Elise Lately [VI]

I’m loving how much [free] produce I have access to living in the ‘burbs (slash farm country).  My garden is going bonkers, but I’m also reaping the benefits of others’ prolific gardens. 

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The peaches were a gift from a former patient’s family.  The lemon cucumber (??) and melon are from Kyle’s work shop’s owner’s fields (along with an unpictured zucchini the size of my leg).  And then there’s the cabbage and peppers that I’m currently fermenting…fingers crossed!

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Since we don’t have cable, we are big into Amazon prime and Netflix instant streaming.  Has anyone seen the new Netflix original Orange is the new Black?  We love it.  Three episodes in and it’s only getting better!  I especially like the fact that Netflix is starting to have it’s own shows (this is me giving the finger to comcast [and the rest of the cable providers with a monopoly over the system]).

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P is teething.  We’ve tried a few things with marginal success.  He makes the most hilarious face when I put the frozen wash cloth in his mouth.  It’s a mix of confusion, disgust, and relief.  He has good days and bad days, but really he’s still a very mellow babe.  [I’m for sure biased, but it’s been confirmed based on comparison.  I am going to a few different mom/baby groups and it’s awesome.  I’m making friends!  I am not a total loser in our new town!] 

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Last weekend we had a family photo shoot.  The photographers suggested shooting at either sunrise or sunset.  While I don’t usually like getting up at 5 am on my day off, it beats the alternative.  Patty-cakes starts to unravel in the afternoon and by 5 pm he’s not exactly camera friendly.  In truth, he’s never camera friendly.  He’s obsessed with both the iPhone and camera and gets super distracted anytime they are in our hands giving them the stare down.  Total blue steel.  He goes from chirping and giggling and making big smiles to stone faced in half a second.  I swear we will eventually get a smile on film!!

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Yesterday was my last day shift.  Phew!  It was a doozy of a shift too.  I have my first night shift tomorrow night.  Not much time to catch up on sleep but that will be the story of my life from this day forward.  The good news?  No more lugging my pump to work!  No more coordinating my lunch break to meet up with Kyle to feed P.  I get to nurse at home, then put him to bed, then go to work, do my 12 hours, and come home as he wakes up and nurse him…and the cycle repeats.  Awesome. 

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Another awesome thing?  P’s kinda a piglet and doesn’t seem to mind how he gets my milk.  Boob.  Bottle.  No big deal.  Lucky me!  My babysitters are pros though, feeding him in our nursing position and flipping sides half way through like he would if he were nursing from me. 

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Comments (47)

  1. Lee

    Ha, we have been watching that show all morning and i am currently trying to convince my husband that we need to watch the next episode!

    I actually read the book about a year ago. It was good.

  2. Auntie Wendy

    Marie looks like a natural herself!!!

  3. Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl

    I want to live where you live!! It’s like an endless garden ;).

  4. Beth

    curious, what’s in the lunch bag? 🙂 Try a frozen waffle when he is having teething pain. Works wonders.

  5. Beth

    did you get my emails? Have never heard back and really need the help, Elise.

  6. Lara

    Whoa, whoa, whoa…P is sleeping through the night and he doesn’t feed at all for 12 hours? This is a completely foreign concept to me. I am FLOORED!

  7. Kathleen

    I am taking the sibo test tomorrow so I have only eaten brown rice, scrambled eggs and egg salad on white bread plus baguette. I feel pretty good after feeling like carpools in the am after the sandwich. I am reading that the gut reaction is delayed from the meal you had last not the one you just ate. Have you heard this? It is confusing to it and makes it hard to figure out what is affecting you!

  8. Kathleen

    So love seeing your posts btw. I have never heard that about taking pictures although I think it is a good idea. We had some taken midday and almost died with the heat!

  9. The Valley Vegan

    My son HATED teethers of all sorts! Oddly enough, the only thing he liked was a cold, raw, washed & peeled carrot. Seriously, I think he was an alien!

  10. Elise (Post author)

    hi beth, im sorry but ive been working. i recommend you find an RD who can help.

  11. Elise (Post author)

    We did the cold carrot too. It’s definitely one of the best things we tried.

  12. Elise (Post author)

    Ha. Ok so I allllmost don’t wanna respond for fear of jinxing this…but ever since we moved to davis p’s been sleeping through the night. It took a week of transition during which he woke up once around 4-5 am. But only sometimes. Then he just started sleeping straight thru the night. I’m sooooo lucky and I know it. We do his bedtime routine around 530-600 and then I nurse him til he gets drowsy, put him in the crib and leave. He usually falls asleep right away but sometimes squirms a little. In the morning he wakes anywhere between 630-800 am but I don’t go in to get him til after 8. He just plays around and sucks his thumb on his own. And greets us w the huuuugest smiles when we do finally go in. I could watch him on the monitor forever though. He’s such a spaz.

