The Kotas: Reasons for the Season

Today's post is a follow up of my previous one.

I'm happy to inform that the kids are driving me less crazy than they were a few weeks ago. Some PMS might have been involved back then.

But in all seriousness, when your baby is suffering from colics (and mucusy stools with specks of blood) but you are already avoiding dairy and soy for 2 months, it kinda makes you want to cry in desperation. Well, fortunately, at least now I can say that the desperation is subsiding little by little as Vicky finally gets better. The mucus are not totally gone yet but I can really tell it's improving.

And believe me, it was no magic! A lot of hard work and many dollars later, trying to figure out what I could eat and I think I came down to a list of permanent "no-nos", a list of "yes, please I have to eat something" and a list of "maybes, set for try-outs in the slow coming future".

No-nos list:
- dairy
- soy, including soy lecithin. Which basically means I can't eat 90% of industrialized products.
- fish and shellfish
- eggs
- tomato sauce, so I'm also guessing tomatoes
- pork meat, sadly, good bye bacon.
- peas, cocoa, and all beans, including.... coffee. And also my vegan margarine because it has pea protein and Vicky seemed bothered by it when I reintroduced it a short while ago.
- peanuts
- preservatives. Which basically means I can't eat another remaining 8% of all industrialized products.

Very strong candidates to No-nos: wheat, oats, tree nuts and corn

Yes, please list
- rice
- potatoes, carrots, broccoli, onions, garlic
- green leaves
- thank goodness, beef! Also chicken, turkey & lamb.
- some fruits like bananas, pears.
- chamomile tea
- sugar and brown sugar, preferably
- tapioca flour. I'm still believing tapioca it's alright!

Consider everything else on the "maybe list". They say that after your baby seems to be doing fine with your restrict diet, start adding new things, one at a time, every 4 days and see how it goes with each new addition.

It's been hard. Everyday, more than once, I have a feeling I won't make it to December when Vicky turns 12 months. I have a wish to throw everything out of the window, every day.

My breakfast consists of banana, tea (which I never really liked before) and an eventual tapioca when it decides to cooperate with me (sometimes I can't make the flour work since you have to hydrate the starch a bit before cooking. It can get tricky).

My desserts are fruits or, for the most part, the kids multi-vitamin I found at costco that doesn't contain any allergen or preservatives: Smarty Pants.

Eating out? It's basically impossible. Vicky even seems to be bothered by the french fries at Burger King, so... no!

Besides enduring a very strict diet with very few indulgences, some people still insist on giving me a hard time about it. Like, why on earth would I be willing to put myself into so much struggle if I really didn't believe it's making my baby daughter not well? Allergies and food sensitivities are real. Period.

Also genetics are playing a huge part on this since from both sides of the family there are plenty of food sensitivities.

Now I know this posts has not being a happy one so far, but there are still reasons to rejoice!

Like when Vicky smiles! The whole world stops and stares for a while. Really, I love babies! Even if I have to carry them all day and my back hurts. Even when they decide to have sleep regressions at night and no consistent naps, I still love babies!! I smile hugely at Vicky several (read millions) times a day! I'm a much happier person because of babies.

Sometimes I feel I can't go on like this for too long more, but then I stop and realize that 4.5 months already went by. They flew by! Really!!! So I'm taking each day as it comes. Some days I will be feeling lazy and tired and still wearing my pajamas pants past midday (like today, ops!). And some days I will have a crazy energy to take the kids out to play or to deep clean my whole house. Or to even iron Dan's work clothes!

And speaking of him, Dan is being a great dad and husband too. Besides working hard all day, he never brings his work struggles to our home! He never complains and has plenty of energy for our kids almost every day. He has always a serene and content face. I hate to give the impression that we don't have marital issues to work on, or to even make you think for an instant that our lives are perfect, but gratitude in this moment is overdue! Thank you, love.

Next Friday we'll be driving to Chicago. We'll tour the city while staying in a rental house one hour away by the Lake Michigan. On Monday I'll be attending my first Opus Dei retreat (always silent) in the US (in a retreat house close to Chicago), my first one married and - obviously - my first with an infant! Meanwhile, Dan will watch Becca and Nico and they will be enjoying the "beach". We'll be coming back on Wednesday.

I'm excited but also a little anxious about everything. It's a 9h drive! The retreat workers already know about my special diet and they know I'm bringing my baby. I'll be missing a lot of good eats in Chicago like Eataly foods, deep dish pizza and italian beef sandwiches. That's ok. I'm planning on stopping by Whole Foods everyday to have some fruit, salad and some meat. But the weather is supposed to be gorgeous, so there is that!

We are also busy with the last weeks of school, with spring programs and field trips. And doctor's appointment. Rebecca will be doing a growth hormone tolerance test on May 3rd to see if there is a problem with her growth. If there is, we'll probably start her on daily hormone injections. Please pray that the best will be done for her!

And that's all for now!

Here are some pictures from the last four months!

Visiting Trinity Heights IA on Jan, 1st

first time Becca hold Vicky after she got better from her cold.

Our 8th wedding anniversary lunch. All I wanted was some fries and a milkshake but this 5 Guys location unfortunately didn't sell milkshakes and we didn't have enough time to go to the other store in town ...