We'll Give AB Another Try.

Do you remember when we gave Alton Brown's gluten free, chocolate chip cookies a try?  We weren't impressed enough to try them again.  But last week, I caught the middle of a Good Eats episode using leftover oatmeal (Oat Cuisine II). I have oatmeal for breakfast every morning.  Dark chocolate oatmeal with strawberries, blueberries and almond milk.  Yumm.  The things he was making sounded good, except he was still adding flour.  I was ready to turn it off until he said, "Hey kids, riddle me this, what the heck is wheat doing in an oatmeal cookie?"  (the segment starts at 2:26-6:36) While deciding which treat to make today, Paul requested we try these cookies.

Oatiest Oatmeal Cookies
(Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown)
about 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients

• 16 ounces old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch kosher salt
• 10 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 6 ounces dark brown sugar
• 3 1/2 ounces granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 ounces raisins, optional

Directions
Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Spread the oats into a single layer on a half sheet pan. Bake until lightly toasted, about 20 minutes. Cool the oats in the pan for 2 to 3 minutes.

Grind 8 ounces of the toasted oats in a food processor until the consistency of whole-wheat flour, about 3 minutes. Add the baking powder, cinnamon, and salt to the food processor and pulse 2 to 3 times to combine. Set aside.

Combine the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer, and mix on medium speed using the paddle attachment until light in color about 3 minutes. Stop once to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Reduce mixer speed to the lowest speed and add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix to combine. Slowly add the flour mixture until just combined. Stop once to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining toasted oats and the raisins. Stir to combine.

Scoop the dough with a 1 1/2-ounce disher or server onto parchment-lined half sheet pans, leaving 2 inches between each mound. Bake until the cookies begin to brown around the edges, about 12 to 14 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through the cooking time. Cool the cookies on the pans for 2 minutes, then remove them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Verdict/Notes
We really like these cookies!  Next time, we will toast more oats.  The leftovers make great oatmeal, and then we will still have the full weight of oats after toasting (they lost a surprising amount of water weight!).  We only had light brown sugar; I will try adding molasses to substitute for dark brown sugar.  Instead of my tiny pinch of salt I used 1/4 tsp salt.  We love the cinnamon flavour, but want to make it stronger.  Next time I will double the cinnamon, and maybe add some nutmeg.  I forgot to plump/hydrate the raisins.  I will remember next time, and increase the amount we add.  We made one dozen using two scoops each of our #50 disher, baked for 12 minutes.  We also made 1-1/2 dozen using single scoops baked for 10 minutes.  It is not even the end of the day, and these cookies are more than halfway gone!

Taggies

When I was expecting Alayna, our new cousin, Tara, gave us a Taggies book.

Very sweet

I had also been reading a lot about Taggies blankets.  The idea was that an "infant was often more interested in the satin tags on toys and clothing than the object itself."  Other mothers I was talking with said how much their little ones LOVED their Taggies.  I didn't understand why someone would spend money when they could make their own with scraps.  Except, I didn't have such scraps.  On my first visit home with the new baby (Alayna) I raided my mother's ribbon scraps and fleece.  Mom and I made a tagged blanket . . . and Alayna couldn't care less about it.  I thought, maybe she was too young.  No, she never cared for tags.  She liked when I would read her the book, but she didn't bother with the tags.  Soon, the book and blanket where packed away with the baby things.

Cavell is born and all baby toys are pulled out again.  Alayna loves all of the baby toys, but still no interest in the tag items.  Cavell never cared about the tags either.  When he outgrew the baby toys I debated whether I should bother packing the blanket and book with the others, or just pass them on.

As Lex has been developing I have been pulling out different toys that I think he would enjoy (and trying to keep them away from the siblings).  The tags were not among those brought out.  Then I started noticing that when Lex is done eating and rolls over, he was always grabbing the tags on my Boppy Pillow.  I have pulled out my tagged blanket and finally have a baby that appreciates what he has.

This is also a good picture to share that, not only can Lex sit unsupported, he can sit himself up from crawling position.

