Today is the day we test our plumbing. Oops, no, today is the day I try to potty train the Babe. In our first hour, she was put on it three times. Unfortunately, between the second and third attempt, I missed that window and she wet her diaper. No luck on any action on the toilet other than filling it with paper and flushing. But fear not, I have all day. Hopefully by the end of the day we have success at least once. My goal is to put her on every 30-60 minutes, depending on what she consumes during those time periods. Reminder, I don't want to do this but we're getting closer to her birthday and I will not have a 3 year old in diapers.
Putting things in writing seem more permanent. I become accountable. So I'll take a giant leap here and say it. My goal is (not really, but its in writing now) to have the Babe potty trained by the end of summer. Big girl underpants, here we come!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
Happy 4th of July
Happy 4th of July! We saw some fireworks last night from the comfort of our car. The Babe was more interested in her little flag, than the fireworks. Well, until we decided to leave. Then she kept wailing that she wanted to see the fireworks and didn't want to leave the "party house". I have no idea how she thought we were at a party house. We were by ourselves on a well-lit parking lot that others had stopped at, too. Anyhow, of what we saw, the display was beautiful. It doesn't have quite the same effect when you're not sitting on a blanket somewhere swatting at flies. It was a last minute decision to go, so at least we weren't disappointed by the experience. Today is equally mellow. The Babe and her daddy played in the sprinkler for a bit this afternoon, and then we've just been relaxing most of the day.
This year hasn't been too festive, by choice. While we were invited to two different places to celebrate the 4th, I didn't want to be on the road with the Babe today. Based on past experience, the 4th is a busy day for traffic, and for emergency rooms. So we'll enjoy the quiet for now, and anticipate lots of booming going on around us tonight, like last night. We didn't see any fireworks from our house, but who knows what tonight will bring.
This year hasn't been too festive, by choice. While we were invited to two different places to celebrate the 4th, I didn't want to be on the road with the Babe today. Based on past experience, the 4th is a busy day for traffic, and for emergency rooms. So we'll enjoy the quiet for now, and anticipate lots of booming going on around us tonight, like last night. We didn't see any fireworks from our house, but who knows what tonight will bring.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Expect the Unexpected
When I wrote earlier today about the Babe's "Allerversary", I knew I was setting my self up for trouble. Can we say glass half full? Anyhow, we were finally going to friends' house today. It has been over a year since the Babe has had a playdate or visit to anyone's house other than family. We are not intentionally isolating her from the world, its just working out that way. And today just re-confirmed that for us.
Our friends live about an hour and half from us, and have been great driving to us when we get together. In part, they were still settling into their home and concerned about having it safe for the Babe. We finally were able to pick a date, and off we went. Ahead of time our friends inquired about safe foods, what to have, and read labels to me. I was comfortable with the menu, and was not concerned about that aspect of our visit. However, two separate aspects came into play. One, they lead a normal life and eat normal food. They are neat people, but with a young child, you never know what goes where. That was actually not my greater concern. They have a cat. I'm allergic to cats, and we don't know yet about the Babe. When we got to their house, all seemed fine. The Babe was having fun with her little friend, the adults got time to visit, and we were going along well.
The kids ate first, then the adults. While we ate, the kids sat in an adjacent room, and were bouncing on some upholstered furniture. All was fine, until it was time to get ready to play outside. I went to get the Babe's sunscreen from my bag, and when she turned to me, I saw it. Lots of bright red spots all around her mouth. Not just one or two. Immediately got the Benadryl, a wet paper towel, and hustled her outside. Got her hands and face wiped off, and worked on getting her to take the Benadryl. Thankfully that was what it took. After a little bit, the hives eventually went away. We changed her clothes, let her have a few more minutes of outdoor play, and off we went home.
Here's the funny, or not-so-funny, part of this. We all expected this. No, we didn't intentionally expose her to something hazardous. We just suspected that no matter the effort, she was bound to react to something. Unfortunately, she did. We actually got to spend an entire two hours with them before this occurred. That was great. The sad part is we probably won't go back, but happily they will still come to us. So, if we get to know you, please don't take offense if we don't come to visit. We are happy to entertain here.
Our friends live about an hour and half from us, and have been great driving to us when we get together. In part, they were still settling into their home and concerned about having it safe for the Babe. We finally were able to pick a date, and off we went. Ahead of time our friends inquired about safe foods, what to have, and read labels to me. I was comfortable with the menu, and was not concerned about that aspect of our visit. However, two separate aspects came into play. One, they lead a normal life and eat normal food. They are neat people, but with a young child, you never know what goes where. That was actually not my greater concern. They have a cat. I'm allergic to cats, and we don't know yet about the Babe. When we got to their house, all seemed fine. The Babe was having fun with her little friend, the adults got time to visit, and we were going along well.
