I'm baaa-ack...

Life is eventful and as a mommie, I feel pretty uncertain of every choice I make. But, usually, at the end of the day, I get a silent reassurance that we are doing just fine. When I look at my little guy slowly drifting into sleep while cuddling his "bwown bearw" book, I know that we are all going to be okay.

But yesterday, we had a long day. After looking forward for months to the visit of a traveling overseer to our congregation, we had to leave early. My poor baby J was having an issue again. The issue is one that we thought had been resolved over a month ago.

Go back 2 1/2 months...
We had tried nearly all natural methods, a few traditional ones, and finally had to mutually agree with our doctor that antibiotics seemed the best route to get this under control rapidly (as it had gone on for several weeks without improvement). He took a regimen of antibiotics and probiotics.We were ecstatic when it worked. The problem cleared up. And he had only a day of nasty antibiotic side effects.

Now to the present...
After napping peacefully as we listened to the well-prepared discourse by the traveling overseer, he woke rather pleasantly. I left the auditorium to change him and found that *sigh* it was back. We took our things, quietly left the auditorium, and proceeded to the emergency room. There, the physician's assistant recommended a straight catheter to retrieve a sterile urine sample for urinalysis and culture. I was happy that she was being so proactive, but secretly in terror that my boy would have to go through that. I quickly asked if I could breastfeed him while they placed the cath. The nurses looked at me like I was crazy. Here I am with a nearly 2 year old about to have a straight cath placed and I ask about nursing him during?!? They were apprehensive, but I stood out of the way, contorted myself as one nurse prepared to place the cath, the other held him down with my husband's assistance. It seemed like forever, but he nursed and occasionally let out a gasp of discomfort. Afterwards, the nurses said that went "surprisingly well". I'm sure they attributed none of it to the many positive results that breastfeeding a child in distress produces. But I do.

And so, while I get strange looks when I mention that I still breastfeed my 23 month old, I'm confident that I have made the right choice for my family. Had I not, he would've been a lot more traumatized and in more pain. I owe this one to our Grand Creator who knows what he is doing!

Learn more about the long-term benefits of breastfeeding.

Kissy Face (The Sequel)

In a previous post, I described baby J's "kiss" routine with all of his bath toys. Tonight, while bathing, he began handing me his toys. First, his rubber duck. "Kiss kiss". I gave his ducky a peck on the bill. Then his tug boat. "Kiss kiss". This time I gave a big smooch only to hear poppy warn, "He just peed in the tub."

No more "kiss kiss" with the bath toys.

Dairy-Free Day!!

It is so difficult to know what is dairy-free and what isn't. I've been wondering if baby J's restless nights are linked with somehting that I've been missing (or something that isn't missing) in his diet. Reaffirmed. Walking into Wendy's today, I noted a large chart, about the size of 3 posters, hanging as I entered the front door. It is a new feature and I am glad they have added it. It has a list of the 7 most common food allergens and their presence (or potential presence) in foods offered by the franchise. They are broken into 3 categories, distinguishable by different colored dots. Red means that the allergen is present, blue means that the food is cooked on the same surface or in the same oil as that allergen (and may be cross-contaminated), and green (?? the colors are on the chart, but I don't recall this one) means that the food is prepared or manufactured on the same line as the allergen (and may be cross-contaminated). Wow! What a concept! Just put it out there for everyone to see. So dairy-free at Wendy's is even more limited than I had believed. There were a lot of red dots. But now I know.

This encouraged me to venture into the land of the unknown regarding other fast food restaurants and allergen information. Here is what I've found so far. I will continue to update the list as I learn more. And remember that just like all processed foods, the ingredients continually change and so the facts today may not be the facts tomorrow.



McDonald's (note that the bottom section lists actual allergens- like milk- and what products they are in)

Arby's lists the allergens in red next to the name of the food item.

Burger King

Chipotle makes it easy by only using dairy in their cheese and sour cream. That's why we love you, Chipotle!

Panda Express says milk in the Orange Chicken and mixed veggies, so no more for baby J, but at least the Mandarin Chicken is still okay!

KFC says go for the Original or Grilled with Dairy allergies, but avoid anything breaded or extra crispy.

Popeye's makes you work for any info. They list all ingredients, but only a few allergens that are contained in each. For example, they list "wheat" as an allergen, but not "milk", although the ingredients clearly state that they contain milk. Sigh. Virtually everything has an allergen. Buh-bye.

You've got to love Subway for just putting it all out there. Usually good old non-processed ingredients.

Taco Bell lists the allergens in a great, easy to use chart; but it is only accessible online. It isn't possible to print it.

Wendy's who gave me this idea.

White Castle for those with iron stomachs.

Have fun eating out with the help of my list! These are just places local to me, but if you'd like to review other options, a great resource is the Go Dairy Free dining out guide and the shopping lists.

What's For Dinner: Kale, Potato, & Chicken Hash

We had started receiving fresh produce deliveries from Ripe Organics, a local small business that arranges organic produce deliveries based on what is at the peak of season at the time. Last week, we received so many goodies, "God's Candy" as I tell baby J. A few items included yummy plums, juicy peaches, fresh romaine, red potatoes, and kale. Yes, kale. What does a midwestern girl do with kale? Google it, that's what. And a recipe came up Bobby Flay. His was a side dish, but if I am going to invest that much time (30-minutes from start to finish) into a dish, it is going to be the entree. So, I improvised. Here is what was for dinner... (Please disregard any preconceived notions, because my husband of 7 years actually asked when we would have it again. I responded, the next time it's delivered.)

