Now we're getting somewhere

Finally... I can see a light at the end of the tunnel!

The day Sam was born I was already counting down the days to having my body back. Losing weight, sleeping well, feeling well, getting back to a pre-baby me. But my road to getting back has been agonizingly slow. No weight loss, still no sleep, feeling pretty crappy and just discouraged by it all. I've been reading books, blogs and websites desperately seeking some answers. I've tried a few different approaches to my diet and have had mixed results. After nearly a month of head to toe unexplained itching (causing me to lose hours of sleep every night) I resigned myself to going to the doctor. Let me tell you, I HATE GOING TO THE DOCTOR! I hate that the usual 5 minute appointment results in a prescription for medications that I really don't want to take. Medicine has it's place, but in general I don't buy into the "A Pill for Every Ill". So, knowing I needed an answer, but not being able to bring myself to make another useless appointment, I searched for a new doctor. An N.M.D. to be specific. I feel so fortunate to have found Dr. Rodgers at Boise Natural Health. Can you believe that our first visit was 2 hours long?! And I walked away with a tentative plan, a few supplements, and not a single medication. Today I had my follow-up visit. What a mixture of being overwhelmed and encouraged. My blood work revealed that I am deficient in Vitamin D (easy enough to remedy with a supplement), but also that I am allergic to... hold on to your hats, people...

• Casein
• Cheese (Cheddar, Cottage, Mozzarella)
• Milk (Cow & Goat)
• Whey
• Yogurt
• Eggs
• Banana
• Cranberry
• Pineapple
• Crab
• Oyster
• Almond
• Lima Bean
• Corn
• Peanut
• Rye
• Sesame Seed
• Spelt
• Whole Wheat
• Asparagus

Yikes! Enter, overwhelmed.

So, I've got some major diet changes to make. Like going dairy-free and gluten-free. This doesn't mean that I may not be able to enjoy some of my favorite foods on occasion in the future, but for now my diet has been seriously reduced. I'm encouraged that I have a defined plan that should have me feeling better (and hopefully, lighter) soon, but holy cow, this isn't going to be easy. If you have any suggestions or great recipes feel free to share :)

Disconnected

I'm feeling a bit disconnected.

I'm feeling disconnected because I deactivated my facebook profile. I'm not complaining. I don't know how you all manage it, but for me, facebook is a major time-sucker. "Just checking" always turned into at least 15-20 minutes of browsing. And not just 15-20 minutes a day, but 15-20 minutes several times a day. Considering how little free time I have these days, when re-evaluating how to manage my time better, it was obvious that my beloved FB had to go. All in all I'm on the computer FAR less these days, and that also means I'm missing out on all the updates from my friends. I miss the days when the only way we knew what was going on with our friends was to pick up the phone or get together.

I'm feeling disconnected because I have to spend so much time at home. It's a mixed blessing. I love staying at home and I don't even mind going days without leaving the house. I'm a homebody and I find the daily routine much less stressful if I don't have to fit in an outing. But I miss the days when it was just Claire and I and leaving the house wasn't a major production that had to be squeezed in between bottles and naps.

I'm feeling disconnected because Jeff is so busy. He's not home a lot more than normal the next few months, and when he is home, he's still so busy. The few minutes of conversation we get each day are usually about his work or the kids and are always filled with a plethora of interruptions. I miss the days when it was just Jeff and I and we had the time (and quiet) for our conversations to evolve and move past "How was your day, dear?"

I'm feeling disconnected because God hasn't been my centerpiece. He's been a lovely lamp. Glowing, warm, inviting, helpful... but on the end table. I miss the days when I was on fire.

I'm missing a lot of things. I'm not complaining, because all the things I miss can be mine. I'm blessed beyond measure but I still want more.

To my dear friends and family: I'll miss your smiling FB profiles, but I look forward to our real conversations. Let's have patience, Sam's baby days will soon be drawing to an end and our play-dates, lunches, girl's night out and other get-togethers will resume.

To my dear husband: I look forward to dates, vacation and kids sleeping over at grandma's.

To my dear Lord: I know you're still working on me.

On the Move

(Click on picture to view video)

Wow, as if I weren't busy before, I'm busy now!

But, busy or not, I've got a new post on the way...

Busy with the little things

I think I've been doing pretty well with the transition from one to two kiddos. But I've now entered the homebound stage of Sam's infancy. 4+ hours of naps, 3 meals and 4 bottles doesn't leave a lot of time to leave the house, and just barely enough to get my weekly and daily chores done with a smidgen of play time thrown in. I'm LOVING that we are out of the newborn phase. It's not that I don't love cuddling a sweet, precious newborn, but I am happy to be done with sleepless nights, sore boobies and not showering till noon.

Sam

(Sam & Coen)

*is rolling over like crazy now (diaper changes are a challenge to say the least).

*can sit on his own for about 5 minutes when he's in the mood for it.

