About 4 months after our first son was born it became apparent that he was having issues with some of the foods I was eating. I tried going off of all dairy as I’d heard many babies are sensitive to cow’s milk protein. I stopped drinking milk and eating cheese, but quickly learned that milk is in a LOT of things….things you’d never even think of. Not only was I tired and sleep deprived from having a newborn (who was struggling with eating and health issues), but I quickly became overwhelmed with things I was not allowed to eat and soon found myself in tears in the middle of the deli on our next outing to Whole Foods. It wasn’t pretty – I literally had a break down right in front of all the Friday night shoppers.

It was too hard. I couldn’t do it. I could even think about what to eat, just what I couldn’t. All that to say we quickly learned that my son was not just allergic to milk, but to ALL of the top allergens (dairy, wheat, egg, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, etc….) We ended up having to put him on an elemental formula to gain weight. A few months later he started eating solid foods and our lives were forever changed. We had to accommodate these allergies and we bought NOTHING without reading labels. It was horrific to discover some of the things that are in the food we were eating with no thought. I was forced to learn how to cook with the few ingredients that he COULD have in order for him to have balanced meals with things he could eat.

When my 2nd son was born the doctors advised that I avoid any dairy or peanut given the fact that our other son’s allergies are so severe. I was not super excited about this after the trauma of my first attempt, but this time around I felt much more confident. I knew there were things out there that I could eat, and if my son could go without ANY of the allergens, I could surely go without two of them with no complaining. I am now in month 5 of no dairy/peanuts and making MOST of our family dinners free of all major allergens. We do still eat bread and eggs (although my son has an anaphylactic allergy to them so we have to be super careful to not cross-contaminate), but use them on the side so he can still have the main course.

I have tried a LOT of products, recipes and experimented with things over the past year.   I will try and document some of these recipes and tips in hopes to pass along the info and safe someone else the time and energy! I hope to give someone else out there in this situation some hope that you CAN do it!! You can eat better than you EVER have and don’t have to live thinking that you are missing out. Good luck and please msg me with any questions!

While cloth diapers are significantly cheaper over time, cost was not my primary driving force to get into it. The idea of being able to have diapers without all the useless waste seemed quite appealing as I HATE changing a diaper only to find out 5 minutes later that it’s dirty and has to get changed again! The other factor was the fact my son has horrible allergies and eczema and can only wear Pampers Sensitive diapers or he will get a rash. This is fine and good except he’s a big kid and pees a lot which means that 1) the largest size they make may not fit him by the time he’s potty trained and 2) he’s soaking through them at night and waking up.  Not cool.  If cloth could give me more options for him then I figured it’s worth a shot. Not to mention any reusable diapers I get now will be around for baby #2 which makes them very economical!

So I started ordering some fun things to play around with it all, and here are a few of my favorites:

1) my favorite for everyday use so far is the BumGenius4.0 snap pocket diapers. I also tried a few of the Kawaii which seem great for the price, but I love the fact that when I use a BumGenius with the right inserts he still feels dry even when the diaper is soaked! I’m sure there are a ton of other great ones out there, but I didn’t want to bother trying them all since I found one pretty quickly that I really like.

2) my favorite insert is to use one of the BumGenius microfibers along with the BabyKicks Joey-Bunz (or Hemp babies are good too) hemp inserts. These really absorb well and keep everything away from his skin….and they don’t leak!

3) the other dilemma I hit was diaper rash cream. I heard you can only use certain ones with cloth and was NOT excited about trying any new creams or products on my son’s SUPER sensitive skin. After hearing rave reviews on pure coconut oil I figured I’d start there since it was only 1 ingredient and I would be able to easily tell if he had an allergic reaction to it.  To my delight, he did not react to the oil and in fact his dry eczema patches were better than ever! I was able to stop using his medication daily and can now save it for flare-ups which is big progress for him! It also helps to keep the diaper rash at bay and seems to work well with the cloth diapers.  The only down side to it is that it has oil stained a few shirts so we have to be careful when applying it and we learned not to lather his whole body in it and send him outside on one of the hottest days of the year (can you say heat rash? ouch). I LOVE the fact we can put it on his dry hands and I don’t have to worry about him ingesting harsh chemicals when he decides he needs to stick his fingers in his mouth. It’s organic, all natural and safe to eat!

4) the last fun find of the past few weeks are my wool dryer balls. I have not been able to use any type of dryer sheet or fabric softener with Evan’s skin condition so I was curious when I heard these not only cut your drying time significantly, but also work to soften clothes and reduce static. I bought one Bouncing Woolies brand and love it, but it was a bit pricey considering you really need several in the dryer at one time to do the trick. I then found a set of 4 on Etsy that are all natural colors and though they are a little bit smaller than the Bouncing Woolies ball seem to work just as well (and were 1/2 the price).  I now have all 5 in the dryer and they really do seem to cut way down on the drying time! I’ll be able to tell more about the static reduction once winter hits, but these are a fun addition to the laundry time no matter what.

Who would have thought laundry and diaper products could be so much fun? Not me, but I have really enjoyed all of this and just put in an order for more diapers! I sort of like doing the laundry and using all of this stuff (I’m sure that feeling won’t be around with 2 kids, mountains of laundry and more sleep deprivation) but for now it’s been a fun experiment AND we’re doing our part to reduce waste and be more eco-friendly!

