Crazy week

Not sure if the full moon has had anything to do with it, but our life turned crazy Monday and I've been hearing it all around this week. I've been crampy for a couple weeks now with it getting more intense some mornings. Labor feels pretty close. Among trying to wrap things up at work so that I can take leave and just keeping on top of the daily stuff, we were hit with Maggie having a pretty bad asthma attack two nights ago that led into the morning. Hubby has suspected this for awhile as he has the same problem and recognizes the signs but I was thinking cold/cough again. Not sure where winter was this year (I keep thinking we'll get more rain and cold weather still), but the arrival of spring has snuck in and brought back allergy season with it. The white and pink blooms and a bit of wind are off the hook.

I spent many hours at the doctor yesterday with a pretty sick kid on my hands but the treatments they gave her made her perk right up. It felt good to take care of her and see her get better through the course of the day. And now we're having a really good night of sleep after a really bad one so I am thankful for that. The result though is she has to take some regular medicine for the asthma but I'm glad we have this over not knowing why she was getting sick and often. This is linked with the allergy signs we've noticed over the past few years.

I have a long to-do list that is constantly on my mind and I'm slowly checking things off. I joked yesterday that this baby is going to come and we'll be sleeping with him in our bed (which would have happened anyway), taking diapers out of the box after his birth, and digging through paper bags full of hand-me down clothes once he arrives. This is not the type of prepared I was hoping to be but whatever happens, I know he will arrive into our household safe and warm. Planning is great but things don't always go the way you think they will.

2012

Our holidays were wonderful, not too rushed or crazy, and we were invited last minute by a family to their cabin near Yosemite for New Years. The weather here has been cold but with no rain for a long time and New Year's weekend it was hot outside in the sun...pretty strange. Maggie had fun running around with other toddlers at the cabin and we finished the weekend by taking down decorations and enjoying time at home.

Now that we're in the New Year, I'm simply excited for what's to come. So many of my friends are having babies this year-some their 1sts, some their 2nds, and some their 3rds. Maggie is just a delight and I think she is really going to enjoy having a sibling around the house. She is totally fine on her own but this little guy will be quite the welcomed distraction for her (I hope).

I really enjoyed my schedule too over the holidays, working a few days less. It gave me a lot of time to enjoy being home taking care of my family and myself. A great plus that happened around Thanksgiving-time was that I joined a mom's group specific to my area and it's a great fit for Maggie and I. I've looked for something new in the parenting arena since Maggie was born but nothing fit that well until this. Before joining the group, I connected with a local mom that I've seen at storytime for the past couple years who has three boys (5, 2, and 5 months) and she's been such a wealth of knowledge and has provided welcomed friendship. She is excited for us to be having a boy and Maggie loves play dates with her older two boys. It's really nice to meet other moms living similar situations just streets away.

Maggie was recently allergy-tested (finally) since we've had her off dairy products for a year and I'd been wondering if that was really the issue. Not so suprisingly, her results came back normal except for a mild reaction to pet dander and outdoor/environmental allergies. So, the good news is we've incorporated dairy back into her diet and she is very happy to be eating daddy's cheese and cow's milk. It's nice to not have to worry about it now, it took quite a bit of effort to eliminate it from her diet.


Enjoying "dairy" frosting!



Happy New Year!

Winter food

The dairy-free diet is working well for Maggie so we're cooking without most dairy these days (when I say most, I mean cow's milk products except for butter in moderation). I was told she could probably handle butter and it's been fine. I'm learning about cooking with alternative ingredients as well as trying simple alternatives for snacks, etc. Maggie can tolerate goat milk products so she drinks the milk and eats the cheese. With all this, I've had some interesting conversations and gotten great ideas from friends that have eliminated one thing or another from their diet.

                                Our helper in the kitchen






Dishes I've made recently include:
1. coconut rice pudding (brown rice, coconut milk, and vanilla) - was ok but not awesome. I'd use white rice next time and maybe spice it up a little.
2. vegetarian bean chili with tofutti sour cream (used up canned ingredients in the cupboard including tomatoes, diced green chili's, 3 types of beans, jarred roasted red bell pepper, dried shitake mushrooms, onion, and frozen corn) - turned out nice and light
3. slow cooker whole bean soup (very simple-just dry Mayocoba beans, beef broth, water, and salt - set to simmer all afternoon) - always a good filler. Michael's family calls these "soupy" beans I think.
4. slow cooker pulled pork (boneless pork shoulder, homemade bbq sauce, pulled pork spice packet) - super yummy and lots of leftovers.
5. roasted winter root vegetables (red potatoes, yukon gold potatoes, shallots, garlic, parsnips, extra virgin olive oil) - really liked this combination.
6. turkey tacos with tofutti sour cream - always an easy favorite (we sometimes substitute crumbled tofu or fish instead of turkey).

Leave me a comment if you want a full recipe.

Recipes to try:
1. Chicken curry made with coconut milk
2. Slow cooker pot roast
3. Shrimp scampi
4. Muffins using canned pumpkin and/or applesauce (would love to serve these as "cupcakes" with some kind of dairy-free frosting for Maggie's birthday in March)
5. Goat cheese pizza

Hope this inspires!

Allergies

Finishing Day 3 of our home science experiment. After a few rashy weeks of observing Maggie deal with some sort of allergy, we've narrowed it down but are still taking a guess. She's been off dairy this week and it seems to be helping clear up the rash, or at least keep the rash attacks from returning. Back in September, we thought it was mangoes. Whatever it is, she breaks out in an itchy rash and gets puffy red eyes. We're seriously trying to figure this out after taking her to her doctor a couple times and confirming what we already knew...that it's pretty hard to figure allergies out. They come and go. Allergy tests don't always tell the true story. So, it's really up to us to figure this out and we're on the case!

Maggie has never liked drinking milk like I see some toddlers drink it. I'd say we push it much more than she actually drinks it and the little containers of whole milk that I've brought home for her never get used up fast enough. She does like cheese, butter, and yogurt though. I've been pushing full-fat dairy on her a lot lately, thinking it was a good fat source, but I feel like I've been put in my place. Was she trying to tell us something all along?

Michael feels otherwise, but I'd hate to find out that our sweet cat Lily is causing the fuss. It's a possibility, we haven't ruled it out yet, but unlikely since Maggie hasn't always reacted this way and we've had Lily around the whole time. She loves animals too, wouldn't that be so sad?

Wish us luck and leave a comment if you have recommendations!