Going Dairy-Free

Based on our family history of babies who are sensitive to lactose, I have begun the transition to dairy-free for the upcoming breastfeeding journey. It's no fun for someone who loves sweets, cheese, and butter but it's much, much better than dealing with a miserable baby who constantly fluctuates between being constipated and... not.

ANYway.

When Little K was born, I didn't make any changes to my diet and her poor tummy suffered (and so did we) as we figured out what was causing her discomfort. By the time we were done eliminating things from my diet, I was down to plain chicken breast and un-dressed salad for most meals. NOT FUN.

However, this time around, we have several things going our way. First, I know what to expect and am taking preemptive measures to keep Aaron's tummy safe. Two, my sister was vegan for 3 of the past eight years, so I have a pretty great resource to help me identify non-dairy substitutes. Three, I'm not coming straight off of low carb (with the achingly wonderful cheese and cream habit that comes from that particular diet) so I'm not as attached to dairy as I was before. I must admit, though, that I still can't get behind drinking almond milk or putting it on cereal. It just doesn't taste the same.

With all of that being said, here was my grocery list for substitutes:

• Silk Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
• Silk Original Plain Almond Milk
• Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Spread
• Enjoy Life Dairy/Nut/Soy Free Mini Chocolate Chips
• Shaklee Lactose/Gluten Free Vanilla Protein Powder
• So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk Yogurt

These will be used to make:

• Fruit smoothies (Shaklee Powder, Vanilla Almond Milk, So Delicious Yogurt)
• Homemade Dairy-Free Cream of Chicken/Celery Soup Base (Plain Almond Milk, Earth Balance)
• Smitten Kitchen Meringues (Enjoy Life Choc Chips) *aka my favorite cookie*

Edited to add: I almost forgot! I also picked up nutritional yeast with the plan to replace the parmesan cheese in my fave roasted cauliflower recipe. Hoping it's great!

The fruit smoothies will be replacing my Greek yogurt habit for breakfast. I've actually been making these smoothies with regular yogurt for the past week and love them, so the only big change will be the coconut milk yogurt.

My lunch entree each day for the past several months has been a two-egg sandwich on enriched buttered bread, so the only change will be from butter to Earth Balance.

The meringues stay the same except for the brand of chocolate chips. Very minor.

I've never attempted to make homemade cream of (fill in the blank) soup base before. It's always been easier to just by a can! And we don't use it very much - just in three dishes. But those dishes freeze VERY well, so I'll be making a couple big batches this weekend for post-baby freezer meals.

The chocolate chips and Earth Balance will also be used to make these lactation bars dairy-free. They are super delicious! (Note that, due to the high-fiber in these bars, momma can end up pretty darn gassy. Just so you know.

My goal is to be completely dairy-free by February 15th so that my milk supply won't be tainted in March. And so that I'm used to the change before we dive deep into babyland. Wish me luck!

And keep any recipe or brand recommendations coming!

Wordless Wednesday: Quilt

It may not be perfect, and the picture is definitely sub-par, but it's done and I LOVE it!

Aaron's Woodland Quilt

Dairy-Free Suggestions?

I'm asking you wonderful readers for your best dairy-free recipe suggestions. I would prefer to avoid soy milk if possible, simply because I don't care for it, but almond milk is just fine.

These don't have to be just recipes that replace dairy products with non-dairy, either. Got a fabulous recipe of any kind that doesn't involve any dairy? Lay it on me!

Thanks in advance!

One Year Later: Faith and Provision

This past Saturday was my Dad's birthday. It was also the one year anniversary of me being laid off. As I think back to this time last year, I am amazed at what God has done.

When I was laid off, I did have moments of fear. I cried briefly once I pulled safely into my garage. But, overall, I remained confident that God was still in control. He had a plan to provide for our family. He knew our financial needs and had already set into motion those things that would bring provision to us and glory to Him.

Now, one year later, I still look back in awe at what the Lord has done. We faithfully pursued the opportunities in front of us and ended up with exactly what we had prayed for all along: a work from home position that paid even a bit more than my previous position. In less than two weeks! It was in that moment that I truly began to believe that our IUI would be successful. After all, our prayer had been for both of us to work from home if we had another child.

