Getting Ready

Okay...moving on...shall we?

It's bitterly cold here. The sun is out and my tulips and daffodils are peeking out from their winter blankets of leaves with such hope. Every time I walk past them, I think not yet little friends; wait just a little longer.

I'm ridiculously hopeful for spring. Stroller walks, gardening, shorts, flip flops, backyard barbecues, camping, SUN!

I almost bought Jackson sunscreen at Target today. But I decided that wasn't exactly a necessity just yet. Someday soon though...right?

I'm thinking about planting a vegetable garden this year. What should I plant? What's easy for a first timer? I don't have much room, so I'm thinking beans and peas are out but what about carrots, peppers and lettuce?

Talk to me people...the old blog has been a little quiet lately.

Your Blog is a Little Heavy on the Poop...

That is a direct quote from my husband.

I make no promises that this is the last blog entry about my sons bowel movements. It's a little all consuming these days.

I initially thought that the taking dairy out of my diet was helping, but I think I'm wrong. I don't think there's been any improvement yet and it's day five. I'm off to the natural foods store to buy baby probiotics. I'm sticking to the no dairy for a bit longer and I've also cut out nut products since my side of the family has that allergy and I eat peanut butter a lot.

I'm stressed.

Anyway...

I made really good chicken tortilla soup today. Here's the recipe:
(do you like how I'm now mixing my conversation about poop with food...I've hit new lows even for myself).

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1/2 can refried beans or more (trust me)
• can of black beans
• can of dices tomatoes
• can of green chilies
• 1/2 red pepper and 1/2 green pepper finely diced
• 1 medium yellow onion finely diced
• 1 box of low sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 jar of good green salsa
• 3 tbsp. taco seasoning
• salt and pepper

Throw chicken breasts into your crock pot (frozen or fresh) with half jar of green salsa. If you really want to turn up the flavor add 1 cup of water and two chicken bouillon cubes. If you don't have the boullion don't worry about it. Let cook on high for about two hours or until the chicken is cooked through.

Shred chicken with two forks and leave in crock pot. Add chicken stock, black beans, tomatoes, onion, peppers, corn and taco seasoning. Stir in refried beans and let simmer for another couple of hours. Add salt and pepper as you see fit.

Top with sour cream, avocado, tortilla chips and cheese!

The refried beans add a touch of creaminess to the soup, which I love. Although I will warn you that it will separate in the soup (when it's been cooled) and make the soup look kind of gross. Just give it a quick stir and it will congeal the way it's supposed to.

Happy crock pot day.

What Do You Title a Post About Poop? (Again)

We're on day three of no dairy and unbelievably we are seeing a marked improvement in Jack's 'issues.' I don't know if it's related but he's also sleeping a little better.

Sad for me as I made my famous garlic mashed potatoes that have butter, cream cheese and sour cream blended into them for dinner with friends last night. I sadly passed them by and piled salad high on my plate.

I'll be interested to know if all the diarrhea we've been dealing with is legitimatly a milk intolerance/allergy or if his system is just having a hard time digesting it while it heals from a virus. Regardless, I'm hopeful we've rounded the corner.

This morning I made french toast with vanilla soy milk instead of milk and it was really good. I almost couldn't tell the difference. I added extra cinnamon to cover the soy aftertaste and it worked!

Aaron and I were laughing this morning that this is going to force me to get over my sweet tooth since just about every dessert I love has chocolate, butter or some other kind of dairy in it.

Those last two or three pounds that have so stubbornly hung on...I'm hoping they disappear. Which, can we talk about weight for just a minute?

What is the deal with post-pregnancy bodies? The weight is almost all gone but my body doesn't look like it used to. Some of my old pants are too big...others are too tight. Shirts still don't fit right. I'm not necessarily complaining and I honestly don't think it's noticable to anyone but me and probably my husband, but it's a little disconcerting.

In some ways, I feel more comfortable in my own skin than I ever have before...there's something about aknowledging what your body is capable of in carrying and birthing a baby that makes me feel a little more tender and forgiving towards it. On the other hand, sometimes I look in the mirror and see every flaw, real and imagined, and just feel gross. Womanhood is such an odd dichotomy of embracing and hating ourselves all in the same moment.

I do love this picture I'm posting of Jack and I. We both look so healthy and happy. And truly, as contrite as it sounds, means more to me than anything.

4 Month Update

We went to the doctor for Jack's well baby appointment this morning. Our big boy weighed in at 19 pounds 5 ounces and 27 inches. He is big!

The doctor was pleased to see him meeting all his milestones and Jack showed off his new found 'voice,' shrieking and babbling away. He was a champ with his shots and only cried for a minute.

Unfortunately, we still haven't gotten the diarrhea completely in check and which means this mama is going off dairy for a couple of weeks to see if it helps. The dairy thing is hard because he doesn't have any other symptom of a milk allergy, but I don't know what else to do other than wait.

We have two weeks before his diarrhea goes from 'no big deal' to labeled chronic. And chronic diarrhea required x-rays and scopes and other scary tests that I don't want to think about.

The doctor thankfully didn't seem overly concerned because he is so big, it's not hindering his growth and he remains in the 95th percentile for height and weight. But, I'll be honest I'm starting to feel pretty anxious about the whole thing. I just want him to be okay.

Jack slept for about an hour in his crib today and I'm off to attempt another one. We didn't have such a great day sleeping wise yesterday so I'm hoping today is better.

Grace in Small Things

1. A perfectly made americano this morning

2. Stripy jammies

3. Laughter floating from the bathroom as Aaron bathes Jack

4. A new book to read

5. Chocolate chip oatmeal cookies (warm!)

6. Not having to do the dinner dishes

Mom Gig

I love this boy.

Especially when he's only wearing a diaper and his pudgy rolls are that much more accessible for munching.

We are in sleep-training boot camp around here. Day three and I'm confidant we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Jack just slept nearly two hours in his crib. I think some of this is harder on me than it is him.

I'm leaning more on the Healthy Seep Habits Happy Child philosophy with a dash of Baby Wise thrown in. We are working on naps at 9am, 1pm, a cat nap at 5pm and bedtime at 7-7:30pm. At this point I'm getting a 30 minute nap out of him at 9am, 1 to 2 hour naps in the afternoon, nothing but crying at 5pm and he goes down easily for bed at night. I'm not sure if I'll keep the early evening nap, but at 4 months old, I think he needs it. Any suggestions or reccomendations are welcome...please throw your two cents in.

This mom-gig is so much harder than I ever thought. The sheer weight of responsibility, not just to keep him alive, but to raise him falls heavy on my shoulders. Not because it's too hard or because I don't like it...but because I love this little guy so deeply and with such intensity that I don't want any mistakes made. I don't want to hurt him, mess up or make a choice that leads us down the wrong path.

And I know I will...I already have.

But I look into those beautiful blue eyes and see nothing but infinite potential.

For him and for me.

Park City

We had a fabulous time on vacation. Of course, even with the best of inentions, we didn't take a single photo, so these are stolen from Libby's blog.

This was a perfectly timed escape from dreary Yakima. We arrived to beautiful sunshine, eager grandparents, good food and decent snow. Even better, it was a truly fantastic time with friends. We laughed a lot (mostly about bodily functions)...I swear some things never change! But we snuck in some great conversations as well. After a couple of lonely years in Yakima, we are blessed with rich friendships.