A blog about the daily life of our family with a preschooler and infant with food allergies
We have created a fundraising team in Bailey's honor. Join us for the FAAN Food Allergy Walk in San Diego, CA. If you live far away, you can create your own team or walk as an individual in many of the other locations around the country. If you can't walk any donation will be appreciated. Every little bit helps. Check out our team page.
When: Saturday November 6, 2010 (check in at 9 starts at 10)
Where: De Anza Cove, Mission Bay, 3000 East Mission Bay Drive, San Diego, CA 92109
Distance: Only 2 miles!
Who: You! Bring the kiddos. Strollers are allowed. You must register them as well.
We had been waiting for what seemed like eternity before we got to see the allergist. The initial appointment went well and we scheduled a follow up for testing. We went in almost 2 weeks ago and did a skin test for egg, milk, peanut, soy, wheat, oats, corn, and melon. The good news is that she only tested positive to egg, milk, and peanut. Now tomorrow we get to go meet with the allergist again. This is when we will get an action plan and decided what we will do to help her avoid these allergens while still providing a healthy diet.
The process of the test was very interesting. First they looked at her skin to make sure she wasn't currently having any reactions and then cleaned her back. Some times they do the test on the forearm, but because of her age it was better to do it on her back. The nurse used a pen to place dots on her back. The sample will be placed next to each dot, this helps them track what reaction belongs to which sample. She then took this plastic piece that had a metal tip on it and dipped it into a liquid solution that contained the allergen. She tapped this against her skin. She did the first set of testing in 2 columns. The first--left--column consisted of saline (no one should react to this), Histamine (everyone should react), egg, and milk. The second--right--column was peanut and soy. Within moments she showed a reaction to the histamine and peanut.
She got to play for about 20 minutes until they read the test. After just 10 minutes she had what they called "satellite hives" from the peanut and a reaction to egg was beginning.
About 5 minutes later, or 15 minutes into the test, a small reaction to milk began.
Once the timer went off the nurse measured each of her reactions and then cleaned everything off. She also applied a topical anti-itch cream. Then they started the second set of testing. This was done on the right side of her back. They tested for wheat, oat, corn and melon. All of these were negative. This is what it looked like when we were all done.
Overall, we are excited to report that she can eat wheat, but the peanut one seems the worst. Luckily her three allergies are in the top 8 category so by law the labels must clearly label these items.
Well the coconut milk yogurt did turn out but she didn't care for it too much. We'll try again when she is older.
Tonight she tried watermelon for the first time. She liked it pretty good. Unfortunately, after a few bites she got red all around her mouth. Not sure if this is just sensitive skin or if it's an allergy. I'll log it and see what the doctor says in July.
Here was diner tonight
Laughing at Connor
Showing me his watermelon
Looking cute
Already a trouble maker.... grabbing Connor on his way to wash up
So over the weekend I tried making the coconut milk yogurt that I had posted about. It was a total fail! I woke up in the morning to soup. So tonight I am trying again! This time it's a different recipe and is already working much better. Here's the blog that I found it on: Kathy's Recipe Box. To make it, it cost me about $2.50 and I will have about 28oz of yogurt. This will save me about $5.00. It ends up being about equal to getting regular yogurt on sale or $0.53 for a 6oz serving. We'll see tomorrow how it worked.
I have been asked why feeding Bailey yogurt is so important to me. Here are so reasons why foods with probiotics are good for your health:
Good bacteria make vitamins our bodies need and utilize such as B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, A and K.
Good bacteria produce essential fatty acids
Good bacteria digest lactose
Good bacteria regulates peristalsis and bowel movements
Good bacteria digests protein into amino acids
Good bacteria produce antibiotics and antifungals which prevent colonization and growth of bad bacteria and yeast/fungus
Good bacteria support the immune system and increase the number of immune cells.
Good bacteria balance intestinal pH.
Good bacteria break down bacterial toxins
Good bacteria have anti-tumor and anti-cancer effects.
