Go Bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S!
My excitement is not as high as that fun cheer we learned as kids. It is with great hesitation and a sense of mommy guilt that I just fed Jake a few bites of banana. If he gets sick, it's my fault. Right?
HOWEVER, Jake has officially been signed up for preschool starting in August. The truth is I need to KNOW what is going to happen when he eats a banana, a rice crispy treat or a cheerio. Will he vomit profusely? Will his body go into shock? Or are we passed this and he can just smile and wave and go on his merry way eating whatever the h-e-double-hockey-sticks he wants?
We shall wait and find out.
P.S. I know it's been a year since I posted... what's the past year been like? A normal year. Jake turned three recently. Jake likes to do whatever his big siblings are doing, he loves to hike, play baseball, ride his bike, eat candy, smile, laugh, throw tantrums, test his boundaries, play with trains, superheroes, matchbox cars and tools. He would rather wear superhero costumes than any form of normal clothing.
P.P.S. I still check EVERY. SINGLE. ITEM. that goes in his mouth for rice, oats or bananas. He also knows he's allergic to them and before trying anything new he says "does this have oats in it Mama?", "do these fries have rice on them, Mama?". Kids are so dang smart.
Showing posts with label Jake. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jake. Show all posts
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Why can't I do it?
I haven't updated since December. So sorry. We had our appointment with the allergist in January. Jake had his patch test. We tested rice, oats, bananas and quinoa. Oats had a slight reaction, and we're talking very, very slight. ZERO reaction from the others.
Dr. S said we have the green light to orally challenge Jake. The green light has been on since the end of January. It's now April 8th. He said challenge bananas, then rice and oats last. If he passes, then we graduate and he hopes he never sees us again.
Why can't I do it? Why am I so afraid?
I look back and wonder if it was as bad as I remember it. Was he really that sick? Did he really turn that pale gray color and lie limp and helpless in my arms?
Jake's grown leaps and bounds. Well, he's very small (3% in height), but other than size, he has grown leaps and bounds. My once extremely shy, hide in mommy's shoulder or behind her legs, little guy actually said hi to a stranger yesterday. He rides his bike EVERYDAY. He drives his brother and sister crazy. He throws tantrums. He makes us laugh until we cry. He has strong opinions. He hasn't had a bad diaper in months.
Why can't I do it?
Jake turned two in February. Two. Time keeps moving forward. We celebrated with Elmo cupcakes and a ride on the train. He was thrilled. I still say "shhh.... the baby's sleeping" when he's napping. He's not a baby, anymore.
He can TELL me if he doesn't feel well.
Maybe this week. Maybe.
I will start with bananas. He knows he can't have them. He'll probably tell me no. He really likes to tell me "NO". He is two, after all. I will keep y'all posted.
Dr. S said we have the green light to orally challenge Jake. The green light has been on since the end of January. It's now April 8th. He said challenge bananas, then rice and oats last. If he passes, then we graduate and he hopes he never sees us again.
Why can't I do it? Why am I so afraid?
I look back and wonder if it was as bad as I remember it. Was he really that sick? Did he really turn that pale gray color and lie limp and helpless in my arms?
Jake's grown leaps and bounds. Well, he's very small (3% in height), but other than size, he has grown leaps and bounds. My once extremely shy, hide in mommy's shoulder or behind her legs, little guy actually said hi to a stranger yesterday. He rides his bike EVERYDAY. He drives his brother and sister crazy. He throws tantrums. He makes us laugh until we cry. He has strong opinions. He hasn't had a bad diaper in months.
Why can't I do it?
Jake turned two in February. Two. Time keeps moving forward. We celebrated with Elmo cupcakes and a ride on the train. He was thrilled. I still say "shhh.... the baby's sleeping" when he's napping. He's not a baby, anymore.
He can TELL me if he doesn't feel well.
Maybe this week. Maybe.
I will start with bananas. He knows he can't have them. He'll probably tell me no. He really likes to tell me "NO". He is two, after all. I will keep y'all posted.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
The Siblings
It's been 3 months, wow. Things are well, here. Jake is well 95% of the time. Every once in a while I notice a change in his diapers that make me think he ate SOMETHING, but we still have not had an honest to goodness reaction since he was 8 months old. I am grateful. A few weeks ago was one of those incidents, "mama tummy owie", bad diapers, CRANKY, clingy, not a happy boy. It lasted 4 days. He also was sick with a fever the week before this and the week after. Do I blame FPIES? At this point the word FPIES rarely rolls off my tongue any more.
We eat out occasionally. We have our safe places we go. We ventured out last week somewhere new. I've learned quickly that most frozen french fries contain rice flour. I asked. They did. I kindly ask my two older kids (6 and 8) to order salad with their dinner instead of french fries. Not one complaint. They never, ever complain. I am continually thankful for their concern for their little brother and their simple sacrifices (salad instead of french fries!) they make without a second thought.
