Too long

It's been 3 months (almost to the day) since my last post so just a quick little note to the few readers that remain...haha. All is well in the Contreras house. Since my last post:

1. My Grandma Petra Saenz (paternal) went to be with the Lord, and I am thankful for the 31 years I got to spend with her, most of which were spent in good health and happy times. Thank you to all that prayed for our family during our loss.

2. Nicolas is now tolerating dairy. I never thought I'd see the day. WOOHOO!!! :)

3. It's been a vicious cold/flu season, and we have managed to get a cold every 2-3 weeks in this house...no fun! I guess that's what we get for keeping Alex out of school all last year. He seems to be outgrowing his asthma, and I could not be happier. The sinus rinse has been our saving grace.

4. Sweet Alicia turned 1. :)

Having 2 boys seems to get more challenging every day. They have such different personalities, but they are both so incredibly loving, just not toward each other. haha. At some point between my last post and now, they have made what I am calling, the great turnaround. Alex, who has been a daddy's boy since day 1, is now a mama's boy and Nicolas, who has been attached to my hip since day 1, is now a daddy's boy. It's absolutely crazy, but I am loving every minute of Alex giving me lots of love. Much like both of his parents, he's not the most affectionate little guy, but his sweet small gestures melt my heart. Nicolas still gives his mama tons of love, hugs, and kisses, but the second he sees his daddy, I am suddenly chopped liver. Good times!

We've gone eggless!

Well, after months of multiple doctor visits, the one doc who always figures me out, Dr. Dilley, found that I am now allergic to eggs. At one of my initial visits back in 2008, he said, "it's amazing how God brings people together," and those words still ring true. I've blogged about it before, but I began having severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) during my pregnancy with Alex. I never had suspected food allergies before although I did have a lot of tummy problems. I had allergy testing performed during my pregnancy and it came back negative to all allergens. After I had Alex, I had a couple more anaphylactic reactions so I sought a second opinion with Dr. Dilley on the recommendation of a friend. He found that I have a rare food allergy to a food additive, vegetable gum. Those include: guar, xanthan, cellulose, acacia, arabic, gelatin, carageenan, agar, pectin, and the list goes on and on (or so it seems.) They're basically an additive used as an emulsifier, binding agent, or anti-caking agent. They're not good for you because the body can't digest it (think of chewing gum) and they cause gas and other digestive upset although it's not considered bad for you, per the FDA. Not all allergists test for it so I was beyond lucky to have found one that did.

Anyway, fast forward to the present and I finally feel great again. I haven't felt good since having Nicolas, but I still managed to get by somehow. I am really sad that I have to give up eggs because they really are in so many things but I basically just have to eat like Nicolas eats. :) I've had a couple of run-ins with egg-containing foods and the reaction is now so annoying. I get ridiculously fatigued with an upset stomach and I don't like it; therefore, I won't be playing with fire any time soon.

One of the things that I immediately thought about was how challenging it would become to bake. It had lingered in the back of my mind because of Nicolas' allergy but I had only tinkered with cookies. I'm excited that I found a white cake recipe that is egg-free and I will be making vegan pumpkin spice muffins later on this afternoon. This dreary weather somehow needs to payoff for my children. They are so bored in the house today and I hate not being able to get them outside and exercised. At least they'll have some delicious muffins to as a reward for being so awesome. :)

Thankful blessings

On this day, more than any other day this month, I feel thankful for the health of my family, my friends, and myself. There are people every day who struggle with their health and I am thankful that there are physicians, medicine, and technology that can help make us better and help us detect when we are not well. November was a month full of friends counting their blessings and I feel bad that I never made it a point to post anything about all of the little things for which I am thankful but I guess I do it daily as I reflect on all that God has blessed me with. I am human and sometimes get sad for the things I don't have (like my mom,) but I think of the love I have for my children and can only imagine how happy she is in heaven watching her grandchildren (and Roly and me of course.) I guess that's the only thing I can do other than feel sorry for myself, and we all know that's not an option. :)

One of the many things I am thankful for is that I am finally feeling more comfortable with cooking for Nicolas and accommodating his allergies. I have altered a lot of our favorite recipes, and I think the biggest point of success for me has been finding a suitable substitute for tomato puree (which is in almost all Mexican dishes I know how to cook.) I now use carrot puree and it is an amazing substitute. It provides a similar sweetness and texture when pureed and mixed with rice, meat, or you name it. I have already purchased some kitchen items that are SFN (strictly for Nicolas) such as cooking spoons, a food processor, and plates/utensils. I am working on getting him some pots and pans that will be strictly for cooking Nicolas-friendly meals. Some of his favorite meals for now include: quinoa macaroni with either an avocado puree (pureed avocado with canola oil and salt) or carrot puree as well as any rice with that is made just like Mexican rice and a non-tomato puree that is red or yellow (squash, pureed roasted red pepper, sweet potato, or carrot.) I can't believe all of the possibilities that were there that I never took advantage of. Now I just have to hope that he doesn't grow tired of all the healthy choices he loves right now.

So, thank you to everyone of you that reads my blog. I am thankful for each and every one of you and wish you all of the blessings this holiday season and every day of the year.

