This year for Halloween I couldn't get away with the Babe not realizing what was happening. I dressed her up when she was an infant, and she was shown off to neighbors that were trick-or-treating. The next year I made her a costume that she wasn't interested in, and she was unaware of what was going on. Last year she fell asleep just as the trick-or-treaters were coming around. But this year she knew. All the children's shows had something about Halloween, costumes, and trick-or-treating. I don't think she fully understood, to which I took advantage of that.
Our community dictated trick-or-treating to occur on Sunday, the 30th, late in the afternoon. So, just before it was supposed to start, I dressed her up in a princess costume. She thought her friends were coming, not quite grasping that trick-or-treaters ring the bell, and soon after, leave. However, after the first round she understood. And she insisted that she open the door. As long as I was there, that was fine. It was dark and rainy for the majority of the time. Hence, I have a couple hundred Dum-dum lollipops leftover. That's ok, because I only gave out safe candy. Yes, most kids with food allergies wouldn't go trick-or-treating, but for those who might, or simply have a nut allergy (versus the numerous ones we deal with), we were safe.
I suspect next year will be more of a challenge. I do not intend to take her out. Hopefully she will enjoy the dressing up and giving out candy. I will be happy to buy her a small toy in lieu of candy. Its better that way- greater enjoyment for a longer period of time, rather than temporary enjoyment of a piece of sugar (ok, right now I'd take the sugar, but that's my story for her and I'm sticking to it!).
Monday, November 7, 2011
Sunday, November 6, 2011
A Taste of Freedom
So I made my great escape today. As soon as I got up this morning, I jumped in the shower, and soon after, hopped out the door. I went first to my parents house, and then to my sister's. All...by...myself. That's right, I got some freedom. In some ways it felt like I had to twist my husband's arm for it, but he got some time to himself yesterday, so it was only fair.
My parents house was kind of a last minute stop-over. I gave them an hour's notice, but with the time change, they were up before I was even on my way. Once there, they offered me food. Lots of it. My mother offered me ice cream at 9:30 in the morning- well, with the time change last night, it seemed later, but it was still a bit early for ice cream. They offered me eggs, bread, cheese, chocolate, crackers, pretzels, etc. I had a couple pretzels and two mini Twix. Not bad based on the options. Then to my sister's house where she also offered me a plethora of non-Babe safe food, including lots of cheese, ice cream, and some of her kid's Halloween candy. I had lunch there, which definitely included bread and cheese. I could have been really bad, but again, tried to have a little self-control. Its funny but while my family will generally offer food during a visit, they really were pushing it today knowing I had a limited window to get in all the goodies.
But for the Babe's allergies, oh the snacking we could do. Its scary to think how bad I could be if we could have all those goodies on a regular basis. Its bad enough we have potato chips in our house. Well, I had my freedom, enjoyed my family without a little one to hover over, and came home to a happy child who got some quality time with her Daddy. First thing I did after I got home was to jump back in the shower, and now I get to enjoy the remainder of the day with her (while Daddy takes a nap).
My parents house was kind of a last minute stop-over. I gave them an hour's notice, but with the time change, they were up before I was even on my way. Once there, they offered me food. Lots of it. My mother offered me ice cream at 9:30 in the morning- well, with the time change last night, it seemed later, but it was still a bit early for ice cream. They offered me eggs, bread, cheese, chocolate, crackers, pretzels, etc. I had a couple pretzels and two mini Twix. Not bad based on the options. Then to my sister's house where she also offered me a plethora of non-Babe safe food, including lots of cheese, ice cream, and some of her kid's Halloween candy. I had lunch there, which definitely included bread and cheese. I could have been really bad, but again, tried to have a little self-control. Its funny but while my family will generally offer food during a visit, they really were pushing it today knowing I had a limited window to get in all the goodies.