We were at Costco last week. My 6 year old asked if he could have a smoothie. Jake says "yay smoothie!". I ask the lady behind the counter if there are any bananas in it. Yes, there is. Sorry kids. No complaints. That's OK Mom. Can you make us one at home? You bet :)
So we venture on, checking labels for rice, oats or bananas, and enjoy the life of an almost 2 year old. We go back to the allergist at the end of January for some patch testing. If all is well, we will orally challenge. I will keep you posted.
Happy Holidays!
We eat out occasionally. We have our safe places we go. We ventured out last week somewhere new. I've learned quickly that most frozen french fries contain rice flour. I asked. They did. I kindly ask my two older kids (6 and 8) to order salad with their dinner instead of french fries. Not one complaint. They never, ever complain. I am continually thankful for their concern for their little brother and their simple sacrifices (salad instead of french fries!) they make without a second thought.
We were at Costco last week. My 6 year old asked if he could have a smoothie. Jake says "yay smoothie!". I ask the lady behind the counter if there are any bananas in it. Yes, there is. Sorry kids. No complaints. That's OK Mom. Can you make us one at home? You bet :)
So we venture on, checking labels for rice, oats or bananas, and enjoy the life of an almost 2 year old. We go back to the allergist at the end of January for some patch testing. If all is well, we will orally challenge. I will keep you posted.
Happy Holidays!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
One Year Ago
One Year Ago…
- Jake was diagnosed with FPIES
- Jake could only eat sweet potatoes, pears and breastmilk
- Our pediatrician had never heard of FPIES
- I began a total elimination diet and figured I’d be sending bottled breastmilk to college with Jake
- My main resource was Babycenter Fpies group
- I stalked the Babycenter FPIES group hourly
- The FPIES United Family Fund was born
- I was a much better blogger
- I couldn’t remember what it felt like to sleep through the night
- I started reading labels on everything
- I was afraid to feed my baby Jake
Today…
- Jake still has FPIES, but it’s manageable
- Jake drinks cow’s milk instead of breast milk
- I still read labels on everything
- Jake eats everything but rice, oats, bananas, quinoa, beans
- Our pediatrician still doesn’t know anything about FPIES
- I stalk the BabyCenter FPIES group weekly-ish
- The FPIES United Family Fund has raised over $40,000 towards research
- Good Morning America did a segment on FPIES
- There are more resources than BabyCenter: Facebook here and here or the newly launched FPIESFoundation for example
- If I get woken up at night, it’s my 8 year old, 6 year old, or snoring husband. Jake sleeps great.
- I’m a bad blogger
- I am not afraid to feed Jake (well, maybe just a little)
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
A Quickie update
Jake had his 18 month well check. He FREAKED. Wow, he wanted nothing to do with anything. Weighing him came down to me weighing myself (yuck), then weighing us together. He came in around 22 lbs 8 ounces. This put him in the 5-10 percentile which is down for him. *sigh* I chalk it up to our weaning and the fact that he pooped TWICE before we went :) He squiggled and wiggled and screamed for his height check. Somehow he was 31 inches. WTH? So that boosted him up to the 25th percentile. I take it all with a grain of salt. It was just an off day for him altogether.
The best news about our visit? His hemoglobin was up to 13.1!!!!! Yes, you read that right! I stopped giving him his iron supplements around the time that he weaned. So this is all on his own. I had the biggest smile on my face. Jake... not so much. That toe prick is what pisses him off more than anything.
Our ped finally showed a little interest in Jake's FPIES. She said there's something on the medical boards that has popped up back east called FRIPES? I think she's confused, personally. I can't find ANYTHING about it. However, she said it fit Jake to a T. Well, so does FPIES, so I'll stick with our allergist and GI's diagnosis.
The best news about our visit? His hemoglobin was up to 13.1!!!!! Yes, you read that right! I stopped giving him his iron supplements around the time that he weaned. So this is all on his own. I had the biggest smile on my face. Jake... not so much. That toe prick is what pisses him off more than anything.
Our ped finally showed a little interest in Jake's FPIES. She said there's something on the medical boards that has popped up back east called FRIPES? I think she's confused, personally. I can't find ANYTHING about it. However, she said it fit Jake to a T. Well, so does FPIES, so I'll stick with our allergist and GI's diagnosis.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Jake at 18 months
I thought about apologizing for not updating the last month, but I don't want to. No news is good news? Yes, I think that saying says it best.
Jake turned 18 months old yesterday. How did that happen??
Jake is weaned. *sniff* It has been about 6 days since he's nursed. He's been doing really well. We've had a few bumps, then I'd give in and nurse him, but I found I was just confusing him more. So I did the unthinkable. I ate a banana. Then I ate sushi (dear God, how I've missed sushi). There was no way in hell I would nurse him after that! And guess what? He didn't really seem bothered by it. If he did ask for it, I would say it's "all gone". He'd fuss for a minute, then move on. I'm now going through what I feel are like baby blues as my hormones start to adjust once again. I have mixed emotions, of course. Happy to see him thriving without me, sad to let that special nursing relationship go. But it really was time for both of us.
