Harder than I planned.

I envisioned nightly blogging sessions where I would sit back and gloriously write about anything and everything Vegan related. HA. I think I may have to settle for twice per week updates. I'm not disappointed or surprised.
Day four of vegan living has produced one noticeable change, my baby no longer seems to need his reflux medication. On just the second day of my challenge, his spitting up subsided drastically. I didn't give him meds yesterday or today and he seems just fine. I am wondering if his spitting up was more a product of my dairy consumption than anything else. I will keep an eye on it and see.
My boys, husband, dogs and I are back in Colorado, following a two week trip to Minnesota to see family. It was a wonderful time. As with most family events the center of attention was... FOOD. Being from a non-vegetarian family and extremely meat-eating clan of relatives I am used to feeling left out of the family food fun. Usually I am torn, when the smell of turkey fills the room and the delicious ham is the talk of the table. Part of me feels relieved that I no longer eat the meat, but the other part feels like a traitor. Like I am abandoning long-standing family traditions, abandoning the bonding that happens over a well-cooked steak. I can appreciate the joke. That I am the crazy, veggie eating sister, but sometimes crazy is a lonely place to be at the dinner table. It's never been that big of a deal though- mostly just an inconvenience.
In the several years that I have been a vegetarian, I did have one thing in common with my family- DESSERT! Even if we didn't have the same main dish, we always shared the best part. Dessert is a big deal in my family. We have it after every dinner and without it, dinner doesn't seem complete. In fact, my mom and I are notorious for eating dessert for breakfast. We set aside a couple of homemade chocolate chip cookies for the morning. Nothing like cookies and coffee to get you going in the morning (and produce a huge sugar crash right before lunch).
The first three days of my Vegan Challenge I was back home with my family. I passed on Christmas cookies at the New Years party, waffle cookies that my mom made "just because" and the traditional Turtle Latte I usually drink with Mom because turtle lattes are just no good with soy. I think I "passed" because I am feeling a little energized by the newness of this thing- I honestly cannot say that had I been three months in I would have had the self-control to say "no thanks."
I am excited to be back home and in control of what I buy and cook, away from the peer pressure that is my family. Thankfully I have a husband who is a good sport about my food choices. Although I have been rather inconsistent in the past regarding what I eat and don't eat... example: the hundreds of sugar free diets I have started and stopped. He has grown accustomed to my craziness and to be honest I don't think it has ever bothered him. Except maybe the time that I refused to buy or serve pork for about six months. He pretended that he didn't care, but I am certain he loved me most the night I caved and he came home to pork chops in the oven. Having a circle of support that doesn't think you are entirely too ridiculous is an important thing anything you make a change. I am blessed to have my husband.
I am excited and nervous to see how a vegan diet will change my grocery list, recipes and dessert options. Just as I am excited to see how this new way of living changes my relationships with family, friends and me. Grocery shopping commences tomorrow. Yay.