Breast Cancer Awareness

October is here and that means we are celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness month. This year, it brings with it so much more than it has in previous years. For the first time, it finally sparked a flame of motivation for me to take as many precautions as I can for early detection and possibly prevention. At the end of September, I participated in the facebook campaign that stated I am ___ months and I am craving ____. While it didn't take off as rampantly as last year's color of your bra on your status, it definitely raised some eyebrows and prompted some undue congratulations for many women (including me.) It also annoyed some others stating that they thought it was ridiculous and unnecessary. Well, to the nay-sayers, you can shove it because at least for one person (and several others I know,) it reminded me and them that breast cancer awareness isn't about knowing what breast cancer is. I'm pretty sure most adults knows what it is. Instead, it's about doing something to detect it as early as possible if it happens and to take every step and precaution in doing so. This means, a monthly reminder card to check your breasts for lumps or changes, taking the steps to know your family history, and asking your ob-gyn or PCP about scheduling a mammogram or genetic counseling and testing as early as 30 years of age. It really doesn't seem that difficult but as the child of a parent who died young from this horrible disease, fear often dictates a person's actions or inactions. A little nudge or reminder via a silly facebook game can go a long way. I think it's safe to say that fear is what kept me from getting the testing when I turned 30. 

It had always been recommended to me to have an annual mammogram starting at 30 years of age due to my mother's young age at the time of her first diagnosis (36 years old) and several doctors had recommended BRCA gene testing.  Rewind to my 30th birthday last year: amidst breastfeeding a 3 month old, adjusting to a new family dynamic of 4, getting little sleep, trying to lose the babyweight, hormonal adjustments, etc...it was not a priority on my list. I kept saying to myself, "well I'm still 30...I'll go in a few months." Finally, at my annual ob-gyn visit on Aug 31 (I was still 30 years old people,) I mentioned it to the nurse practitioner, and she recommended the testing and to make an appointment with an oncologist to do that and schedule my mammogram. I turned 31 on September 9th, and I knew it was time to take action.

I made the appointment, completed BRCA testing, and this Saturday, I will have a mammogram. I am not having any problems right now, so I'm hopeful that this is just the beginning of being very careful about my future health. I have A LOT more to lose now that I have 2 children, and even though I am nervous about the results of the genetic testing, I know I need to be cautious whether or not there are genetic aberrations. The oncologist told me that only 7% of breast cancer is genetic and the rest of random occurrence. This should promote extra caution in all my lady friends. Check your boobies monthly and if you have any concern, be adamant in your request for a mammogram. You don't have to be 40 years old to get one annually.

If I must, I will harass you on a monthly basis. These people right here are my inspiration.

 My babies, Alex & Nicolas

My mom and my late Tio.

My brother Roly & hubby, Eddy

The sweetest niece ever, Alicia.

And of course, not pictured, my dad and sister-in-law Marissa. (Pictures wouldn't load, sorry!) I'll post some of them shortly. :)

September, where did you go!?!?!?!

So, I realized that September just came and went in the blink of an eye and I didn't post to my blog (gasp!) So, I'm retroactively posting and promise to post at least one more for the month of October. September was an incredibly busy month for us as we celebrated my 31st birthday on the 9th, Alex's 4th birthday on the 19th, and what would have been my late and wonderful mama's 61st birthday on the 27th. (Geez that was a numerical sentence.) We also baptized my beautiful niece, Alicia, Alex started pre-k, and we had lots of not-so-fun medical issues involving pretty much the entire family. Just thinking about it makes me exhausted.

In typical Alex fashion, he got sick on my birthday with a nasty cold which triggered the nastiest asthma attack we've seen since the day before Nicolas was born. (side note: Alex has managed to get very ill every year on my birthday with the exception of my 30th birthday.) We came to realize, after receiving multiple calls from the director at Alex's preschool that his skin was itchy and his eyes were burning, that he was showering using a body wash/shampoo that contained tree nuts, which he is allergic to, for at least 2 months. This triggered the bad asthma episode and other issues we were having with the little guy. Fortunately, he is off the shampoo and doing a lot better. WOOHOO! And, the biggest bonus of it all, he loves his school, Marvelously Made Preschool I could not be happier with the progress we've seen with his anxiety about school and how happy he is to go to school and be with his teacher and friends. (sigh of relief.)

As for Nicolas, the little guy is doing wonderfully although he is sad when his brother goes to school on Tuesday/Thursday mornings from 9-12 even though he has alone time with mommy. However, we have been noticing some food allergy issues, one of them being eggs, so we took him to get allergy testing and the poor kid is allergic to everything but the kitchen sink it seems. His list: peanut, chicken, egg, apple, tomato, baker's yeast, pineapple, pork, coconut, barley, grapefruit, lobster, and tuna fish. He did not show up as having an allergy to dairy like we previously thought so Dr. Dilley ran a blood test, to which we have no results yet. I'm still convinced he has an allergy to dairy but we'll see what the test says. If he isn't, that will make my life in the kitchen so much easier when it comes to planning his meals. What his means for me is that I will have to modify every single thing I cook because almost every single meal I make contains chicken broth (which also contains yeast) and tomatoes. I was basically poisoning my child with every meal I made him. (sigh) I'm looking forward to the day when I have a solid food repertoire for him that he enjoys. In the meantime, I'm testing recipes and will be posting those in which I found success. :)

I will sign off for now in hopes that my sweet potato soup rice came out okay. :) I'll let Nicolas be the judge.