I've been much more lenient with Jake's food over the past month. I still scan every label, however. If I don't see the word: rice, oats, quinoa, or bananas, I deem it safe. I am grateful for the restaurants that put their ingredients online. It has made a world of difference. It takes some effort, but we feel normal because of it. I don't think anyone really knows how much I still think of FPIES and still watch every little thing he eats. But, I think this is a good thing. It's not a big production anymore. It's just something that is second nature and we deal with now. I have a feeling in another year we will be one of the very lucky families that will put this strange, rare syndrome behind us.
He eats pizza with the family every Friday night now. You have no idea what this means to me. We have had pizza night every Friday since before my daughter was born (she's 8 now). He can participate. He loves that he eats what everyone else is eating. And he likes it!
Most meals I cook he can eat. Or I have learned to modify to make them safe for Jake. Nobody has noticed. We all eat the same food. I don't feel like a short order cook, making different meals anymore.
I still have a few main things I want to trial. Jake still hasn't had any beans. He hasn't reacted to them through my milk the past few months, so this will be trialed soon. (It feels strange not having my nursing safety net for trialing!)
Jake can eat things that contain soy... but I haven't tried straight soy beans yet.
Jake has still had a few bad diapers... but not FULL REACTION diapers. He had one bad blowout this month. I have no idea what caused it. We had gone to a frozen yogurt place, but the ingredients in the yogurt seemed fine. They did have a gluten-free yogurt that contained rice milk, maybe some cross contamination? Who knows. Truth is, it was no big deal. He never complained of a tummy ache. He woke up from the nap with a bad blow out. It was over.
Jake has his 18 month appointment next week. I'm hoping we'll see weight gain and good iron levels! He looks healthy. He talks a mile a minute, saying new words every day. He makes us all smile with his sense of humor and overall cuteness. Things are going well.
Jake turned 18 months old yesterday. How did that happen??
Jake is weaned. *sniff* It has been about 6 days since he's nursed. He's been doing really well. We've had a few bumps, then I'd give in and nurse him, but I found I was just confusing him more. So I did the unthinkable. I ate a banana. Then I ate sushi (dear God, how I've missed sushi). There was no way in hell I would nurse him after that! And guess what? He didn't really seem bothered by it. If he did ask for it, I would say it's "all gone". He'd fuss for a minute, then move on. I'm now going through what I feel are like baby blues as my hormones start to adjust once again. I have mixed emotions, of course. Happy to see him thriving without me, sad to let that special nursing relationship go. But it really was time for both of us.
I've been much more lenient with Jake's food over the past month. I still scan every label, however. If I don't see the word: rice, oats, quinoa, or bananas, I deem it safe. I am grateful for the restaurants that put their ingredients online. It has made a world of difference. It takes some effort, but we feel normal because of it. I don't think anyone really knows how much I still think of FPIES and still watch every little thing he eats. But, I think this is a good thing. It's not a big production anymore. It's just something that is second nature and we deal with now. I have a feeling in another year we will be one of the very lucky families that will put this strange, rare syndrome behind us.
He eats pizza with the family every Friday night now. You have no idea what this means to me. We have had pizza night every Friday since before my daughter was born (she's 8 now). He can participate. He loves that he eats what everyone else is eating. And he likes it!
Most meals I cook he can eat. Or I have learned to modify to make them safe for Jake. Nobody has noticed. We all eat the same food. I don't feel like a short order cook, making different meals anymore.
I still have a few main things I want to trial. Jake still hasn't had any beans. He hasn't reacted to them through my milk the past few months, so this will be trialed soon. (It feels strange not having my nursing safety net for trialing!)
Jake can eat things that contain soy... but I haven't tried straight soy beans yet.
Jake has still had a few bad diapers... but not FULL REACTION diapers. He had one bad blowout this month. I have no idea what caused it. We had gone to a frozen yogurt place, but the ingredients in the yogurt seemed fine. They did have a gluten-free yogurt that contained rice milk, maybe some cross contamination? Who knows. Truth is, it was no big deal. He never complained of a tummy ache. He woke up from the nap with a bad blow out. It was over.
Jake has his 18 month appointment next week. I'm hoping we'll see weight gain and good iron levels! He looks healthy. He talks a mile a minute, saying new words every day. He makes us all smile with his sense of humor and overall cuteness. Things are going well.
Friday, July 15, 2011
12!
Jake had an iron check today. His hemoglobin is up to 12!!! Normal!
Apparently the Vitamin C did the trick. He just needed a little help absorbing the iron. I'm so very glad. If it didn't come up this time, it would be a sign that something else was wrong, which means more tests.
Jake is so DONE with doctors. As soon as the nurse came near him just to take his temperature he FREAKED. Screaming, crying, hitting.... More screaming when we weighed him, more screaming when the doctor came in to do her quick exam. The funny thing? As the doctor was leaving and I was grabbing my backpack and we were obviously leaving, he quickly blew a kiss to the doctor and told her "bye!". The doctor thought it was hilarious.