*photos from www.sweetbottomsbaby.com and www.etsy.com

Nothing about the past 3 months has been easy, but we are still very blessed that I have the ability to live with family and be surrounded by help during these times. Not a day goes by that little Evan isn’t changing and growing – he is so advanced for his age and despite his food allergy challenges is a very healthy strong little boy. I wish his daddy could see him right now since every day he is doing something new and entertaining. He misses his daddy so much and prays for him every night that Jesus would keep him ‘safe’.

I am coasting along with 5-ish weeks to go before we’re a family of 4 and our new little boy makes his way into the world. This has obviously been the hardest part of the entire deployment for me.  I know that the life we live calls us to sacrifice and that sometimes we have to be apart, but no father should have to miss being a part of his own baby coming into the world. Hoping it will only be a few months into his life before his daddy can come home to meet him.

So we continue day in and day out with over 7,000 miles separating us, but look forward to huge blessings ahead and a new little one joining us on the journey very soon!

In other news, we’re expecting baby #2 in August! We’re very excited for our new addition, though I can’t help but wonder how in the world I will function with two children under two!

Thankfully Evan is doing great and acts much older than he really is.  He is running around like crazy and is already talking and saying all kinds of words.  He is a hilarious kid and constant entertainment.  He’s finally sleeping really well both at night and during a long afternoon nap.  I’m hoping baby #2 doesn’t change all that since they are eventually going to have to share a room (at least until we move on to the next house).  So my spring and summer will consist of cleaning out 1/2 a closet, determining whether or not my 20 month old will be ready for a bed or if we need to invest in crib #2, and the pros and cons of having a double stroller.  The fun part is that come mid April we should know if we’re having a boy or a girl and then to start picking out names!  Ok that part is more work than fun for us, but we’ll pray for some divine inspiration once the time comes.

What better place to spend this beautiful season though than sunny Southern California.  We are so blessed in so many ways and very grateful for all that God has provided.  I’ve been SO terrible about blogging that there’s no order to this post other than the thoughts on the top of my head.  Maybe I’ll start blogging with a purpose again…..who knows?

Almond Crusted Pork Loin

• 1 package of thin cut boneless pork loin chops (much thinner than regular pork chops)
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 c. coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp honey
• about 1 cup whole raw almonds
• thyme, rosemary, black pepper, parsley

combine beaten egg, coconut milk and honey in a shallow pan
grind almonds in mini food processor until finely chopped, add spices to almond mixture/
sea salt and pepper the pork loin if desired
dip pork loin in egg wash, then coat in almond mixture

place coated pork loin on greased foil lined baking sheet and bake at 450 for appx 15-20 min (cooking time may vary so do not overcook)

Cranberry Apple Chutney

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 granny smith apple, cored and finely chopped
• white cooking wine
• white vinegar
• balsamic vinegar
• ground ginger, allspice, cinnamon, cloves

while pork is cooking, heat about 1 cup water in saucepan and bring to low boil
add cranberries and apples and cook until tender
while cooking, add some (appx 2 Tbsp each) white wine, white vinegar & balsamic vinegar along with a dash of all the spices
when apples are tender, pour mix into food processor and blend to desired consistency
spoon chutney onto almond crusted pork loin and serve

I served this dish with olive oil roasted asparagus.  Let me know if you try it and love it as much as we did!

Evan is also ‘on the move’ all over the room and does not like to sit still for a second now that he realizes his mobility! He is going to be full on walking any day now. He’s already mastered the art of standing up unassisted in the middle of the room, then looks around and promptly sits when he realizes his balance isn’t quite there yet. He is a VERY tall baby (already 30″) and full of sounds and expressions. He is so much fun to have around!

Evan Luke Roush - 8 months

Did I mention we are loving California and the beautiful weather and scenery??

Stay tuned for photos of our new home!  It’s an older home that is in need of some renovation but within walking distance to the beach so we are pretty excited to get in and get things set up.

• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, ground
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
• 2 large sweet potatoes, cooked and peeled
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 large box chicken broth  (or veggie broth if you want it vegetarian)
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. white pepper
• 1/2 cups heavy cream (optional)

Cook sweet potatoes either in microwave or oven ahead of time, allow to cool enough to peel, remove skins.

In a spice grinder, grind all spices together into a coarse powder. (or just mix together if already ground)

Sautee onion and crushed garlic in olive oil over medium heat until onion is soft.

Combine sweet potatoes, pumpkin, spices, cooked onion/garlic and chicken stock in blender. (may have to divide into batches if making a large quantity)

Once blended, pour mixture into large pot on stove and cook over medium heat until thoroughly heated.  Consistency can be adjusted with more/less broth.  (Heavy whipping cream and/or a small amount of sour cream can be added for extra yummy & creamy soup, but not necessary)

Pour heated soup into bowls and garnish with sour cream and fresh parsley if desired.

garden bruschetta

For this dish, I used hamburger buns, well toasted and cut in half for a nice semi-circle shape, spread on some home made pesto and finely chopped tomatoes (mixed with chopped garlic and some EVOO).  A GREAT appetizer that presents well too!

not a great quality photo, but on screen we could see his little face

it's definitely a boy!

We have started putting together a room for a nursery so I will post photos as soon as we have something!  My parents spent their anniversary weekend up here slaving away on painting the room and staining some furniture which was a HUGE help!  We’ve been extremely blessed with some friends here who have given us a huge amount of baby gear that their little boy has grown out of, so we already have a good start.  New Year’s Day seems like it is still so far away, but September is just around the corner and hopefully we will be able to enjoy the fall season (but I’m hoping it goes by quickly as I’m already starting to feel large and uncomfortable)!