The things you do for love

Goodbye dairy-- at least for a couple of weeks. Henry is mostly a happy, smiling boy but, several times each day (and seemingly out of the blue sometimes) he cries and has a high-pitched scream to his cry that sounds like he is in pain. I brought him in to see our Naturopath today and Henry's physical exam was great. He is in excellent health and he smiled away at the doctor and kicked his legs happily on the baby scale (thirteen pounds, fourteen ounces!). Still, based on what seems like episodes of painful crying and a few other considerations, we agreed that I should take a break from dairy and begin drinking a special tea a couple of times per day. Dairy is not actually a huge part of my diet, but it is a bummer to eliminate another food group. I am already gluten-free, and I do find that yogurt and cheese are often my quick snacks.

There is an herbalist within a couple of blocks of our doctor's office, and it was a gorgeous morning, so I wore Henry in the Ergo and pushed Evelyn in the stroller. Henry fussed almost the entire time because I think he just wanted to take his nap and he didn't appreciate the loud rush of trucks and cars on the street and the bright sun that kept getting into his eyes no matter how I adjusted the Ergo's hood. It was still a lovely walk. Evelyn was pretty happy to be out and about and she was even happier when she spotted a sleepy dog inside the herbalist's shop. We waited a few minutes for my blend of loose leaves and then repeated the walk (Henry fussy, Evelyn happy but walking slowly as I carried Henry and pushed an empty stroller).

I've never made tea in a large batch before, and I've not used loose leaves either, but I think I managed to get it right. The idea is that Henry will receive a small amount of the herbs through breastmilk. The herbs are all very common and safe and have either anti-spasmodic or anti-gas effects. There is also a little catnip and chamomile to aid in relaxation. Who knows? Maybe the tea will be a nice, relaxing treat for me too. First, I need to add a heaping helping of honey, though, as I do not enjoy the taste or aroma of fennel.