it begins...

I'm quite aware that little boys love to roughhouse with one another, and when I learned that I was going to have two little boys less than a year and half apart, I figured that I would be in for my share of wrestling matches. I guess I just assumed that those were a few years down the line. This afternoon I ran to the kitchen for a minute and heard both boys giggling from the living room. I smiled and went to see what was making them both so happy. Peter was propped in the corner of the couch, and Ambrose--sweet Ambrose--had a pillow clutched to his chest and was lunging--I mean actually throwing his entire body--on his baby brother. They were both laughing wildly. ?!

changes.

Since this whole nasty sickness/medication/thrush deal started awhile ago, I've been pretty conscious about what I eat. Granted, I think I usually try to be conscious about what I, and everyone else around here eat. I plan healthy meals, make sure we all take in plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, get enough protein, etc. Oh, and it gets worse. We drink raw milk, make yogurt with raw milk, and drink fruit and spinach smoothies with it in the mornings. I guess where I was really running into trouble was in between the healthy meals. So anyway, long story short, I've been cutting out anything that can feed candida (thrush)--sugar, in all it's forms--even limiting fruit to one serving a day, yeast (beer, bread), and most wheat flour. Has it been fun? No. I don't plan to make it the way I eat for my whole life, though I've learned alot about ways that I should amend my eating habits. But to tell you the truth...I feel great. Also, I'm losing weight like crazy?! Didn't really expect or intend to encounter either of those things, but I guess they're a nice bonus. Aside from that, Peter is teething quite painfully. Ambrose teethed very effortlessly for the most part, so this is a new one for me. My next big project around here is to move the TV out of the den and into...dun dun da DAH...the basement. Fortunately, we don't have much of a TV habit around here. We don't have cable or satellite or even any local channels, but ever since Peter was born I've been more inclined to use movies to entertain Ambrose during the day--which isn't a problem in and of itself, I've realized. The larger problem is that I usually resort to the TV as a big, huge parenting cop-out. There are some days that I would rather not spend the morning toting him around while I do chores, or sit on the couch reading "Old Hat, New Hat" fifteen times in a row, or promptly disciplining him for any number of offenses, so I just pop a movie in. Too easy. We have a small, 13-inch tv/dvd player combo in our bedroom closet for the occasional rainy day. But I'm pretty intent on keeping it to just that, at least for a long time. Anyhoo, I've been a big slacker about taking pictures lately. I'll get some up soon.

Back in good health here! Healthy enough to blog, even. For those who asked, I did end up taking another round of antibiotics. Lord willing, I can steer clear of those for awhile. Ugh. As predicted, Peter did get thrush again. I'm learning so well that you have to be absolutely militant when warding off yeast, but hopefully it's gone for good now. As a result, however, I've become a total probiotics fanatic. I know, I never thought I'd be the granola girl who did all this weird stuff either. And maybe I'm still not, yet. Anyhow, I've started making my own kefir and my own yogurt, which are both really great sources for good bacteria and excellent tools for rebuilding the immune system. Plus, they make great smoothies. (Banana + a handful of frozen berries + a cup of yogurt= 1 delicious breakfast) The boys. You know, I was just about to write "the boys are getting so big" or "the boys are doing so well", but really, how cliche. Truthfully, the boys are not getting so big. They are so small. They're tiny. They barely understand English, and often times behave in a similar fashion as monkeys or small puppies. I'm not saying that because I don't like them, or because I'm not enjoying my life, or because I want someone to feel sorry for me. I'm just saying it because that is the real truth. Sure, they are incredibly cute. They are precious, and I always, always, always have someone to cuddle with. It is adorable. But they're not getting "so big", and they're certainly not doing it "so quickly". When they're 20, I'll tell you about how big they are, and maybe then I'll be able to tell you something about how fast it goes. But right now, the minutes and hours are so much longer than the weeks and years. On that note, I really am having a good time with them. It's fun to see them interact, even if it is only on a very basic level. Peter always gets a kick out of Ambrose, and Ambrose is continually growing more fond of his little brother. He's falling into the Protective Older Brother roll quite well. It distresses him to see his brother being held by strangers, and is even more distressed when he cries. I'm going to leave you with this sweet video of Peter's first giggles. (Which of course were not for me, but for Renata who is an expert at peek-a-boo). Foolishly, I filmed it sideways, so yeah, they're upside down. Anyone know what software I could use to flip it?? Anyhow, just tilt your head for now. :)