I'm going to continue giving him the Poly Vi Sol with Iron for the next month. We go back to the doctor in August for his 18 month well check.
Apparently the Vitamin C did the trick. He just needed a little help absorbing the iron. I'm so very glad. If it didn't come up this time, it would be a sign that something else was wrong, which means more tests.
Jake is so DONE with doctors. As soon as the nurse came near him just to take his temperature he FREAKED. Screaming, crying, hitting.... More screaming when we weighed him, more screaming when the doctor came in to do her quick exam. The funny thing? As the doctor was leaving and I was grabbing my backpack and we were obviously leaving, he quickly blew a kiss to the doctor and told her "bye!". The doctor thought it was hilarious.
I'm going to continue giving him the Poly Vi Sol with Iron for the next month. We go back to the doctor in August for his 18 month well check.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Weaning - I think it's harder on me
Sleep, glorious sleep. The one good thing that comes out of weaning! I dropped our middle of the night nursing sessions. The first night was hard, very hard. The second night... not as bad. The fourth night? He slept eleven hours STRAIGHT. I slept ten of those hours myself. I am a new woman! He is a SUPER HAPPY boy! Mornings are so much easier when everyone is well rested.
We're down to nursing twice a day. Nap time and bedtime.
It's really hard to let go.
It wasn't that long ago that I was his main source of nutrition. I was afraid to feed him anything. My elimination diet was going strong, he was nursing every two hours AROUND THE CLOCK. I was sleep deprived, we never left each others side.
It's really hard to let go.
His nutrition is going great. He has finally started drinking some of his toddler formula in the mornings. I started mixing it with whole milk, much better. He will have 3-4 ounces. I may start adding another serving in the afternoons for him.
I continue to give him the Poly Vi Sol with Iron once a day at lunch time.
Ascorbic acid is no longer an issue.
He will be fine when I take away these final two nursing sessions. I keep telling myself this.
We're taking our time though. In the next few weeks we'll drop down to once a day. I'm leaving for a weekend at the end of July. Perhaps this will be the best time to drop the bedtime nursing session.
I will miss it.
My last baby.
It's really hard to let go.
We're down to nursing twice a day. Nap time and bedtime.
It's really hard to let go.
It wasn't that long ago that I was his main source of nutrition. I was afraid to feed him anything. My elimination diet was going strong, he was nursing every two hours AROUND THE CLOCK. I was sleep deprived, we never left each others side.
It's really hard to let go.
His nutrition is going great. He has finally started drinking some of his toddler formula in the mornings. I started mixing it with whole milk, much better. He will have 3-4 ounces. I may start adding another serving in the afternoons for him.
I continue to give him the Poly Vi Sol with Iron once a day at lunch time.
Ascorbic acid is no longer an issue.
He will be fine when I take away these final two nursing sessions. I keep telling myself this.
We're taking our time though. In the next few weeks we'll drop down to once a day. I'm leaving for a weekend at the end of July. Perhaps this will be the best time to drop the bedtime nursing session.
I will miss it.
My last baby.
It's really hard to let go.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Don't feed the baby.
We recently returned from a week vacation with family. A whole week without Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. We survived! However, I did pack a jar of Jake's organic apple sauce. A large jar.
We stayed with my in-laws who are always overly accommodating. Right when we arrived the first words out of my mouth were "Don't Feed The Baby". And they all obliged.
Within a few hours of arriving I made a quick trip to the grocery store and bought some essentials. Yogurt, milk, cheese, bread, fruit, corn chex and goldfish. This was his diet most of the week. Along with his applesauce (mixed with iron).
I read every label. We went out for fast food a few times. Twice I had to ask for the (very large) box the food came in so I could read the ingredient label. Twice I was very glad I did because the food item had rice flour. Rice Flour seems to be a staple in the fast food industry. Twice the family ate out and Jake and I went for a walk instead.
It was a wonderful week. Lots of outside playtime, lots of family time, lots of fun. And NO REACTIONS. Yay!
We stayed with my in-laws who are always overly accommodating. Right when we arrived the first words out of my mouth were "Don't Feed The Baby". And they all obliged.
Within a few hours of arriving I made a quick trip to the grocery store and bought some essentials. Yogurt, milk, cheese, bread, fruit, corn chex and goldfish. This was his diet most of the week. Along with his applesauce (mixed with iron).
I read every label. We went out for fast food a few times. Twice I had to ask for the (very large) box the food came in so I could read the ingredient label. Twice I was very glad I did because the food item had rice flour. Rice Flour seems to be a staple in the fast food industry. Twice the family ate out and Jake and I went for a walk instead.
It was a wonderful week. Lots of outside playtime, lots of family time, lots of fun. And NO REACTIONS. Yay!
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Truth is..
Truth is... we've never really followed our allergists advice. Dairy, check. Wheat, check. Soy? Hmmmm. Let's just say I plan to up my soy intake for the next few weeks as we start weaning. That will be the last big bang.
