Life with a Vegan Baby: December 2014

  I realized pretty quickly into my life as a working mother that two-week blog updates were going to be super challenging. I mean, I can't even tell how many weeks old Tallulah is anymore because it is really starting to fly by. I think I can keep up with months. And organized updates. I think.

Baby:
  December included a visit from Tallulah's paternal grandpa and her first Christmas. She also met Santa Claus and opened a slew of gifts. Her ability to smile really began to flourish in this month--conveniently, she even smiled during the unwrapping of gifts.
December meant our first extended separation when I went back to work. To ease the transition I would leave her with a nursing pad saturated with my breast milk. I don't know exactly how she felt about our separation, but I know I hated it.

  Tallulah really seemed to become aware during December, like a "real" baby. It's beautiful watching her absorb her world, from looking at pictures of Jean Harlow to examining my own face. There is so much we take for granted as adults, and I absolutely love watching her take it all in.

  On December 24th, she was half an ounce shy of nine pounds. That may not seem like much, but that is nearly triple what she was at birth.

  A lot of my blog focused on the struggle to breastfeed. That all seems so long ago now. In fact, if I am around she would stare at me and not suck on a bottle. She has decided on a preference, so I'd say we are now a successful breastfeeding duo. It was a sometimes grueling odyssey to get to that point!
Unfortunately, that preference does pose some new issues. Such as her not wanting to take full bottles when I'm at work. She does still need to gain quickly--and holding out waiting for mom may not help to reach that goal.

  December brought us reflux/gushing baby vomit. She's never been great at burping, but she had usually been pretty great at eating. Sometimes really fast. It had never been too much of a problem, until she starting sucking feverishly and losing her food all over me, the floor, and the rocking chair. It seems to happen once a day and is signaled when she starts to become incredibly fussy and eating with a newfound intensity. When I see these signs, I try to slow her down and prop her on my shoulder for a few minutes. Sometimes that works. And sometimes I have a lot of unexpected laundry. From what I've read, reflux usually resolves itself--and in non-vegans is sometimes attributed to dairy intake by the mother. Obviously, that's not an issue with me. Tallulah's premature birth might have resulted in an underdeveloped digestive system, though.

Vegan:
  It seems that since Tallulah was born that the focus came off of veganism with this blog. This is probably due to the fact that she doesn't eat solids, hasn't been faced with animal exploitation, and baby clothes are usually made from cotton. That being said, I still eat, wear, and live--and am constantly setting the example for a vegan lifestyle for, even if we don't specifically talk about it just yet. It remains a huge part of who I am, and the life I lead for my family.

  2014 was a shining year for vegan products. I first became vegan in 2001, and, let me tell you, the highlight of a vegan diet back then was chocolate soy milk. Times have really changed since then. I've seen so many amazing products come into the vegan world. Two of which came into my life in December: Chao vegan cheese and So Delicious Coco Whip. The first really is a stellar product. Daiya is a cheese that changed the game for most vegans, giving us access to macaroni and cheese and pizza that was pretty close to our former lives. I have made my own vegan chèvre, that is also quite delicious. Still, this Chao cheese is high-end deli cheese--like some fancy gouda. It can be eaten alone, on a sandwich, melted over portobello burgers--it's amazing in all form. The second product was a lifesaver. Sure, vegan whipped cream already existed--in the most difficult-to-get-out container. Finally, vegan whipped cream that's accessible. And super good!

 Pregnancy and newborn baby did reunite me with all the processed stuff. Who has time to cook from the barest of ingredients? Well, I do care about my health and would like to eventually feel halfway decent looking again--so, I need to get back to those whole food ingredients. The simplest way I have found is by having a lot of fruit in the house, green smoothies (sometimes made in bulk for the next couple of days and packed with flax seeds, goji powder, and pea protein), and my homemade raw bars. The bars are really easy--just equal parts dates and cashews and whatever you feel like throwing in. I like to add coconut oil, coconut flour, cinnamon, protein powder, and spirulina.

  Lastly, I have merged worlds with my writing and the vegan world. I can't say too much about that, but please do stay tuned!

  Mom-Self:
  This is a section that really should be important for all moms. It's so easy to get lost in feedings, soothing, and worrying about every single facet of babyhood. It's also too easy to forget about ourselves as individuals. Put-together individuals with our own aspirations, thoughts, and feelings. I tried to fit in my writer-self during maternity leave, and I was fortunate to get my first publication out of it. Now that I'm at work, that is much more difficult--but if I can cram a single paragraph into my day, that is success, too. I did end up applying to MFA programs, because I both want to set an example for Tallulah while paving out a better, more fulfilled future for myself as well. It's little steps for now.

  The other day I looked in the mirror and was taken aback. Then I went to try on clothes because most of my old stuff doesn't fit. I get that I won't fit into old shirts until I'm done breastfeeding, but I was pretty depressed after trying stuff on. The sizes I was fitting into are sizes I refuse to buy. Winter isn't very conducive to outside exercising and I'm sure nursing for several hours while watching TV doesn't help either. I don't want to be drastic in weight loss, because I am nursing--but I want to feel not-hideous. Is that too much to ask?

 During pregnancy I didn't dye my hair out of fear from the chemicals. Now I have this accidental ombre disaster. My eyebrows are in disarray. I need to schedule some sort of beauty thing ASAP--maybe try out a new hair color? Anything. Seriously.


At the end of December, Tiny Tallulah was in her thirteenth week--and thriving!