Almost a year ago

October 11, 2011

Thursday will have been one year ago since I saw my positive pregnancy test. Last night I was waiting to feed Solomon after I gave him his medicine and I re-read my journal from last Fall. I was in such a different place and state of mind then. I was writing about the Farm Revival blog and how I wanted it to succeed, plans of a huge garden, an old farm truck and a Rocio Romero home. After reading the pages that were littered from the "Artist's Way" 3 pages a day challenge, it abruptly changes to "I'M PREGNANT!". I remember the anxiety, excitement and fear that hit me all at once last October 13th. I remember looking ahead with Josh that night into our future wondering who we would be as parents and what child we would have. I remember my teeth chattering and my body shaking for 3 or 4 hours after I saw the results, the adrenaline was mind numbing! It was frightening not knowing how our life would change. 

Having a baby will (or let me say, should) change you. Josh and I are completely different people now, caring more about others than ourselves and just plain grown up. I interviewed so many people about motherhood, asked a bagillion questions about scheduled feeding, sleep cycles, parenting styles, recommended reading, vaccinations, etc... and it all seemed so overwhelming at the time. You really do have a God given instinct though, it kicks in almost every moment that you need it. I love that about motherhood. All of my fears are washed away and I feel like I could have another child right now and not be upset about it one bit. I love being a mom and take my responsibility very seriously now. 

Here are my first maternity pictures taken by Amanda Watson. I was 7 weeks pregnant and pushed my "ice cream" gut out to make me look 3 months pregnant.
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Amanda Watson:

Oh my gosh, I can't believe it's been a year!!!! What a whirlwind!

(10.12.11 @ 08:51 AM)
Jen Amato:

Sweet post Lauren! You guys are so blessed to have Sol in your life! Love following your journey!

(10.13.11 @ 07:39 PM)
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FALL SALE!

October 6, 2011

This is my version of a "GROUPON"! Although I enjoy driving back to my home town of Lubbock, Texas to work every month, I thought I would try to reach out to the Stillwater community with a great sale to drum up some local business. 

Now from October 24 - November 4th you can book a session with me for only $150 and it includes an 11x14! A N D print prices (not canvas or DVDs) are 50% off! The only limitation is that the session must take place in Stillwater, Oklahoma and be on a weeknight at 4 or 5 PM.

Contact me at info@laurenclarkphotography.com to book!

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Misty:

I really want to come out there for family photos, and add the new videos you do! you've inspired me to do more videos of my kids that aren't just on my iphone :)

 (10.06.11 @ 10:35 PM)
Laura:

OMG. If I had the money, I would fly from Michigan to Oklahoma and have you take pictures of my baby girl. I LOVE your photography.

 (10.07.11 @ 11:17 AM)
Amy:

What a great deal! And I really LOVE the picture!

 (10.07.11 @ 06:09 PM)
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Eating Dairy Free

October 2, 2011

I have had several people ask me about why I'm eating dairy free and what recipes I'm making and so I thought I would write about it!

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After Solomon was diagnosed with acid reflux I went on a crazy google search to learn everything I possibly could about reflux and how to help Solomon. One of the biggest things that people told me was that he could have a milk and soy protein allergy (MSPI is how it's referred to in the searches) and that if you were breastfeeding then you would need to go off dairy. At first I thought that this was impossible since I gained most of my 50 pounds on eating ice cream and Wendy's chocolate frosties everyday, but then I thought about Solomon and how I needed to give it a try for him. This is when a lot of mom's switch from breastfeeding to hypo-allergenic formula (where the cow's milk protein is broken down into smaller particles to digest easier). I would have probably done that too, but breastfeeding (the 500 calories per day that your body burns making it) was my ONLY weight loss plan after Solomon was born (and of course it's better for him, but I would say that they were equally important!). 

I read that the dairy protein takes 2 weeks to exit your system before it isn't in your milk any longer and that it would take that long to see results. Well I tried back and forth for a while, cutting out most dairy, but occasionally having some and after my first trip to my mom's where I ate dairy the entire time I realized how bad Solomon's reflux was getting. So the night I got home from Lubbock I made one last "ha-rah" meal chocked full of dairy and boy did it make ME sick. I guess all of these years I had built up my own tolerance to dairy, but after cutting most of it out and then having a meal with a bag of shredded cheese and a tub of sour cream I was SICK. That was all I needed as an extra boost of motivation.

