother her (phew!). So, the food I usually eat is still safe, except I've nixed ice cream and have replaced our milk with almond milk and coconut milk. She does not have a sensitivity to soy, which is a huge blessing ... I don't think I could live without my salted caramel soy mochas! And, I love coconut milk ice cream, but our local grocery store does not carry it, which is probably just as well, since I'm still shedding some post-pregnancy pounds. ;) The soy mochas are dessert enough!

And here's something interesting: Since I am no longer drinking milk, the kids have also joined me in consuming non-dairy milks and the mild cases of excema that they both carry have faded considerably. I know that excema can be caused by a dairy allergy, but since my kids are still eating cheese and such, I wouldn't say an allergy is the case with them, but I would say that perhaps too much dairy exacerbates their excema and the absence of it has probably helped to clear it up. They have a topical steroid that helps to clear it, but I'd much rather hand them a cup of almond milk to drink, if it works!

So, I'm waving goodbye to dairy milk for now. Even though her gassy episodes are nothing like her older sister's issues as a baby, I'm still glad I can make a change that puts her stomach at ease and brings her back to her chilled out, laid-back self. Perhaps when she is older and she weans, I will treat myself to a huge bowl of peanut butter cup ice cream from Braum's. Yum. For now ... maybe I'll freeze some chocolate almond milk. ;)

Have a lovely weekend, friends.