But for the Babe's allergies, oh the snacking we could do. Its scary to think how bad I could be if we could have all those goodies on a regular basis. Its bad enough we have potato chips in our house. Well, I had my freedom, enjoyed my family without a little one to hover over, and came home to a happy child who got some quality time with her Daddy. First thing I did after I got home was to jump back in the shower, and now I get to enjoy the remainder of the day with her (while Daddy takes a nap).
Friday, October 21, 2011
Mom... Mom...MOM
This week my daughter could have tried the patience of a saint. And I'm not a saint. When you have a baby, you can't wait for all those mile stones. They start cooing and chattering, and soon they can say Mama. How exciting and wonderful. Well, I am still happy she can call me by name, but ten times in ten seconds is not quite what I want. Besides being demanding, requesting things rudely, followed by her yelling, "Now" with her arms crossed and a pout, there has been the crying, screaming, and outright tantrums. Yesterday she did this a minimum of four times. One lasted a solid half hour because I refused to turn the t.v. on or let her play on the computer until she ate some of dinner. I refused to cave on that one. Eventually she sat at the table, and then happily ate some pasta. Once she ate a modicum of it, she then got to play on the computer, tooling around at pbskids.org.
I'm going to guess at the spark of behavior. While its not new, the significant increase in frequency and duration this week is probably in part due to my husband not being around much. In fact, we didn't have dinner once with him this week. She saw very little of him, and yesterday he had to leave for a last minute overnight business trip. Lets just say, I cannot wait for his return.
While we are busy tomorrow, I have now penciled in plans for us on Sunday morning. Oh, wait, those are my plans to run away. No, the circus isn't in town, but if I don't get a few hours to myself I may just have to find one.
I'm going to guess at the spark of behavior. While its not new, the significant increase in frequency and duration this week is probably in part due to my husband not being around much. In fact, we didn't have dinner once with him this week. She saw very little of him, and yesterday he had to leave for a last minute overnight business trip. Lets just say, I cannot wait for his return.
While we are busy tomorrow, I have now penciled in plans for us on Sunday morning. Oh, wait, those are my plans to run away. No, the circus isn't in town, but if I don't get a few hours to myself I may just have to find one.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Let's Go Fly a Kite
I'm guessing that we're going to get some cold weather soon. Ok, not really a psychic thing here, just reality. It is mid-October after all. Right now though we're experiencing some mild fall weather, so we might as well take advantage of it while we can. Yesterday we took the Babe to a local pumpkin farm where she had fun picking out a bunch of baby pumpkins. They now have a place of honor on our front porch. I'm not sure yet if we'll decorate any of them. I'm also debating if one of those little pumpkins might find their way into being oven roasted. Still a few more weeks to buy more if one or two should disappear from our porch.
In other weather-enjoying related news, we have been having fun flying our kite. When I pulled into the garage this morning after being at the gym, she asked if we could go fly the kite. Since neither of us was starving for lunch, the sun was shining, and it wasn't freezing out, my answer was a definite yes. It was fun, we both ran around a bit, and got some nice height going on the kite a few times. I'm not sure how many more days we'll get to do this, so have to be open to it when she asks. Today was the second day in a row we did this. We'll see how the wind blows tomorrow whether we do it again.
And its been a long while since I've posted a recipe, so here goes. My husband loves lemon, and I thought chicken piccata or something similar would be good tonight. However, because of the Babe's allergies, I'm afraid to cook anything with wine. So in lieu of wine, I substituted apple juice. He enjoyed it (the Babe only wanted toast for dinner-argh!), so I don't want to forget how I made it. Hence, me posting the recipe.
Baked Lemon Chicken
1- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
1-2 Tbsp margarine
1/4 C apple juice
1/2 C chicken broth
3 Tbsp bottled lemon juice
salt
1-2 tsp corn starch + 2 Tbsp chicken broth
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place chicken in a baking dish. Put dabs of margerine on chicken pieces.
3. Mix apple juice, chicken broth, and lemon juice. Pour over chicken (try not to displace margerine). Sprinkle a little salt over chicken. Place in oven.
4. Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes until chicken is done. Remove from oven. Place chicken on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
5. In a saucepan, pour the cooking liquids. Heat to boiling. In a separate container combine corn starch with some chicken broth, then add to pan. Continue to heat through until it thickens or reduces, creating a sauce. Add salt to taste. Serve over chicken.
In other weather-enjoying related news, we have been having fun flying our kite. When I pulled into the garage this morning after being at the gym, she asked if we could go fly the kite. Since neither of us was starving for lunch, the sun was shining, and it wasn't freezing out, my answer was a definite yes. It was fun, we both ran around a bit, and got some nice height going on the kite a few times. I'm not sure how many more days we'll get to do this, so have to be open to it when she asks. Today was the second day in a row we did this. We'll see how the wind blows tomorrow whether we do it again.
And its been a long while since I've posted a recipe, so here goes. My husband loves lemon, and I thought chicken piccata or something similar would be good tonight. However, because of the Babe's allergies, I'm afraid to cook anything with wine. So in lieu of wine, I substituted apple juice. He enjoyed it (the Babe only wanted toast for dinner-argh!), so I don't want to forget how I made it. Hence, me posting the recipe.
Baked Lemon Chicken
1- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
1-2 Tbsp margarine
1/4 C apple juice
1/2 C chicken broth
3 Tbsp bottled lemon juice
salt
1-2 tsp corn starch + 2 Tbsp chicken broth
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place chicken in a baking dish. Put dabs of margerine on chicken pieces.
3. Mix apple juice, chicken broth, and lemon juice. Pour over chicken (try not to displace margerine). Sprinkle a little salt over chicken. Place in oven.
4. Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes until chicken is done. Remove from oven. Place chicken on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
5. In a saucepan, pour the cooking liquids. Heat to boiling. In a separate container combine corn starch with some chicken broth, then add to pan. Continue to heat through until it thickens or reduces, creating a sauce. Add salt to taste. Serve over chicken.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Big Day
We had a long morning today, and the Babe was great. Today was allergy testing. When we left in the morning, I didn't tell her where we were going, although she was curious. I didn't want her to get upset before it was necessary. So when we pulled into the medical center's parking garage, she told me happily how she wanted to show the doctor her new purple watch (a beloved birthday gift from a friend). I suspect she thought we were seeing the ENT for a wound check, but we've been done seeing him for a while.
We entered through the parking garage onto a footbridge leading to the building. Once we reached the entrance to the building, the Babe told me how everyone was looking at her. Really? I asked her why she thought that. Her response, "because I'm so adorable". Clearly we've told her this a few times, as have others, and it stuck. Apparently modesty is not an issue here. I'm going to have to work on that.
As for the allergy testing, she was great. The pre-test exam and evaluation she handled like a trooper. The only complaint was when the doctor had to look in her ears, but for once, with a little persuasion, she cooperated. The worst part was the application of allergens for the skin test. They say its a mild prick, but holding your crying, screaming, wincing child is painful in itself. However, as soon as that was done, we distracted her with the bubbles. That's right- they gave her bubbles to blow inside. And one of the nurses spent the entire time doing them with her. The Babe was so happy, the nurse was truly entertained by her, and I could breath a temporary sigh of relief. So much better than last year when we had to walk the halls and keep grabbing her hands from scratching.
As for test results, not much has changed in a year. The same big allergens are there: dairy, eggs, wheat, rye, and barley. She also has some environmental allergies as well. Apple is a new one, but we can still continue with apple juice so long as it is pasteurized and we have no reaction (no raw apples though). On a positive note, cod fish popped up last year, but disappeared this year. We may be able to have fish again, but will have to try it out before its a definite. Some other foods still need to be tried out, but negative skin tests were positive signs. Based on her overall response, I have hope that in a few years we will start seeing some more disappear. This is the first time I walked out of the allergists more hopeful than sad. Exhausted, but hopeful.