Truth is... I gave Jake formula. He hated it, of course. I really didn't expect any different. He doesn't like anything but breast milk and water. I will probably end up sneaking the can I bought into his food. After that? Who knows if I'll buy another can or not.
Truth is... I kept a journal during my other older kids toddler-hood. Guess what? They ate the same foods Jake is eating practically, without breast milk or formula. And they thrived. They are now super intelligent, well functioning kids, who like sushi.
Truth is... if Jake passes soy, I may try ascorbic acid next. And if he passes that... I'm going all willy nilly on his diet and let him have anything that doesn't contain rice, oats, quinoa, beans or bananas. Period.
Truth is... there's ascorbic acid in formula. He didn't react. WTF? Gerber?? Do you have an answer?
Truth is... Mama gut hasn't failed me yet.
Truth is... I gave Jake formula. He hated it, of course. I really didn't expect any different. He doesn't like anything but breast milk and water. I will probably end up sneaking the can I bought into his food. After that? Who knows if I'll buy another can or not.
Truth is... I kept a journal during my other older kids toddler-hood. Guess what? They ate the same foods Jake is eating practically, without breast milk or formula. And they thrived. They are now super intelligent, well functioning kids, who like sushi.
Truth is... if Jake passes soy, I may try ascorbic acid next. And if he passes that... I'm going all willy nilly on his diet and let him have anything that doesn't contain rice, oats, quinoa, beans or bananas. Period.
Truth is... there's ascorbic acid in formula. He didn't react. WTF? Gerber?? Do you have an answer?
Truth is... Mama gut hasn't failed me yet.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Anemic.
Jake had his 15 month well check today. He's growing. 20 lbs, 2 ounces (20%), 29 inches (3%). He's on his own curve, the doctor tells me.
My main concern I wanted to share with the pediatrician was Jake's new "breath holding" behavior. It has happened twice in the past month. The first time it happened, Jake fell off a stool. He didn't hit his head. He just laid there doing a silent scream. He was red faced. We were waiting for the giant wail to come out, but it never came. I picked him up, he went limp in my arms. He wasn't breathing. We called 911. We were scared. He came around with in seconds, but was very lethargic. A few minutes later, we was crying and back with us. A few minutes later he was FINE. We stopped the ambulance from coming and thought maybe he had the wind knocked out of him.
Last week, we were all walking to the park. Jake went to tackle his big brother. Big brother faked him out and Jake fell to the ground. He hit his head. I picked him up immediately. He did that same silent scream. We waited for the wail. It never came. His eyes rolled back in his head and he became very lethargic. It scared us. Again. Within minutes he was crying, then back to his old self.
Apparently these breath holding spells are normal. It is the body's way of saying... "if you're not going to breath, I'm going to make you pass out so you're lying down and blood and oxygen can get to your head easier".
However, breath holding spells can be a sign of anemia. The pediatrician did a quick hemoglobin check. Guess what? Anemic. His hemoglobin level was 10.
The doctor wants Jake to start iron supplements. I don't think they make them without ascorbic acid. I'm not willing to "trial" ascorbic acid yet either. I may see if I can have the pharmacist compound some for us.
So guess what Jake is trialing this week? Beef. This boy needs some iron.
My main concern I wanted to share with the pediatrician was Jake's new "breath holding" behavior. It has happened twice in the past month. The first time it happened, Jake fell off a stool. He didn't hit his head. He just laid there doing a silent scream. He was red faced. We were waiting for the giant wail to come out, but it never came. I picked him up, he went limp in my arms. He wasn't breathing. We called 911. We were scared. He came around with in seconds, but was very lethargic. A few minutes later, we was crying and back with us. A few minutes later he was FINE. We stopped the ambulance from coming and thought maybe he had the wind knocked out of him.
Last week, we were all walking to the park. Jake went to tackle his big brother. Big brother faked him out and Jake fell to the ground. He hit his head. I picked him up immediately. He did that same silent scream. We waited for the wail. It never came. His eyes rolled back in his head and he became very lethargic. It scared us. Again. Within minutes he was crying, then back to his old self.
Apparently these breath holding spells are normal. It is the body's way of saying... "if you're not going to breath, I'm going to make you pass out so you're lying down and blood and oxygen can get to your head easier".
However, breath holding spells can be a sign of anemia. The pediatrician did a quick hemoglobin check. Guess what? Anemic. His hemoglobin level was 10.
The doctor wants Jake to start iron supplements. I don't think they make them without ascorbic acid. I'm not willing to "trial" ascorbic acid yet either. I may see if I can have the pharmacist compound some for us.
So guess what Jake is trialing this week? Beef. This boy needs some iron.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Supply down, Confidence up
My supply is going down. It's obvious. Jake has stopped nursing at night. We're down to 4 or 5 times a day now. At least half of the time he nurses he stops and says "More?" and signs more at the same time. *sigh*. Part of me wants to do all the tricks to increase supply again. The selfish part of me says... finally. I like nursing, I do. I like nursing babies. But he's a toddler. With really sharp teeth. It's starting to be really uncomfortable for me. And he has plenty of dairy now. I wish I could get him to actually drink regular milk... we're working on it.
