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5.12.2009

Colic Woes and a Great Recipe

I am finally getting  a few minutes to myself tonight and so what do I naturally do first??  Blog of course!!  It's been a long, but greatly improved day with my little Ava.  I have lots to blog about but only a few precious minutes, so tonight we're gonna do it "list style."

-Ava has colic :(  No formal diagnosis, just all the symptoms that are listed in every book, website and magazine.  It's been rough, I'm not going to lie.  She kicks in to a fussy fit that starts around dinner time and lasts until her midnight feeding.  No. Fun. For. Anybody.  It breaks our heart to see her scream and yet it makes us crazy too.  We've had our first MAJOR test of patience in parenting through this.  It's very hard to not want to scream alongside her, but so far we've made it through :) Today I decided to start trying different remedies, just to see if any of them will help.  

-First up on the list, no more dairy in my diet.  Bummer for me.  I happen to love dairy, and as I'm discovering, I eat it constantly and it's in everything that's good.  But, I have read lots about this and the trouble most babies have digesting dairy, so I'm going to try it.  Who knows if it will work, but if it helps her, then I will do it.  If the pictures below are any indication, then it's working!  So far she's been incredibly mellow tonight and she hasn't had any screaming fits :) She and I even took an hour nap together on the couch.  She slept all curled up on my chest, something she hasn't done since she was brand new.  I really think her little tummy has been hurting her.  


- Last night, I made some meat that made all of us grin like this!!  My Mom brought it up this last weekend and she left the recipe for me.  It's a beef tenderloin in a wonderful marinade.  It is soooo amazing!  I will post the recipe at the bottom.  I never took any pictures, because we ate it too fast :) It's from a friend of my Mom's and it is seriously incredible.  The meat is so tender and flavorful, I think this might be one of the best recipes I've ever shared with you!  You buy "petite shoulder" from your butcher and it is so yummy.  The marinade is quick and easy.  Try it and let me know what you think!!  
-Ava wants to know who you like for the American Idol final??  It was good tonight and I am so torn about who I think the final 2 should be.  I think Adam deserves to win, but my heart would really love it if Danny and Chris were the final two, and especially if Danny won!!  The good news is that no matter who makes it, they all will have a great shot at a big career.  This season has been really great.  It's restored my faith in Idol again :)  
-In all the wedding madness last week, I forgot to tell you that I took Ava to our first Mother/Daughter event at Church!  We had a spring fling event and I decided to go.  She was great, although I ended up standing on the outskirts of the room for the majority of the evening, rocking her to sleep.  I didn't want her to interrupt the speaker, but I should have worn more comfortable shoes!!  It was fun but I was exhausted by the time it was over :)
-I did cry however, several times throughout the evening, while heart-wrenching songs were being sung about mothers and daughters :) I am way too emotional in my postpartum state for things like that!!  It just kept hitting me that I was finally a mother and this sweet little bundle was going to grow up before my eyes, whether I want her to or not.  As long as these days can be and as challenging as a baby with colic is, I tear up every time I think about her getting bigger.  She's just so adorable, and snuggly, and little and I want her to stay this way forever.  
-One of my greatest stresses in life right now is the number of thank-you notes I need to write!!  So many people, including many of you, have been so kind and gracious to send us sweet gifts for Ava, it's totally overwhelming to me.  I can't tell you how many days there are packages at our door or gifts that come home with Travis.  It's incredible.  And I'm terrified that I'm going to forget to thank someone for something.  I've totally lost control of the "pile" and the list I started after we got home from the hospital.  Not good.  I seriously need to hire a baby-sitter, just so I can sit and write thank you notes!    We are continually amazed at how loved we are by so many of you.  You have made it abundantly clear in the way we've been showered with gifts, meals, and kind words.  So, if I accidentally miss you or if it takes me forever to get back to you, know that you are not forgotten and your gift has not gone un-noticed or un-appreciated!  

-I really should do some laundry before Ava needs to eat again.  It seems to have tripled since someone came home from the hospital :)  Good thing I love her to pieces!!  She tends to stain outfits and blankets faster than I can enjoy them... 

Try the recipe below and have a great day tomorrow!!  Let's hope the no-dairy thing continues to work through the night :) If not, I'm open to your suggestions.  
Beef Tenderloin
-Petite Shoulder Beef, 3 1/2 lbs. feeds 10 people
-1 small can of Dole pineapple and orange juice 
-1/4 C soy sauce
-1 tsp. garlic powder

Tenderize meat by pricking with a fork.  Put beef in a ziplock bag and pour ingredients over it.  Let air out of bag and let meat sit in marinade for at least 4-6 hours.  Over night is best.  Take meat out of refrigerator and let it sit for at least one hour at room temperature  before you cook it.  

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Cook meat for 15 minutes.  Don't open oven door, but lower heat to 350 degrees and cook according the times below:

15 min= rare
20 min= medium
30 min= well

Let it cool out of oven for 10 minutes and slice.  Enjoy!!  