Solomon's reflux is under control now with Prevacid and so if I wanted to eat dairy again I probably could, but I am enjoying not feeling sick myself and the weight loss isn't a bad perk either. You see, everything that had dairy in it (my main staples like mexican and italian) were all of the bad foods for you. I am forced to stay away from queso, cheesy soups, lasagna, ice cream, cheesecake, butter bread, and everything in between! 

Here are a few of the meals that we eat, Josh eats this way too for the most part, but adds cheese to his own meals if he likes.

- Steak, boiled egg, avocado salad. I buy the pre-cooked steak in the refrigerator section and cook it up with a few squirts of lime juice, salt and pepper and then boil the eggs and slice up half of an avocado for the "dressing". I let the texture of the avocado be my binder. 

Don't underestimate the power of sea salt and coarse ground black pepper as your seasoning. This is almost ALL that I use now.

- Sliders. I buy the Hawaiian wheat rolls, ground beef, bacon crumbles and Alexia's spicy sweet potato fries from the freezer section. I mix about 2 T. Ranch dressing with sea salt and pepper and bacon crumbles in the ground beef and make patties the size of a fist. Then I coat the patty in black pepper and pan fry it in olive oil. I toast the Hawaiian rolls in the oven and then layer them like normal hamburgers. YUM!

- Deviled eggs. You can't go wrong with deviled eggs. These are Josh's favorite and are so simple. Boil eggs for 15 minutes and then do 2 parts mustard to 1 part mayo with sea salt and pepper in the yolks and then put them back in the whites and chill!

- Grilled chicken. I buy the fresh chicken (not frozen) and stab it up with a fork and then sprinkle sea salt and load that baby up with black pepper and then put it in a bag with enough olive oil to coat them. Marinade for 30 minutes or more and then grill. YUM! We eat this with Hawaiian rolls, sweet potato fries or squash and zucchini.

- BLTA. I love bacon! Turkey bacon is also a great alternative in this recipe. I pan fry the bacon with LOADS of black pepper and a good sprinkle of brown sugar on both sides and then add it to a ciabatta roll with tomato, lettuce and avocado slices.

- Taco Soup. Tonight I made taco soup with pinto beans, stewed tomatoes, corn, taco seasoning and ground beef. Josh added cheese to his, but I just crumbled up crackers and added it to mine.

- Chicken Salad. 2 cans of chunky chicken, mayo, walnuts, dried cranberries, salt pepper and a cubed apple. Mix it all together and eat it on an english muffin or over a salad.

- Pei Wei. I love the freezer section in the grocery store. We buy Pei Wei orange chicken and make it with brown rice. YUM!

- Buitoni. I LOVE Buitoni and although there might be a tiny bit of cheese in the sauce in this one, it is still ok by me:). I get the sausage ravioli and eat it with a salad.

For breakfast I used to eat sugar cereal and milk (almost 2 bowls each morning!) and now I eat a banana with crunchy peanut butter and dip it in granola for a good crunch. I will also eat a granola bar with chocolate chunks and put crunchy peanut butter on it. 

For snacks to curb my ice cream craving I'll eat Eddy's frozen fruit bars and boy are they GOOD! I love the strawberry and the lime the best! I also will go and get a sno-cone! See, I'm still able to eat things like this so I don't feel like I'm dieting, but it is still so much healthier than eating loads of cheese and ice cream!

For lunch I will eat turkey and crackers, left overs, Chipotle burritos, sandwiches, and anything from a drive-thru without cheese on it. 

I feel like I have so much energy because most of the food that I'm eating and fresh and healthy, but I'm not cutting out sugar or even fats. I used to count calories or try to eat no-sugar or low sugar and I would always end up giving it up, but I feel totally satisfied eating this way and it is really working well for me. I'm down 48 pounds now since Solomon was born three months ago and I have ALWAYS struggled with yo-yo diets. I think this is one that I could stick with forever.

One thing that has given me so many new ideas is the Whole Foods Market app for the Ipad. It has a diet restriction section where you can see recipes that are gluten free, low fat, low carb and even dairy free!

If you have any other ideas for me then let me know, or if you decide to give it a go let me know how you are liking it!





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Ginger Ivey:

Great post! There's been a time or two that Athan has been extra gassy and I think one time it was close to when I'd had a milk shake so I wondered if that did it...I'm all about trying to lose some weight(I lost all my baby fat in like 2 weeks, but have been stuck there for the last 4!) Maybe I'll try dairy free! I haven't had it in a while, but when I was younger my aunt always got Rice Dream and it was really good! Pretty sure it is dairy free. Try it! It could totally be your new ice cream!