8 c. torn kale leaves (about 1/2 bunch; removed from the stalks)
2 T. wasabi and horseradish paste
1 bunch green onions, minced
1/2 t. ground pepper
1/4 t. salt
2 c. cooked shredded potatoes (frozen is fine, but see note below first if using fresh)
3 t. EV olive oil
1 T. minced garlic
1 lb. ground chicken

Place kale in a large microwave safe bowl, cover and microwave until wilted (about 3 minutes). Drain, cool slightly, and finely chop.

Meanwhile, mix wasabi/horseradish paste, green onions, pepper, and salt in a large bowl. Add the chopped kale and potatoes. Stir until mixed.

In one pan, saute ground chicken.

Heat oil and minced garlic in another large nonstick pan (take my word, you'll want non-stick for this one) over medium heat. Add the kale mixture, spread into an even layer and cook, stirring every 3 to 4 minutes and returning the mixture to an even layer, until the potatoes begin to turn golden brown and crisp. This will take 12 to 15 minutes. Just before this mixture is done, add the cooked ground chicken.

Fresh potato tip: Boil potatoes until they can just be pierced with a fork but are not completely tender. Let cool slightly, then shred.

It only took about 30 minutes and it was colorful and delicious! Can't wait for our next delivery to see what we can cook up!!

Oh, and if you have leftover potatoes or a different kind of meat, substitute away. I have a feeling that you can do a lot of substitutions with this simple recipe.

Kissy Face

Sorry... I am very very sorry. I hadn't even realized that my last post was on June 28th. Yikes! It doesn't feel like it was that long ago.

Baby J reminded me today, though, of why I love to share little snippets of our life online. He was in the bath tub with all his Munchkin bath toys. He has a dozen or so and each is in the shape of a sea creature. He would gently lift each toy out of the water, rinse it under the faucet, give it a kiss on its mouth, then hand it to me and say "kiss kiss". This went on repeatedly until he and I had both kissed each little toy creature three times. While he was putting them all back in the tub for a fourth round, I unsuspectingly reached behind him and pulled the bath plug.

Then he climbed out of the tub and I bundled him in a towel. He walked towards the stairs and up towards bed. As he closed the gate behind him, his little pinky got caught. I quickly swooped him up only to hear "kiss kiss". And I did. Then he called poppy and asked for another "kiss kiss".

Before bed, he as usual gave us our individual hugs and "kiss kiss", then said his sweet "buh-bye" as we tucked him into bed.

I can't wait until morning. Then I will be able to have my morning "kiss kiss". I just can't get over my little kissy face.

The newest family addition

Please allow me to take a moment to introduce the newest member of our family. She doesn't have a name yet, but already has a purpose. According to our latest library addition about potty learning, a doll which potties can help a child connect the idea of drinking, urinating, and wetness. So, today, we began our search for such a doll. First, please know that they only come in pink. Some are even capable of pooping, if fed special separately purchased "baby food". But baby J liked this little girl. She has her own potty which is very similar to his froggy potty (also chosen by him, per "the book"). We searched for big boy pants and found "mouse" (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse) underpants which he gleefully carried around the store.

When it comes to such matters, there is no shortage in the potty market. Actualy potties can range from $9.99 to unlimited amounts (the most expensive I found was $80.99!! It had better train the child for you). Some have splash guards or music or handle bars. There are "starter potties" and those for advanced children. The book section is loaded with wisdom on the matter too. But, when you make it to the potty-ing dolls, expect a limited selection of girl dolls.

One comes with juice packets, baby food, and disposable diapers (I'm too cheap to buy them for my own son, why would I buy them for a doll?!?). The other comes with cloth diapers, a potty chair, and a BPA-free (not really) bottle.

Everything Potty Training Book: $9.99

Lots to Love Babies potty doll with accessories: $15.00

"Mouse" underpants: $9.99

Baby J splashing in LTLB's toilet water: Priceless

Tot Time

Baby feet in the swimming pool are the cutest. I love baby J's little toes anyways, but to see them beneath the water makes them appear even more magical. Those little round toes remind me of grapes fresh off the vine; I just want to gobble them up (don't tell James that I said that; he's never understand that phrase.) Baby J was especially fond of looking at them once I pointed them out too.

We scrambled frantically to the froggie slide. We were the second people in line at the gate. While tot time is restricted to children under 6, children under 6 can still be stressful to a little guy. Last time we were there, baby J saw the slide. And baby J loves slides (the way I love baby feet). So he ran to it. Once he got to the top step, though, he found it a bit intimidating. And the boy who pushed him down it didn't make him less paranoid. Today, I hoped to conquer the fear before the others arrived. He did come down the slide, but not the way you think. He pushed his way down the steps when the hoards of children under 6 arrived. Hopefully next week will be more promising.

The cutest part, though, was that the whole time we were hanging out in the pool, he kept gravitating towards the large, twisty waterslides. I'd hate to be the kid waiting behind baby J in that line! Thankfully, that is a few years off.

While we didn't make much progress in overcoming the slide fear, we did have a great time together just splashing and walking in the water. That's where you'll find us twice a week. By the end of the summer, he should be holding his own on that froggie.