I know full well I'm a new mother and have regular reminders... So I expect my role to be a little of everything here and there. But Inspector Gadget wasn't one that was anticipated. This last week or two I've been playing the guessing game daily with each new "ailment" Leroy has expressed. Between runny poo, no poo, red puffy eyes, rash on face and diaper area, stuffy nose, stinky gas and what sounds like a fake cough. At what point do you take all symptoms and lump them in to one sickness? Or do you take each symptom and figure out what it means on it's own account? I went from thinking Leroy was allergic to the cats, to possibly a dairy sensitivity, to infant eczema with a stuffy nose & raunchy gas, to "I'm completely confused and have absolutely no idea..."
What did our parents ever do before us with NO INTERNET?! The good ol' WWW has been my sanity saver. With it, I at least was able to come up with a hypothesis or two and test my theory. I vacuumed all the kitty fur a couple days in a row (it was short-lived) and found his symptoms didn't subside. I removed all dairy from my diet, and I mean ALL dairy (Did you know dairy is in just about everything, even Soy Cheese! I ventured and purchased Vegan Cheddar Cheese... It wasn't horrible, smelt and tasted very similar to Kraft Mac 'n Cheese)... In turn, Leroy stopped poo-ing. We went to his pediatrician, they were very nice and weren't in the least bit concerned of it being anything serious. I was encouraged to keep dairy out of my diet for a little while and slowly add it back in. Leroy's diaper rash and eczema were treated and, yes, he has finally pooed!
All this to say, here's what I've learned... It will most likely be a [very] regular thing that I not know exactly what is wrong with Leroy, but if I can make him any bit comfortable during the process that's a step in the right direction of being the mom he needs me to be!
Now, if only I had Penny & Brain the Dog's help... I may have come to this conclusion much quicker!
{Picture: Leroy at 6 Days Old}
