Gluten Free Goodness is Trial and Error #2

Gluten free products are hit and miss for tasre and texture and living in a small town makes finding good gluten free products even harder.

Hodgson Mills Muffins: I tried the apple cinnamon version.  They have a good texture and are pretty goid, but denser than non-gf brands. I did add extra cinnamon to my muffins.

Glutino White Bread: good, but better toasted. In fact, toasted I couldnt tell it was any different from non-gf bread.

Schar White Bread, Hamburger buns, and Hot Dogs: Really good bread. Hot dog and hamburger buns are some of the best gluten free options I have found. 

Zena's Gluten Free Chocolate Chip cookies: I did not like these at all. The texture is good, but they have an odd aftertaste.

Enjoylife  Sunbutter Chewy Crunch bars: terrible texture and flavor. I couldnt even choke down a second bite.

King Arthur Muffin Mix: I added blueberries.  I think these would have been great,  but I used too many berries and I think it threw the texture off. I bought anotger box and I expect my 2nd attempt will have better results.

Glutino Table Crackers: amazing substitute for saltines! Love these crackers!

Nursery Organization (Chest and Dresser/Changing Table)

I plan to post a full blog on our nursery design, description, product information, and the amazing job my husband did making my vision come to life.  However, since I am still waiting on a few things to arrive (they should be here by the first of next week) and I really want to put something together, I am going to go ahead and write this post about my attempt to organize the nursery.  I am aware that once Genevieve arrives, things will probably change, but this is at least a good start.

Furniture: Crib, Chest, and Double Dresser from the Baby Cache Montana collection in Driftwood Purchased at Babies R Us, Baskets inside double dresser purchased from Dollar Tree, Aqua decorative drawers with starfish purchased at Home Goods, Diaper Caddy in Coral and Grey (size XL)purchased on Etsy from Yoon1206greene.

Chest

Top Drawer

This drawer has burp cloths, receiving blankets, and bibs.  I need to get a few more burp cloths at this point.  The embroidered burp cloths were a gift, so Im not sure who made  them, but I do believe the were purchased from Etsy.

Second Drawer

This drawer has changing pad covers, mattress pads, sheet savers, sheets, pack n play sheets, cradle sheets, and bassinet sheets.  My husband built my cradle and the mattress is made of foam core and not a standard size.  I ordered the sheets for it from Birdshaveflowers.

Third Drawer

This drawer is stuffed full of blankets!  The blankets on the right side were made by my Great Grandmother for me when I was a baby.

Fourth Drawer

This drawer has only two blankets in it because they are both super plush and large.  The top one in this photo was made for me by my grandmother and given to me at my baby shower.

Double Dresser / Changing Table (I havent put the changing pad on it yet)

The following pictures start with the top of the dresser and then move on the drawers in order from left to right.

Starfish Drawer Tower

I had trouble decided what to do with this drawer tower, but its so pretty and I really love it. Right now the top drawer is empty, but I think I will put alcohol pads in it.  The 2nd drawer has cotton pads.  The 3rd drawer has baby q-tips.  The 4th has small binder clips.  These may seem odd, but right now I am using them to clip socks together in matches.  Most of her socks have patterns on them and they are so small that if I fold them I cant see the design.  This may become more trouble than its worth, but its my current solution.

Misc. Plastic Bins

These bins are really random, but right now they are holding things that I couldnt decide where else to put.  In the first basket I have a sample surface cleaner from Honest Company, a few pens, a notepad, and some hand sanitizer.  The smaller basket in the corner has baby coupons in it.

Diaper Caddy

I ordered this diaper caddy from Etsy and the fabric perfectly matches my crib bedding.  In the left side I have tissues, nursing pads, and pacifiers. The middle section has baby wipes, baby lotion (Shea Moisture), and diaper rash cream (Aquaphor).  The last section has 20 newborn diapers in it. 

First Drawer

This drawer contains baby hats, mittens, headbands, hairbows, tights, diaper covers, 0-6 month socks (back), and newborn socks (front).

