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!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
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
Some new passes!
This is what happens when I don't update for a few weeks! I haven't been listing all our food trials lately, but we've had some exciting new passes. Jake's food trials have been less strict. After a few days, if I see no sign of discomfort, I call it a pass. I really think we've hit all our "fails" that we're going to have.
Chicken
Beef
Sunflower Seeds (sunflower seed butter is a great peanut butter sub!)
Strawberries (these were iffy before, but I think it was something in my diet, not Jake's)
Tomatoes
Olive Oil
Several spices (basil, oregano, garlic)
At this point we're just avoiding Rice, Oats, Bananas, Avocado, Grains other than wheat, millet and corn, Soy, Legumes, Nuts.
I'm think we're ready to try soy and nuts soon!
Chicken
Beef
Sunflower Seeds (sunflower seed butter is a great peanut butter sub!)
Strawberries (these were iffy before, but I think it was something in my diet, not Jake's)
Tomatoes
Olive Oil
Several spices (basil, oregano, garlic)
At this point we're just avoiding Rice, Oats, Bananas, Avocado, Grains other than wheat, millet and corn, Soy, Legumes, Nuts.
I'm think we're ready to try soy and nuts soon!
Ascorbic Acid: Pass?
We are trying a new iron supplement: Enfamil's Poly Vi Sol with Iron.
Ingredients: Glycerin; Water; Ascorbic Acid; Ferrous Sulfate; Vitamin E Succinate; Niacinamide; Artificial Flavor and Color (Caramel); Polysorbate 80; Vitamin A Palmitate; Thiamin Hydrochloride; Riboflavin-5-Phosphate Sodium; Vitamin B6 Hydrochloride; Vitamin D3
I waffled back and forth. The iron supplement we were giving him had no Vitamin C. He needs the Vitamin C to absorb the iron. Since his last iron check we gave him the same supplement but made sure he had an orange or some strawberries along with it to help with absorption. Then we forgot it at the in-laws when we were on vacation. Dang. I picked up the MyKidz iron supplement that the PA had prescribed at his last check. The ingredients made me uncomfortable. There was a "starch" listed, but didn't say where the source was. Was it rice starch, potato starch, corn starch? It contained ascorbic acid, of course. The kicker though? It was strawberry-banana flavored. Jake had a classic FPIES reaction to bananas. I don't want to go there. So we chose the lesser of two evils and went with the Poly Vi Sol with Iron where only one ingredient made me uncomfortable: Ascorbic Acid.
Jake's doing great on the new iron supplement. He takes it everyday mixed with his applesauce and shredded coconut.
So what does this mean?
Ascorbic Acid is not a trigger? All Ascorbic Acid is not created equally? Gerber has some serious cross contamination issues? Jake grew out of his Ascorbic Acid trigger? That jar of Gerber pears that contained only pears and ascorbic acid was a FAIL!
I don't know. I'm still leery of it. I still scan labels for it. But when that label says "less than 2% of one or more of the following:" and Ascorbic Acid is listed, I don't cringe anymore. I let him have it.
So there it is. One less item on our trigger list.
Ingredients: Glycerin; Water; Ascorbic Acid; Ferrous Sulfate; Vitamin E Succinate; Niacinamide; Artificial Flavor and Color (Caramel); Polysorbate 80; Vitamin A Palmitate; Thiamin Hydrochloride; Riboflavin-5-Phosphate Sodium; Vitamin B6 Hydrochloride; Vitamin D3
I waffled back and forth. The iron supplement we were giving him had no Vitamin C. He needs the Vitamin C to absorb the iron. Since his last iron check we gave him the same supplement but made sure he had an orange or some strawberries along with it to help with absorption. Then we forgot it at the in-laws when we were on vacation. Dang. I picked up the MyKidz iron supplement that the PA had prescribed at his last check. The ingredients made me uncomfortable. There was a "starch" listed, but didn't say where the source was. Was it rice starch, potato starch, corn starch? It contained ascorbic acid, of course. The kicker though? It was strawberry-banana flavored. Jake had a classic FPIES reaction to bananas. I don't want to go there. So we chose the lesser of two evils and went with the Poly Vi Sol with Iron where only one ingredient made me uncomfortable: Ascorbic Acid.
Jake's doing great on the new iron supplement. He takes it everyday mixed with his applesauce and shredded coconut.
So what does this mean?
Ascorbic Acid is not a trigger? All Ascorbic Acid is not created equally? Gerber has some serious cross contamination issues? Jake grew out of his Ascorbic Acid trigger? That jar of Gerber pears that contained only pears and ascorbic acid was a FAIL!
I don't know. I'm still leery of it. I still scan labels for it. But when that label says "less than 2% of one or more of the following:" and Ascorbic Acid is listed, I don't cringe anymore. I let him have it.
So there it is. One less item on our trigger list.
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!
Friday, June 10, 2011
Still Anemic.