We don't go back to the allergist until June 1st. I wonder if I should be supplementing? While his menu is not large, it is well rounded. I personally am not worried about his food intake right now. But I am not a doctor.
Jake's getting two top molars and two bottom incisors. Ouch. He is cranky. Double Ouch.
After our strawberry fail, I've been thinking a lot about corn. Yes, corn. So if strawberries were a fail... which I'm positive that they were... we only had a really bad diaper. Had we continued, maybe it would get worse, but it was only one bad diaper. He recouped quickly.
I've been questioning his possible corn intolerance. Looking back when I thought he was reacting to corn in my diet, I hadn't eliminated quinoa, which, according to his patch test, was a fail. Corn was not. I ate a lot of quinoa at the time. But what about the ascorbic acid fail? Was it corn? The allergist said ascorbic acid could be derived from pineapple? Gerber never got back to me on what their ascorbic acid is made from. Was it cross contamination? Were those pears processed on the same equipment as the oatmeal? Or the chicken and rice? So many unanswered questions.
I've ramped up my corn intake. No signs of tummy troubles.
Yesterday, Jake had some kettle corn.
He was happy. (minus the teething)
Today he will have some kettle corn again. Maybe I'll pick up some Kix to help us continue this trial.
I feel like getting aggressive with the FPIES after our minor fail of strawberries and our MAJOR pass of dairy. Maybe our fails are not going to be as bad now that he's getting older?
It seems like when I post something like this it bites me in the rear the next day. I hope this time it doesn't happen.
We don't go back to the allergist until June 1st. I wonder if I should be supplementing? While his menu is not large, it is well rounded. I personally am not worried about his food intake right now. But I am not a doctor.
Jake's getting two top molars and two bottom incisors. Ouch. He is cranky. Double Ouch.
After our strawberry fail, I've been thinking a lot about corn. Yes, corn. So if strawberries were a fail... which I'm positive that they were... we only had a really bad diaper. Had we continued, maybe it would get worse, but it was only one bad diaper. He recouped quickly.
I've been questioning his possible corn intolerance. Looking back when I thought he was reacting to corn in my diet, I hadn't eliminated quinoa, which, according to his patch test, was a fail. Corn was not. I ate a lot of quinoa at the time. But what about the ascorbic acid fail? Was it corn? The allergist said ascorbic acid could be derived from pineapple? Gerber never got back to me on what their ascorbic acid is made from. Was it cross contamination? Were those pears processed on the same equipment as the oatmeal? Or the chicken and rice? So many unanswered questions.
I've ramped up my corn intake. No signs of tummy troubles.
Yesterday, Jake had some kettle corn.
He was happy. (minus the teething)
Today he will have some kettle corn again. Maybe I'll pick up some Kix to help us continue this trial.
I feel like getting aggressive with the FPIES after our minor fail of strawberries and our MAJOR pass of dairy. Maybe our fails are not going to be as bad now that he's getting older?
It seems like when I post something like this it bites me in the rear the next day. I hope this time it doesn't happen.
Monday, February 21, 2011
First Birthday Mango Sorbet
Jake's first birthday did not pass by without a birthday treat...
Mango Sorbet!
The irony? He liked the mango, but he preferred his potatoes. Good old reliable. I could have stuck a birthday candle in his sweet potatoes and he would have been just as happy.
Simple Mango Sorbet
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 fresh, ripe mangoes (or about 3-4 cups frozen mangoes, thawed)
Prepare simple syrup with the water and sugar by combining in a medium pan over medium heat. Cook until the sugar is completely dissolved. Peel and dice fresh mangoes. Combine mangoes and symple syrup in blender and blend until smooth. Cover and refrigerate 2 to 3 hours, or overnight. Pour mixture into ice cream maker (I have this one and love it), and process as directed. Mine took about 20 minutes, then needed a day in the freezer for desired consistency. **No ice cream maker? See footnote!
I have made this same recipe using about 4 cups of fresh blueberries. You could sub just about any fruit in this recipe! I have some fresh strawberries I'm going to be trying next!
**If you don't have an ice cream maker... Baby B's FPIES Test Kitchen has a great recipe where the mixture is blended and re-frozen a few times. You could take your mango sorbet mixture above and follow the directions of blending, freezing, blending and re-freezing!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Pancakes anyone?
Today is a special day.
Special days always call for pancakes at our house.
Why should Jake miss out?
HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY JAKE!
He polished off three of these. Yay!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
It's starting to happen.
He wants what we're eating.
He points and says "na na?" to everything we're eating. I'm guessing that means, "can I have some?". Especially because he gets a little cranky when I don't give him a taste. Thankfully my snack item lately has been sweet potato chips. I share little bits with him and he gets very excited.
I'm so sorry I couldn't give you a taste of the strawberry shortcake dessert tonight, Jake.
I really wanted to.
