Stuffalupagus

With the creeping crud that has been traveling through the house, it was inevitable that Sofia was going to come down with her first illness. I had been in denial since her birth that she would get sick as evidenced by my resistance to purchasing a baby thermometer. I just hadn't wanted to commit to what all the reviews insisted was a lousy piece of worthless junk. Sofia woke up yesterday with nasal congestion, nothing unusual. But by midmorning she was covered from chin to the tips of her bright red hair in snot. David made an emergency run to Walgreens to purchase the detested thermometer. But not before we scoured the internet researching thermometers, reading reviews, comparing prices, and finding stores that had them in stock. Seriously, who knew a thermometer could be so tricky. And do you have any idea where you're supposed to stick those puppies! After a discussion with the Walgreen's pharmacist, David settled on a reasonably priced stick of magic that you press to your temple and after 6 seconds (or less) it beeps and tells you your body temperature. Sofia didn't have a fever. But at least we are now prepared parents.

As far as Sofia, I knew she had a pleasant temperament, but this first cold seals the deal. She has been so pleasant the past few snotty, stuffy, red-rimmed eyes days. Despite her inability to breathe, she still laughs and plays like a champ. I have become quite proficient at dropping homemade saline into her nose prior to snot-sucking with the coolest piece of tubing sucking device. She does her part by acting like children throughout time, twisting her head back and forth while I'm trying to wipe her face with a tissue consequently smearing the mess from ear to ear. So we are managing her first sick remarkably well. I haven't rushed her to the er and only called her dr once! I keep telling myself that she is building immunities and is one step closer to being impervious to disease!

Elimination Diet

So here's the deal. Before I became pregnant, products containing wheat create a great deal of intestinal distress for me. I eliminated gluten. My tummy felt better. While I was pregnant, I ate gluten. No tummy aches. I thought I was cured. Now, four months postpartum, I am having the same problems as before with gluten. Additionally, I think my dear, sweet bebe is reacting to dairy. This proposed elimination diet has to be done on a very strict budget without crazy specialty items from Whole Foods. So my questions to you, dear blog readers, are these:

Do you have experience with eliminating dairy and/or gluten from your diet?
Do you have recipes that help make this possible while maintaining adequate protein?
Is goat milk considered dairy when talking about a reaction to dairy?
Do you have any other words of advice/wisdom for this mama?

Thanks for playing!