Oh sweet tendons!

I am either officially old, wasn't in as good of shape as I thought I was, I moved too quickly into a really difficult workout, and/or I need to buy a new pair of workout shoes. :( I'm hoping that it's the latter although I think it's all of the above. Turbo Fire has done amazing things for my energy but my Achilles tendon is still achy. I think it's a good thing, though, that it only hurts when I've been sitting for a while and not after having been in bed all night and then standing up. They feel tight so I'm working on stretching them but I can't take any NSAID's (ibuprofen, naproxen, etc.) because of my allergy. Every single pill contains the vegetable gum I'm allergic to. What are you gonna do?!?!?! I'm working on getting one compounded for me but in the meantime, the pharmacist has me taking Children's Tylenol. HA! :)

I'm hopeful that after a weekend of rest, I'll be able to resume my regular exercise routine. In the meantime, I'll just be walking around with a gangsta limp.

Workout video junkie am I

My name is Ronnie Contreras, and I'm a workout video junkie/addict. In my defense, I do actually use almost all of the workout videos I have and due to my addiction, I have made it a point to find them at a bigger discount by purchasing used copies (not bootlegged though.) Anyway, my most recent purchase was Turbo Fire. It is UH-MAZING! Here is a list of my workout dvds in no particular order.


1. Tony Horton's 10 minute trainer: excellent workout! I used it to help ease me back into working out one 10 minute workout at a time following my c-section with Nicolas. I was able to stack them after a month and I still throw a workout in when I'm running low on time and need an overall awesome workout.The ab workout is killer and more effective and efficient than any other ab workout I've tried.

2. Zumba-Total Body Transformation: the original zumba set. This is an awesome workout but not super duper crazy intense. Without dieting, it helped me lose 5 lbs and I call it my "when I don't feel like working out" workout. It makes me sweat. Once I put myself on Weight Watchers, I lost my last 10 lbs with it.

3. Tracy Anderson Post Pregnancy Workout: really long, difficult video but excellent workout. I learned quickly that the TAM (Tracy Anderson Method) is not realistic for me. I actually want to vomit any time I hear Gwyneth talking about how TA changed her body, blah blah blah. Well, I'm pretty sure that if somebody has the time to commit to 5, 1-hour dance cardio workouts and 5 1 to 2-hour resistance training sessions a week, you better end up with a different body and maybe even an eating disorder or two. Just sayin'.

4. Zumba Exhilarate: it took me a while to warm up to this one but it is an excellent workout. The sentao workout is amazing, and the toning workout is great, but I miss the original instructors Tanya Beardsley and Gina Grant. They are featured in one of the easier workouts that is not intense enough for me. The music is very Latin American (Latin techno) as opposed to U.S. Latino/Hispanic (merengue, salsa, etc.) oriented like the Zumba TBT. Most of the workouts annoy me because it is not live instructional. The workouts are filmed without the instructors talking and the voices are added in after the fact so that the viewer has the choice to shut off vocal instruction. That is the biggest downside for me and it makes me sad. :( I'm hopeful that the next zumba collection will include the awesome instructors, Tanya and Gina doing live instruction. Some of the workouts remind me of white girls on ecstasy dancing at a rave. *I know many white girls that can dance, these white girls I think were chosen for their outward appearance as opposed to dancing skill.*

5. Turbo Fire: Chalene Johnson is a spaz but like she said, "I have found my workout soul mate." It is high energy and the woman has me drenched in sweat every time, even only during one of the 15 or 20 minute HIIT (high intensity interval training) workouts. Even on mornings like today when I was feeling kinda tired, I finished the workout with incredible energy.  I can't speak highly enough of the workout, but you definitely have to be in decent physical shape to start out because she does not mess around. All the jumping has my Achilles tendon feeling a bit strained but I'm definitely trying to work on healing it quickly so I can get back to my crazy workouts soon. Highly recommend this one.

6. P90x: this one is actually Eddy's but because it helped me in my weight loss journey, I'll give it a quick critique. It is an amazing workout that I think is geared more toward men or for women who are looking to get ripped and not for weight loss. It includes a "lean" module which allows you to focus more on getting leaner but there isn't enough intense cardio for my taste. I like the cardio x, stretch x, and kenpo x. The Yoga x is ridiculously hard but definitely a great workout too.

We'll see what Eddy lets me indulge in next. :) I'm stuck on Turbo Fire for now so we'll see in what direction I go once I've finished my 90 days. My energy is oh so high and I love it. WOOHOO.

Thankful for Eddy

My mind started rolling the other day and I kept getting annoyed and then thankful...annoyed...and then thankful. So, what got me started was when the pest control guy came over to pay us a special visit because after 2 treatments since May, we still have spiders and silverfish roaming around the house, and both Nicolas and Alex have been bitten by spiders. So, anyway, the guy was a young, fresh Hispanic dude who exuded machismo. He introduced himself, and after seeing both my boys, he said, "oh I have a 2 week old." So, I proceeded to say, "oh you must be really tired," to which he responded, "nah, girl, I gotta work. My wife gets up." That's when everything started for me. Initially, I was annoyed with the idea. I would have never been able to make it through my first few weeks at home if Eddy didn't get up to help at least with changing diapers and then handing the boys to me to feed mostly due to my c-section recovery, but also due to the infection I had with Alex, the raging hormones of course, and having to deal with a crazy toddler (who gave up nap time at the same time of his brother's birth) after Nico was born.