Do we alter everything we eat around him? Hubs said we need to always have one of those magic millet cookies in case a dessert situation arises, as it did tonight. We ate dinner over at my parents house tonight, as we do most Sundays.
I'll be working on that recipe again tomorrow.
The magic millet cookies will buy us a little time. Until he starts to REALLY understand.
I'll end with a quote from Jake, "Uh-oh".
He points and says "na na?" to everything we're eating. I'm guessing that means, "can I have some?". Especially because he gets a little cranky when I don't give him a taste. Thankfully my snack item lately has been sweet potato chips. I share little bits with him and he gets very excited.
I'm so sorry I couldn't give you a taste of the strawberry shortcake dessert tonight, Jake.
I really wanted to.
Do we alter everything we eat around him? Hubs said we need to always have one of those magic millet cookies in case a dessert situation arises, as it did tonight. We ate dinner over at my parents house tonight, as we do most Sundays.
I'll be working on that recipe again tomorrow.
The magic millet cookies will buy us a little time. Until he starts to REALLY understand.
I'll end with a quote from Jake, "Uh-oh".
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Adding to our safe list!
Please pardon the overuse of exclamation points. I just can't contain my excitement. (!)
Grapes! Jake loves them! I started out with the grapes peeled and quartered. The last two days he's had them with the skins on quartered.
Apple Juice! FINALLY! I found an apple juice without ascorbic acid in an unsuspecting place. My regular grocery store's organic brand. Go figure. Even Trader Joe's Organic has ascorbic acid in it. So Jake had a taste of diluted apple juice today!
"In n Out" French Fries! After checking their web site, then having the girl at the counter assure me that they are only potatoes and oil, no secret flour or anything surprising, we took the big plunge. Jake ate a french fry (or 10) that I did not prepare myself. Oh the smile on his face! Jake felt so big and proud to be eating what we were eating!
Muffins and Cookies! Well....almost... this is taking a little work since millet is really hard to work with by itself. I managed to make some fairly yummy muffins. Then I got a little creative and made very thin muffin tops. They looked just like cookies! They were almost snickerdoodle-like out of the oven. A little crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. The next day they weren't so yummy.. kind of rubbery. Trial and Error. I still need to work on the recipe. I will post it once it is perfected. The great news is that Jake LOVED the muffins and mock cookies! My basic ingredients were millet, applesauce, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder (corn-free), canola oil and salt. I'm working on the magic combination.
We've had so many big passes these past few weeks that I'm starting to feel kind of normal.
I still freaked out this morning when I found him in the kitchen holding a pretzel, though.
Grapes! Jake loves them! I started out with the grapes peeled and quartered. The last two days he's had them with the skins on quartered.
Apple Juice! FINALLY! I found an apple juice without ascorbic acid in an unsuspecting place. My regular grocery store's organic brand. Go figure. Even Trader Joe's Organic has ascorbic acid in it. So Jake had a taste of diluted apple juice today!
"In n Out" French Fries! After checking their web site, then having the girl at the counter assure me that they are only potatoes and oil, no secret flour or anything surprising, we took the big plunge. Jake ate a french fry (or 10) that I did not prepare myself. Oh the smile on his face! Jake felt so big and proud to be eating what we were eating!
Muffins and Cookies! Well....almost... this is taking a little work since millet is really hard to work with by itself. I managed to make some fairly yummy muffins. Then I got a little creative and made very thin muffin tops. They looked just like cookies! They were almost snickerdoodle-like out of the oven. A little crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. The next day they weren't so yummy.. kind of rubbery. Trial and Error. I still need to work on the recipe. I will post it once it is perfected. The great news is that Jake LOVED the muffins and mock cookies! My basic ingredients were millet, applesauce, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder (corn-free), canola oil and salt. I'm working on the magic combination.
We've had so many big passes these past few weeks that I'm starting to feel kind of normal.
I still freaked out this morning when I found him in the kitchen holding a pretzel, though.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Millet, Millet the Magical Grain!
I think I'm going to finally call millet a pass! Jake's been eating the puffs fairly regularly now at breakfast. He hates the millet porridge. The $33 millet porridge from Austrailia. Oh well. I tried. I even mixed it in with some other pureed food. He knew. Actually, he doesn't really like much pureed food anymore. My older son did this at the same age. Jake wants to feed himself. He will still take applesauce from me, as long as he has some kind of finger food on his plate, also. He will also eat sweet potatoes with no problem. But he L.O.V.E.S. sweet potatoes. I make them thick enough so they stick on the spoon. When he gets tired of me feeding him, he can actually pick up the spoon (with food already on it) and feed himself. It's messy, but he feels so independent and proud!
So now I'm on the quest to make some sort of millet cookie or muffin. Millet doesn't rise, so this will be interesting. I think a cookie might be a better bet.
