Failure to Thrive... Signs Unnoticed

Once upon a time I had a baby and she was doing great. Growing. Nursing. Pooping. Ya know, all the normal baby activities. Around 8 weeks she was sleeping 12 hours at night. Life was settling back to normal, whatever normal with four kids is. I am writing this through the lens of hindsight. I wish I had chronicled everything as it was happening but for a while I didn’t know anything was happening and then I was too busy, stressed, did I say busy?– to deal with it. Our first red flag was her sleeping. Somewhere around four to five months she started waking up at night to eat. Although none of our other kids did this, we chalked it up to a growth spurt. We figured she would eat a little more and get back to her regular 12 hours after a little bit. Our second red flag was her skin. Again, around that five month mark her cheeks started showing some red, dry patches. It was winter, windy and unseasonable cold for Texas. So honestly, I thought it was more weather related than health related at this point.

By five months people started asking us questions. Why is she so small? My response: her sister was really small too. She’ll catch up. What is wrong with her cheeks? Oh, she has eczema. I am sure it will clear up soon. Every.single.person. We had an appointment coming up a month later, so I figured I could ask about her cheeks then. Nothing else seemed that alarming at this point. The closer we got to the appointment the more signs her health was off began to surface. Her cheeks went from slightly red and patchy to bright red, crusty, and then also oozy in places. It was not glorious to say the least. Her weight stayed the same. She was five months but wearing newborn to 0-3 month size. And then the clingy phase began. She has always been sweet and happy, but she started to only want me to hold her. If I held her she was calm, but with anyone else she cried.

If you have other children you know that when one kid gets sick, you tend to pass the germ to the whole.entire.family. So when the baby had some congestion and a little cough a few days before this first pediatrician’s appointment, I thought it was just her turn at bat. In hindsight these were all clues to her health issues. But spread out over several months, none of them seemed to indicate anything was wrong. Until the doctor visit. But I cannot beat myself up for what I simply did not know. I was doing all I could to take care of my baby. You just move forward.

Dairy Free Smoothie

My husband's side of the family has issues with dairy. They like it and all, but maybe the feelings are not totally reciprocated? So two of my daughter's also have to avoid dairy. However, little R would swim in a vat of yogurt and be happy to eat her way out. Which would be great. Except I am not a fan of green diarrhea. And stomach aches. And otherwise unpleasant aspects of milk intolerance and or dairy allergies. Call me crazy.

I ordered a box of fresh Washington apples from Azure Standard and had plans to make homemade applesauce to add to these adorable pouches. I have seen too many friends post moldy food images from the store bought kind. And with food allergies in the fam, I do not want to risk contamination. Epi pens are not style. Just saying. I found these on Amazon and they are easy to fill, clean, and of course my girls love the fun designs. There are plenty of options out there.

This is the smoothie esque ish recipe I came up with. I know, it is nothing magical. But it was magically delicious. No offense to that little leprechaun. P.S. I got the berries from Azure or pretty cheap organic but you can find them at the grocery store, too.

Book Club The Best Yes

My neighborhood is quickly filling up. I am so excited. It was a bit lonely being the ONLY family for a while. Now that there actual people out here in WAY North Texas, I decided to host a book club. I guess it is a book club meets Bible study hybrid. Lisa Terkeurst has that perfect mix of Jesus rockstar and sarcasm. And she is also encouraging. Gotta love that trifecta. Looking forward to curling up with this book tonight and getting started.

DIY Homemade Lip Balm Chapstick

My girls and I have already started making gifts for Christmas. I know, one holiday at a time lady. But now that the air has gotten a little crisp this lip balm is the perfect comfort while snuggling by a warm fire. Sounds like a good gift to me. My lips are so soft. And they smell like a spiced tea. Ummm, yes please!

Our neighborhood is starting a Thanksgiving version of booing. I think I jut might make a few tubes of this DIY lip balm to add to the basket.

What recipes have you tried with your pure therapeutic grade essential oils? Do share...

The Oil Cleaning Method a.k.a washing your face

For years I have struggled to find the balance between cleaning my face well and keeping it moisturized. I felt like if a product got most of the makeup or gunk off my sweet little face, it also dried it out so much I was afraid to smile. T.I.G.H.T. skin. Thus began the vicious cycle of stripping away the natural oil and synthetically adding it back with greasy moisturizer. Not to mention one product for my face, another for my eyes, and yet another to moisturize. Insert solution.

This is my go to method for cleaning my face. And it is radiant if I do say so myself. Who knew I could have just shopped my pantry for skin care. I personally use grapeseed oil for my face, but try what works best for you. I do NOT recommend coconut oil as it can clog pores. It is great for the rest of the body, however. So with the grapeseed all of my makeup and whatever other mess is on my face comes right off. The warm cloth on the face feels so spa like. And the final act- the pure therapeutic grade mix of frankincense and myrrh draws out the best of my skin. Go HERE to get your own. Oils...not skin because that would be creepy.

Healthy Eyelashes

I have blonde hair. Read invisible eyelashes. So mascara is a must for me. But after a while my tube was drying out. And when allergy season hit my eyes were so itchy I looked like I was either on drugs or had raccoon eyes was rubbing them so much. Okay I like to be dramatic. Then I learned about a little health secret.

An article published in the Wall Street Journal reports, "Mascara and liquid eyeliner are two of the most likely germ transmitters, since their applicators make direct contact with the eye area. Eyes are at risk for conjunctivitis, or pink eye, which can spread easily, says Dr. Gerstner." Did you also know there are tiny mites that live and breed in your eye follicles? Yes, I gagged a little when I learned that, too. Adding one drop to your mascara has several health benefits. It reduces bacteria, smells wonderful, and also reduces any itchy eyes from allergies. I am so glad someone shared this with me! You bet I add a drop of Young Living pure therapeutic grade lavender oil to every new tube I get. It is important you use a pure essential oil to avoid any junk fillers. Now onto to lovely lashes.

Smells like fall

Fall is in the air. Actually in Texas it still feels like Summer, so I have to fake fall a little. One way is by pretending it is not too hot for skinny jeans and ankle boots. Another way is my diffuser. Here are a few of my go to recipes for fall deliciousness.

I will just sit here and enjoy the crisp spicy essential oils in my living room while I pretend there are leaves to rake in the front yard. What are your fall go to oils to diffuse?