Speaking of consuming, quick update. I tested wheat this weekend and she seemed to handle it with a big ol' shrug. No noticeable difference at all! This was soooo huge for us, since gluten lurks everywhere. This success went right to our heads and three days later, much urged by my dairy lovin' boys, I added cheese. While her behavior is still sunny, her bizness was pretty crazy yesterday. E, rarely the optimist around here, claimed coincidence and urged more dairy :) Since we weren't dealing with all day shrieking or even bloody stools, I complied and am hopeful that today's bizness will be back to normal.... At any rate, I really think her digestive system is finally maturing and we may be back to (semi;) normal soon. Ahh:) (Update - since I have yet to publish this post: Looks like I'll be dairy free for a while longer. After 2 days of dairy, Zia was pretty miserable, her acid reflux was back and she would not be put down for a minute. But there was little shrieking, so its still a lot better :) I think I'll try again in another month, once her digestive system has a little longer to develop...)
Now a quick xmas update:)
After sucking the light fantastic for Halloween (greatest guilt inducer that holiday? You know, the holiday that my kid looks forward to alll year, the one he'd dreamed of having a house to decorate in celebration of for years, the one I barely made it out the door for...) was walking the excited 7 year old, (donned in last year's costume) to meet his buddies for trick-or treating, only to be met at the door by FOUR homemade costumes. Fully tailored. And a bunch of fun holiday crafts just lurking inside the front door. I hope P didn't feel as deflated as I did.) Anyway, after sucking for Halloween, I was bound and determined to get Solstice and Xmas nailed. So, as the child pathetically gathered fallen evergreen branches during our nature walk (to build himself a Christmas tree...) I swore to make this dream come true and get a real damn tree this year. (He had informed me his ficus wouldn't cut the mustard this time around ;)
I even offered a tree cutting experience at a no-spray farm owned by some unschoolers up here. But we quickly realized a baby screaming in her car seat would undermine the holiday spirit and just walked to the store across the street ;) Phoenix pointed out that our new tree had many more branches than his ficus, necessitating more branch bling. And lights, of course. He was beside himself decorating the thing. And thrilled with his results.
Santa was questioned to the hilt this year. I dodged in style. He asked the jolly elf for a stuffed minotaur. Then he told me he should ask for something else, but not tell me what he wanted, so if it wasn't under the tree from Santa, then he'd know. I said ok. Downbeat. "Maybe we'll do that next year, Mama." :) Then he informed me that if he received the one he had seen at a store, he'd know it was a ruse. I had to laugh at my luck. The one he'd seen was no longer carried by any merchants, freakin' anywhere. So I'd gone to my favorite gift giving entity, etsy. Whalah, handmade minotaur with groovy gold eyelashes (perfect for P!) It totally looks elvin made.
So I told him to wait and see what Santa and his elves produced and then make his decision. He was visibly relieved that it wasn't the widely sold doll Christmas morning. But not quite satisfied. All day he asked. E finally told him that it was us, Santa isn't real. Know what he did? He came up and hit E!
"Are you frustrated I told you Santa isn't real, bud?" E asked him. "Yes."
And off he marched to the tree. He stood there for a minute. He still soooo wants to believe. When he asked again a second later, we lied like the good parents we want to be :) He didn't ask again for the rest of the day. Gawd help me, I hate this holiday.
But it was fun giving him woodworking tools. He has a great little toolbox now with a hand drill, saw, screwdrivers, detail hammers, clamps and the sweetest cloth measuring tape on a wheel that I've ever seen. Now we just have to set him up a spot on the porch with some wood and clock how long it takes to get to the Emergency room...
Solstice was lovely this year. We took a late afternoon walk to watch the sun go down, thanking the world that the days would get longer :) We gathered pinecones to decorate with nut butter and seeds to hang from our apple tree for the animals to appreciate during the winter. And we revelled in the greenness here even on the first day of winter. A rose bush was still full of blossoms - I kid you not. I mean, its chilly here most days, and not green like the spring, of course, but its So Beautiful compared to the bland brown and grey of Kansas or New York. I had expected the rain to set in by the time we returned and only leave come summer. And while the ground is damp and I hear rain on the roof at night, we're out each day with the sun peaking through the clouds and the beauty boundless. I'm thinking my gypsy heart could bear to settle here for a bit....
Solstice walk
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