The kids ate first, then the adults. While we ate, the kids sat in an adjacent room, and were bouncing on some upholstered furniture. All was fine, until it was time to get ready to play outside. I went to get the Babe's sunscreen from my bag, and when she turned to me, I saw it. Lots of bright red spots all around her mouth. Not just one or two. Immediately got the Benadryl, a wet paper towel, and hustled her outside. Got her hands and face wiped off, and worked on getting her to take the Benadryl. Thankfully that was what it took. After a little bit, the hives eventually went away. We changed her clothes, let her have a few more minutes of outdoor play, and off we went home.
Here's the funny, or not-so-funny, part of this. We all expected this. No, we didn't intentionally expose her to something hazardous. We just suspected that no matter the effort, she was bound to react to something. Unfortunately, she did. We actually got to spend an entire two hours with them before this occurred. That was great. The sad part is we probably won't go back, but happily they will still come to us. So, if we get to know you, please don't take offense if we don't come to visit. We are happy to entertain here.
Allerversary
Tomorrow is our Allerversary. Yeah, not a real word, but I think you get the concept. It will be 2 years ago tomorrow that our universe shifted, and we learned of our daughter's food allergies...the hard way. It was July 3rd, and we thought we would get to relax before dinner. Nope, not at all. It became a very long night, and a long weekend. We didn't know all that she was allergic to, only dairy was clearly off the menu. The emergency room physician mentioned she may be allergic to several other foods, such as eggs, wheat, etc. (referring to the 8 major food allergens). That weekend my husband strongly suggested I avoid eggs, too, since he thought she was probably allergic to it. I was hoping he was wrong, highly doubtful, but avoided that and a few other things that weekend. [I gave up whatever she was allergic to since I was still nursing.] Sure enough, he was right. Our house has been dairy-free and egg-free since July 4th. It is also free of everything else she is allergic to, too, but those are the big ones.
Besides being life altering, those first few weeks are very difficult. You can't have an allergy test for several weeks until your system has calmed down. Once the allergy test comes in, there's relief at having an answer, and sadness at what the answer is. We went home and dumped a lot of food. I know a lot of other families with this feel hopelessness, not knowing what to eat. I knew there would always be fresh fruits and veggies, plus chicken and beef. Please note, there are people allergic to every kind of fruit, vegetable, and animal (hopefully not all at once). We are very fortunate at what she is not allergic to. So once I knew what we were working with, I got online and started looking up recipes that were allergy free. Eventually I discovered what grains were gluten free, and recipes for baked goods that were also safe. The first six months baking gluten free weren't too wonderful, but eventually I got the knack and it improved. I also lost a lot of weight in the beginning. The negative is once you figure out what you can eat, the pounds come back.
Anyhow, we're just at the two-year mark. We're hoping that in the next few years more of her allergies start disappearing. However, don't ask if her allergies are getting better. Its not like we feed her a little bit here and there and just watch to see if she reacts. That would be a game of Russian Roulette, and also child abuse. The only way to know is through blood work and skin tests done by a doctor. That generally is done only once a year. So sometime this fall we'll get her retested and hope there is an improvement. The difficult part is knowing that very often the numbers go the other way even though we've avoided everything very carefully. In the meantime, we will continue to try to keep up with our bundle of energy and marvel at how wonderful she is: how bright, how beautiful, and how sweet.
Besides being life altering, those first few weeks are very difficult. You can't have an allergy test for several weeks until your system has calmed down. Once the allergy test comes in, there's relief at having an answer, and sadness at what the answer is. We went home and dumped a lot of food. I know a lot of other families with this feel hopelessness, not knowing what to eat. I knew there would always be fresh fruits and veggies, plus chicken and beef. Please note, there are people allergic to every kind of fruit, vegetable, and animal (hopefully not all at once). We are very fortunate at what she is not allergic to. So once I knew what we were working with, I got online and started looking up recipes that were allergy free. Eventually I discovered what grains were gluten free, and recipes for baked goods that were also safe. The first six months baking gluten free weren't too wonderful, but eventually I got the knack and it improved. I also lost a lot of weight in the beginning. The negative is once you figure out what you can eat, the pounds come back.
