jbuesch's Profile

Did someone just ask if the vegetarian eats fish? Last I checked, fish was meat.

Aw, we have this crib in stock in Portland, OR. Not much help, eh? Hope you find one near you!

I wouldn't trust America's Test Kitchen re: coffee in fridge or freezer. Professional baristas and coffee aficionados know that the oils in the coffee (which gives it body) are compromised when chilled. Condensation is also an issue. Freezing coffee is a LAST RESORT option and you should only remove the coffee ONCE- so no storing it there, taking it out, grinding some, putting the coffee back in and so forth each day.

I agree with tessamh. Automatic? That is definitely NOT something I want in an espresso machine. What's the point?

Oh no! @artoak it's the sniglar. I was mistaken by the title of this post. We have the Gulliver and Sniglar at our IKEA in Portland. No sundvik :-( I guess i need to brush up on my swedish product names!

I just picked up a beech Sundvik in Portland, Or. Hooray! They also had the Gulliver, both cribs were available in beech and white.

I think it is important to teach children to be grateful. I also think it is important, as parents, to filter what is brought into the home. Heading off a toy gun purchase (one example of a type of toy we are very much opposed to) before it is bought by having a conversation about it doesn't seem inappropriate to me. The child doesn't need to learn of the conversation, so I'm unsure how that is teaching them to be ungrateful? Now, if the toy gun is purchased and gifted without our knowledge, then I'd have a gentle conversation with my son about it after the fact, letting him know why he cannot keep it and we could come up with a solution (i.e. give it away.) I'd also follow up with the gift-giver to let them know that we don't accept toys like that.

I don't think it's rude, or sheltering, or "living in a bubble". I think it is about choosing what our values are and living with conviction. I would not want a well-meaning person to give my son meat as a treat either (we are vegetarian). Even on a playdate. Even if it was his grandma that he rarely sees. I don't see it as being all that different. We all have different values and rules.

That being said, there is a good way and a bad way of going about having those conversations or setting those guidelines.

First, the doc here really is wrong about her being "high-risk" for GD if she's already in her 3rd trimester. Testing for GD is done between weeks 24-28 of pregnancy (week 27 or 28 is usually considered 3rd trimester) so she either tested and failed, or she didn't. There's no "developing it later in pregnancy". If she was not diagnosed, then she can continue eating her diet and all is well. If she refused testing (a dumb thing to do because people without symptoms or reason to believe they are at risk can have it and it greatly increases risk of stillbirth) then maybe he is just trying to get her to test? But gestational diabetes usually corrects itself after the delivery of the placenta because it is a hormonal issue between the placenta and pancreas- it is not a lifestyle disease like many assume. It does increase risk of Type II diabetes later in life, both for the mother and the baby.

A previous poster was correct in that it is not about eating NO-carbs, in fact that would be very detrimental to her health. She needs to balance the carbs with other protein-rich foods and certainly LIMIT carbs, but GD moms NEED carbs to keep blood sugar levels high enough for mom and baby. The usual guideline is 1 carb at breakfast and for 2 snacks each day, 2 carbs at lunch, and 3 at dinner. (1 carb is 1 slice of bread, 1 small piece of fruit, 1 glass of milk, etc.)

I am 28.5 weeks pregnant and am not a professional, but have done a lot of research (b/c of an abnormal GTT result this time) and have talked with many, many GD moms about their diets, treatment, etc. Every doc is different but your friends' doc seems like he is using scare tactics. I'd recommend she get a second opinion of a doc as well as speak to a nutritional therapist.

We used the "What to Expect" First birthday cake recipe. It, along with a few other options, are listed on this website: http://www.grizzlybird.net/2007/01/babys-1st-birthday-cake-recipes.html

For the icing, I whipped up some organic whipping cream, colored it with a little powdered food dye, and spread it on the cake. It looked beautiful, and many party-goers ate it and thought it was delicious (though the sugar-laden cupcakes I made were even more yummy!)

My son loved it, it was basically a carrot cake sweetened with apple juice concentrate and applesauce. It tasted very apple-y, so you could substitute any kind of juice concentrate to mix up the flavors.

Enjoy!