Our little gardener (we later discovered that the spray bottle contained floor cleaner instead of water at grandma's house, so all of the plants had to be rinsed with water)
Gerritt discovered one of life's pleasures - ice cream!
Gerritt's 1st photo of Mommy while using the camera all by himself
Gerritt loves to go to the playground
The little princess in her carriage
Well, Sophia has been rolling around so much, we had to move her back to sleeping in her crib. She even tries to stand up occasionally so our beds are not safe for her anymore unless one of us is with her at all times (which, of course, is not always practical). She protested for the first night she was back in the crib & then got used to it again. For about a week now she has been sleeping on her tummy. Every time I lay her down for a nap, she immediately rolls on her belly. So funny! Yesterday night Sophia slept the longest time ever - from 7:30 pm until 5 am. I worked last evening, & my husband put both kids to bed by himself. Unlike me, he prefers the "tough love" method, so he did crying-it-out with Sophia. The night before she cried for 30 minutes & last night for 10 minutes. What can I say? We are more than ready for Sophia to start sleeping longer at night.
She learned to clap this week & likes to do it when music is playing. She also likes to shake her head side to side (Gerritt went through the same stage). I've read it has something to do with balance development in the inner ear. So, no worries. I actually found that I worry less about Sophia than I did about my firstborn.
Gerritt is going through a major monster truck obsession. He wants to watch monster truck videos in the morning & at night & knows most of the trucks' names. Blue Thunder, Grave Digger, Batman, Superman, Maximum Destruction, Madusa, Captain Curse, Suzuki, Monster Mutt Dalmation, Brutus, El Toro Loco - just to name a few! He just glances at the TV screen & immediately knows the name of the truck. Sometimes he wants to sleep with his toy trucks, so I've been known to remove them one by one once Gerritt is asleep. My husband likes to use the trucks as rewards & bought several for Gerritt after he went poo-poo in the potty for the first couple of times.
I had a Nurse Practitioner job interview yesterday. As much as I like my job as a nurse & its flexible hours, I couldn't pass up a job opening at Planned Parenthood just 5 minutes away from my house. If I get this job, I will be working 3 days a week (normal business hours, no evenings, weekends or holidays). I just want to be at home every night to put my kids to bed & spend more time with my hubby. I will have to make new childcare arrangements, however, since Sophia's daycare is too expensive & can't take her for the whole 8 hours. I am keeping my fingers crossed...
This past month has been about many changes for me. In January I had extensive testing done at the IBS Treatment Center due to my history of multiple intestinal problems. It turns out I have severe reaction (food sensitivity) to eggs; moderate reaction to whey, goat milk, oyster, almonds, kidney & lima beans, bell peppers; & low reaction to pinto & soy beans, whole wheat, spelt, pineapple, & cranberry. No wonder I wasn't feeling well! I used to have scrambled eggs & bean & rice burritos several times a week & I put cow or goat milk into multiple cups of tea I was drinking daily. I was also diagnosed with Klebsiella oxytoca pathogenic bacteria & Ascaris parasite. It was such a relief to get scientific validation & to know my symptoms were not all in my head. After being treated with anthelmintic medication Mebendazole as well as Berbercap (an antibiotic) I am feeling significantly better. I have more energy & started to exercise regularly for the first time in over a year. I have discovered a beautiful 5-mile trail near my house & love to go hiking there. I've been living with constant fatigue for so long, I forgot what it's like to feel good. Even such seemingly small tasks as taking the kids to the mall or to a friend's house were too much work for me & would leave me feeling exhausted afterword. Now it is like a fog has been lifted from around me. I am up to doing anything!
My friend Lisa referred me to her acupuncturist Sharon Gray who specializes in the treatment of IBS & food sensitivities. So I had the acupuncture treatment a couple of weeks ago as well as the nutritional counseling. In Chinese medicine, the gastrointestinal problems reflect qi ("chi") (or life force) imbalance, mainly "spleen" deficiency (note, this terminology doesn't imply something is wrong with my spleen, this is just a Chinese term for one of the major invisible pathways of qi). When qi flows freely through the meridians, the body is balanced & healthy, but if the energy becomes blocked, stagnated or weakened, it can result in physical, mental or emotional ill health. Acupuncture & proper diet (qi-nourishing foods) aim to restore the body's proper qi balance.
I loved the acupuncture treatment (it always leaves me feeling so relaxed) & increased my knowledge of the qi tonic foods. They include some of my favorite ones such as brown & white rice, sweet root vegetables (winter squash, parsnips, turnips, carrots, etc.), dates, sweet potatoes, potatoes, oats, beef, coconut, grapes, lentils, mackerel, rabbit, microalgae, licorice, shiitake mushrooms, tofu, & chicken. According to Chinese medicine, blood is essential for nourishment of an entire body. These blood-nourishing foods contribute to healthy body & mind: aduki beans, beets & beet greens, dark leafy greens (collard, kale, swiss chard, dandelion, broccoli raab/rapini, spinach), grapes, sardines, apricots, kidney beans, beef, chicken egg, figs, liver, nettle, parsley, & sweet rice. More recipes for me to discover!
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