David has had his fair share of tummy issues… maybe reflux, maybe dairy intolerance, maybe just an immature digestive system, all of the above… who really knows? Our pediatrician wanted us to consult with a GI regarding his diet and create a plan to introduce new foods and decide about dairy at age one. We followed his advice and “forged ahead” with his diet. In a two week time span, we introduced three new things… asparagus, dairy based yogurt and strawberries. At first he did fine, a few days later, it blew up in our faces. Looking back I think it was all possibly merely coincidence and there was an underlying issue of building constipation.
By the time we ended up in the ER, David could not eat even one ounce without screaming in agony. It was heart wrenching. Our pediatrician specifically sent us to get images and the xray showed what the ER docs called significant constipation in the entire large intestine. Based on his history, we ran other tests to rule out other possibilities and fortunately all were negative. We were sent home on a formula only diet and laxatives until a follow-up with a new GI.
Long story short, David ended up going on a literal hunger strike the day after our GI appointment two weeks later, the next day upper GI xrays with contrast were negative and we decided to try and feed him. Poor guy refused even an ounce of formula for over 12 hours. He was trying to tell us he needed food and was starving for more!
So here we are now, feeding David a very simple diet similar to that of a six month old and he is doing great… AMEN, Praise the Lord! He is still the gassiest baby ever and has occasional fussiness, but he is sleeping through the night, laughing, growing and is wonderful in every sweet wonderful baby way. After he turns one year, we will begin the very meticulous process of trying and documenting all new foods. I am praying and hoping that this was all just some strange terrible bump in the road and that it will go successfully.
So… even though the past few months were very difficult, it was not all clouded in sickness. David showed us that he is a tough fighter, is resilient and just how incredibly happy he can be when he feels good.
On David's nine month birthday, he started crawling and whoa did he take off!!! This boy crawls as if he is in a race. He is all over the place, exploring every inch of our house and I have a very difficult time keeping up with him and watching him. Two weeks later, he pulled up to stand, which resulted in a few bumps, bruises and a busted lip, but now he is strong and steady.
In month ten, David started clapping his hands and dancing and loves the toy piano, xylophone and shakers. He babbles like crazy and his little voice is so much deeper than Margo's already. He will copy things we teach him like throwing a ball or throwing his hands up in the air and saying, "all done". He has a natural born instinct to push his cars, or any object for that matter, around the house. He loves to swing, laughing hysterically, and crawl in the grass and can already slide down his mini slide. He recently started liking books a lot more and really enjoys his bedtime stories. His favorite is called "Boy of Mine" and brings the sweetest smile to his face every time we open it.
As David starts getting older, I am realizing more and more just how different boys are and how different his personality is than Margo's. It is such a neat experience to learn and bond with him in a different way. Recently we were rough housing a bit on the bed and it really brought out something in him... we were quieting down in the playroom afterward and I was reading to Margo and David was literally trying to wrestle with us, was climbing all over the place, falling down laughing and just acting crazy. It was so funny to me!
It broke my heart to pieces to see our boy go through such a hard time recently, but I am also grateful for his improvement. He is such a precious gift from God and I feel so blessed to call him mine, my David Victor, my sweet daily delight, my baby boy who makes my world so much brighter. I cannot believe in less than one short month, he will be one year old. I am cherishing these baby moments and hanging onto them with a fierce yearning for these special times to never end!
