Poo-Pa!

So many people keep asking me why I call Grayson "poo-pa". Well, I don't even know lol. I started calling him that when we were in the hospital the second Grayson was born. I was calling him "popeye" because he would always just have one eye open when he'd try and go to sleep since he didn't wanna miss a thing. And then it just turned into "poo-pa" lol

BUTTTTTT ANYWAY!

Our little poo-pa is a month and a half old! He's getting so big and is so alert about everything! But he's been that way since the day he was born lol. It's been a bit of a roller coaster lately though. We took Grayson to the doctor on June 4th because he was excessively crying without any kind of soothing. We found out that he's milk protein intolerant (which pretty much means he's allergic to dairy) and that he has an inflamed tummy due to it. SO with that said, I've had to change my diet since I'm breastfeeding him. It's been frustrating, to the point where I wanna rip my hair out! I've never been a big dairy person ESPECIALLY during the summer. But since I was about 7.5 month pregnant, I've eaten nothing BUT dairy: blocks of cheese (I would go through about 3 blocks of cheese a week!), ice cream sandwiches, cheesecake ice cream, ranch veggie dip, mayonnaise, glasses of milk, Alfredo pasta sauce, tapioca pudding, the list goes on and on. I've NEVER been that way. I can't stand eating cheese plain, I used to HATE mayonnaise, and I wouldn't be able to drink a glass of milk without gaging....up until I was about 7.5 months pregnant. I guess I ate TOO much dairy and it's done bit me in the ass! They say it's not because I ate so much dairy, but in my personal opinion, I think it was!

So, we've had to go to NUMEROUS grocery stores on the hunt for either coconut milk, almond milk, and rice milk, vegan cheese, and anything WITHOUT milk, whey, and caseine in it. I NEVER knew just how many things have milk in it. I definitely didn't know that honey mustard, hot dogs, tomato based pasta sauce, and so many other things had dairy in them! It has taken me twice as long in the grocery stores because now, I have to read labels, search for 3 main ingredients (milk, whey, and caseine), get frustrated, and throw it back on the shelf as I pout like a 2-year-old.

As frustrating as it has been and how much I just complained up there, I'm doing this for my baby boy. Everyone keeps telling me, "oh just switch to formula!" Um, no! And here are my reasons:

1. He's allergic to formula and can only be on specific formula
2. That specific and special formula is EXPENSIVE as hell, breastmilk is free!
3. I have a good supply of breastmilk coming in, why go through the pain of trying to empty my breasts and make my good and gold of a milk supply go bad?
4. I really do NOT want to have to spend weeks stuffing cabbage in my bra to dry my milk up and going through the horror of humongous and painful boobs! I have 2 men in the house, ok? Grayson loves to cuddle on my chest and TC, well you all know what men love to do with boobs?
5. I need to change my diet any way and this gives me the right motivation to do so.e
6. Studies show breastfed babies are at a lower risk for juvenile diabetes, metabolism conditions, and obesity than formula fed babies. They are at a lower risk of getting sick multiple times throughout the year, they have higher IQs, and so much more! *NOTE: I'm not bashing women who feed they're babies formula and I'm not saying they're babies will grow up to be stupid, fat, or sick.
7. I absolutely LOVE the bonding time I get with my son
And the 2 BIG reasons:
8. I'm NOT giving up that easy!
9. My baby boy means the world to me, I refuse to test him on all kinds of special formulas like a lab rat to see which one his tummy agrees on. Breastmilk is what's best for babies. Every doctor, formula company, specialist, etc. will tell you that. Granted, I know a lot of women can't breastfeed because they either don't make enough milk or they're babies don't do well with it. But seriously, I CAN breastfeed. My milk has come in and stayed in and I pray it stays that way.

I can give you so many reasons why I choose to breastfeed my son but "ain't no one got time for that" (bahaha! just for you, Uncle Joel) :) This is MY son and I'm doing what's best for HIM, no one else. I'm willing to risk my own health, to make him healthy. I am going to talk to my doctor and see what kind of calcium vitamins I can take in order for me NOT to have a calcium deficiency. I'm willing to do ANYTHING to help my baby boy and to still breastfeed him.

But any way! Off of that subject! Grayson is growing like a weed! He now weighs 10 pounds and 1 ounce. WOW! So many people are shocked when I tell them that because he's so tiny! Lol! I always get asked how much he weighed at birth and if he was a premie. Nope, he's just a tiny babay! Lol! We find out on the 27th if he's doing better with the breastmilk and if his inflamed tummy has gone away or at least hasn't gotten worse. Fingers, arms, toes, and legs crossed and lots of prayers heading his way. <3

I absolutely LOVE my baby boy! His daddy's alright, too! Lol! Just kidding! I love both of them with all of my heart!

Love that smile!

He loves his sock monkey baby! We have 2 of them that are the exact same. TC made the mistake of showing him BOTH of them, and Grayson hasn't let go of either one of them.

Rub-a-dub-dub, big chunky babay in the tub :D