I can't imagine what my life would be like if I didn't have the support I had from Eddy following the births of both of our sons and now our lives as a family. After Alex, I was in grad school and suffered with a lot of postpartum anxiety that wouldn't allow me to sleep and made me a very cranky mother. So, Eddy took most nightly duties waking up with Alex. We were fortunate that Alex slept through the night by 2 months occasionally and permanently by 3 months. With Nicolas, I didn't have any problems with anxiety (probably because I already knew what to expect) but Eddy still helped me with middle of the night feedings like a trooper.

So, after being annoyed with the obnoxious pest control guy all day, I decided to change my perspective and realize how lucky I am to have my hubs and even feel a little sympathy for him that he married a crazy, obsessive-compulsive person like me. We both have our fair share of compulsive behaviors but after 6 1/2 years married, we've come to embrace one another's quirks and still love each other more and more every day. :)

Our lives are filled with sacrificing of sleep, food (not because we can't afford it thankfully but because someone is always calling for one of us during meal time,) and alone time but we make it a point to try and make time for ourselves as a couple and alone time which is usually in the form of working out in the a.m. before both boys wake up. Ahhh, the joys of parenting! Did I mention how much the hubs rocks!?

Stresses of a working mother

So, I wanted to piggyback off of my post yesterday so that my working parent friends understand that I know how stressful it is to be a working parent and don't feel as though I was saying that being a SAHM is harder than being a working mother by any means. What I meant was that there can be more stress involved with being at home, albeit different. Here's what we contended with that we no longer have to worry about now that I'm home:

1. Alex getting sick constantly and having to take time off during a time when taking vacation days was not a luxury I could afford (we had a sickly daycare kid and now he has asthma.)

2. It was sooo hard to get quality alone time with the hubby. We were so busy catching up on time missed with Alex that we definitely put our marriage second.

3. The hustle and bustle of working life (commuting, fitting grocery shopping, laundry, housekeeping into the limited time at home, etc.) 

I'm thankful to be at home with both of my boys but the gratitude quickly gets murky while I'm trying to maintain my patience, teach my children right from wrong, keep the peace between the boys, work on preschool activities with Alex, cooking meals, cleaning up, doing laundry, taking the boys out to get exercise and interact with other children, and the list goes on and on. 

I was a much happier and more patient mother to be around when I was working I guess because I felt like I was contributing financially to my family while doing something I loved and knowing that Alex was getting to interact with other children all day in an environment that was encouraging him to be a big boy. Anyway, I'm sure everybody has their own idea of stress and being a mother but like I said in my last post, being a parent is a stressful thing.

When life gets tough, a little Mexican hot chocolate can help!

Mama had a trying day today so I was craving chocolate but not quite anything substantial so I went to old faithful, Popular Mexican hot chocolate. I absolutely recognize that the heat index is way over 100º here in South Texas, but the AC inside coupled with all the stress from taking care of two very rambunctious little boys had me feeling cold enough to crave a warm cup of yummy goodness. I highly recommend it over Abuelita hot chocolate only because my Mexican abuelita only made me Popular. I swear I'm not getting paid.

So, I obviously had a stressful day and what stuck in my head the entire day was for the brief 10 minutes that I was able to watch TV this morning (Nicolas was down for a nap and Alex was in time out in his room) I was watching the View and I couldn't help but get extremely aggravated with Joy Behar (somebody I highly respect) when she challenged Bethenny Frankel's statement that being a stay at home mother is stressful. Bethenny retracted and said, "well I guess it's not stressful, but..." followed by non-verbal language demonstrating a person pulling her hair out.

As much as I love Joy, homelady needs to be checked. I thought about it all day, and for those of us who don't take our children to "Mother's Day Out" or who don't have any help aside from our spouses, we carry the burden of childcare for at least 95% of the day. While I may not have the stress of the work commute, dealing with a crappy boss or coworkers, or deadlines, I have the stress of my children's safety at the forefront of my thoughts at all times. If anything were to happen to my children on my watch, it would be my responsibility and I could be punished and potentially have them taken away if God forbid something horrible happened to either of my children. So, yes, Ms. Behar, being a stay-at-home parent is stressful...more stressful than saying being a working mother who has the luxury of putting herself first even for just 20 to 40 hours a week. I'll get off my soapbox shortly but I have done both--working mom and stay at home and hands down, being a stay at home mother is harder. The dynamics of a marriage change such that a majority of the childcare burden is placed on the parent that is not working and one must be an advocate for their sanity (regularly scheduled "alone" or "adult" outings, etc.) In all fairness, being a SAHM to only 1 child was much easier than being a working mother.

Working was really hard on us and we find that having me at home is much better for our family. I often wish that I could go back to work just to get a mental break but I've come to realize that babies grow up way too fast and we'll never get the time back. So, I highly respect all working moms. My mom was a working mom and I'm convinced that she was Superwoman because she did it all.


