Mango Monday. . . da da, da da da da. . .

Started our mango trial today and gearing up for tomorrow's mango moment. B did pretty well with it and seemed to like the taste but then again it was like a little mango boat in a sea of cooked bananas. . . Haha. "Mango" has been one of her favorite words for a very long time (every juice bottle she sees, she proudly proclaims "MANGO juice!!!" I guess I drink it often. . .) and now she can actually eat the coveted fruit that she so often speaks of! She had a rough time going to sleep tonight but we are moving out of the hotel in the AM, so our day was fairly chaotic, so I am pretty sure she was just responding to our anxiety and all of the changes. We will have to take any sleep changes with a grain of salt, I think, since we will be in our new house this week (!!!!!!!!!!!!) and I am sure it will take some getting used to for her. Plus, we won't have any furniture for another week and a half, so it might seem a little strange to her. Who knows!

Stay tuned for some new recipes about to appear here on B's kitchen blog-- hemp milk fudge, hemp milk frosting, hemp milk yogurt, and many many more to come! Now that I will once more be reunited with normal kitchen appliances, there is no limit to the things we can create with any and all new safe foods!

On the Eve of Mango

Well, hemp milk is a pass!!!!! (when cooked!) So that is great! I am still having trouble getting it IN B, but hey, toddlers are known for their pickiness and she is definitely no exception. She is still nursing 8 or more times a day, so we really don't need to push it too much, though I will still be aiming for her to have 4-8oz a day, in one form or another.

So on to our orange friend-- mango! I craved mango constantly when I was pregnant (actually, I craved mostly orange foods-- go figure. Carrots, mango, oranges, cheese, and more cheese. . . ) so I am hoping that what she liked when in utero will transfer to something she can eat as a toddler. I have a whole bag of it in the freezer and am currently debating how to prepare it. Should be interesting! I will keep everyone posted! Wish us luck with our orange friend!

I Knew I Loved Masa!

Ok, so its no secret that I totally HEART masa (thank you, WICO dietitian in Japan for suggesting we try it with B 8+ months ago!!!!!) but really, I am now super duper in love with masa! I haven't tried this recipe yet but since it involves chocolate and a few months ago when sadly eliminating chocolate from my diet I discovered that B had issues with the SOY in the chocolate brand I was eating, but not the chocolate itself. . . I really would like to try this! I am always looking for ways to beef up my supply. Nursing a toddler 8-10 times a day who is as busy as B is quite a feat! Anyways, here is the link if you are interested. And again, if looking for Masa, check out whole foods, Hispanic grocers, and www.bobsredmill.com

http://modernhomemodernbaby.com/how-to-boost-your-breast-milk-the-secret-of-masa/

More progress!

It seems as though our hemp trial is looking up! Today was day 5 and she had 16tbsp. I mixed most of it with her quinoa flakes instead of water and for the remaining milk, I mixed it in with her cooked banana slices. Again, she didn't eat all of it, but definitely most of it went in her little tummy. And once more we had an explosive, slightly less slimy green diaper a couple hours later but then nothing more for the remainder of the day. Her sleep last night was pretty good and she took an awesome nap today! She went to bed fairly normally and has not been up yet, which is an awesome sign. Tomorrow we are going to stay at the same amount and then maybe increase on Day 7-- haven't yet decided. I am very optimistic that we will be adding a new safe food. . . :)

A little bit of an improvement. . .

Ok, so today we tried ditching the spinach for a couple of days and replacing the vanilla unsweetened with the original unsweetened hemp milk. An hour or so after breakfast (she had 8tbsp hemp milk mixed with arrowroot, banana, my vanilla extract and a pinch of sugar-- hemp milk was boiled before adding. She also had her normal pears.) she had a nasty, slimy, green and explosive (oh my!) diaper and I thought "Crap! We're done for!"

Well, despite her ridiculously short nap today (after a very rough night last night) and some minor reflux flares, she seems to be doing a little bit better. Yesterday, her mucousy green diapers had increased to 4-5 a day and today there were only two-- one before breakfast and one after. The skin on her bum is much happier than its been in a while!!! Let's see how tonight goes, see if there is anything to this reflux and then see how tomorrow goes (16 tbsp of hemp milk!!!) and then we will weigh in. I am really hoping that by simply cooking the milk and by going with the plainest variety, that we will have a winner.

If things don't improve or if they worsen, I am considering stopping the trial for a few days, making the hemp milk homemade so I know EXACTLY what is in it, and then going from there. Based on my online research (which I understand is limited), there is little to no likelihood of her actually having an allergic response to hemp itself. So that gives me hope. I have a recipe for quinoa milk, which I am planning on trying anyways, but would really like the added benefits of the hemp. Hopefully there will be some positive news in the AM!

A New Direction

So we are going to shake some things up with our current trial, other than the carton of hemp milk itself. We are still seeing increasing numbers of explosive diapers, green and mildly mucousy. I am hoping it is just an adjustment since we haven't seen any reflux and no vomiting. Other than her telling me "tummy sad" this afternoon, her behavior seems pretty normal for her willful toddler self. :) Tomorrow we are switching to the unsweetened original in case the vanilla flavor in the unsweetened vanilla is causing an issue and I am taking away the spinach for a few days (she has had green poo every day since starting spinach over a month ago because of the spinach coming out in her diapers) so I can see what her non-spinach poo looks like with hemp milk. Also, I am going to try cooking it to break down the proteins further and see if that helps as well. Tomorrow is day 4 and I am really really hoping that we see B turn a corner and start tolerating this stuff a little better. Maybe a pudding is in order. . . .

Hemp Milk Trial!

We are exploring the waters of Hemp Milk and are now on day two, with two tablespoons this AM. So far it seems ok, but there is some questionable stuff going on that we are hoping is simply adjusting. A blackish green explosive diaper 30 minutes after her afternoon nap and a HORRIBLE night last night for sleep. But she went to sleep in less time tonight then she has in weeks and she has been in a great mood, plus no reflux flaring up, so I am hopeful that this is simply an adjustment. To be on the safe side, we are switching from the unsweetened vanilla hemp milk to regular unsweetened tomorrow. I think tomorrow we will have enough to make arrowroot pudding (B is refusing to drink the hemp milk but I have been successful in sneaking it in her foods). Keep posted for some hemp milk recipes to come-- I plan on having fun with this food trial if it is a pass! So much versatility-- cross your fingers for us! I hope everyone out there that is in the midst of their own food trials is doing well!