In six weeks Jake will be one. I can't believe it. I need to start thinking about his birthday. Do we do it up big with a huge party? Or do we keep it small and intimate and have good crumb control? I feel like this year should be celebrated, yet I want to be able to enjoy the party. I don't want to worry the whole time about someone giving him a bite of cake because they think I'm just some over anxious crazy mom. Decisions. In the meantime, I will practice making some pear sorbet and some kind of cookie. It would be fun to have some cookies in the shapes of "1" with a little frosting.
Christmas was great. Jake would have been happy with some wrapping paper and empty boxes, but he got a few new toys that he's enjoying, as well. He's also happy playing with his older siblings toys! Zoobles and Zhu Zhu's seem to be favorites of his, too.
It's been a difficult week crumb-wise. Having everyone home for the week for every meal and snacks is... well... messy. I about flipped yesterday when Jake seemed like he was choking on something. I did a finger swipe and found the inside of a piece of popcorn. You know those little things that get stuck in your teeth? I'm not sure what the technical term is. I was so mad I had let the kids have popcorn. I watched the clock. He went to bed about the time he should have reacted. Jake was cranky. He was up a lot last night. He did spit up a little. But that was it. No full blown reaction. One more week of having the kids home. Popcorn may have to be banned, or limited to outside.
We see our allergist again in four weeks. I had been debating doing some kind of formula trial. However, the elimination diet I'm on is much easier now that I can have wheat. I'm not wasting away and starving anymore. I plan to stick it out until 18 months. We're still nursing 6-8 times a day. I still feel like Jake's food menu is so small. I think we're just about ready to tackle some bigger items. Eggs? Lamb? I think we'll stick to a few more fruits and veggies until Jake is 12 months. After that (if we're reaction free), I might get a little more aggressive with his trials.
One other thing I want to ask the allergist about... probiotics. Or maybe this is more of a GI question? I never made the follow up appointment with the GI.. on my to do list. I just felt the last appointment was so pointless. Anyway, probiotics seem to be the new buzz word on the boards. Definitely something I want to look into. It seems like some kiddos have had success with the gut healing bacteria! I have probiotics most days through the kefir I drink. Does this pass through the milk, I wonder? Something to think about.
One other important thing I wanted to mention.
Because FPIES does not rule our lives...
Jake took TWO STEPS yesterday.
This kid will be running before I know it!
So now I'm on the quest to make some sort of millet cookie or muffin. Millet doesn't rise, so this will be interesting. I think a cookie might be a better bet.
In six weeks Jake will be one. I can't believe it. I need to start thinking about his birthday. Do we do it up big with a huge party? Or do we keep it small and intimate and have good crumb control? I feel like this year should be celebrated, yet I want to be able to enjoy the party. I don't want to worry the whole time about someone giving him a bite of cake because they think I'm just some over anxious crazy mom. Decisions. In the meantime, I will practice making some pear sorbet and some kind of cookie. It would be fun to have some cookies in the shapes of "1" with a little frosting.
Christmas was great. Jake would have been happy with some wrapping paper and empty boxes, but he got a few new toys that he's enjoying, as well. He's also happy playing with his older siblings toys! Zoobles and Zhu Zhu's seem to be favorites of his, too.
It's been a difficult week crumb-wise. Having everyone home for the week for every meal and snacks is... well... messy. I about flipped yesterday when Jake seemed like he was choking on something. I did a finger swipe and found the inside of a piece of popcorn. You know those little things that get stuck in your teeth? I'm not sure what the technical term is. I was so mad I had let the kids have popcorn. I watched the clock. He went to bed about the time he should have reacted. Jake was cranky. He was up a lot last night. He did spit up a little. But that was it. No full blown reaction. One more week of having the kids home. Popcorn may have to be banned, or limited to outside.
We see our allergist again in four weeks. I had been debating doing some kind of formula trial. However, the elimination diet I'm on is much easier now that I can have wheat. I'm not wasting away and starving anymore. I plan to stick it out until 18 months. We're still nursing 6-8 times a day. I still feel like Jake's food menu is so small. I think we're just about ready to tackle some bigger items. Eggs? Lamb? I think we'll stick to a few more fruits and veggies until Jake is 12 months. After that (if we're reaction free), I might get a little more aggressive with his trials.
One other thing I want to ask the allergist about... probiotics. Or maybe this is more of a GI question? I never made the follow up appointment with the GI.. on my to do list. I just felt the last appointment was so pointless. Anyway, probiotics seem to be the new buzz word on the boards. Definitely something I want to look into. It seems like some kiddos have had success with the gut healing bacteria! I have probiotics most days through the kefir I drink. Does this pass through the milk, I wonder? Something to think about.
One other important thing I wanted to mention.
Because FPIES does not rule our lives...
Jake took TWO STEPS yesterday.
This kid will be running before I know it!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Pantry Predicament
Hi Jake! I see you learned how to open the pantry door.
What do you have there?
Oh that familiar shiny wrapper of a chewy granola bar.
The kind that contains rice AND oats.
Can I have it please?
Thank you.
Note to self:
Time to clear out the pantry and reorganize.
Or put a lock on it.
OR BOTH...
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