1/2 Marathon Report

In January I had a Sunday School lesson on goals and resolutions.  Mine was to run a half marathon by the end of the year.  I knew the Rock n' Roll San Antonio would be in November.  After Lex was born I found a local Marathon and Half Marathon that was scheduled for their inaugural year when Lex would be 6 months old.  The local Half Marathon was chosen based on the ease of accomplishing the logistics of feeding Lex and completing a race.  Running a small race close to home would be a much better experience for the family and would still offer me the same challenges of running a larger race that adds two hours of driving time to the mix.  So six weeks after Lex was born, the practice and preparation began. 

Race Day!!  I finished my 1/2 in 2:17:30.  That is a PR by 30 minutes compared to my time last year.  My training plan projection said I should do it in 2:15, and I am amazed that I was that close.  I wanted to finish faster, and my training runs said I could.  But there were some crazy hills, and I did not train on hills quite that size (or that many).

Note the sweaty armpits BEFORE the race started.  Why do I run races on the hottest, most humid days of the year?

My friend, Brooke, and I were actually in the port-a-potties when the race started.  We still crossed the start only 2 minutes "late".  Very different from the Rock n' Roll last year.  35,000+ runners there compared to 1,200 at this race.

I did well through the pack on the up hills in the first 3 miles.  After that the race said the course was fairly flat.  HA!  As I was coasting down some of the hills during the 4-6 miles, I knew I would have to try and run back up on the way back.  I managed to get to the turnaround/half-way point in 63 minutes, which was smack on the pace I wanted.  But, those hills between miles 7-9 were as tough as I expected talked myself into them being.  It didn't help that the only mile mark I saw on the way back was for mile 8.  I know I slowed down . . . a lot.

Just after the 10 mile point Brooke passed me.  I was feeling rough.  But, positive thinking kept her in sight the rest of the race.  Even if it didn't give me a big push, it kept me from really hitting a wall.  I knew I wouldn't hit my goal time, but after seeing the 3 mile marker again, I realized I could make my training time if I didn't wuss out.  It helped that I could coast down some hills after that, even though my calf's hurt.  Towards the very end there were still some little hills that felt much bigger now that I was running them again.  I have a new appreciation for the stories of going, "uphill both ways" now.  With about 1/2 mile to go I had to walk; roughly a block, about .1 or .2 miles.  I finished at a jog.  I went a little faster through the finish chute, but I was not able to sprint in strong.

This is when I mess up my races.  After a training run I sip my leftover HEED and walk about a mile and feel good and recover well.  At the race, I picked up my medal and a cold water bottle.  Then, I STOPPED and GUZZLED the whole bottle of water.  Next my body rebels and tells me what a bad idea it is to break my post-run habit.  My legs cramped up so I grabbed a chunk of ice from the water trough and began icing my legs.  I hurt so much I couldn't decide to stand or sit, so I sat down and got up and then repeated for about ten minutes. All the while, guzzling MORE water, refusing the electrolyte drink that is offered and then arguing with Paul over whether I should take the last electrolyte pill. I was well on my way to hyponatremia, (water intoxication that kills distance runners and others who drink too much water resulting in an electrolyte imbalance), and didn't even know it.  And I hurt more and continued to feel sick to my stomach.  All the while we are chatting with friends, including Brooke who says she hurts, but seems just fine.

After 20 minutes of this Paul (who had all 3 kids) made me get up and walk across the parking lot to get my bag (where I downed my recovery drink and felt even more sick).  I tried to sit down again at this point and was severely reprimanded by Paul.  It was time to stop the self-destructive behaviors and start listening to Paul.  He made me walk with him the 1/2 mile up a crazy hill to get to the van and come home.  He even gave me dirty looks when I walked too slow.  It hurt.  But then I felt better.  Strangely enough, I needed to walk up that last hill at a decent pace in order to stop the pain.  I would probably still be sprawled out on the asphalt in cramped up tears if Paul hadn't gotten me up and walking again. 

