1.18.2015

Tractors, Whole30 and Cholinergic Urticaria

The last week we were in Arizona, Jack asked every single day if we could go to the "tractor museum" aka the John Deere Pavilion, so that was the first thing we did when we got home.
I am pleased to announce that David has been sleeping through the night for about three weeks now! (Minus last night) I am so grateful!!! I truly am not sure how he sleeps through the night though because we find him in crazy positions like this every night:
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I wish Jack would teach him the curl-into-fetal-position-bum-in-the-air magic sleep move that had Jack sleeping though the night at two months :) Long explanation - My friend Rachel gave me this book for Christmas and I desperately read the entire book in two days... we tried Baby Wise, gradual extinction, waking him up to nurse again before I went to bed, weaning him at night and nothing was working for David - THIS BOOK WORKED! The trick with him was to put him to bed WAY EARLY (around 6 - 6:30) and make him cry it out forever. It took about for or five miserable nights but he finally figured out how to sleep! (KNOCK ON WOOD!!!!) He still wakes up between 4:30 or 5 to nurse but then goes back to bed which is way more manageable than the 2-3 times he was waking up before.
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Jack is no longer a vegetarian! For the past two months, he will eat "french fry balls" but NOT chicken nuggets :) I probably shouldn't be so happy that my child is eating processed unhealthy chicken but I am anyways :)


Spencer and I started the Whole30 challenge last week - no grains, dairy, legumes, and sugar. That leaves meat, eggs, veggies, fruit and good fats from oils, nuts and seeds. We decided to do it to recover from the holidays and also because we liked that weight loss wasn't the main focus and that we can eat whenever we are hungry. Spencer has had stomach issues his entire life so he wants to see what foods he has intolerances to. I have had mild eczema on my eyelids for the past three years that has really flared up these last few months and I want to see if my diet is effecting it. I hate the cost of groceries this month and I hate the amount of prep that goes into it but I love the way I feel... except when I feel like I could really use a quick carb fix from grains to help with nursing and running and the moments where I think I would kill someone for a cookie or chocolate covered cinnamon bears! David loves our Whole 30 food, too. It is so nice to have a kid that will eat what we eat and actually sit in a high chair!
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The most annoying quirk/phase of Jack's life - wanting to feed me ever me every. single. meal. I hate hate hate it. When I'm hangry, the last thing I want is a three year old controlling the pace and bite that goes into my mouth. He saves the veggies for last!!!!! Gaaaaahhhh!!!!
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We are trying to keep busy this winter so that we all stay sane. I hate bundling my kids up every time we leave the house but I sure love looking back and seeing this eskimo face:
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We went to the Figge Art museum downtown for the first time last week and it was a successful outing.
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Our community participates in the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Once you register your kids (ages 5 and under) they are mailed a free book every single month, regardless of family income. We already have quite a collection of Imagination Library books and Jack loves checking the mail every day to see if his present has come :) They are cute books and high quality! We love it!
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I don't think I have ever mentioned this on my blog, but I break out into hives whenever I workout. It first started in Alabama, so I thought I was just allergic to Alabama, but when we moved to Iowa, I still would break out into hives and I realized that I get hives when I workout both outside and inside. After three years of this, asking friends who are really involved in the running community, two doctors and two dermatologists, I was finally diagnosed with Cholinergic Urticaria - I am hypersensitive to my own sweat. I didn't even know that was a thing! I will probably always have to deal with it but the good thing is that the hives always go away after I shower and cool down my body, and while it is itchy and annoying, I can live with it. There is also some medicine that my dermatologist said that I could try but I can't try it while nursing.

The End.

2 comments:

  1. Hives are the WORST!!! My doctor finally just told me that I'm a "hivey person," whatever the heck that means.

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  2. Great post. I was at the gym yesterday talking with my friend who is super fit. She recommends making a big breakfast casserole and eating it throughout the week. You get your eggs, veggies, no sugar, and it is a tasty and filling way to start the day so you're not hungry. I'm gonna try it. But I need to buy more eggs first!

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