19 Bringing Harmony Home

Was the city a great place to raise a kid you ask? No. The answer was no.



     Porcelain decided to move back in with her mother, for moral support, and starting all over can be stressful. It's wonderful when family can be there to help out. Her mother was quite happy to have her there, since Italian families love a house full of kids! She was also living closer to her sister again, who was pregnant with her own child. Due any minute!

     Harmony’s nursery was adorned in unicorns and dragons. In her dark, cherrywood crib she watched the plush clouds of her mobile, as she heard her mother tell tales of Gods, witches, and knights on daring adventures.

     At night, Porcelain would play "Enter Sandman" by Metallica, to help the baby sleep during storms. It seemed to be her favorite alongside classical music. A strange mix, but it calmed her when the thunder would crack so loud it shook the house. She held her baby in her arms and rocked her during the really bad storms. The midwest was overrun with them most of the year. Thundersnow was no different in the winter.

     Harmony's first few months of life were filled with doctor's visits, nutrition experts and lots of cover-up blankets to keep her safe from the sun. She received her vaccines, but had to take something for a fever beforehand. Vaccines had always made Porcelain's family feverish and sometimes sick for a few days afterwards. There were a couple that Harmony wasn't able to have till later because she had to be well enough in-between shots. Her mother had to be very stern with doctors about when and how many shots Harmony could have at one time. Even though vaccines were safe, they had to be careful.

     Porcelain breastfed Harmony until she was a year old. She didn't have much hope that she’d be able to have milk, because she herself wasn't able to drink it. Within the first week, Porcelain knew she was right. Harmony cried so much, couldn't sleep, and the doctor thought she had colic. She had to insist her daughter be tested for milk protein and lactose intolerance because he insisted that children didn't show lactose intolerance until at least age 3 unless they were premature. Harmony was not premature. With Porcelain's insistence, he finally did the stool acidity test, which was the only test safe for a baby. The doctor was astonished when they came back positive, and Harmony was put on soy milk. It has been proven that lactose intolerance is common among those who have porphyria.

     Overall, Harmony was a happy baby, incredibly curious, and very stubborn. But forget trying to get this kid to sleep at night. She never fully developed a healthy sleeping schedule, not even as she grew older. Being a nightowl ran in the family, and Harmony was no different! Because she often suffered from insomnia, Porcelain didn't really mind the erratic schedule.

By the way, all of those "What To Expect When You're Expecting" books? They don't help at all when your baby is gifted. They don't tell you that light bulbs could blow every time your child has a temper tantrum! Porcelain had stocked up on so many bulbs as Harmony grew older. Eventually, she was able to control that temper of hers, but until then, a lot of parental guidance was needed.



Stay tuned to the next blog post, and lots of antics!



Here are some links for your viewing pleasure:

Crib wedge, what it is: Helps your baby sleep more soundly during periods of discomfort and elevates your baby’s head and torso by 14 degree, which aids breathing and digestion.

A good wedge I recommend:
https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Mattress-Reflux-Removable-Incline/dp/B07FYT1J16/

Lactose Intolerance Early:
Lactose intolerance is actually not very common in infants and typically only starts showing up after age three in children who were born full-term.
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/nutrition/Pages/Lactose-Intolerance-in-Children.aspx

Symptoms and tests to prove lactose intolerance.
http://www.summitgi.com/conditions-we-treat/lactose-intolerance