So, no post race pics or entertainment; I didn't even check my "official" time and rank.  But, with a little flexing and message for my cramping foot I felt normal before the 10 minute drive is over.  Then I had to feed Lex, because he refuses a bottle and was starving after a 5 hour fast. I don't realize how full I can get during that time.  I think I am using everything my body has for me on my run, but this was an interesting reminder that my body is still built for caring for a baby.

Paul (kindly) laughs at my bad race habit.  He gets to since he saved me from it.  He also says I like to pick the races on the most humid, warm days.  Yes, our cool weather left us and I was running on the warmest, muggy day we have had in 3 weeks (temps in the 70's and humidity at least 80%).

Recovery

Unless he is making a funny face, Cavell will not tolerate pictures. I haven't bothered him for one since Tuesday. Here is his funny face. He picked off another scab in ChildWatch today and this was the bandage they created since I didn't have his bandanna with me.  He didn't want me to take it off.  When I did anyway, he wouldn't let me take any more pictures.

When we got home later in the day, Cavell let me take some pictures if I held the camera the right way and let him take pictures of me.  He makes me say "Almond Milk" since I'm not eating cheese right now.

I tried to get a shot of Cavell's closed eye.  It is difficult to see (because he wouldn't hold still long enough for me to get it) but he has some green, flaking skin on his eyelid.  I think this is from all the rubbing he did to his eye when he was trying to see.

The resiliency of children is AMAZING.  Wednesday was the last time I heard someone comment that they thought he had on Halloween makeup or a mask; The Incredibles being the most common description.  The only really dramatic part of his appearance now is how quickly he has healed.  All of the puffiness is gone from his eyes.  Even the bruising is very faded.  While his skin is becoming mottled, the discoloring is dispersing rather quickly.  He still has a big knot on his forehead, but nothing like it was.  He has done such a thorough job picking at his scabs, there are only two left.

Don't Mess With Me

Best news first. Cavell can see in the mornings! I also felt good taking him to ChildWatch at the YMCA yesterday. Yes, there was shock at his face. He didn't want to tell the workers about his fall, he just wanted to play with the blocks and do crafts. I think the biggest part of this is HE doesn't see his face like we do. He barely looks in the mirror. If he can't see it and he feels fine, Cavell doesn't get what the big deal is.

We didn't go to the Y this morning.  Cavell made himself a walking bio haz-mat, again.  It was a simple decision.  We will be going this afternoon for Alayna's KidFit class and I am taking it easy on my legs with a bodyweight workout I can do at home during my taper week.  We didn't need to go to the gym this morning.

it's oozing, not bleeding

He did let me use a bandanna as a bandage.  Not only does it help to stop the bleeding that is occurring, it also keeps his fingers away from picking at the scabs and causing more bleeding.  Another added benefit?  He looks adorably tough.

Forgive the blood running down Cavell's face.  I had to take the pic while he was willing, and washed it off after.  I wanted to get a picture of Cavell's eyes.  They look pretty cool in person.  The whites of his eyes are pure red, but only on the outsides.  The whites on the side of his nose are pure white, not even a line of red.  How patriotic can he get with his red, white and blue?!

Weekend Treats

Saturdays are our Treat Day!  Throughout the week I like to think about and plan what our treat will be.  There are multiple conversations about said thoughts and plans.  Although, the word "conversation" implies two people participated.  It is probably more correct to say I talk to Paul about the weekend's treat, and get the kids excited about it.

We have actually been thinking about this weekend's treat for awhile.  Paul even participated in some of this thinking.  Key Lime Pie.  Except, the family can't have gluten, so we needed a different crust.  I am avoiding dairy (for Lex), so we needed to avoid the sweetened condensed milk, and I didn't feel like using tofu.

Key Lime Pie

After a little searching we pieced together an idea for Coconut Milk Key Lime Pie with a Coconut Crust and Coconut Meringue Topping.  Say it with me.  Mmmmmmm, coconut goodness!  This treat needed to be made Friday night so that it could set overnight.

Doesn't it look delish?!