My new employer has been a huge part of God answering prayer for our family. We have been amazingly blessed! And, I believe, that is in part because - from the very first moment of crisis - we trusted God. Allowing ourselves to experience whatever emotions we felt (fear, disappointment, vulnerability) while still remaining focused on God's promises of provision and His ultimate control.

I'm praying that we all continually surrender our circumstances to the Lord and thank Him for His answered blessings, which are already on the way.

The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.

[God says:] I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

Happy Etsy Day: Woodland Nursery

As Aaron's nursery has changed from owls to woodland creatures, I have expanded my etsy search to find little accents for his room. I can't wait to see it all come together!

Wood sign sayings

Fox painting

woodland animals

Mobile

Teething

piggy bank

NAMEPLATE

wall letters

Wall Pegs

Peg Rack

Dividers

Shadow Box

Wooden Blocks

Accent Pillow

felted acorns

little felt campfire

sticker decals 

You Are My Greatest Adventure

 

34 Week Quickie

The Stats:

• 2 lb weight gain in two weeks, not too shabby
• Blood pressure 87/55, fantastic
• TDAP Booster Received
• Fundal Height 35 cm, measuring one week ahead
• Aaron's heart rate in the 150s
• Belly button has become completely flat but hasn't fully popped... yet
• Still no stretch marks

The Plan:

• Preemptive appointment with Lactation Consultant at 36 weeks
• Complete birth preference edits and provide at 36 weeks appointment
• Get back into walking daily, despite the cold weather (zero degrees with wind chill? NOOP)
• Begin researching dairy-free recipes in preparation for breastfeeding
• Sign up for new mothers ministry at church

It's late here - signing out!!

Snow Day

What was originally a five-day weekend has turned into a six-day weekend with the snow. Little K is outside making snowballs with R as I warm up by the fire. I want to say I'm sipping hot chocolate or a latte but in reality it's water and a bowl of Greek yogurt. So it goes.

Our last guest, my mom, left yesterday morning and will be back in five weeks to help us with final preparations for Aaron's birth. She will be staying until March 12th at the latest, so we are really praying Aaron chooses to come sooner rather than later.

We are all slowly recovering from the sickness. No one's appetite is quite back yet but we are all able to keep down food again. I've washed all the towels, sheets, blankets, and pillow cases in the house and am considering having the throw pillows dry cleaned just to be sure this nastiness is gone. Thankfully, since we all had our flu shots back in August, it isn't the flu. Just a gross stomach bug. UGH.

We had Little K's well child check-up yesterday. She is in the 67th percentile for height and 64th percentile for weight (good, considering her height). Her eyesight, hearing, and blood pressure are great. Developing normally, no abnormalities. The pediatrician is still a little concerned about the lack of fruits and veggies. Sigh. I did explain that we have cut all corn syrup and artificial dyes from her diet, eat whole grain and organic whenever possible, and have invested in some really great vitamins. Basically, since her palate is so limited, we are very mindful of the quality of what she does eat. That seemed to satisfy the doctor. Although she did remind Little K and us to continue trying different kinds of produce every day. Will do.

Aaron continues to grow monstrous and move around a ton. I've just gotten to the point where the top of my stomach and my lower back are sore by the end of the day. I'm trying to get back into my water consumption after being sick since I know it's good for him and keeps contractions at bay. No big labor signs yet, which is good since we still have six weeks to go. Ask me that again in four weeks and I may give a different answer. Heh

With maternity leave looming, my work has picked up significantly. Gone are the days when I could take a short nap in the afternoon. I'll be working all the way to Aaron's birth but have some big projects due before I start my leave. Aiming for getting everything done by mid-February just to be safe.

R and I have both been hit with the reality of how much will be changing once Aaron arrives. I think a lot of that comes with having had Baby M with us for five days. She and Little K were super sweet together, so our concerns about the transition are slightly abated. But it was also a little loud, Baby M's nap needs dictated what we did and when, random fussiness during the night... Things will definitely be different.

I think that's it for now. I'll be back with more after my appointment on Friday. Getting closer!