This is the second post in a four-part series on 37 things I’m grateful for on my 37th birthday. If you missed Part 1, you can check it out here.

10) Paleo Vegan food bloggers on Pinterest
Lady Bug’s allergies mean we don’t eat wheat, dairy, nuts, or eggs. For a while we were avoiding soy, too. Food bloggers are my dinner angels. Without them, we’d probably be eating chicken, rice, and broccoli every. single. night.

11)Sushi
Because food bloggers (see #10) made me think of food which made me think of sushi and I love sushi. Thankfully, Dan does too, and there are some great sushi places in Boulder.

12)Gluten-free soy sauce
See allergy situation as noted in  #10. Also see #11. Although we were avoiding soy for a while, we have re-introduced it in small amounts with no issues.

13)Our naturopath
Lady Bug, who is now 17 months old, was 12 months old when we met Dr. Malcolm. Less than three days following our first appointment, Lady Bug was  a different child. For four months, she’d been on a daily dose of a prescription antihistamine for her chronic congestion. We were also giving her prescription steroid creams as needed (albeit reluctantly), for her eczema. The naturopath told us to take her off the prescriptions. She put Lady Bug on a regimen of a homeopathic remedy, glutamine powder and a probiotic. In less than a week, her congestion cleared up 100% (and has yet to return), and her skin felt baby soft for the first time since she was about eight weeks old.

14) National Jewish Health
There’s certainly a time and a place for western medicine. National Jewish has been wonderful. A human alwyas answers the phone when you call. The phone nurses are kind and knowledgeable. When you have an appointment, they run on time.

15) Allergies
Because Lady Bug has allergies, and we were able to identify them, we can avoid them, and keep her healthy. While I wouldn’t have ever hoped for my child to have allergies, it’s a relief to have a diagnosis. People in the allergy community have been beyond helpful, especially when we first got the diagnosis and I was freaking out. Also, it has been surprisingly fun to try all kinds of new recipes, and to find that it’s not that difficult to avoid wheat, dairy, eggs, and nuts (except almonds); I’ve just had to be creative.

16) Kim and Jake’s Cakes
This local gluten-free bakery consistently carries treats that are vegan, as well, which we need because of Lady Bug’s dairy and egg allergies, along with her sensitivity to gluten. Their stuff is scrumptious. No one can tell it’s not regular cake.

Clearly, Lady Bug doesn’t seem to mind an allergy-free cake.

17) Anyone who has had us over to dinner
If I’ve been to your house this year, I know I’ve been a royal pain the ass. I have to interrogate you. I might do this in advance, on the day of the event, or both. I can’t just go with the flow and eat whatever is being served and feed the baby whatever a person without molars can handle. Thanks for understanding that if I went with the flow, our baby would, at best, have an eczema flare or GI issues, and at worst, require emergency medical attention.

18) My book club
We four ladies have been meeting every month, without fail, for over a year. Attendance has been 100%. I think we all deserve a gold star for that. If you listen to Gretchen Rubin’s Happier podcast,you know exactly what I mean.
18a) Thanks to whoever turned me on to this podcast… I think it was my friend Nina.

19) Podcasts
They are free. They are fabulous. My favorites are Serial (you have no idea how excited I am about Season 2), Happier, and Beyond Your Blog. Did you know my flash fiction story was narrated in a British accent for the Mash Stories podcast!? And I was interviewed for Sarah Bagley’s podcast, which was a lot of fun. Actually the best part of being on Sarah’s podcast was it connected me to my friend Michele. If the stars align, and both kids fall asleep in the car simultaneously,  two of the few podcasts Dan and I both enjoy are On Being and Smart Passive Income.

20) Dan
Speaking of Dan… He’s a partner in every sense of the word. From the first day we met, he has encouraged me to write. Before he even asked me on a proper date, he admitted he googled me, found my blog, and found it hilarious. If I were left to my own devices, I’d be making excuses about why I’m not writing more, and working at the hospital on Saturdays. Because of Dan’s unwavering support (emotionally and especially financially), I’ve been able to explore my dream of getting paid to write.

21) Staying home with my kids
It’s the best thing and the worst thing, usually within the same 2 minute period. It is monotonous and unbelievably rich at the exact same time. I feel so lucky to have the option to be the primary one to manage the crazy, kiss the boo-boos, cut the meat, peel the bananas, read the stories, receive the kisses, hear the giggles, and even to issue all the empty threats. The other day, I may or may not have whisper-yelled (a skill you master when you have two kids when one is asleep and the other is driving you nuts), “GO TO YOUR ROOM NOW OR YOU’LL BE NAPPING WITH THE CHICKENS.”

22) Nap time.
Nap time is when I get things done. Usually it’s random emails, phone calls, or things pertaining to our house, our food, or my never-ending to-do list. Sometimes I fit in writing or something writerly (or a blog post, like right now). Once in a while, if Dan is working from home, I dash to an appointment or head out for a quick errand. Occasionally, I hop on the treadmill. About twice a year, I take a siesta. Sometimes the thing I get done is a few chapters of whatever I’m reading and I have only just recently given myself permission to do that. Dan told me he doesn’t understand why I get so uptight about Sweet Pea waking the baby during nap time. I didn’t understand why he didn’t understand this. So I broke it down in terms I hoped he could comprehend. “Imagine you’re working and You’ve set aside the hours of 2-4pm to work on a specific project. You are just getting in the groove of it. At 2:03 your boss tells you to stop working on that project, because she’s taking everyone out for a compulsory happy hour. Except instead of handing you a beer, she puts two screaming kids in your face.”

Stay tuned for the next installment…