Except, it didn't work out quite that way.  I'll start with the crust.  It disintegrated.  The filling . . . did not set.  The meringue . . . deflated.  Was this treat a total failure?  No, it was still yummy.  Totally consumed by the end of the day.  Cavell stole a piece while it was still cooling on the counter Friday.  I admit to a spoonful that night to check if it was firming up.  For breakfast, Paul "evened out" the pan where our bites where missing.  And there was just enough left for the four of us to each have a small bowl for dessert Saturday night.  We did need to give it a different name.  Key Lime Pudding with Coconut and Whipped topping.  It provided a definite spike to the family's insulin levels.  It did NOT fulfill Paul's desire for a pie.  We will have to come up with a different pie treat for a different Saturday.

Alayna has been asking to make Snowy White Chocolate Crescents from the Mrs. Fields book.  Every.  Day.  It was her choice on the MUST MAKE list.  It turns out, she only wanted to help with the rolling and shaping of the cookies.

Instead, she took pictures of Cavell helping to make them.  When the dough was made I dutifully scooped out "level tablespoons" of the dough for the children to shape.  They both did very well making dough snakes and then bending them into crescent shapes.

Except, these cookies did not keep their shape and looked nothing like the pretty, 3-dimensional cookies in the book's picture.  Instead they became flat C-shaped cookies.  There was no way we would able to roll the cookies in the powdered sugar (the other step Alayna wanted to help with) we could only dust them.

The cookies tasted okay; the whole batch has been eaten.  Even Alayna agrees, these cookies are really NOT worth making again.  Overall, a somewhat disappointing Treat Day.  I still hold out hope that some of the other cookies we have lined up to make from this book WILL be a good find.  But, we will have to wait until our next Treat Day to find out.

No More Pictures!

Cavell is a bit tired of us taking his picture.

I took some shots on Saturday while he and Alayna were playing FireMan and FireGirl!

I can see how his eyes look like a Batman mask while he is in superhero pose. Actually, he made me think more of the Power Rangers.

When he was done being FireMan, Cavell told me he was done taking pictures.

He was still adamant about it at bed time.  He started trying to hide his face by squashing it.  We are able to get a shot of the bruise that appeared on the back of his knee.  He has some other bruises that we are finding in surprising spots.  We think they were deeper bruises that have started to move and are now showing up on the surface.

The only way Cavell would agree to any pictures is if I let him do funny faces.

Then he smiled for us.

Cavell is still waking with his eyes swollen shut. Fortunately, the swelling goes down during breakfast.  I planned to start taking him out again when we could see his eyes.  Now that we can he has begun to pick on his scabs.  That wouldn't be too bad, except he becomes a walking "bio-hazard".  See, he doesn't bleed when he takes it off, he oozes.  It's disgusting.

6 Months

Amid all of the excitement of Cavell's fall, Wednesday Lex turned 6 months old!

For the past month Lex has preferred to be at the table with the family while we eat our meals.  Very often this involves him intently watching the food go into our mouths.  Quite often this involves him reaching for our food.  This has resulted in some close calls with food almost spilling or him almost touching something a bit too hot.  In celebration of his 6 months of life we thought he could try his first "solid" food. We had some plain butternut squash from the family's meal for him to try.

Look at the excitement to try food!

I'll just let the pictures tell the story from here.

We'll give him a few days off before we make him try food again.

Cavell's Progress

Cavell still wakes up blind. We figure that while he is laying down the swelling gathers instead of drains. This means extra poofy eyes and under the eyes and he doesn't even have the slit to peek thru.  It is sad and amusing to see him walk around with his arms stretched out.  I thought he would just want to sit on his chair, but he is just ready to move. Thursday morning he was using his stick horse as a walking cane.

He even let his sister act as his guide-dog. No, really. Alayna pretended to be a dog, and was guiding him around.  Then randomly leaving him and calling out, "Owner, come over here!"

But, as the morning passes the swelling moves down and he can begin to see.  While he was in front of a mirror, I asked Cavell what his face looked like.  He said, "My eyes are down."  I asked him what colour they were.  "Blue."  I didn't push it.  For a little guy that is still working on his colours, I realized it wasn't fair to ask him what colour this is.  Even I can't decide if I should say black, red, purple or ???