In conclusion, being a parent is stressful. My theory is that the more children you have, the more stressful it gets. Today was obviously a difficult day but it was made easier when Eddy came home from his CE dinner which coincided with Nico falling asleep and Eddy took over Alex duty. So, what did I do with my small break????? Well, you're reading it. :)

June update

It's that time of the year again: birthday month!!! Only this time, we will celebrate my little angel, Nicolas', major birthday: his 1st. :) As my second born, he has had to live with a lot less than Alex had to including but not limited to: new toys, new clothes, one on one mommy and/or daddy time, and sadly for me, individual story time. BUT, I think he has a lot more in one area that Alex never had and that is a big brother who adores him and serves as his entertainment and protector all in one. :) They are my joy in life and I thank God every day for having blessed me with them.

June has already been a busy month, but this week, we will begin by celebrating Roly's birthday (33 years young) on the 16th and finish it by celebrating Father's Day and Grandma Mary's birthday on the 19th. Last year, Grandma Mary arrived in town on her birthday to help get us ready to welcome baby Nicolas. This year, we're pretty sure we won't see her right away, but we're hopeful that we'll see her very soon. Next week, Nico will be 1 on the 22nd and Daddy will be 35 years young on the 26th. Then, on the 29th Great Grandma Petra Saenz will be 87. My goodness, June is filled with birthdays of those I love.

Nicolas finally adjusted to life without the helmet albeit with many small bruises and bumps on his noggin. Poor guy. Alex continues to be extremely active, and he requires constant exercise and stimulation. He loves gymnastics, and we are looking to begin martial arts in the next week or two. He was in swimming lessons but his crazy inexperienced teacher completely made him lose all trust in strangers in the pool so needless to say, we will never take a class with her again. :( We will resume lessons soon but for now, we want him to forget about his traumatic experience as best possible. HA!

I'll post again soon. I've been slacking on the blog because a mobile Nico = crazy mommy with no time! :)

Chipotle chicken breasts

So, in my attempt to minimize points while I was weight watchering (I'm pretty sure that's a legit verb,) I stumbled upon chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. I experimented first by making this very yummy, spicy, and flavorful chicken breast. I failed with a few other recipes when I realized that baking the peppers in chicken broth then making a sauce was a lot less spicy than trying to make a sauce without the long cooking process. So, I wanted to share this recipe for those of you that are afraid of the really spicy stuff but still willing to take it on a little bit. Here goes:


In a 9X13 glass baking dish, place 3 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts with 1 cup of water, a few sprinkles of adobo seasoning without pepper (not the sauce) and 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (you are welcome to use any other kind of chicken breast but I love the flavor of the broth when the bone and skin are left on.) Bake it at 375º for 50 minutes (cooking time is for large chicken breasts-adjust time for size.) When the chicken is done, I take the broth and I de-seed the chipotle peppers and throw it in food processor and puree. Pour it over the chicken breast. The sauce is thin but will stick to the chicken breasts beautifully.

Half of a chicken breast without the skin (or 3 oz if you use a scale like I do) with the sauce is worth 3 weight watchers points. We usually pair it with green beans (0 weight watchers points) and a starch (white rice, mexican rice, corn) and it is always a hit. We don't let Alex eat it yet because it can be spicy although I'm sure he'd be fine with it. Instead of pouring the sauce over the chicken, Eddy dips his chicken in it. Enjoy! :)

Great news!

So today was a bit dramatic to say the least, but I wanted to write a quick post. Nicolas has graduated from wearing the helmet. :) This is according to Robert, the orthotist, because he met his goals with his numbers (cephalic index and cranial vault symmetry) and he has outgrown the helmet. We see Dr. Gennuso next Tuesday to get the final blessing but Robert said we basically don't need to wear it anymore unless Dr. Gennuso says otherwise. Ahhhh!

Now, the hard part starts. We have all become so used to the helmet that we're not overly cautious when Nicolas is on the floor, which is almost always these days. He constantly bangs around his head without consequence because he can practically hit it on everything and feel hardly anything. Yesterday, during his hour break, I noticed him hitting his head lightly and experimenting without his helmet as he crawled underneath the coffee table. It was quite amusing and I think he learned that it hurts when the helmet isn't on...or at least I hope he did. I'm a nervous wreck for now and I'm almost certain that the pack and play will become my best friend when I need to accomplish something.

Also, Alex had penicillin allergy testing this morning at our favorite allergist's office in the entire world. Dr. Dennis Dilley He is amazing and we are thankful that Alex is not allergic to it after all. The testing was not fun at all and had to be performed in addition to the traditional scratch test which determined that Alex is allergic to cedar, bermuda grass, and tree nuts last year in May. It required 3 people to hold Alex down because he had to be injected 6 times in his upper arm after having had a scratch test performed on his forearm prior to that. It was chaotic and dramatic but we needed to have it done so that Alex's pediatrician can prescribe the appropriate line of antibiotics if/when Alex gets bronchitis.


So happy that is over with. Next post, I'll post my newest favorite for a healthy chicken option. It is so yummy and spicy. :)

A week late but a little good news!

