u/Expensive_Ocelot_422

Keep in contact! My violin teacher from ages 5 to 18 has blossomed into a true friend as an adult. I see her any time I go home, we text at least once a week. And intermittently, I have done zoom lessons with her when my work schedule allows. She was one of the first people to get pictures of my kid when she was born.

I think since music so connected to our souls, the best teachers help shape who we are as people, and I think they also understand us better than many other people. After a particularly bad day at work, I called her and we played duets together on zoom, and let me tell you, she picked exactly the right music for the situation because she knows me so well.

All of that to say, it makes sense that you are deeply sad, our teachers can be truly formative parts of our lives!

We have ones from Sigikid that our kid loves like this bunny. I have also been eyeing this cute bear from bears for humanity

This was a great idea. Sadly all the vehicles have >170k miles on them

Curious why you would say highlander over Sienna? (like actually curious)

How would you do it with two dogs? One in the cargo space with the gear and one in the back seat? We can't fit them both on the back seat with the car seat. Does that leave enough room for gear?

Esembly aren't the best quality. If you want all natural fibers, I really suggest green mountain diapers. That being said, you might want a stay dry fabric made out of polyester for night time diapers. During the day, changing frequently can prevent rash, but I haven't found night time natural fibers to be ok because of the moisture against the skin, even with diaper cream.

Gluten free oat flour is your friend for baking anything. Almond flour is also great but has a lot of moisture so takes a little playing with to get the liquid content right.

One thing to note is that gluten free flours aren't fortified so pay attention to micronutrients.

I highly suggest making a bunch of muffins/cupcakes/cookies/etc and then freezing them in individual portions. That way if there is something going on, you can just pull one out of the freezer and your kiddo doesn't have to miss out on a treat. That way you don't have to buy premade foods with a bunch of additives.

Definitely recommend america's test kitchen (which somebody else already recommended) and gluten free on a shoestring.

We love thermos funtainers. You can replace the plastic inner straw with a stainless steel one from mason jar life. They don't leak at all if closed, and rarely leak if open.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4767258/ This is just one of many examples. But a lot of milestones, developmental diagnoses, etc guildelines are made around what to expect for boys. As a result, girls who present with delays, autism, etc differently are often diagnosed later. You might be seeing this difference because of what you proposed: we often ignore girls' developmental issues until later because we arelooking for the wrong things.

How much milk/breastmilk/formula is he taking? Sometimes at this age, too much milk will really hinder appetite.

Overall, I would stop stressing about meal times so much. Kids read off your stress and it can become too much of a battle. I would just relax and let it happen. You can ask the pediatrician for a weight check in like a month and that will tell if that makes him fall off the curve at all.

But in general, don't battle kids about eating. You can't win. Offer a safe food at every meal, and offer new foods. They don't have to eat it, but just sitting on their plate and seeing you eat it will increase their desire to try them over time. But no stress, no cajoling, no encouraging. It just gives kids weird dynamics around eating.

Thank you!!! This is amazing to know

Truer words!! Thank you for the reminder!!

It's not really anxiety, it's more just disappointment. I'm not worried about the outcome, just bummed to not be able to raise my kid in way I would want to. Grief more than anxiety. And I do have a wonderful therapist!

Thank you!!

Truth! Thanks!

It's true. It's not really getting upset about it, it's more being irked by it. Just when circumstance forces you to do things that aren't aligned with your ideals, it is a bummer.

It's so true that we just have to let go what we can't control

As for the TV, I wouldn't mind it if she was bored or fussy, but they do it when she is happy and chill! Plus, if she is bored, it is normally a sign we are ready to discharge!

Agreed! I find great irritation with the fact that as individuals we are worrying things like plastic waste and carbon emissions and then the governments and giant companies are the ones that could actually make a difference but don't.

So true.

Thank you!!

I also forgot oatmeal! We add boiling water to a thermos with oats, berries, nut butters, flax seeds etc (whatever toppings we have) and then by morning snack, the oats are cooked!

https://peasandcrayons.com/quinoa-black-bean-veggie-burgers/ Best veggie burger recipe known to man. You can skip the peppers or change to bell pepper if too spicy for your kid, but our kid likes the little bit of spice