Just call me foolish

I sampled a bit of the whipped cream frosting I made for AJ's parsnip cake last night. When that started making me feel bad a few minutes later, I ate a little plain yogurt. I can usually tolerate small amounts of yogurt so I thought the cultures in it might help my body break down the cream.

What was I thinking?

I spent the night being horribly ill.

Since my symptoms with cream and yogurt are usually just generalized itching a few days later, and maybe a stomachache and lactose-intolerance-like symptoms, this caught me by surprise. I had eaten yogurt with no ill effects at all earlier in the week. I still haven't been sure whether I have an actual milk allergy or just lactose intolerance. Both cream and yogurt are low in lactose.

I can tell you this, though--I hugely regretted my decision to try the cream and yogurt this time. Hopefully this will squelch my cravings for dairy products for good.

I don't know for sure what's going on. I think my stomach is still sensitive after having that intestinal virus on Valentine's Day.

Still, 2 weeks of nausea does make a person wonder . . . especially in combination with this.

######################



The pregnancy test I took yesterday evening was negative.

I would have been happy either way, although we've been very careful to try to avoid pregnancy because of health reasons (my doctors were already suggesting weaning, and have told me it's important to avoid pregnancy for my own health right now).

If I was pregnant right now I would be really worried about the health of the baby, not to mention the decisions I'd have to make about weaning Baby E. There just aren't any vitamin supplements I've been able to find that I can take while nursing. But there are no formulas on the market she can have (expect possibly the one elemental formula that's HUGELY expensive and tastes terrible), and her doctor wants her to stay on either breastmilk or formula because she needs the nutrition.

My being underweight and on such a limited diet without being able to take prenatal vitamins would certainly not be optimal for a healthy pregnancy.

Still, part of me was a little sad when I saw the negative result on the test.

If ovulation took place around day 37, as looks possible from the chart (though very unusual for me--normally it's around day 14-16), AF should be arriving in about a week.

This morning I have mild generalized itching and I still feel pretty sick and have intestinal symptoms (though thankfully no more vomiting).

I thought about trying to take Baby E's Benadryl again (I tried to take some last night and couldn't keep it down). But it makes me so tired, and we're going to have about 15 kids here for a birthday party in 3 hours.

Bless DH, he is so sweet. By the time it became obvious I was in no shape to make the birthday cake last night, he said he would do it. The poor guy stayed up until 3:30 AM working on getting ready for the party while I was glued to the bathroom.

The cake smelled delicious with my water-extract vanilla in it. I just ground up the outer shell of a vanilla bean in the coffee grinder and simmered it in water for a few hours, then refrigerated the mixture. DH strained it and used the liquid in the amount called for in the recipe. It smelled very vanilla-y and DH said the bit stuck to the pan tasted great and that the cake turned out well. I'll make some frosting (with some of the vanilla seeds mixed in) and decorate the cake today.

We did end up giving up on making a cake Baby E and I could eat for the party. It's free of her actual allergens (as long as the King Arthur all-purpose flour is truly corn-free), but it has butter and eggs in it. We're just avoiding dairy products and eggs for the time being because they tend to be allergenic, not because she's actually allergic to them.

A crumb of the vanilla cake won't make Baby E sick if she happens to get one, and she can eat the leftover parsnip cake from last night. I'll make a gluten-free, corn-free, soy-free, egg-free, dairy-free cake for the family gathering tomorrow.

For myself, I don't think I'll be wanting any cake for a while.