35 month updates on Lil J

I hadn't really decided on whether or not to post a blog this month.  I guess I will do it since I'm on the computer right now.

I did not weigh or measure this month, but I certainly will next month when he turns THREE.  Yikes, my baby is no longer a baby for sure now!

As for changes since my last blog post: he is talking much more.  I think I say that every time I post a blog now, but it's so true.  He just keeps on talking better & better all the time.  It amazes me.  I LOVE that we can really have a conversation & he can really communicate his needs.

We've been doing the no wheat, corn, dairy, or sugar diet for over a month now.  His tongue & breath are good.  His toes are better than they were (& while I still dry them with a hair dryer after his bath I no longer put the antifungal cream on them anymore) but still not 100% cured.  I'm hoping after a couple more months his toes will be all better.  He appears to no longer have an oat allergy.  I haven't tested barley again, only because I haven't cooked any.  The same is true of coconut.  And I don't plan on testing the pumpkin (since it was such a severe reaction) anytime in the near future.  He still has areas of his skin that feel like sandpaper.  I had hoped that was part of the fungal issue & that it would go away with this diet change, but it hasn't as of yet.  I should do some research on that I guess.

I remember hearing lots of people saying that 3 is so much worse than 2.  At first I was really surprised after hearing so much about the terrible 2s.  But just in this last month I can see what they're talking about.  Lil J has started talking back & with a real snotty attitude at that.  At first he learned to say "I don't like [insert what he doesn't like]".  And at first I thought this was fabulous.  He was finally able to communicate his likes & dislikes to me.  But he quickly went from just telling me what he doesn't like to just being downright snotty & attitudey with this new phrase.  It wasn't too hard to figure out when he started using the phrase about things he normally loves & of course the snotty tone to his voice made it obvious as well.  He also has started telling me "no" with a real snotty attitude as well lately.  I am still so shocked when I hear it, how could such ugly stuff come out of my normally sweet little boy??  I'm sure in time I'll get used to it & it won't shock me like it does now.  For now, he gets a time out for this type of speech as well as tantrums that he still does throw occasionally.  And after the time out is over he has to apologize for his behavior & we have a little chat about what he did wrong & what he can do next time around to prevent the time out from occurring.

I think that's about all the updates I have for now.  He will soon have his own bedroom, which is pretty exciting.  I've known how I wanted my baby's room painted since I was pregnant.  And I have added on some other details along the way after knowing my baby was a boy & getting to know his personality & likes/dislikes.

I think that's all the updates I have for now...........until next month............

30 day challenge-day 30

day 30: take a picture of yourself right now & post it, or post the most recent picture you can find

ummmm, one of things I like about the blog is the anonymity of it, I don't really want to post a pic with my face in it.  Sorry, I'm gonna pass on this one.

30 day challenge-day 29

day 29: your opinions on the tv show glee:

I've never seen it, never heard of it, have absolutely no opinion on it, sorry

30 day challenge-day 28

day 28: your first celebrity crush:

I think it was John Schneider, but that was soooo long ago it's honestly hard to remember.......

30 day challenge-day 27

day 27: list your 3 favorite girls names, 3 favorite boys names, & your 3 favorite names for pets:

I'll list names I like, but not guaranteeing they are my absolute favorites

girls: Esther, Rebbekah, ?

boys: Nathaniel, Uriah, Jeremiah

pets: really can't name favorite pet names, it's not something I plan in advance, but with each individual pet's personality

30 day challenge-day 26

day 26: name one place you would love to visit one day:

Only one???  hehe, I love to travel & miss travelling terribly.  I travelled a lot as a kid with my family, it was a lot of fun.  There are a lot of places I would like to return to: Sequoia, the petrified wood forest, would love to go back to Wisconsin where my relatives are from.  

I would also love to see Canada, especially on those railway journeys.  I would love to take a cruise to Alaska.  I would love to see Spain & Italy & maybe England.  

And I would LOVE to see Israel.  My church takes trips there periodically, but it's sooo pricey & I don't have an international passport.  Maybe someday when Lil J is old enough to be able to remember we'll be able to do it.