Good bacteria protects us against environmental toxins like mercury, pesticides, pollution and radiation
Good bacteria break down and rebuild hormones
Good bacteria help normalize serum cholesterol and triglycerides
Anything that can do this for our bodies is worth eating. Since she can't have regular yogurt, I feel that I need to provide her with something that can help her just the same.
This morning we went to the ballpark even though they weren't playing. Connor would have really enjoyed seeing a game, but that's for in a few weeks. We had a blast, enjoying the sunshine and the fresh air.
Laughing at me as a I said "Say Cheese!"
A perfect smile!
Playing with the Baby in the mirror while mommy got ready
Enjoying time with Grandma
Climbing around and not wanting to have his picture taken
For months I've wanted Bailey's doctor to take my concerns over her food reactions seriously. He previously told me that unless she had a life threatening reaction he would not refer us to an allergist and that at one they could do blood work, but it's not accurate and it would just be to please me. I battled with the idea of switching doctors for several weeks before I finally bit the bullet and called an allergist's office. I asked the nurse what pediatricians typically refer to them and they gave me the number for Dr. Snyder. I called the insurance, made the change, and immediately called the new doctor. Our benefits were effective June 1 and the appointment was scheduled for June 2. I made an appointment for both kids.
Yesterday was finally the day we had been waiting for. Dr. Snyder was great! He took about an hour talking to me about both of the kids. Connor's lungs sounded good and his allergies looked good. He did here what he thinks is a functional heart murmur, so he is sending us to a cardiologist. He was very surprised at the fact that Bailey had never seen anyone for her potential allergies. So he is sending us to an allergist for further testing and treatment. He also talked to me about her constant constipation and agreed that using the flax seed meal in her breakfast is the best treatment for her. It seems to be working for her and we are trying to figure out how to get Connor to eat some on a regular basis too.
On the reaction front, we had another problem I'm thinking it is a reaction to quinoa. Unfortunately this this grain is used in many alternative items for those who can't have gluten.
This is what we tried
Poor planning on my part caused me to not only give her this but also So Delicious Coconut Milk on the same day. I made the mistake of thinking that a pass on the yogurt would also be pass on the milk. Now we are waiting for her tummy and skin to clear up so we figure out which was the culprit.
Memorial Day marks the beginning of summer for most people. Although we will still face some "June Gloom" it is officially pool season! This was Bailey's first swim of the year and Connor's first time in pool since becoming so good at it last year.
Here they are before getting in. Both wearing new bathing suits.
The water was a bit cold for Bailey but she had a blast riding in the floating turtle and splashing around. Connor wore his goggles and arm floaties. He jumped in without holding hands and practiced paddling his arms and kicking his feet.
Afterward, Connor passed out watching Special Agent Oso and Bailey took an excellent nap. Bailey also showed off her new skills as she played in her excersaucer.
Bailey's breakfast has been the same for many months. Pears or prunes (sometimes both) with rice cereal. Every time I think that we might be able to move away from the constipating rice she reacts to the food. So oatmeal and barley cereals are both out. While I was at the Sprouts last night picking up my yogurt making supplies I also bought several different Gluten-Free foods for her to try. One thing I picked up was Cream of Buckwheat. Buckwheat is from a flower and is in no way related to wheat. This makes it a great food for those with Celiacs or with gluten/wheat allergies.
I made up a two servings for her, it took about 15 minutes total for me to cook it. I gave her 4 tbps mixed with her fruits. I froze the rest into ice cubes. For breakfasts she can have 2 cubes in place of her rice. Unfortunately, if the foods are still too runny I will have to add some cereal. This in addition to the flax seed meal I've been putting in her breakfast hopefully with help with her tummy.
Things have been so busy around here that last several months. My original plan to post daily has obviously not been happening. So here I am, ready to go.
So much has happened in the last few months. Starting with Connor... He is finally out of the crib and now is a very early riser. I can't wait for him to learn how to sleep in! He is going to speech twice a week and you can tell that his is getting better. For months he has been working on his "S" words (like stop, snake, stool, smell, etc.) and now he can say them correctly in conversations and can catch himself when he says it wrong. Now they are working with him on the sounds of the letter "L," "K," "C," and "G" as well as putting the ending sounds on words like "cup". We are applying for preschool for the fall and are hopping that he will get a spot in the State Preschool program.
