We're back!

It's sunny and about 63 degrees, as I sit rocking on the back porch of my parents' new house at the beach. There's no ocean view from here, but the palm trees and the distinct sea smell in the air remind me that I'm far from the hustle and bustle of the DC area. Baby girl, looking adorable in her Christmas onesie, is sitting on her grandmother's lap, rocking next to me. The past two months have been anything but boring. Becoming a mother has been wonderful and exhausting and challenging and the best thing ever.

One of the biggest challenges has been my daughter's excessive gas. It has been so hard seeing her obviously uncomfortable and not knowing what to do. We went through weeks of trying different things, all of which helped minimally, before finally deciding to do something more extreme. This cheese and ice cream and milk loving gal gave up all dairy. Since baby girl is exclusively breastfed, changing my diet was the best thing that we could do to help her. We were told it would take at least a week to see results, but I saw a change immediately. My sweet girl was playing more and crying less, and passing gas has become something that she can do in her sleep now, rather than while being held and screaming her head off. 

All of this is to say that I've decided to return to blogging because I need bloggers. I need the support and ideas and recipes of other moms who, for whatever reason, find themselves dealing with allergy restrictions. I need to hear that it gets easier, that I can provide for my baby, and that I don't have to give up chocolate to do so. And because I need that, I want to also provide that for someone else. 

So here we are, "Becoming Rustic Country" take-two. A new mom, a new normal, and a "new" blog!