One week ago today we had our appointment with Dr. Gennuso, the neurosurgeon, and she said that in a month, we can graduate Nicolas from the helmet. YAAAAYYY! :) It's exactly 4 weeks from today because of the way her schedule fell (she only sees patients on Tuesdays and Thursdays and a month would have been a Friday so she put us up to the following Tuesday.) I am so excited. Eddy is convinced that Nicolas could be out of the helmet now but I'd rather give it another month to get even better than it already is. His head looks really good although not perfect by any means. It looks sooooo much better though. I'll take some updated pictures and show the difference. It's pretty amazing.

It works out perfectly because he'll have it off by the time we go to South Padre Island at the end of May. Usually, we go in June during Eddy's birthday week but the prices of condos during that time are ridiculous and we really wanted to stay at the beach so we got a much better deal during the last week of May, and we took it. Plus, Eddy's birthday week is now also Nicolas' birthday week and someone has a very big birthday ahead of him. :)

Tomorrow we pay a visit to Robert at Hanger to get more measurements of the head. I think we saw some more improvement so that's always exciting. Alex is getting the hang of behaving at appointments for Nicolas especially when we have the iPad in tow to keep him entertained. This Thursday, we're heading to Houston to see Anesha and her belly and celebrate her baby shower. I'm so excited for her. She's such a great person and friend, and I know she will be a phenomenal mother.

Off to do some disciplining...story of my life!
xoxo

Yay for improvement!

We were very excited at Nicolas' last appointment at Hanger because we are finally seeing more progress. His cephalic index is now at 87% (the goal is low 80's-he started in the high 90's.) Again, depending on how fast his head grows, we still have a little more progress to make so we are praying that it'll happen quickly. :) We have an appointment with Dr. Gennuso (the neurosurgeon) next Tuesday the 12th and I'm almost certain that she'll put us out to another 6 weeks after that for graduation from the helmet if all looks good. She wanted the head to get as close to perfect as possible so I feel okay with that. This Wednesday will be 11 weeks with the helmet on so another 7 weeks really doesn't feel so far away. Again, if Robert at Hanger sees significant improvement before that time, I'm sure we can consider making an appointment to see Dr. Gennuso to approve the removal but only time will tell. I'm not really banking on that. We've all become so used to having the helmet around that I'm not sure how we'll go on without it. :) hahah, okay I'll be happy to see it go but Nicolas is definitely used to having it protect his little head. Right now, he's running a fever, so he can't wear it at all and he's already banged his head multiple times. The poor guy keeps crying because I guess he's used to being able to run into things and not be phased. It's sad and funny at the same time. I'm looking forward to putting it back on because he gets annoyed without it and I feel safer letting him crawl on the tile and laminate floors freely.

I'm really considering going back to work at least one day a week. I feel good about it because Mrs. Rosie, our fabulous (and kinda pricey) babysitter, said she could help us out one day a week. My biggest hesitation in returning to work is finding a reliable sitter and one that really loves children like Mrs. Rosie does. She is an angel and we all love having her in our lives. We'll see how that goes. I was hesitant but I think it would be nice to make some extra cash, get a mental break from stay-at-home-mommydom, and keep doing what I love. I still have yet to sign my name with my certified credentials. I worked so hard to get them and I still haven't used them since last June when I got them. HA. :) So, just for fun, here goes an electronic version:
Veronica A. S. Contreras, M.S./CCC-SLP
That felt so good. Thanks for indulging me.

I'm almost at my goal weight of 126 but lately my body has been falling apart. I've been eating very well but because I cut out a lot of my dairy, I now not only have anemia but I'm also calcium deficient. I'm a hot mess. I already take a multivitamin twice a day (2 pills at a time), an iron supplement 2x a day, and now I've added a calcium supplement 2x a day. I'm hoping that'll be the last of that. I've also made it a point to indulge in more milk and cheese in limited quantities of course, I have to stay away from yogurts because almost all of them have some sort of gum. Fun times! I feel fantastic otherwise. The chiropractor put me out to 1x/month visits. My neck feels really good for the most part and my low back only bothers me occasionally. It feels wonderful to not be in so much pain.

In closing, I've really come to appreciate the good people in my life and I'm continuing to work on improving my existing relationships. There are a lot of haters out there, most of whom I avoid, but every once in a while, they make an appearance. I think most people know what a hater is but for me, a hater is someone who either who harbors malice, anger, or jealousy in the happiness or success of another person. I'm very happy in life right now, and I am thankful to God for that every single day. My life is not perfect by any means and it never has been, and those who are not going to enjoy the happiness with me, please stay away. I say this as I am ready to purge my facebook friend's list. :)

Mole recipe (adapted from my mother-in-law's recipe, SHOUT OUT!)