  13. Elise (Post author)

    Oh and just FYI. Him not eating for 12 hours means he eats pretty much every 2 hours during the day.

  14. Elise (Post author)

    She’s the baby whisperer!

  15. Courtney

    I am so jealous of your free produce! It all looks so good. I will be really really curious to hear about your fermenting experiments. I have wanted to make sauerkraut for forever, but I am too scared too! It sounds super easy, but also really complicated, if that makes any sense? So many ways to mess it up. And knowing me, I am sure I would!

    Courtney

  16. The Valley Vegan

    I wish he would eat carrots now!

  17. Beth

    there are no RDs around who even heard of fodmaps. Plus I wanted your personal experience. But I understand if you are too busy.

  18. Lou

    Homoeopathic drops for teething work really well – Misty had a doozey of a time with EVERY tooth so these were our saviour!

  19. Kayla_eL_eM

    Everything I I try to plant in my garden, it seems to die or be eaten by possums. Very frustrating, however I continue to be hopeful!
    I’m almost at the finishing stages of testing the FODmaps! Woot! All I want is a slice of toast with honey! CAN. NOT. WAIT.

    P is a total cutey! Love the updates, glad to hear mothers group is working out! 🙂

  20. Melissa

    Yay for free produce! Local, homegrown produce always tastes so fresh and flavorful; it’s the best!

  21. Jill

    I love all the goodies you’re getting from your garden as well as neighbors and friends. I miss peaches and cabbage so much but still going through the elimination diet and still not figuring out what’s bothering me. I’m not in as severe pain as I was but still get the “achy” feeling under the right ribs. I meet a nutritionist on Tuesday though, so hopefully I get better suggestions than the gastroenterologist’s “follow this diet and see me in 2 months.” On the positive side, this elimination diet is making me try new foods I may not have heard of before simply because I have to eliminate the ones I do know and love. I’ve always been a picky eater but you can’t do that on this diet when all you know and like is “bad for you.” Quinoa is awesome. Raspberries, while sour on their own, are good in cereal in the morning.

  22. jamie

    Hey Elise- You gotta mush down those veggies to ferment em, and squish more in there 🙂 Good luck!

  23. Nicole @ FruitnFitness

    It looks like you have a lot if fresh produce! If your fermented cabbage turns out I would love to hear how you made it. The cabbage at the farmers markets around here is so cheap right now, it would be fun to try.

  24. Hailey

    Beth, I read Elise’s blog a lot and have noticed you are a frequent commenter, but never in a very positive way. Elise is clearly a wonderful nurse and mother, but she is not a registered RD and she’s obviously extremely busy, right now. Many people have food sensitivities, myself included, whether they be to FODMAPS or not. You really should listen to your body and not eat what you find bothers you. You should also see an RD if you need help, like Elise mentioned. They do not have to be familiar with FODMAPS in order to help you design a diet that is right for you. You can even introduce them to the idea of FODMAPS (perhaps by bringing Elise’s wonderful book to your appointments), so that they can look into it further or refer you to someone who has more expertise in that area. I think many readers would appreciate it if you would please stop leaving comments like this one on Elise’s blog. It makes everyone uncomfortable. I’m sure Elise would love to help you if she could, but she is not registered to do so and has a time-consuming job, young family, blog, and other important things to focus her time on. If you would like to comment, comment on the content of the post, not on your personal matters.

    With that being said, Elise, Pattycakes is the cutest baby I’ve ever seen and I hope he continues to survive teething. I am also so jealous of your beautiful produce. I don’t know what a lemon cucumber is, but I sure want one in mah bellay now!

  25. Kerry

    Those peaches look gorgeous! I just wanted to recommend something for P’s teething, you may have heard of it already.. it’s called the Baltic Amber anklet and they’re available on Amazon. The amber is supposed to help calm them from the pain of teething. We have one for our 8 month old daughter & it’s really good, it also stops her dribbling so much! I’d really recommend it! 🙂

    Kerry X

  26. Elise (Post author)

    definitely! ive always known my [slow] gut to be delayed in terms of symptoms as they relate to the meal. i average a 12 to 24 hour delay…the only thing thats more short term in onset is dairy. high loads of lactose to be specific. otherwise i have bloating and upset a 1/2 to full day after whatever meal contained fodmaps.

  27. Elise (Post author)

    thanks! so glad the testing stages are almost done w you…dont go balls to the wall like i did the first time though. it made me feel like death. 🙁

  28. Elise (Post author)

    thats such a great attitude to have!! keep it up jill 🙂

  29. Elise (Post author)

    thanks jamie! i realized this yesterday and added in the sliced cuckes to the top. now theyre all packed. already have that pickled flavor too!! 🙂

  30. Elise (Post author)

    thank you kerry! id heard of amber teething necklaces but hadnt really gotten a personal rec – but now that youve said they worked im going to look into getting one!!

