We’ve created a monster. An addict, actually. Having subscribed to the theories of the Happiest Baby on the Block author, we lovingly swaddled, shushed, and put our son in his swing when he needed to be pacified. Now, however, when Levi thinks nap time, he thinks Lovin’ Hug Swing. Since it keeps right on swinging, and is the only tool we can rely upon to put him to sleep, we have given it the moniker “Old Faithful.” I just hope he’s curbed his addiction by the time he outgrows ‘Faithful’s 30 pound weight limit!

Wow, has it already been three months? I can’t believe it. Our little guy was born exactly three months ago today. And we’re still (quasi-)breastfeeding! For awhile there I didn’t think we’d make it this long.

So here’s what Levi is up to now that he’s three whole months old:

• Smiling up a storm, especially when you sing to him about the Wheels on the Bus
• Holding his head up 90 degrees during “tummy time.” He is especially intrigued by his reflection in the mirror.
• Pushing up with his legs when you hold him – and he’s a strong little booger!
• Grabbing ahold of your hair or necklace
• Lots of swinging. He not only sleeps in there, but sometimes we walk in thinking he’s asleep to find him sitting there quietly with the brightest little eyes and his hands folded together like a little grown-up.
• Lots of looking around – in lieu of sleeping unfortunately!!
• “Talking” – he will tell you all about it (in terms of uh, ee, gee and ooh)
• Sitting in his Bumbo baby-sitter
• Doing the “Super-Baby” – when you pick him up, he puts his arms up in the air, arches his back and keeps his legs in the sitting position
• Eating a lot – he weighed thirteen pounds when we last took him to the doctor, so he’s probably at least 13.5 pounds by now
• Sucking on his fists and thumbs. We aren’t sure, but we think he’s going to be a south paw. He seems to prefer using his left hand.

Houston, we have a problem.

You know, I was just starting to feel like we were making ground on the breastfeeding front… Levi was able to breastfeed for almost 20 minutes at each feeding before we gave him a bottle; my supply was finally kicking into gear; it wasn’t hurting near as much anymore… when suddenly late last week, we developed yet another new complication. I won’t go into detail, but suffice it to say that we could tell something had gone awry based on Levi’s diapers. Color, texture and content were all “off.” Plus he started getting really fussy and inconsolable, which is not like him. We called the pediatrician, who basically told us to call back or go to the E.R. if things kept bleeding and/or he developed other symptoms.

First, some background (which is how you diagnose usually-fuzzy baby symptoms).

• Disposition: Levi is usually a very happy and laid-back little guy, crying only when he really has something to say. Dirty diapers don’t make him upset. He’s even pretty patient when he’s famished as long as he knows breakfast is on the way. But lately, he pouts, cries, screams, stiffens his legs… the whole shebang… and it can last for a long time.
• Appetite: as anyone who looks at him can tell, the boy can pack it away. He has been gaining weight like a champ all along, although he has always mildly resisted certain aspects of feeding time. Namely, breastfeeding and bottle-feeding (two rather pivotal aspects to feeding a baby). Both take some coercion, but obviously we have to get the food down him somehow so he finally concedes. When he was younger, we supplemented him with formula when he needed more than I could provide, but these days all he eats is breast milk.
• Gassiness and spitting up: the boy burps like he’s prepping for a contest. He even drew some comments from other moms in the nursing room at church yesterday morning. But I thought maybe that was normal for a little boy. Also, he never spit up when he was younger, but that keeps getting worse and worse (thus it’s not acid reflux, which would be getting better). It’s not caused by over-eating either, because he will spit up after an unusually small meal sometimes.
• Sleep: not so much. Before he was even 7 weeks old he could sleep for 5 hours at a time, so I know the boy is capable of going for long stretches. However, he still isn’t sleeping through the night. In fact, he’s on a pretty regular 2- to 3-hour schedule for getting up to eat.
• Diapers: profuse. Definitely more than the recommended daily allowance. But generally “normal” for breast-fed babies.
• General health: the poor guy always sneezes a lot and has a stuffy nose. Sometimes at night an entire nostril gets totally clogged. He also has a few skin issues, and has already had one round of diarrhea.

Thanks to the Internet (where would we be without that?!?), we’ve now learned that the apparent culprit is probably some form of food sensitivity. Man, that Dr. Sears website is the best. The light is now dawning. I think the problem has been there all along, but it didn’t get really obvious and problematic until recently. Night waking, nasal drainage, sneezing, skin problems, spitting up, boycotting his food… all the classic signs were there. So now, until we figure out what things he’s allergic or hypersensitive to, the only way to keep him feeling good is to feed him formula. If he’s anything like me, he’s probably only allergic to, oh you know, EVERYTHING! Corn, wheat, soy, milk, everything green, dust, cats, dogs…

Good grief – this is just what we need. We were just getting into the swing of things – FINALLY. After THREE LONG MONTHS. Heck, at least I should be well-versed if ever I decide to pursue a career in lactation consulting. Just pray for us! Pray for my attitude (which is obviously not at its best at the moment), pray for me not to get discouraged, and pray for us to get a hard-earned break!