 (10.02.11 @ 11:25 PM)
Erica Sledge:

When I'm hungry for a burrito, I eat apple, peanut butter and granola burrito. It gives me the tortilla taste I like without the fattening refried beans and cheese. It's not exactly Mexican food, but it makes a great lunch or even dinner. I've also had it with avacados, romaine and raspberry vinaigrette. It tastes like a sweet and salty salad...but the tortilla taste is so good with it. You don't have a Rosa's in Stillwater for the best tortillas in the world, though! Bet you miss ole' Rosas. I just love Mexican food and these are the tasty ways I trick myself into thinking I'm getting it. Ha. Keep it up! 48 pounds is quite impressive!

 (10.03.11 @ 12:25 AM)
lauren:

thank you for all of the suggestions!
i went dairy-free for the month of september and felt 50% better than i did before. i still think that my main issue is with gluten. on october 1st, i ate 2 pieces of cheese pizza and they tasted better than anything i had ever sunk my teeth into! ;)
while i will maintain a mostly dairy-free diet, i will be sure to include a little bit. please continue to share any recipes/tips, as i'm sure we'll find them very helpful!
thanks a bunch!
*

 (10.03.11 @ 09:50 AM)
Sharaya Mauck:

YUMMY! I am going to try some of these! Sounds wonderful! :)

 (10.03.11 @ 07:42 PM)
Laura :

My youngest had a horrible case of reflux. I was strictly nursing her and trying to cut anything I could out of my diet. We were back and forth between Zantac and Prevacid and the Dr. We had her crib propped up, she mostly slept on someones chest or in her bouncer or swing.... At 4 months old she was 9 pounds :( She was on the verge of being admitted to the hospital and I was having a REALLY hard time with it. I felt like I couldn't provide for her. I was literally in tears every night. I had no choice but to stop nursing her because of health issues I was going through at the time ( thyroid issues that were effecting my milk supply... I ended up having the right side of my thyroid removed when she was 6 months old ). We had gotten her on a formula called Elecare (amino acid based) and she FINALLY started gaining weight!!!! She actually chunked up so fast!!! I loved her little baby rolls!!!!! She ended up being lactose intolerant on top of the reflux. She outgrew the intolerance at 2 1/2 though!!! She will be three in December, and you would never know she was once this itty bitty baby with all those tummy issues!!!!

(10.03.11 @ 09:26 PM)
ashley o:

ugg.. I did this for a week to see if it's why my son was acting up. Neither my doctor or I thought it was the real reason (it wasn't) but we thought we'd give it a try. I never knew how much dairy I ate in each meal! I know I love milk and icecream, but every meal had cheese or cream! Good for you for embracing it so well and making those sacrifices for your son!

 (10.05.11 @ 08:08 PM)
rebekah tozer:

sounds awesome! when you say dairy free.....how extreme do you go to dairy free? does this include no eggs? no cream cheese? no baked goods with milk or eggs in them? just curious......and gluten free...how in the world do you get around that???

 (10.07.11 @ 05:31 PM)
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Solomon is 3 months old!

September 28, 2011

Today is Solomon's three month anniversary for popping into the world! This has been a big month of accomplishments for him. He rolled over, started sleeping unswaddled, we dropped the pacifier and he found his thumb (which is so cute), we did sleep through the night bootcamp for 4 nights (that was a rough couple of days for us all) and he started to sleep for 6-6 1/2 hours each night and he is just so content everywhere we go. I even took him on the 7 hour journey to Lubbock again and he only cried for about an hour total the whole way!

Here he is today...

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After his bath:) Cutie bootie.
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Lindsay :

Shut up! I could eat him up!

 (09.29.11 @ 09:06 AM)
Kate Leverenz:

Love his thumb sucking pictures! So cute.

 (09.29.11 @ 12:54 PM)
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Home Video #4

September 26, 2011

Solomon from 10-12 weeks

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Cassie:

These songs are perfect! Who is the artist and where do you find such great music?

 (09.26.11 @ 12:55 PM)
Lesley:

I second Cassie's questions.

(09.26.11 @ 02:26 PM)
Erica Sledge:

I promise all of your readers have completely fallen in love with your little man! He's probably the most "followed" baby in OK/TX! It's so fun to watch these videos...

 (09.26.11 @ 04:14 PM)
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