Visit

We were lucky to have a visit from Jeff’s sister and her daughter (age 6). Maren and her cousin had quite a fun time together. Linden had a pretty good time with them too.

One update that I haven’t shared yet is that we think Linden has allergies. Her initial blood test came back showing that she has slight allergies to dairy and eggs, and a moderate allergy to peanuts. However, what we have observed is that she seems to have stronger allergy to dairy. We have given her peanut butter several times with no reaction. But we have seen some clear reactions to dairy. So are waiting to see a paediatric allergist, and will likely have an appointment mid January. But, we are cutting eggs and dairy from all of our shared meals. Maren still eats dairy, drinking milk and having some cheese, but since we were vegetarian already and have now cut out dairy and eggs, Jeff, Linden, and I have gone vegan.

It is something that Jeff and I had talked about doing eventually, for ethical and environmental reasons. Linden’s allergies have been the push that sent us over the edge. It has been easier than I anticipated. There are lots of vegan products available, and good recipes. I was most concerned about giving up ice cream, but I have found that coconut-based and cashew-based ice creams are really quite good. We are not clear yet whether this is a complete change or just a “mostly” change, but I think we will definitely be eating almost exclusively plant-based foods no matter what. It feels right to us :-)