Facing a Big Decision

Maternity leave has been nice in so many ways. I’ve lived in my yoga pants. I’ve hardly fixed my hair. And, I get to watch my favorite daytime shows – “Kelly and Michael,” “The Chew” and “Ellen” almost every day. I also try to nap as much as possible. Yep, I’ll miss these days.

But it hasn’t been all peace and quiet. Parker cries and screams. A lot. At first we thought it was reflux, so we made several trips to the pediatrician and started him on zantac first, followed by previcid. He was taking each medication twice a day, which seemed like a lot for a baby not even a month old. We waited a couple of weeks for the right dosage of the reflux medications to sink in and kept holding out hope that he would get better. He still screamed at night (nope, wasn’t colic), seemed constantly gassy and his stomach was always so tight like he was really struggling. There’s not a feeling as helpless as when your baby is in pain and you have no idea how to care for him. I have never felt so lost.

Then last Monday (Parker was 5 weeks old) I was taking Connor to the doctor for a fever virus and I happened to show the pediatrician this rash Parker was developing (see below). It was red and bumpy and started on his face and then spread to his neck, abdomen and eventually to his legs. Our doctor said to treat it with some cream and if it’s not better in four days, bring him back. Sure enough it was not better, in fact it was worse, so I brought him back in. The doctor said that he thinks it is a dairy and soy allergy, so I need to eliminate all of those proteins from my diet for a week and see if he is any better.

Tomorrow I will call and tell the doctor that Parker is better. Actually, his rash is almost all cleared up. He is starting to do less screaming (my ears are so thankful) and we have even seen a couple of little smiles.

And now I’m faced with a big decision. Eliminate all dairy and soy from my diet completely (not even a cheat day here and there) or switch him to an allergy free formula.

This is a big decision.

Chopped Beef Sandwiches

This is a great week to pull out the crock pot and let it work its magic. The crock pot is probably the most under utilized gadget in my kitchen, which I hate to admit. Nevertheless, it's perfect for this easy weeknight meal. This recipe is based on my mother in law's recipe she uses at Ford Family Tailgating parties, just modified to work for our family (and my MSPI diet).

Ingredients

• 2 cups of pre-chopped creole mix veggies (in the produce section at the grocery store)
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup BBQ sauce (your choice of sauce; I use Stubb's or homemade)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (I use A1 so that it's MSPI friendly)
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of creole seasoning (I use Slap Ya Mama)
• 1-2 pounds of boneless chuck roast
• Burger/sandwich buns

Mix the first eight ingredients together in the crock pot, and then add the meat. Turn the crock pot on high and cook for 6-7 hours, until the meat is tender. When you are ready to serve, shred the meat and serve on a burger bun of your choice. It goes great alongside grilled veggies!