Anyhow, we're just at the two-year mark. We're hoping that in the next few years more of her allergies start disappearing. However, don't ask if her allergies are getting better. Its not like we feed her a little bit here and there and just watch to see if she reacts. That would be a game of Russian Roulette, and also child abuse. The only way to know is through blood work and skin tests done by a doctor. That generally is done only once a year. So sometime this fall we'll get her retested and hope there is an improvement. The difficult part is knowing that very often the numbers go the other way even though we've avoided everything very carefully. In the meantime, we will continue to try to keep up with our bundle of energy and marvel at how wonderful she is: how bright, how beautiful, and how sweet.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Vanilla Raisin Cookies
While in Florida, I mentioned working on a cookie recipe. I finally made them the other day, and am on the fence as to whether I like them. I ate them, so they weren't that bad. However, every time I made them they came out a little differently. So here's the recipe. You'll want the dough to be somewhat tight. I found the tighter the dough, the better it rose. And it yields 18-24 cookies, depending on how big you make them. As I mentioned in a previous post, these are gluten free cookies without xanthan gum.
Gluten-Free Vanilla Raisin Cookies
1 3/4 C Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tbsp. ground flaxseeds
1/4 C Vanilla Soymilk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 C raisins
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, combine flaxseed and soymilk. Let sit for a minute. Then mix in the granulated sugar and brown sugar. After fully combined, add in the oil and vanilla.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Stir until the dough is fully combined. Add in the raisins. Spoon/drop cookies onto prepared baking sheets.
5. Bake 10-12 minutes. Let cookies rest out of the oven for 5 minutes before removing from baking sheets. Then, let them cool.
* They taste much better cooled down than hot out of the oven. Believe me. Burning my mouth on a hot cookie hasn't stopped me before, but with this recipe, try to hold out.
Gluten-Free Vanilla Raisin Cookies
1 3/4 C Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tbsp. ground flaxseeds
1/4 C Vanilla Soymilk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 C raisins
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, combine flaxseed and soymilk. Let sit for a minute. Then mix in the granulated sugar and brown sugar. After fully combined, add in the oil and vanilla.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Stir until the dough is fully combined. Add in the raisins. Spoon/drop cookies onto prepared baking sheets.
5. Bake 10-12 minutes. Let cookies rest out of the oven for 5 minutes before removing from baking sheets. Then, let them cool.
* They taste much better cooled down than hot out of the oven. Believe me. Burning my mouth on a hot cookie hasn't stopped me before, but with this recipe, try to hold out.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Playground Fun?
I must have looked like a crazy, obsessive person to the casual observer. No one probably even noticed. I'm the lady who wiped down the playground equipment with a wet wipe. That's right, I did it! And no, it wasn't the minute we got to the park.
We went to a local playground around 10:30 a.m., and someone was already set up at a set of tables across the park for a kids' party. I hoped it was too early for anyone to eat, because I knew there was no way the Babe would be willing to leave as soon as she saw the slide. There were two sets of equipment, one clearly for older kids, so again I had hope. The Babe had the little kid set to herself off and on, as the party goers ran around like a wild mob hopping on and off all the equipment. Another toddler with his mother (his older brother was attending the party) joined us after a while. All was fine, until he ambled over to the distant tables for a snack. Ahh, he only came back with some tortilla chips, which should have been fine. I wasn't so lucky the next time he went when I could see something orange grasped in one hand. Clearly it was a chip or cracker with some cheesy flavoring. Alas, time to go. But the Babe didn't sense the dire urgency or me telling her time to go. Bribes weren't working. I had hoped to have a normal outing, but had to tell the other mother why out of the blue I was trying to flee the scene. She apologized (not her fault), and she tried to brush her son's hands off. Well, that won't work. Only washing will remove the problem. However, in light of not getting my child out of there peacefully, I wiped everything down. Not the perfect solution, but I hovered and things worked out.
Now I know, if we ever go back to the playground it will have to be super early. The reason I don't want to return was more due to her resistance to leave (45 minutes in the car before in her carseat) than the hazards of the playground.
The key though is to come prepared. I always have wipes and her meds on me. I also happened to have packed some freshly baked cookies in case we ran into some friends, which we did. This averted anyone eating a snack they may have brought that wasn't safe for us to be around. Having a food allergic child may remove any spontaneity, but at least we can still try to have fun (with lots of hovering!).