30 day challenge-day 25

day 25: tell us about the last book you read 

It was a novel, just for leisure.  It was a free book I got on my kindle app on my phone.  It's called "The Abortionist" by Colin Cohen.  It was sort of science-fiction-esque, which is REALLY not my style.  It was set in the future & children up to the age of 18 are now defined as "fetuses" & can be aborted at any time for any reason up until age 18.  At first glance I thought "how ridiculous", but then as I pondered it a bit more I realized the point it was trying to make: that there was a time when killing a fetus in the womb would've gotten the same reaction.  

30 day challenge-day 24

day 24: tell us about the last movie you saw in theatres

I saw "We Bought A Zoo".  My hubby & I got a date night & went & we liked the sound of it, story-wise & we did really enjoy the movie.  

30 day challenge-day 23

day 23: your opinion on Lady Gaga

I don't know much about her, but have seen her (on American Idol) & my opinion can be summed up quite well: she needs Jesus

30 day challenge-day 22

day 22: do you play a sport?  or talk about a different hobby....

I don't really play a sport, but I do love to workout.  I don't really think that's the same thing though.....

Other hobbies? I love to play guitar, to read, to cook & bake, to garden.  

guitar: I've been playing for almost 30 years now, although I don't get to play as much now that I have a toddler.  Soon the toddler will have his own bedroom & then I should be able to play more.  :)   Right now I usually need to wait for the toddler to go to bed in order for me to be able to play & then when he goes to bed (in my bedroom) my hubby is watching TV in the living room.  I can't really play with the TV going, & I can't go to my bedroom to play either.  But soon I should be able to do so.  :)

read: I've been a book worm for as long as I can remember.  I love to read informative/educational books, novels, historical fiction, just about anything really.  I also love to read my Bible &  do so daily.  I make my Bible my priority & then if I have any free time during the day I'll read a little out of something else, usually something educational.  And then before I go to sleep I'll usually read a little out of a novel until I feel sleepy.

cooking/baking: I love to cook & bake, but especially for OTHERS.  There is no greater joy than to see someone enjoying something  I made.  I also love to learn how to be self-sufficient in the kitchen: ie making my own rice & almond milks & making my own almond yogurt.  Yes, it's cheaper & healthier, but I do also enjoy it.  

gardening: I love gardening, but this is one hobby that has been nearly impossible to continue after having a baby.  I have tried & am still trying, but am mostly failing & not doing anywhere near as good as I was before I had a child.  But I know it's just a season in time & it will pass & in the meantime I will continue to do the best I can.  My ultimate goal would be to provide enough produce from my garden that it could save us some significant money on our grocery budget.  Not just to save money, but also to be healthier, organic & locally grown & picked at it's freshest & healthiest.

30 day challenge-day 21

day 21: your favorite subject to study:

I love to do research & study.  I love to learn in general.  I particularly love learning health related stuff, that's why I am a nurse.  I also love learning about natural remedies & alternative medicine.  It's fascinating to me to take a step back & realize just how young modern medicine really is.  There were alternative ways of dealing with diseases prior to all these newfound medications.  Some take a little longer to work, but they don't have nearly as many side effects.  

30 day challenge-day 20

day 20: do you wear glasses & what are they for?

Yes, I started wearing glasses when I was 10 for astigmatism.  I was told there was a chance I would grow out of it before I turned 18.  It has lessened some over the years but it's still there, but by the time I was 18 I was then near-sighted.  So I can see close up, but not distance.  So I can read just fine without glasses, but can't watch TV or drive without them.  I wear contacts most of the time.  Glasses always hurt my nose & ears & I really dislike having a blind spot in my peripheral vision that I don't have with contacts.

30 day challenge-day 19

Day 19: the initials of your crush:

Ummmm, I guess this would be my hubby, although that's definitely more than a crush: CAB

30 day challenge-day 18

Day 18: do you drink soda more often milk?

hhmmm.....I do not drink cow milk at all, but I do drink almond milk & occasionally rice & soy milk.  So if non-dairy milks count, then I drink more milk than soda.  BUT if non-dairy milks don't count then my very rare occasional soda (all natural & caffeine free) would count as more than milk.

I do love soda, but I can no longer tolerate any of the mainstream ones (like Sprite)--they make me horribly ill.  I don't feel ill when I drink the all natural versions, but my bladder doesn't like it at all.  :(  (Interstitial Cystitis sucks)