The Wall Bloggers

You may recall that this fall, we discovered that Adrianna has a milk allergy. (See  Milk A-Plenty  for more.)  As the fall went by, we learned that everything that accidentally made it into her body that had milk (granola bars, hot dog buns, etc.), irritated her body, and gave her a rash under her mouth.  We also began to wonder if she had any other food allergies, since we know friends and family members with allergies, and they seem to come in multiples.  (Adrianna's dark circles under her eyes made us wonder about more possible allergies, too.) Finally, I put two and two together, and remembered that the doctor I saw last year for my seasonal allergies also treats food allergies.  At the time he treated me, I asked about his treatment for food allergies.  He said that sometimes, he is able to treat for them with full success, and sometimes with partial success.  He is an unusual doctor in the sense that he does Total Body Modification, which I had not heard of that until last

A few years ago, before Valentine's day, I bought a new fondue pot.  Our former one had a gas flame, which was a little challenging to keep at the ideal temperatures, and the pot was stainless steel (a little difficult to clean, especially when foods were scorched onto it).  When I saw an electric, non-stick one at a friend's house, I had a little fondue pot envy.  I saved my desire for a new pot for Valentine's day, and then used it as my present to Scott.  We've pulled it out in February (and a few other times of the year) every year since.  One year, we had Scott's parents watch Adrianna, so we could have a romantic fondue night.  One year, we had dessert fondue after Adrianna went to bed. This year, however, we planned a Valentine's family fondue night.  After finding a milk-free chocolate fondue recipe in the Deceptively Delicious cookbook (with avocado and carrots pureed in it!), I thought it might be the perfect way to start a new family tradition.  T

Last week, Scott was gone on a recruiting trip.  He left Monday and planned to return Wednesday night.  It was my first three days alone caring for two kids -- a scary prospect for me!  As evening seems to be the hardest time for me when taking care of the kids by myself (probably because that's when I'm used to having Scott's help), I invited my in-laws over for dinner on Monday and Tuesday.  Having the companionship for dinner and their help reading to the kids before bed made things go a little smoother (and definitely less lonely!).  My light at the end of the tunnel of Scott's business trip was that on Friday, he planned to take me on an over-night get-away for my birthday. On Wednesday, the day I had hoped for Scott's return, he let me know that the highways near him were all closed due to below freezing temperatures, gas/power outages, and inadequate snow removal equipment.  And so, he was stuck on a trip with nothing to do, while I was stuck at home with t