We went to a local playground around 10:30 a.m., and someone was already set up at a set of tables across the park for a kids' party. I hoped it was too early for anyone to eat, because I knew there was no way the Babe would be willing to leave as soon as she saw the slide. There were two sets of equipment, one clearly for older kids, so again I had hope. The Babe had the little kid set to herself off and on, as the party goers ran around like a wild mob hopping on and off all the equipment. Another toddler with his mother (his older brother was attending the party) joined us after a while. All was fine, until he ambled over to the distant tables for a snack. Ahh, he only came back with some tortilla chips, which should have been fine. I wasn't so lucky the next time he went when I could see something orange grasped in one hand. Clearly it was a chip or cracker with some cheesy flavoring. Alas, time to go. But the Babe didn't sense the dire urgency or me telling her time to go. Bribes weren't working. I had hoped to have a normal outing, but had to tell the other mother why out of the blue I was trying to flee the scene. She apologized (not her fault), and she tried to brush her son's hands off. Well, that won't work. Only washing will remove the problem. However, in light of not getting my child out of there peacefully, I wiped everything down. Not the perfect solution, but I hovered and things worked out.
Now I know, if we ever go back to the playground it will have to be super early. The reason I don't want to return was more due to her resistance to leave (45 minutes in the car before in her carseat) than the hazards of the playground.
The key though is to come prepared. I always have wipes and her meds on me. I also happened to have packed some freshly baked cookies in case we ran into some friends, which we did. This averted anyone eating a snack they may have brought that wasn't safe for us to be around. Having a food allergic child may remove any spontaneity, but at least we can still try to have fun (with lots of hovering!).
Monday, June 27, 2011
Millet Salad
Millet is a non-glutinous grain that I haven't cooked in a long while. Granted, its not like the Babe will even eat it. However, my pantry is overflowing with pasta and other grains, so time to use what I've got.
Millet is a small grain that becomes sticky like rice or can be made into cereal. It has a slightly nutty flavor, and has some protein in it, not quite as much as quinoa. Yesterday I made a new side dish with it that could also be made into a main dish if you add a protein to it (like chicken, chickpeas, whatever). I suggest making the millet and the green beans in advance since it takes a long time for millet to cool.
And as for the Babe, when she saw me taste test it, she immediately said she liked it and wanted to try some too. I gave her a pinch of it. She immediately turned up her nose and began spitting, requesting water. Well, guess the positive side is she at least tried it.
Millet Salad
1 Cup uncooked millet
Green beans (cooked comes to about 1+ cup)
Grape tomatoes (about 12 cut in half)
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
2 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1/3 cup olive or vegetable oil
zest of 1 lemon (optional)
1. Cook millet according to package directions. Generally, rinse 1 cup in cold water, add to 3 cups cold water. Bring water to a boil, lower heat and cover. Cook for 30 minutes. Then remove from pan and cool.
2. Wash and prepare green beans, cut into 1- 1 1/2 inch pieces, cook.
3. Combine mustard, vinegar, salt and thyme. If using lemon zest, add now. Then stream in oil while whisking or rapidly stirring with a fork. Continue to whisk/stir together until fully blended.
4. Combine cooled millet, green beans and tomatoes. Then add dressing and serve.
* The millet will absorb a lot of the dressing. You may want to make extra dressing if its too mild.
Millet is a small grain that becomes sticky like rice or can be made into cereal. It has a slightly nutty flavor, and has some protein in it, not quite as much as quinoa. Yesterday I made a new side dish with it that could also be made into a main dish if you add a protein to it (like chicken, chickpeas, whatever). I suggest making the millet and the green beans in advance since it takes a long time for millet to cool.
And as for the Babe, when she saw me taste test it, she immediately said she liked it and wanted to try some too. I gave her a pinch of it. She immediately turned up her nose and began spitting, requesting water. Well, guess the positive side is she at least tried it.
Millet Salad
1 Cup uncooked millet
Green beans (cooked comes to about 1+ cup)
Grape tomatoes (about 12 cut in half)
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
2 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1/3 cup olive or vegetable oil
zest of 1 lemon (optional)
1. Cook millet according to package directions. Generally, rinse 1 cup in cold water, add to 3 cups cold water. Bring water to a boil, lower heat and cover. Cook for 30 minutes. Then remove from pan and cool.
2. Wash and prepare green beans, cut into 1- 1 1/2 inch pieces, cook.
3. Combine mustard, vinegar, salt and thyme. If using lemon zest, add now. Then stream in oil while whisking or rapidly stirring with a fork. Continue to whisk/stir together until fully blended.
4. Combine cooled millet, green beans and tomatoes. Then add dressing and serve.
* The millet will absorb a lot of the dressing. You may want to make extra dressing if its too mild.
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