Bailey is now 8 1/2 months old. She is crawling, pulling up to stand, and eating big kid foods. Foods have been a real problem for us. Currently she can't have dairy, gluten, oats, and legumes (including a possible peanut allergy). Nothing is diagnosed yet but she has had reactions to all these foods. Luckily for her I make most of her foods and have been fortunate enough to find blogs of those moms who are going through this as well. From those blogs I have made my own teething biscuits and will be making yogurt. We tried regular whole milk yogurt for her about 1 month ago and she had such a bad tummy ache. She was spitting up, got a rash, and had trouble sleeping. This week we tried Coconut Milk Yogurt. It was great! She loved it, had no reaction, and dad approved of it as well. I'm so glad that she loves it, but I don't love the price. At almost $2 for a 6oz container I can't afford to keep it in the house for her. Thankfully the internet came to my rescue again. I found a great recipe for allergy free crockpot yogurt. This is an adaption from this whole milk yogurt recipe. I'm gearing up to make my own Coconut Milk Yogurt that will hopefully taste as good or better than the $2 version. As for the professional side of these lovely food troubles, we see a new pediatrician on Wednesday. Hopefully he will be able to answer our questions and send us to see a pediatric allergist who can give us some guidance to these intolerances or allergies which ever it happens to be. Looks like she'll be my sensitive one!
Today was the first day of the new year that we got out of the house for some fun. We took the kids to the lake to walk, using our new pedometers, feed the ducks, and play a the park. Boy were we wiped! But I feel great, I love how awesome it feels to know that we got out and did something good for us.
Bailey waiting to get out of the house... guess she's gotta get buckled from now on!
I found this in an email today and it made me tear up...
We are sitting at lunch when my daughter casually mentions that she and her husband are thinking of "starting a family." "We're taking a survey," she says, half-joking. "Do you think I should have a baby?" "It will change your life," I say, carefully keeping my tone neutral. "I know," she says, "no more sleeping in on weekends, no more spontaneous vacations...."
But, that is not what I meant at all. I look at my daughter, trying to decide what to tell her. I want her to know what she will never learn in childbirth classes. I want to tell her that the physical wounds of child bearing will heal, but that becoming a mother will leave her with an emotional wound so raw that she will forever be vulnerable. I consider warning her that she will never again read a newspaper without asking, "What if that had MY child?" That every plane crash, every house fire will haunt her. That when she sees pictures of starving children, she will wonder if anything could be worse than watching your child die. I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and think that no matter how sophisticated she is, becoming a mother will reduce her to the primitive level of a bear protecting her cub. That an urgent call of "Mom!" will cause her to drop a soufflé or her best crystal without a moment's hesitation.
I feel I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally derailed by motherhood. She might arrange for childcare, but one day she will be going into an important business meeting and she will think of her baby's sweet smell.
She will have to use every ounce of her discipline to keep from running home, just to make sure her baby is all right. I want my daughter to know that everyday decisions will no longer be routine. That a five year old boy's desire to go to the men's room rather than the women's at McDonald's will become a major dilemma. That right there, in the midst of clattering trays and screaming children, issues of independence and gender identity will be weighed against the prospect that a child molester may be lurking in that restroom.
However decisive she may be at the office, she will second-guess herself constantly as a mother. Looking at my attractive daughter, I want to assure her that eventually she will shed the pounds of pregnancy, but she will never feel the same about herself. That her life, now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a child. That she would give it up in a moment to save her offspring, but will also begin to hope for more years -- not to accomplish her own dreams, but to watch her child accomplish theirs.
I want her to know that a cesarean scar or shiny stretch marks will become badges of honor. My daughter's relationship with her husband will change, but not in the way she thinks. I wish she could understand how much more you can love a man who is careful to powder the baby or who never hesitates to play with his child. I think she should know that she will fall in love with him again for reasons she would now find very unromantic.