(When the Mum-Mum is gone)
(Peace is restored with a new Mum-Mum)

*ADORES eating (yogurt, bananas, avacados, apples, pears, plums, nectarines, peaches, peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, squash, carrots and rice/oat/barley/spelt cereals), especially his Mum-Mums!

*should have a tooth soon. He chews and drools like some kind of monster.

*squeals when he's tickled.

*has definitely formed an attachment to his blankies.


*puts everything within reach into his mouth including his entire fist and his toes.

*just about loves his sister more than his mommy.

Claire

(Elijah and Claire)

*has become increasingly creative. She recently drew her first picture of our family, cut out fish to represent each of us and can't get enough glitter and shimmer paints on her projects.

*always has some kind of pet bug (moths, beetles, roly-polys) and is learning the harsh reality of death as her friends succumb to life (or rather, the lack of) in a glass jar.

*shows me just how high she can jump about 50 times a day.

*is really enjoying swim lessons and does everything the teacher asks.

*loves Sam like crazy and makes me smile every time she calls him "little one".

*has taken to calling me "mama" and I love it.

*picks flowers for me every single day.

Jeff
*work, work, work, works! I love/hate it. I love that he works so hard to provide for us, but I can't say I love being a summer widow. We're lucky to get about an hour at most with him each day.

Bethany
*is still grain-free (except for the Friday night cheat meal). Not to say they don't occasional slip past my lips, but I'm doing pretty good.

(Grain-Free Granola/Soaking Pepitas and Sunflower Seeds/ Sourdough Starter Day 2)

*is attempting my first sourdough starter. I plan on trying to re-introduce some grains into my diet but will start with only soaked or sourdough as they are much easier on the digestive system, more nutritious, and YUMMY. I've been learning more from Nourishing Traditions and attempting to implement more of her food preparation methods. I've tried soaking nuts to try this tasty grain-free granola. (Added some ground flax and cinnamon and it is to die for)

*will be starting P90X! Well, I was able to borrow the discs from David & Summer and did them for two weeks to find out if I really liked the workouts. I do. They're not easy, but effective (lost a couple of inches of my waist), so I decided to bite the bullet and buy the set including the guides (found it used/new on Amazon).

(Solomon sporting one of his bald spots)

*is finally on the road to getting Solomon better. After several doctor and specialist visits and a skin biopsy we've discovered that he has an auto-immune disease of the skin. His immune system has been attacking his skin. He's been scabby and balding and miserable. After a week of high-d0se steroids, a 45 minute grooming session and a bath I think he's finally on the mend.

Looking forward to a relaxing weekend, and hopefully some time with my lovely niece.

Diapers, Dishes & Dirty Laundry

It's hard, at the end of each day, to recall anything I've done that doesn't involve childcare or housekeeping. It is my job, and I do love it, but it's nice to have days I can say I did something outside the realm of stay at home mommy. So I'll bore you with a little of the day to day with a splash of something fun (at least, what I think is fun).


Here's the Apple Cozy I made for Mrs. Dockweiler. Didn't it turn out so cute? It was a fun little "less than an hour" project that was perfect for an end of the school year gift.


You can add this to my "Why I wish the cat would just run away" list. We've had several (hopefully just drug-induced) accidents around the house lately. One involved the bean bag chairs. Chasing light as a feather, static crazy, minute pieces of foam around the house for two hours is not how I enjoy spending my evening.



HOLY COW... this girl is growing up way too fast.

Claire got to spend the night with my mom a few weeks ago. She just couldn't wait for grandma to come pick her up.


Watching a movie before bed-time.


Finally got a chance to plant my pots. I think these are my favorite find. They stay closed until the sun shines on them.


Claire checks her tomatoes every day to see if they're ready to eat.


Claire got to go on her fist camping trip! Jeff, Sam and I went to Spokane to see my niece, Kirsten, graduate. (Congratulations, Kirsten!) We didn't think Claire would enjoy it, so my parents agreed to take her camping instead. She had SO MUCH fun.


I made a batch of orange marmalade for my dad as a Father's Day gift. He loves it, so I figured I'd try making some with agave and raw sugar. I'm still not sure how well it will set up, but it tastes delicious. It turned out a really pretty amber color since I used raw agave and raw sugar.



I've been sneaking in crochet here and there (I rarely get more than a few minutes at a time during the day) and just happened to be working up this hexagon when I noticed that it matched my apron. Just thought it was cute.


Here are the colors I picked out for my niece's afghan. It won't be done it time for her birthday, but I think she's excited about it nonetheless. I'm really excited to try out Lucy's Granny Stripe Pattern.


HOLY COW... this boy is growing up way to fast.

And I can't get the photo to import, but I've been making baby food all week. I've made apples, pears, peaches, sweet potatoes and peas. Green beans and squash are next on my list. So far Sam's not a huge fan of bananas or avacados, but overall he's a really good eater and I just love this age and love trying out new foods.

