A Mother's Sacrifice

The last few days Lucy has been having some terrible, painful gas (pleasant topic, I know)--waking her up from every sleep period. One night, in tears of exasperation and exhaustion, I decided I better go off dairy since that seemed to be the common instigator of said gas (plus, it was a problem for Will, too, when he was a baby). Two days off the dairy and sure enough, Lucy is already doing better. Then yesterday at a Relief Society function, I enjoyed my fair share of some homemade bread sticks, only to discover they had been slathered in butter. Sure enough, that night Lucy was up again with gas. So no dairy for me for a few weeks, which is a tragedy at this time of year. Everything worth eating has dairy, especially at Christmas time. All my favorite treats--mint M&Ms, mint hot chocolate, candy cane Hershey's kisses, any and ALL cookies, cheese balls, etc., etc., etc., are off limits. And let me tell you, abstaining is no easy task. One day, when longing to grab a handful of mint M &M's, it occurred to me--a mother's role requires much sacrifice. I sacrificed so much to even get this sweet baby here--endless doctor's appointments, innumerable shots, invasive procedures. Then I sacrificed my body for nine months to carry the babe, suffering weight gain, indigestion, and the like. Then I sacrificed again, delivering her, without an epidural. Then I sacrificed again, recovering from a bad tear and then, of course, there is the sacrifice that is nursing--oh the pain and the indignity. And let's not even talk about the sacrifice of sleep. Oh, how I miss sleep. But when it's all said and done, those sacrifices are all worth it and I'd do it again for our Lucy Lu. But take away my mint M&M's, my Candy Cane Hershey kisses, my mint hot chocolate? That's where I draw the line.