I wish my daughter could sense the bond she will feel with women throughout history who have tried to stop war, prejudice and drunk driving. I hope she will understand why I can think rationally about most issues, but become temporarily insane when I discuss the threat of nuclear war to my children's future.
I want to describe to my daughter the exhilaration of seeing your child learn to ride a bike. I want to capture for her the belly laugh of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog or a cat for the first time. I want her to taste the joy that is so real it actually hurts. My daughter's quizzical look makes me realize that tears have formed in my eyes. "You'll never regret it," I finally say. Then I reach across the table, squeeze my daughter's hand and offer a silent prayer for her, and for me, and for all of the mere mortal women who stumble their way into this most wonderful of callings.
There are many things that I want to achieve this year. One of those is getting more active! So tonight after Zach left for the day I took Connor on a walk around our block. Unfortunately, it was already dark, but we still enjoyed ourselves. After I'm all healed up I'm hoping for regular walks to the park, car show, mall, or even Grandma's house! It's fun just walking around living life through a 3-year-old. He stopped to look at everyone's houses, questioning why we don't live there. He looked at street lights, the orange motorcycle parked on the street, the fire hydrant was a big hit. After I took his picture posing with the fire hydrant he couldn't figure out why I didn't want is picture with the other 4 we saw on our block. We talked about why we don't need to eat diner at the Mexican place that was around the corner and whether monsters are real or pretend. Here are our pictures.
Bailey wasn't a surprise baby. We knew from the time Connor was born that when he turned two we would begin to try for our second. I got pregnant the first month that we were trying. It's amazing how long 9 months feels when you know about it from the very beginning. Our due date was set for September 25. I didn't think that I could make it til the 20 week appointment to find out if we were having a girl or boy. Finally the day came. We found out that we were indeed having a little girl! It took a while to choose a name, but we just fell in love with the name Bailey (and hearing Connor say it was too cute). This pregnancy wasn't so easy. I found out at 28 weeks that I had Gestational Diabetes. Luckily, I was able to control it through diet only. At 36 weeks we set an induction date of the 15th to hopefully prevent her from getting too big (a side effect of the diabetes).
We checked into the hospital at 6:00am on the 15th. This time, instead of the whole family sitting around waiting I sent daddy and auntie to work. It was just my mom and me for the morning. We talked, watched movies, and just enjoyed the together time. Finally the contractions hit and I got an epidural. Things progressed nicely. After only 15 hours, Bailey Anne was born at 9:09pm on September 15, 2009.
She is such a different baby than Connor. She is easy going, rarely cries, and has slept through night since she was 5 weeks old.
Connor was our little surprise. A few weeks after we returned from our honeymoon in Hawaii, I woke up with a strange feeling. Turns out, I was pregnant! A few weeks later at the first ultrasound, we were shocked to find out that I was already 25 weeks pregnant! We learned that day that we would be having a baby boy, due on November 23, Thanksgiving Day. My pregnancy was uneventful. In the end, I was having contractions for a few days, nothing regular, so my OB scheduled an induction for Saturday the 25th at 6:30am. We checked in and got things rolling. Thankfully, with the pitocin-epidural cocktail (as my mom calls it), I had an easy labor and after 17 1/2 hours I delivered 7lb 14oz Connor William at 12:05am November 26, 2006.
He grew quickly, as they all do, and is now a 3-year-old who things he rules the world! He has been the light of our lives and continues to remind me of how fun life can be.
As I was ringing in the New Year, a new decade, I realized there are so many things I want to accomplish in the coming days, weeks, months, and years. A blog is something I've wanted to keep since Connor was born over 3 years ago. I wanted a place to document our daily life, exciting events, and milestones reached. I wanted a way to include our family that lives farther away in our lives. Now with the beginning of 2010 I have finally decided that this is the year to accomplish this! So welcome to our world!
I am a 20-something, stay at home mom to the two greatest kids in the world. Connor is my chatter box and social butterfly. He makes friends every where he goes and always has something to say. Bailey is our little princess. She has several severe food allergies, including peanuts, milk, and egg. Even with her daily food challenges, she is easy going.