This recipe was adapted from my mother-in-law's, Mary Contreras (shout out), recipe for mole which is outstanding and amazing on its own but I found it a little bit difficult to replicate hers so I made my own tweaks to it. :) Mary is an UH-MAZING cook and we keep telling her to open her own restaurant. She still thinks we're crazy. ha

Ingredients:
Serves 6 (if serve only 3 oz of meat---can make more meat because mole sauce alone can serve a lot more)
-3 Shredded and boiled chicken breasts-with skin and bone in (mary uses an entire chicken and leaves the pieces as a whole--you can totally do this but we only eat lean cuts of meat in our house)
Note: I hate dry chicken so I make sure to only gently boil my chicken breasts for an hour with the lid on and that's why bone-in, skin on works so well here but you're also welcome to use any kind of chicken you like and will tolerate :)

-Broth from boiled chicken breasts (at least 4 cups)
-Doña Maria mole in a jar (can be found in Mexican food aisle usually by the jalapeños...most other moles will suffice.) 2 tbs (I eyeball it and sometimes use a tbs more but that's up to you--adding more mole makes it spicier)
-1-2 tbs sugar (you can vary this--more sugar decreases spiciness but I like the sweet kick it adds)
-3/4 tsp of salt
-1 tsp-1 tbs of creamy peanut butter (optional-add as much as you like for flavor--mole already has peanuts in it)
-rous

Directions:

1. Before I start, I put 1 1/2 cups of the hot chicken broth into a measuring cup and add 2-3 tbs of Dona Maria mole and let it sit for AT LEAST 10 minutes to soften the mole
2. I then start the sauce by making a rous (note: Mary doesn't do this, she thickens hers by adding the flour alone to the pan before she adds the mole/broth combo and you are completely welcome to do that as well--it's easier to do this if you add sifted flour)--I use 2 tbs of butter, let it melt, then I add 2 tbs of flour and whisk to form a paste--let it cook a few mins to cook the flour taste out
3. Then I add the broth/mole mixture and follow it by adding another 2 1/2 cups of broth and whisk til all the lumps are gone (the broth should still be hot--at least very warm so that the lumps will cook out evenly and quickly)
4. Then add salt, sugar, and peanut butter
5. Simmer and reduce for 20 to 30 minutes (I sometimes go as long as 45 minutes depending on bath/feeding schedules but you just have to keep whisking it.)

This recipe allows for a mole that is not very thick. It's more of a light soupy gravy which sticks to the chicken just enough for my liking and it's got a nice mix of sweetness, saltiness, and spiciness. If you want it thicker, make a thicker rous (add equal parts butter and flour.) I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Again, the sauce can serve more people and accommodate more chicken. Per weight watchers, I call it 8 servings for the sauce alone (and it is 3-4 weight watchers points depending on the amt of peanut butter you add.) I don't use very much sauce. Please let me know what you think and any changes, if any, you made to make it your own. :)

Updates and recipes

It's been a while since I last posted so my apologies. I have been promising a few friends some recipes so I'll try to post them on here when I get the rare chance to sit at my computer. By the grace of God, both of my children are taking a nap right now. Alex has almost completely forgone his nap although I really hate this transition time. He is super duper cranky in the evenings without one but he goes to bed at a decent hour. When he has one, he's in a great mood in the evenings, but he wants to party like a rock star past 10 p.m. What to do?! Despite what some parents (who don't know what it's like having a 3 year old) say, it's not a behavior issue. I choose to not make him nap and therefore we have a decent, peaceful bed time. :) Otherwise, Alex continues to be crazy and full of energy. Just the other day he told, "you're such a drama queen, mama." Thanks, Alex!

As for Nicolas, the helmet continues to bring lots of attention his way. I tend to forget because during the day when school is in session, the crowds aren't too large, and lately we've been meeting a lot of people who either had a child of their own or know of a child who was previously in one so that's been pretty cool to experience. During spring break, however, the stares and comments were crazy! It's like a part of him now so I don't notice it unless my face is being beaten with sweet kisses from my baby boy.

As for progress, at our last appointment 3 weeks ago, we didn't see any change or improvement. We go for another appointment with the orthotist tomorrow and I'm pretty sure we've seen some improvement but the numbers will tell us. It looks a lot better and I think that's because he had a growth spurt just before his 9 month birthday. (the head reshapes with growth.) As for his growth, he continues to be very tall and very thin with a large head. HA! :) 85th percentile height, 90th percentile head, and 12th percentile weight. Awesomeness! Doc said although his weight %s went down, he wasn't concerned because height %s went up and we all know the head went up too. heehee I'll post more about #s regarding his plagiocephaly improvement once we visit Mr. Robert tomorrow.

I got to meet sweet Alicia, my beautiful niece, on the day she was born, and I finally posted a picture on facebook. Here we are again.

I love that sweet little girl and so does Alex. Per the usual, he's convinced that we changed Nicolas' name to Alicia and now keeps referring to his baby brother as such. Fun times!

I'll post a recipe for mole next.

Alicia Renee, the helmet, and more

My sister in law, Marissa, was induced this morning, so I'm really excited about getting to meet my sweet niece, Alicia Renee. Alicia is going to get annoyed by her Tia always wanting to hang out with her but I'm hopeful that I will be to her what my Tia Lupita and my Tia Linda were to me: 2nd mothers who loved me just like a child of their own while I was growing up. I have so many wonderful aunts and uncles whom I love dearly. xoxoxo

As for the helmet, we visited the neurosurgeon today for our 6 weeks post helmet initiation. I keep getting confused every time we go because we allegedly have an appointment with one of the neurosurgeons and the other one sees us...it's very strange. Either way, we ended up seeing Dr. Gennuso today as opposed to Dr. Megahed, and that's always nice because Gennuso is a very concrete and quantitative kind of gal (almost Asperger's-eque.) I appreciate quantitative data. Dr. Megahed is pretty awesome too but he's more of a qualitative guy that relies more on his eye than numbers. Either way, they're both great physicians.