We entered through the parking garage onto a footbridge leading to the building. Once we reached the entrance to the building, the Babe told me how everyone was looking at her. Really? I asked her why she thought that. Her response, "because I'm so adorable". Clearly we've told her this a few times, as have others, and it stuck. Apparently modesty is not an issue here. I'm going to have to work on that.
As for the allergy testing, she was great. The pre-test exam and evaluation she handled like a trooper. The only complaint was when the doctor had to look in her ears, but for once, with a little persuasion, she cooperated. The worst part was the application of allergens for the skin test. They say its a mild prick, but holding your crying, screaming, wincing child is painful in itself. However, as soon as that was done, we distracted her with the bubbles. That's right- they gave her bubbles to blow inside. And one of the nurses spent the entire time doing them with her. The Babe was so happy, the nurse was truly entertained by her, and I could breath a temporary sigh of relief. So much better than last year when we had to walk the halls and keep grabbing her hands from scratching.
As for test results, not much has changed in a year. The same big allergens are there: dairy, eggs, wheat, rye, and barley. She also has some environmental allergies as well. Apple is a new one, but we can still continue with apple juice so long as it is pasteurized and we have no reaction (no raw apples though). On a positive note, cod fish popped up last year, but disappeared this year. We may be able to have fish again, but will have to try it out before its a definite. Some other foods still need to be tried out, but negative skin tests were positive signs. Based on her overall response, I have hope that in a few years we will start seeing some more disappear. This is the first time I walked out of the allergists more hopeful than sad. Exhausted, but hopeful.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Topics of Conversation
Apparently there are little boundaries as to what are appropriate topics of conversation. Granted, I am nosy, and love talking about most subjects with most people. However, here's one that I'd rather not have. I really don't appreciate the cable service representative who was remotely testing my equipment asking me if I was having any more children. Oh, did I mention this was a phone call, he was in a foreign country, and apparently wanted to chat while we waited for the equipment test to go through. I didn't want to hear about how his wife left him and his sons six years ago, which he felt the need to tell me a few times. I didn't want to talk about anything, especially personal, with this odd man on the phone. So, while I don't take issue having this discussion with people I know, if I have just met you in a professional capacity, oh, and never set eyes on you, lets just talk about the weather!
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Sweet Treat
While my husband and I may have many differences, one thing we share in common is a preference for cooler weather. I consider myself a snow baby, so while I enjoy aspects of summer, my favorite time of year is now through about February, just before it becomes completely gloomy and grey for a few months, until spring awakens. I like the smells in the air as fall descends, the changing colors of the foliage, wearing sweaters, going out into a chilly day to return into a warm home, and the list continues.
So today we enjoyed being outside with the Babe. While it was cool, it wasn't cold, and the sun was shining. We took a bit of a drive through some farmland, with our goal to pick some apples. This was a first for the Babe, and she was excited. We found a small orchard about twenty minutes from home, with several varieties of apples. It wasn't a huge orchard, but from a three year old's perspective there were a lot of trees. It was wonderful watching the Babe's excitement to pluck the apples from the trees, as well as watching the attention my husband was giving her as he would lift her up to find the perfect apple. While we spent less than an hour there, it was another "normal" activity, with minimal risk for our Allergy Babe. Now time to find some recipes to make use of our picked bounty.
So today we enjoyed being outside with the Babe. While it was cool, it wasn't cold, and the sun was shining. We took a bit of a drive through some farmland, with our goal to pick some apples. This was a first for the Babe, and she was excited. We found a small orchard about twenty minutes from home, with several varieties of apples. It wasn't a huge orchard, but from a three year old's perspective there were a lot of trees. It was wonderful watching the Babe's excitement to pluck the apples from the trees, as well as watching the attention my husband was giving her as he would lift her up to find the perfect apple. While we spent less than an hour there, it was another "normal" activity, with minimal risk for our Allergy Babe. Now time to find some recipes to make use of our picked bounty.
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