  31. Elise (Post author)

    i know EXACTLY what you mean. ive starred a million DIY tutorial posts and every time i think this sounds so easy and yet i think id mess it up. ill let you know how/if mine works!!!

  32. Elise (Post author)

    thanks hailey!!!
    ill let you know about the lemon cucumber 🙂

  33. Jill

    Thanks Elise. I’m trying but it’s tough. I just want the pain gone 100% not brought down to a level that I can ignore or pretend isn’t there. Just glad I’m not always popping meds or going to lay on my right side till the cramp goes away like I was. The fun part is going to be Mom’s birthday dinner in a couple hours…at an Italian restaurant….

  34. Beth

    Hailey,
    I adore Elise’s blog and her healthy approach to eating and living life to the fullest. Suppose that is why I reach to her for advice. No medical professional knows anything about helping those with IBS. Elise is a lovely, healthy, living life to the fullest, person despite the IBS. I just wanted to learn more about how she approaches diet and living a fulfilling life despite the IBS and how she lives without restrictions as I am terrified of eating any food that is not allowed on the fodmaps diet as Elise seems to have a more “free” approach to her diet and not letting it get in the way of her life. Sorry if I come off needy. I am really impressed with your approach to diet and life, Elise. I hope you can take my questions as a compliment that I value your approach and I just want to learn how to have that for myself. Sorry if too many q’s on my end.

  35. Emily

    First of all, I am astonished that P sleeps through the night. That’s unbelievable! He’s absolutely precious.
    Second, I’m really happy to hear that you’re making friends and settling in up there. I knew you would be happy (particularly with being closer to your family) but starting off in a new town is never easy.
    And third, you are a rockstar for taking on that schedule. You deserve some serious respect and praise!

    <3

  36. Lisa @ The Valley Vegan

    Elise, you should check out this woman here in LA: http://www.realfooddevotee.com/

    She gives tutorials on how to ferment. But she’s just an all around great person and will likely point you in the best direction!

  37. chilled onions

    Emily, thats exactly what I wanted to say:) I can hardly make it work on my own, sleeping through the nights so seriously, hats off Elise. All the working mothers are my heros, and good luck to you:)

  38. Ethel

    i miss you guys soooo much!

    need to make a nor cal appearance.

  39. Ashley @ My Food N Fitness Diaries

    So great to hear how things are going! How did you find the mom’s groups in your area?

  40. Elise (Post author)

    thanks lisa!

  41. Elise (Post author)

    i like going a lot! obviously since im new to davis i dont know anyone, so its been good to meet others. and meeting others with kids and life in the same stage as mine is even cooler. im trying to be super outgoing, which is isnt necessarily my nature (at least when it comes to events w strangers), but if i dont make extra efforts i will be lonely and isolated. no good 🙁
    do you have any near you? i think its cool to get mom to mom advice too.

  42. Elise (Post author)

    yes porfa. i got my sched today and i have a big section off before/after the wedding in sept. not sure when you are going to be leaving or coming back from hawaii but lets coordinate a visit, ok?

  43. Ashley @ My Food N Fitness Diaries

    glad you’re loving it! i would love to join one, just not really sure how to get plugged into one. how did you find yours?

  44. Lisa @ The Valley Vegan

    Anytime!

  45. Elise (Post author)

    I heard about them from a reader actually. And also my town has a wiki page w all kinds of parenting activities. There’s also MOPS – probably a group in your area. And check out meetup.com (there were tons of new mom groups near me that I found on that site). Beyond that check places near you that have like minded people. Like church or library or pools…my favorite group is through our co-op. There are also strollerstrides groups in most major cities. A lot of the groups tend to have small fees but once you meet a few people you like you can start doing your own things outside the group that don’t cost money. I’ve gone to the farmers market and gone on a walk w a mom and her daughter a few times now who I met at my first group and she’s from the area so she’s giving me a bunch of tips and introducing me to more people. It’s like a chai reaction that you just have to find the trigger to initiate ya know?

  46. Georgia @ Trying Something New

    Hi Elise! I work at a baby store, and we sell amber necklaces to help with teething. Let me say that they are the best sellers in our store, and moms from all over rave about them. I’ve converted non-believers into true fans of them, because they really do work. I would recommend a necklace, as they are completely safe and cut down on drooling. If you’re not comfortable with that, you can wrap it twice around his ankle and place a sock over it so it won’t slip. Seriously, they work, and are all natural which is a HUGE bonus. I know way too much about them if you have any other questions haha!

  47. Elise (Post author)

    thanks georgia! i really appreciate all your advice. i had looked into amber necklaces but hadnt realized they werent for him to actually put in his mouth. im going to look into it more now. i was concerned originally because i heard the effects were similar to continuous dosing of succinic acid, but i havent done any research of my own…

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