By the end of the day Thursday, even we could see a peek of his eyeball.  Eerie to see that bright blue thru all of that darkness. It's hard to tell, but you should be able to see a little reflection from his left eye (on the right side) in this picture.

Because Paul was taking pictures of him, Cavell decided it was time to be goofy.  This is when his papa asked him to try and open his eyes as much as he could.  That involves his whole face moving, led by his mouth.

Since he was seeing and then not seeing, he also decided to play peek-a-boo with the camera.

There is a definite BOO!! factor going on.

Cavell's Day

I know everyone is waiting for this post from Wednesday.  Some missed the initial post with the story of how this happened.  You can read that on the blog by clicking here.

We took Cavell to the doctor's office this morning.  The front desk ladies didn't react.  They thought he was dressed up early, being the Halloween season.  One said it looked like he had on a Batman mask.  What do you think?

to quote Nathan, "I am BATMAN"

They did call our NP (that my children really enjoy visiting) to the front to peek at him.  Probably a good thing, so that she didn't have her initial reaction in front of Cavell.  After being called back Cavell started to go into his stubborn, silent, pouting mode when the nurse wanted to weigh him.  Once we were in the room he was his joking, jumping happy self.  It was decided that the doctor would examine Cavell as well.  As the doctor was looking in his ears and pressing on different places on his eyes and face, asking if it hurt, Cavell kept telling him that he hit his head "here" smacking himself on the red target you see in the pictures.  I don't advise a close-up.  It's pretty gross when it is larger.  It looks even worse in person but the flash "cleans it up" a little.  We aren't posting the more gruesome looking shoots we have.

Still pulling down his cheeks so he can see

It was decided that Cavell would have a CT scan to check for any skull fractures or swelling and bruising to his brain.  While I did regular baby care for Lex (read that letting him nap in his own bed and feeding him) and picked Alayna up from school (early release day), Paul took Cavell to the hospital.  There were a number of waiting areas involved in the hour it took before Cavell could have his picture taken.  Cavell was happy to roam around and say hello to everyone he saw.  But, the people he saw were too shocked by his face to respond.  Cavell is used to happy responses and smiles and told Paul that nobody was saying hello to him.

Saying "CHEESE!!"

Before going in, Paul told Cavell that they were going to take a picture of his head and he needed to be as still as a statue.  The let Paul stay in the room and even on the table on Cavell to help keep him still.  Cavell did a rather good job.  They were able to get a good shot of the top two-thirds of his head, which is where they needed it the most.  He had moved while it was around his jaw.  Because there was no swelling or complaints/pain there they let that go.  The boys came home to wait for the radiologist and doctor to review the scan.

Talking to the Grandparents

After the doctor's call we immediately called the concerned grandparents to let them know that Cavell's skull and brain are sound and all of the bruising and swelling is outward.  Even the doctor said he was amazed.  With how bad Cavell's face looks, he was sure that there would be some internal damage.

Cookies You Can Make With Your Eyes Closed . . .

. . . if you are 3 and have an adult to do the actual baking.  This recipe is also from Mrs. Fields' book with only a minor adaptation for gluten free.



Lacy Oatmeal Cookies
yield 8 dozen (according to the book, 5½ dozen for us)

Ingredients:
1 cup quick oats
1/8 cup rice flour
1/8 cup tapioca starch
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325*
Combine oats, flours, salt and baking powder and set aside.
Beat sugar and butter to a grainy paste.  Add egg and vanilla, beating until smooth.
Add flour mixture and blend just to combine.
Drop dough by teaspoons onto lined cookie sheets, 2-1/2 inches apart.
Bake 9-12 minutes, until edges begin to turn golden.  Cool and remove.

Ours do not look like the picture in the book.  Probably because we used old fashioned oats.  Possibly because I looked for more of a "creamed" look before adding the flour mixture.  I don't know the why of not creaming the sugar and butter and then adding the egg and vanilla, do you?  The book's cookies looked lacy.  They actually said to "peel off" the cookies from the baking sheet. Ours had a little lace-ness to them, but also had a little poof.  Either way they tasted really good.