Second Drawer

This drawer has travel wipes, extra diaper disposal bags, Nose Frieda, Boogie Wipes, baby meds, non-latex gloves (I figure if we end up wanting to use diaper cream in a tub instead of a squeeze tube, I wont want to contaminate the jar), baby grooming supplies, pacifiers, and extra diapers.

Third Drawer

This drawer had newborn sleepers and gowns on the left and 0-3 month sleepers on the right.

Fourth Drawer

The left side of this drawer has newborn pants and onesies and the right side has 0-3 onesies and pants. 

Fifth Drawer

This drawer is an oddball.  Right now it has items that I cant hang in the closet, but that Genevieve wont be using for several months.  It has larger socks, a bottle leash, a large size sleep sack, onsies and hats for 6 months and older.

Sixth Drawer

I wanted to put these items in the chest, but I ran out of room.  On the left side are my muslin swaddle blankets and on the right side is my Woombies and swaddle wraps that fasten closed.

Our Birth Plan

We will be delivering Genevieve in Little Rock at Baptist Hospital, which is about an hour from our home.  This makes me nervous and probably has me over preparing for her arrival. I have attended all the classes my hospital offers and I have read several pregnancy and labor related books.  I feel like having a written plan will make me more comfortable about the process, and even though I know that my plan is only a guide to be used and cannot be guaranteed by my medical professionals, it still makes me feel better to have all my thoughts in one place.

Our Birth Plan

The Graves Family Birth Plan 

Mother-to-be: Ashley Kendall Graves 

Partner: William Michael Graves 

Due Date: August 5, 2014 

Practitioner: Jenny Gregory  

Baby's Name: Genevieve Estelle Graves

Hello, Michael and I have been together for 5 years and we are excited and nervous to be welcoming our first child, Genevieve Estelle, into the world. We live with 3 dogs who have been our babies up until this point, so we hope they adjust well. 

I am a Librarian and Michael is an Engineer, so by nature we both like information. We would prefer to be given all the information possible about every step in the labor and birth process. We consider ourselves fairly well informed, as we have attended the hospital classes and read several books, but please assume we want to know more! 

I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis for which I take .150 mcg of Synthroid and I eat a gluten free diet. 

For the most part we want the standard treatment provided by the hospital, but we do want to be included in the decision making processes. There are a few things that we do have options on, and while we know that the health and safety of our daughter may cause changes in our plan, we would appreciate consideration of our preferences. 

Key Points: 

1.) My husband and I want to be the only non-medical persons present at the birth, visitors are welcome during labor and after delivery. 

2.) We want at least an hour to bond with our daughter after delivery, and after that we are willing to have guests again. 

3.) Please preform all medical interventions (shots, tests, etc) as soon as possible to ease our minds and prevent interruptions in our bonding. 

4.) My husband wishes to cut the cord, but other than that, neither one of us wishes to watch the delivery happen (ie. no mirrors). 

5.) Please wipe off our daughter before handing her to us, after the delivery. 

6.) We plan to breastfeed, so please do not give our daughter formula or other supplements without asking us first. 

7.) We are non-smokers and do not wish our baby to be exposed to the by-products of smoking. We ask that any smoker wash their hands after each cigarette and that they brush their teeth as well. We have purchased several toothbrushes and toothbrush cases to provide to all those who may need them (we know this is an odd request). 

8.) We have brought our own toiletry products for our daughter and we wish them to be used over the products provided by the hospital (lotion, wash, and wipes).  

9.) We plan to donate the baby's cord blood through the Cord Blood Bank of Arkansas and we have the collection kit with us.

Preferences:

First Stage (Labor):

* Clear fluids.
* Ice chips.
* Please offer me pain medication, as soon as possible.
* Regular Epidural 

Second Stage (Birth):

* I would prefer to tear than have an episiotomy, but please use compresses, massage and positioning. * Cord Blood Donation * No mirror

Baby Care:

* Prefer partner to cut the cord. * Immediate medical treatments * Breast feeding only
* No formula or glucose water 

Other Baby Care Requests:

* Use the toiletry products we brought with us * Brush teeth and wash hands after tobacco use

Medical Needs: Ashley has Hashimoto's and takes .150 mcg of Synthroid and eats a gluten free diet.