Failed Experiment - Or Was It??

So once again I am nursing a baby who has a sensitivity to dairy. Since Miss Em's first day being fussy I have cut dairy out of my diet and been blessed with a mellow, easy-going and incredibly unfussy baby (except when she gave her Auntie Alanda and Uncle Matt some hard nights). Can you believe there was even a point in her first couple of months that I was hesitantly concerned a little bit for her lack of crying? My mom was so relieved to hear me mention it once because after 3 months she had still not heard Miss Em really cry and was a bit concerned herself.

Well Miss Em is nearing 10 months old now and darn it, I miss my dairy!!! I must admit however, soy ice cream has come a long way and I don't remember having it to fall back on for cravings when I was nursing McGee. So anyway, I was at a shelter friend's house last night for dinner and she made enchiladas. Of course they were covered in incredibly yummy looking cheese woven throughout and I decided to take a chance and have some. I limited myself to about a 1 1/2" x 1 /2" square "bite" just to try it and see if there would be any effect on Miss Em. Oh my - they were they BEST enchiladas (or was it just my first bite of non-veggie cheese in 10 months???).

Then it came time for dessert. Now anyone who knows me knows I have an affinity for all things sweet and dessert is rarely something I pass up. A variety of cheesecake slices covered in fresh raspberries were passed in front of me. I resisted for a few minutes but just couldn't hold off any longer. What good is an experiment of adding dairy back into my diet if I don't consume a normal meal and dessert for myself??? So many rationalizatins going through my head. I cut an oreo cookie or chocolate chip type slice in half and thoroughly enjoyed each and every bit. I'm not even a big cheesecake fan and yet it just tasted like heaven in my mouth.

The results of the experiment are inconclusive. :( Miss Em cried a little bit tonight (about 5-10 minutes) and had seemed a little more irritable this afternoon, both definitely not the norm for her, but was it the dairy??? My guilty conscience of course is blaming my selfish indulgence in dairy, but Kyle believes the culprit is a couple of teeth coming in. Who knows??? Now the question is do I start eating dairy or continue to keep it out of my diet for a little bit longer? My waistline probably benefits from a continued dairy drought, but my bones deserve some much needed calcium from something other than greens or a supplement. Side note - did you know our bones stop absorbing calcium at about age 35? This is why it is so important to be getting plenty of calcium as women in our 20s and 30s.