Enjoy the domestic.

Snippets

Look who learned to roll over this week! It only took a few days before he discovered how much mommy loves it when he rolls over during diaper changes, and that side sleeping means waking up in pain from a sleepy arm. You can also see how well his arms are healing up (they look even better now).

Sam also likes to fall asleep in mid-play.


Loving my daily green juice.


Somehow it's easier to eat your veggies when you prepare them ahead of time and keep them in cute little jelly jars. These are my scrambled egg veggies: broccoli, red pepper, zucchini and shallots.


Say hello to these lovelies. I was inspired by this delicious colour palette. I'm really in love with vintage colors right now. I've got a long list of crochet projects I'd love to make for other people, but I've been craving an afghan for myself. I had such a hard time giving away Coen's Blanket

I knew I needed to make a hexagon afghan for myself. I'm constantly thinking of how I can steal


Claire's Rainbow Blanket without breaking her heart, this should solve my dilema.

Here's a sneak peek.


Have a great week!

Randomness

Too long, I know. And life has changed so much I couldn't possible fill you in on it all. So, I'm just going to pick back up as if I never left you.


Sam... the burn victim. The yellow with bumblebees isn't shirt sleeves, it's bandages. We went on a 3 hour walk yesterday. Like a good mommy I had Sam all covered up as I carried him around like a marsupial in the baby carrier. What I couldn't see was that his cute, chubby little elbows were sticking out the sides of the carrier. By that afternoon, they were pink. By that evening they were angry red with hint of a blister. By this morning they were weepy, yucky blisters, bigger than a quarter and accusing me of being the world's worst mother. I took him into the doctor and the blisters were open sores by the time we got there, so they bandaged him up and did their best not to make me feel any worse than I already did. Sam is such a happy little guy, he hardly noticed. In fact, he was loving the visit until they gave him his shots. It took him the entire ride home to get over the crying hiccups. He then took a 3 hour nap. What a traumatic day!

Sleepyhead Sam.

Bitter-beer-face Sam.
Making-sure-mommy-will-never-have-a-flat-belly-again Sam (one week before his arrival).
Melt-my-heart Sam.
Make-my-heart-swell Claire.
Daddy's-gonna-buy-a-shotgun Claire.

Tired of the kiddos yet?

Here's the piecing together of a quilt I made my mom for mother's day. I'm such a dummy, I forgot a picture of the finished project. I'm really happy with the way it turned out and even happier that I was able to use up a bunch of my stash making it.
I just did another plastic purge in the kitchen, including most of Claire's sippy cups. She's four, she shouldn't need them, I'm just not brave enough to sit through a meal watching her almost spill her drink at least 400 times. Here's my solution. Super-cute, safer than plastic, big girl cup that has a wide enough base it hopefully won't tip over.
Everything evil. Tasty? Well, honestly, not so much anymore. I recently read Going Against The Grain by Melissa Diane Smith and it changed the way I think about food almost as much as the documentary Food, Inc. I've had a lot of stomach pain lately and have had known wheat sensitivities so decided to do a little research. After reading this book as well as The No-Grain Diet I've made a few changes to my diet.

• No grains. Wheat, oatmeal, corn... if it's grain, it's out.
• No sugar. I've still been using honey, maple syrup and stevia in small amounts.
• Tons more veggies (all organic if possible) including a green juice every morning.
• Increased intake of flax seeds.
• Baking with almond flour... YUM!

What I've experienced.

• A headache the first few days as I detoxed, but nothing since.
  
• More pleasure in the foods I eat. I never realized how sweet asparagus is, or that I actually really like celery. I am much more aware of the flavors of my food. It's as if the grains in my meals were coating my mouth and keeping me from enjoying the flavors of my meats and veggies.
• Not a single stomach ache.
• When I floss, there's not much there. I know this sounds weird, but I can see how a grain/sugar free diet will make for more pleasant visits with the dentist.
• My morning breath isn't quite as nasty. I wouldn't say open-mouthed morning kissing has suddenly become desirable, but I hardly feel like everyone should keep a 4 foot distance from my mouth before I get a chance to brush my teeth.
• Hardly ANY cravings. I actually watched Jeff eat a bowl of ice cream and didn't even want a bite. And you all know how I love to make and eat bread? Haven't craved it once. It's almost kind of creepy just how much I don't have the crunchy, salty, carb-y cravings I used to have all the time.
• Thinking this may be the thing for me and hoping it may even result in a few lost pounds along with the health benefits.

OK, enough said for tonight. I'm sleepy. I'm off to feed Sam and delve into the book, Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons, I need to finish it by Wednesday for my book group.

Nigh-night.

Did you think I was gone forever?

Not so. I've got a post brewing. I'm putting on a whole pot. Taking time to add a little cream and sugar. Come back soon for a cup.