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Steph! You may want to switch her to the "green" paci like the pink one. The pink one is suppose to be for when she's older. The nipple is much harder on the pink one. Have you tried massaging her tummy after burping. Sometimes that helps with Colic. Circular motions softly to try to bring up any lingering bubbles in the tummy. Your doing great, and even though it's hard to sit with a crying infant, remember like the songs at the spring fling.... She'll be grown before your ready! Just ask any mom with any child.:)

Toni :O) said...

Yep, my kids are almost 11 and almost 6...the years just evaporate so savor each moment...colic or not. Hope the no-dairy is the relief you and she needs. My niece was the same way and my sister-in-law took to a no-dairy diet and it did improve the situation. Also, laying them on a blanket on a dryer that is running may help and running a vacuum cleaner too. Good luck with your precious bundle...she's so cute!

Leanne said...

Try chamomile tea. Really. It is totally harmless to you and her and will not only soothe her tummy but will help her sleep. Just brew up a double bag and let it cool, then give a teenie bit to her in a dropper. Being the mother of 7, we live on this!

The non dairy approach is hard, but it will help, I promise.

You could also try wearing her in a sling for a little while each night while you do laundry or make dinner.....

God bless you as you find the solution that works best for you!

Leanne
www.mysupplications.blogspot.com

Rebecca Jo said...

No advice on colic - but have to smile at more pictures of this angel! Love her hair always!!! And that picture of her snuggling on your chest - is there anything better? Didnt think so!

laura said...

hello! i love your blog and think your daughter is precious! i don't normally comment but i just wanted to share my experience....
after my daughter was born, she cried constantly! i asked her pediatrician and her answer was that "babies need to cry." grace was my first and had nothing to compare it to. how would i know if this was normal or not? i ended up holed up in my house for the first few months b/c whenever i would take her out, she would scream and scream. i tried everything- gripe water (didn't work, waste of money), changing my diet, different positions of holding her, the sling (which actually did help- you may want to try that. hotslings from target are great). but nothing seemed to truly help. when she was 4 months old we had to switch ped's for insurance purposes. right away, the new doctor noticed something was wrong. grace was sooo fussy and also was gaining weight very slowly. she also spit up a lot, which i was told was also normal. to make a long story short, she put grace on 1/2 a dose of zantac (heartburn medicine) and i had a new baby!! she snuggled with me, i could now venture into public without being a worried wreck, she was so much calmer. but most of all, she obviously felt better!
so, the whole reason behind my little one's unhappiness was not colic as we originally had thought, but reflux!! we were so happy to finally see her feeling better. i weaned her off of zantac before she turned one. it was our lifesaver- talk to your doctor. this may or may not be similar to ava's situation, just thought i would share ours.
ava is so beautiful by the way! glad to see you are still enjoying mommyhood even through the tough times! it will get easier!
-laura

Anonymous said...

I am a first time commenter on your blog, but I thought I would make a suggestion for a colic baby. I have heard that taking them to a baby chiropracter can help with colic babies. That being born can sometimes make their little bodies out of whack. My neighbor's babies were both colic and she took them to a baby chiropractor by suggestion of her doctor and it worked! It's something to look into and see if your insurance covers it. Good luck! Ava is a doll by the way!!

-ND Reader

Sarah said...

Not to make light of it too much, but my doctor warned me ahead of time that at 1 month all babies start crying more. Maybe she'snright on time? Anyway, here's the link to that tummy stuff Kaelem loved. It has the chamomile and probably tastes better than the tea. At least it would to me since I don't like tea. Found it at either wal-mart, target or walgreens.

http://www.gentlenaturals.com/products/tummy_soother.cfm

Michele said...

The last commentor rang true with me. When my first turned one, she definately started crying more. It eased again around 8 weeks, and more at 12. Hang in there mamma...you'll make it:-) Going off dairy for a while may make a difference too...I know to many it has. And, I have heard of using Chamomile tea as well. Sounds relaxing. I love checking in with you and Travis and I'm happy to finally be re-connected in with you guys. Your little family is adorable:-)

Joyce said...

You'll probably get lots of advice : ) Keep trusting your instincts because I do think God gives us a sense of our children's needs.

My youngest suffered with her tummy and my pediatrician was also an allergist and had me eliminate a few things from my diet which helped...one thing was tomato products which I seemed to be living on...also orange juice. The acidity of these products upset her stomach. Also no strawberry or grape of any kind. And no shellfish.

She's darling!

Anonymous said...

Love the happy smiley Ava. Don't have any suggestions about the colic. I think it has the purpose of making us thankful, when it's OVER! Jeremy used to carry the kids around on his forearm, legs and arms hanging down, head turned sideways in his hand. He said it helped. Can't wait to try the recipe. Love you, Peggy

petrii said...

Stephanie,
You are such a good mommy!!! Ava Page is such a doll and colic DOES NOT LAST FOREVER!! Although at times it may feel like it will. The only thing that helped my little colicy one was a drive in the car, but I'm sure you tried this. Thankfully we only had one 6 hour incident of colic, but that is what worked for our little one, who is now 16, and man did he grow up fast =)

Have a Blessed day friend,
Dawn