Update on Cavell

Our poor boy woke up at 3 this morning and didn't understand why he couldn't open his eyes.  As one can imagine, he was scared.  I was able to tuck him back into bed after some snuggles.  A few weeks ago I watched a boxing movie that depicted someone slicing a black eye open.  It was very disturbing to me.  Paul explained that it allowed the blood and edema to drain out so the person could see.  Now as I watch my blind little boy, I can understand why a controlled cut could be worth it.  No, we are not going to drain Cavell's eyes.

When Cavell woke up again for the morning (at 5!) I was able to comfort him again and carry him downstairs to listen to the TV.  He walked to the kitchen for breakfast and did a great job eating his ball cereal (aka Kix) and raisins.  He didn't even spill his milk.  When he was done I took him back to the chair by the TV.

7:30 am and Cavell was already bored.  He began wondering the house, running into a couple of walls.  He even went upstairs to hang out with his Papa, but needed to be carried down.  By 8:30 he was able to just peek out from the bottom of his eyes.  This made him think he could run around; except some things stick out further than the wall and he has run into those, with his head.  He also asked for his frozen grapes for his eyes.  He used them for a while, and then started to eat them.

10 am and Cavell has fallen asleep.  Except, I couldn't tell.  At 11 he helped me make some really simple cookies.  He did a really good job and didn't even spill.

Cavell is again watching TV.  To see out of the bottom of his eyelids, he needs to tilt his head back and stretch out his mouth to move his cheeks out of the way.

The swelling is moving down and away from his forehead which is good.  It's obviously filled up his eyelids and now is migrating down his nose and starting to move down his cheeks as well.  The entire upper third of his face is losing definition.

All of this seems to be hardest on the parents.  Cavell is taking things in stride pretty well.  He was climbing up on my lap and doing back flips on to the floor this afternoon.  His sense of humor is fully intact.  The positive we are taking out of this is that he has slowed down enough that we get to sit down and snuggle with him during the day.

Monster

We call him monster.  Don't know why, but he's always seemed like a monster. Cavell needs a costume for Halloween.
We are thinking Ferengi. . .

Or maybe Frankenstein?


What would be your choice? Here is what we've come up with so far.

Cute little monster, eh?

Here's the actual story.  On our way home from a delightful parent teacher conference, Paul was walking and holding Cavell's hand.  Cavell was in a playful mood and Paul would lift him up in the air and swing him a few steps before setting him down.  Cavell got his hand so that he was holding Paul's hand instead of Paul holding Cavell's hand.  As Paul lifted Cavell up in the air, Cavell's grip slipped and he fell, landing flat on his face and knees.  Unfortunately, his face took the majority of the impact.

We got him up and carried him to the car.  He was no longer crying, just a whimper.  That was when we saw the golf ball standing up on his forehead.  We immediately panic, finish buckling kids into "safety" seats and drive home to get ice.  When we got him out of the van, the golf ball had turned into a softball.

We got him into the house and applied a bag of frozen grapes.  Cavell and Paul camped out in front of the TV discussing the merits of applying the grapes to the forehead to reduce the swelling.  Cavell was convinced that the grapes would do him more good on his knees.

About 20 minutes after coming home, Cavell stood up and walked over to the table to eat some Jello for his afternoon snack.  He was talking and playful and even giggling. He returned to his chair to watch the rest of "Cars" and generally annoy his older sister.

At dinner, during the prayer, he dropped his head down on the table pretty hard.  It didn't faze him a bit.  While putting him to bed, he jumped into his bed and threw his head into the mattress pretty hard.  Nothing. 

Pupils are even.  Speech is only as slurred as is normal for a three year old.  We are ready to pronounce him as OK.  Now if the parents can be as carefree about his head as Cavell is, we will be in good shape.

The pictures just don't do justice to the reality.  His face is pretty gruesome.  He started bruising up in the evening and has already started getting dark around his eyes and down his nose.  His forehead is swollen all the way across the front now instead of a round ball.  It's actually somewhat comical in a dark sort of way.

What will they think at the YMCA childwatch?