Shh.... Got milk?

I think we're ready.  But not ready to just fill up a glass of milk and hand it over.  So we're going to go about this sneakily for the following week.  Sneak some organic whole milk into his morning pancakes.  Maybe into some baked goods.  And just see how things go.  Any sign of trouble... we will abort. 

There you have it. 

We're trialing dairy.  Slowly.

Meanwhile... I'm declaring ORANGES a pass.  He loves them.  They love him.  It is decidedly not the "annoying orange". 

Anyone?  If you don't know what I'm talking about.  Google it.  It's hilarious.  And annoying.

One of THOSE nights.

I'm left wondering.... reaction or stomach bug?

We had dinner at my parents house around 5pm.  My mom set out a big plate of strawberries.  I have been giving Jake strawberries off and on, when I had them, if we weren't trialing anything.  Not an official trial, but a trial nonetheless. He's had a quite a few lately.  I'm not sure how many times he's had them though.  Four, five, maybe?  (must be more vigilant with the food journal, kicking myself)

He BEGGED.  I CAVED.  He had a strawberry.

Fast forward 11 hours.  YES, 11 hours.  He's crying in his bed.  He's covered in vomit.  I bathe him.  He vomits again.  I nurse him.  He vomits again.  Then he's WIRED.  Running around like a crazy guy.  Alternating between whiny, clingy baby, and rambunctious, hyper boy.  Three hours later, he asks for milk and to go to sleep.  He nurses and is now napping.  At 7am.

Sounds more like a mild reaction.  Certainly not shock-like symptoms.

The flip side... his five year old brother was up all night two nights ago vomiting.

I really thought the strawberries were safe.  He had no GI issues eating them in the past.

So which is it?  *sigh*

Pork Trial

Random.  But I made a pork sirloin in the crockpot yesterday.  With just water and salt.  I gave him some.  It ended up undigested in his diaper this morning. 

Jake is cranky.

Ugh.

Not sure what to do next.  I hate FPIES.

Almond Butter Yogurt Dip

While on my dairy binge - which is going OK - this has become my go-to snack.  It's great paired with apples, carrots, celery, pears... you name it.  And when you have nothing else to dip in it, it's great eating with a spoon, licked off your fingers... licked off your plate.  Just kidding.  Maybe.

A plus... if Jake does end up passing dairy sometime soon, and possibly almonds (I think this may be a trial soon for us, as well), this is an easy to whip up healthy dip for any kid.

Almond Butter Yogurt Dip

¼ cup greek yogurt (regular plain yogurt could be used, I just like the creaminess of greek)

2 Tbsp Almond Butter (or whatever seed/nut butter you like)

1 tsp 100% pure maple syrup

¼ tsp cinnamon (optional)

Combine ingredients above, serve with fruit, veggies and/or crackers.  This is a very versatile dip!  Also a yummy snack all on its own!_________________________________________________________________

As for the dairy binge... Jake's been a little cranky the past few days.  However, he has a runny nose and molars pushing their way through. 

Dairy or dental? 

 I'm pushing on with my dairy binge.  Hopefully the teething subsides soon.

The dairy experiment

Jake has never reacted to dairy through my milk.  He has never ingested dairy.  The allergist wants us to wait until 18 months.  The allergist is afraid of dairy when it comes to FPIES. 

I disagree. 

So, while we're on this happy blissful probiotic, no food trial period.... I'm upping my dairy intake.  I'm having a serving of dairy with every meal.  In between meals, if I'm hungry, I'm drinking a glass of milk. 

It's a pre-trial, if you will. 

We know what happened with the beans last week.  Keeping in mind that he has NEVER ingested a legume in his short little food eating life.  And I have no idea what exactly would happen if he did.  Would it just be the same?  A tummy ache and a bad diaper?  Or would it be a classic FPIES reaction?

Anyway, I'm pre-trialing dairy.  The hubs and I both feel strongly that Jake will be OK with regular old cow's milk, based on his history so far.  But we're in no rush to stop nursing either.  I plan to nurse for quite a while still.  I just hate for Jake to be missing out on the health benefits of yogurt, kefir, cheese and milk, if he doesn't need to be.  Also, pumping just doesn't work for me.  And honestly?  I don't want to pump.  I don't want to spend 30-45 minutes pumping several times a day so I can be away from him longer than 2-3 hours.  It would be nice if we had regular milk to supplement in the case I would be away.

So there you have it.  A dairy pre-trial.  Who knows.  If this goes well, maybe we'll grow the cowbells to actually do a real trial.  Maybe. 

One Week of Probiotics

Still going well, nothing new to report.  Just one very happy kiddo.  It's been a nice break of trials.  It's been nice not having the stress, for Jake to just be happy, for me to catch up on a little sleep. 

However, I did something crazy this week. 

I made coconut milk.  From a real coconut.  I really wish I would have taken pictures. 

If you ever need to get some frustrations out... hit a coconut with a meat mallet.  IT FEELS GOOD. 

Unfortunately, nobody liked the coconut milk but me.  I was really hoping Jake would love it.  Nope. Nada. 

Meanwhile, we're going to enjoy our happy Jake a little while longer.  It's spring break around here.  Maybe next week we'll feel like starting again.

Probiotic Update - Day 4

Things are happy in Jake's household.  The hubs and I are continually commenting on how happy Jake is.

A few things to note...

1.) NO food trials right now.

2.) Hubs is home after being gone 2 of the past 3 weeks. (everyone in the house is happy about this)

3.) Busy, fun days.  Lots of time outside.

4.) Better sleep.  Still not ideal, but up only twice a night. 

Is it the Probiotics?  Or a combination of everything above?

Today is day four of our Probiotics.  After three days of constipation, everything came out today.  Four times.  Big, huge, yet NORMAL, diapers.  Happy Baby.  Stinky, but happy. 

We're going to continue the probiotics.