Anyway, Gennuso thinks after seeing Nicolas' head that he might be in the helmet another 2 months, maybe 2 1/2 months at most but again at the end of the day, it all depends on how quickly Nicolas' head grows which is when it reshapes.We have an appointment next Wednesday with Hanger (Mr. Robert) and we were instructed to get the #s related to Nicolas' head progress to give Dr. Gennuso next time we see her. I'm hopeful that maybe she's overestimating the time since she didn't have the #s in front of her. We're ready to give the little guy's head a break from this heat but Dr. Gennuso said today, "we might as well try and get it as close to perfect as we can since we've already gone this long." Point taken and I definitely agree.  I also worry that once we take the helmet off, if there's still some more growth, the head could get flat again since he sleeps on his back a lot of the time. So, that's that. I'll get more info on #s next week when we see Mr. Robert.

My weight loss is coming along wonderfully. I'm now between 130 and 131 which is close to around where I was before Nicolas although my abs still feel pretty beaten up from this 2nd c-section. I apparently had a lot of scar tissue so the healing was slower this time around which is why it was harder to workout my abs early in my recovery. I'm working on it, and they keep getting stronger every day and probably a lot stronger than I give myself credit for. I was doing back bends with Alex on my stomach yesterday without any difficulty. That's one of his new favorite games. :) I cannot sing the praises of Weight Watchers enough. I've managed to lose weight and still eat what I want including pizza twice a week...and TACOS! :) I still eat pan dulce too. Now, my problem with the weight loss I've had is dealing with anemia. I apparently lost too much weight (percentage wise) so my anemia starting flaring up. I went back to my old dose of iron and I'm feeling better. WOOHOO! For the record, I haven't lose more than 1-2 lbs a week but apparently given my previous weight, I should've lost a bit more slowly. I dunno. If you guys seriously have any questions about Weight Watchers, don't be afraid to ask. I'm totally an advocate now and if you hate diets, it's totally for you.

Happy 8 months Nico Pico!

I'm really looking forward to the day when we graduate from wearing the helmet but not because of the inconvenience of the helmet or Nicolas' discomfort but rather I keep forgetting what my baby looks like without his helmet. The changes we've seen with his growth can really only be appreciated when he's not wearing his helmet, and during that one hour a day, we are trying to rush to clean the helmet, bathe the little guy, keep him safe from banging his head on the floor, and most importantly, trying to cuddle with him and kiss his little head as much as possible. It's a little difficult to be really up close and affectionate with the little guy when you have a large piece of hard plastic hitting you every time he moves his head and body (which these days is every few seconds.)

So, when Nicolas turned 8 months old 2 days ago on the 22nd, I managed to capture some pictures of him without his helmet and I was taken aback at how much he looks like a mix between me, Roly, and my dad....a little something that has come to be known as...wait for it.....The Saenz curse. Check it out for yourselves. :)

Of course, I couldn't capture just a picture of Nicolas without my little attention hog wanting in on a piece of the photo-snapping action.

Here are some pictures showing how Nicolas' head is starting to improve. I'm really excited about it and I'm hopeful that with more time, we will improve even more.

Happy Thursday everyone! :)

Progress and more about the helmet

Well I didn't get to explain too much on my last post regarding the helmet, the plagiocephaly, and the amazing progress we've seen so far. Plagiocephaly is basically flattening of the head. It happens for many reasons, some of which are very scary (i.e. craniosynostosis) but fortunately for us, that wasn't the case. We saw a lot of improvement by repositioning him and keeping him off the back of his head but not enough (we were borderline) not to have a helmet recommended. Basically, we could have kept him out of a helmet, but he could have significant difficulties later with TMJ disorder and more asymmetry than is considered normal. The asymmetry can affect eye glass positioning and overall facial feature symmetry just to name a couple of things.

Before Nicolas was placed in the helmet, the orthotist took lots of baseline measurements, many of which really didn't mean a whole lot to me since I didn't understand what they meant. The number that is usually looked at is the cranial vault symmetry, which in Nicolas' case, wasn't really an issue. He was a 5 (which is usually the goal for kid's whose plagiocephaly is a lot worse.) We are currently at a 2 which is excellent. The biggest area of concern is the cephalic index. He started at a 98 and needs to be in the low 80s. He's currently at an 89. We will see the largest amount of change the quicker his head grows. At this point, we aren't expecting as much growth as quickly as were seeing it but we're hopeful to be in the low 80s soon. It could be anywhere from 4 to 8 more weeks but of course Nicolas' growth will be the ultimate determining factor and nobody can truly gauge how quickly that will happen.

In the meantime, he really is a trooper. He wears it 23 hours a day and gets an hour off for bathing and cleaning the helmet. It's pretty hilarious to see him without the helmet because he's become accustomed to banging his head without consequence so now we get lots of sad faces and whimpers when he bangs his head sans helmet. It was really stinky initially because he was sweating a lot. Now, we have little to no sweat so he's not so stinky any more. :)

We get lots of stares when we're out in public but fortunately for me, I'm a very confident person so I just smile. To those who keep staring rudely, my honest face usually gets the best of me and I've perfected the kiss-my-butt face. One of the veterans in the prosthetic support meeting told me that he sees a future in football for my little guy. :)