Talk about having the wind knocked out of you. Jake's numbers were actually WORSE (hemogolobin 9.8)! I admit I haven't been giving him the iron every single day, but we should have seen SOME improvement. So this leads me to believe he's not absorbing the iron. He's not getting enough vitamin C. The nurse practitioner we saw today (our doctor was not there, and *yay* another new person who has no clue about FPIES) prescribed a different iron supplement with Vitamin C. "I don't know if the Vitamin C is ascorbic acid or just plain old Vitamin C." Hmmm... I don't understand this. Any Vitamin C listed on any food or medication label I have ever read (and I've read A LOT of them) use ascorbic acid for Vitamin C. But hey, maybe this one time I'm wrong.
So I went ahead and had our pharmacy order the new supplement. We'll get it next week. The hubs and I talked about giving it a try, even if it has ascorbic acid in it. While Jake's new toddler formula contains AA, it's listed under "less than 1%". I really do wonder if that reaction eight months ago from what we thought was ascorbic acid (pears and ascorbic acid were the only ingredients listed), may have been a cross contamination of another baby food containing rice/oats/bananas.
Do we risk it?
In the meantime, I'll continue to give him the iron supplement we have and try to push some Vitamin C with it.
So I went ahead and had our pharmacy order the new supplement. We'll get it next week. The hubs and I talked about giving it a try, even if it has ascorbic acid in it. While Jake's new toddler formula contains AA, it's listed under "less than 1%". I really do wonder if that reaction eight months ago from what we thought was ascorbic acid (pears and ascorbic acid were the only ingredients listed), may have been a cross contamination of another baby food containing rice/oats/bananas.
Do we risk it?
In the meantime, I'll continue to give him the iron supplement we have and try to push some Vitamin C with it.
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.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Allergist Appointment
Jake had an allergist appointment today. All went well. He was pleased with Jake's progress and new foods, of course. He had a few suggestions to get more calories into the little guy. With our recent pass of corn and dairy, he'd like us to try some Toddler formula for a calorie boost. I'm not sure Jake will agree with this, but it's worth a try. The boy only likes water to drink. He'll drink OJ or milk every once in a while, but only if his older brother does! So we'll see how that works out. He gave me the OK to start weaning. On one hand, this makes me happy. He's getting enough variety in foods, he should be OK to be weaned now. However... my baby doesn't need me anymore. It's hard. I'm ready to have my body back, but I'm not ready to let my little guy grow up either. We have always had the breast milk to fall back on. It's always been our safety net. But we have so many foods now, I feel confident he's fine without me. That being said, I'm starting to take away the 3am feeding first. Then we'll start weaning the daytime feeds. I imagine in a month or so we'll be done. It's a bittersweet feeling.
We don't need to go back to the allergist until Jake is 2. He plans to do a patch test again at that time with the foods Jake had FPIES reactions to and the foods he had reactions to with his first patch test. It will be interesting to see what the results are.
Interesting happening this week.... I ate a sandwich from subway that unknowingly had rice and oats in the bread. Jake had a bad diaper. Undigested food, acidic, yucky. Only one though. I've had that sandwich before. Only a handful of times. This is the first time I really looked up what was in the bread. Anyway, I'm wonder if any of our other bad diaper experiences were related to a subway sandwich, or actually the food trial we were doing at the time. Just a thought.
We don't need to go back to the allergist until Jake is 2. He plans to do a patch test again at that time with the foods Jake had FPIES reactions to and the foods he had reactions to with his first patch test. It will be interesting to see what the results are.
Interesting happening this week.... I ate a sandwich from subway that unknowingly had rice and oats in the bread. Jake had a bad diaper. Undigested food, acidic, yucky. Only one though. I've had that sandwich before. Only a handful of times. This is the first time I really looked up what was in the bread. Anyway, I'm wonder if any of our other bad diaper experiences were related to a subway sandwich, or actually the food trial we were doing at the time. Just a thought.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Making passes...
I can't believe I will write these words but...
JAKE PASSED WHEAT!!
And because he's an over achiever like his siblings... I'm calling eggs a pass, too. We've been trialing it off and on for a while. Baked in treats, straight up scrambled style... We only had one incidence of a bad diaper. We'll chalk that up to an "unknown" ingestion.
Eggs and Wheat.
I'm almost brave enough to try soy. Almost.
We have our allergist appointment next week. He's going to fall over when I list our passes. I'm leaning towards asking for a patch test for the few things he failed when he was 8 months old. Although the good old breast milk test seems to be working for us. He's practically eating what we eat (slightly altered, of course). I really need to trial chicken. That's the other biggie we eat that he's just had bits and pieces of here and there. No real trial. However, chicken.. turkey... aren't they kinda the same? Nevertheless, he's doing great with his food options.
I see an end to our nursing coming soon. There have been days I've only nursed him 2 or 3 times. Most days we nurse 4 times.
Update on our iron intake... he doesn't really like beef. So I've been giving him his iron supplements. I mix it into his yogurt or applesauce and he just makes a face. It really makes his food taste like metal. But he eats it. We go back to the ped in two weeks for that test. However, I think I'll ask the allergist to do a quick test next week to see if his numbers are any better.
Side note: Jake's becoming a pro at spoon feeding himself! It's messy, but he's learning. I know I've wished this year would hurry up and pass so he could be "normal", but man, I'm missing him being a baby. He's growing up too fast. *sniff*
Second side note: He now says "thank you" when I give him food. double *sniff*
JAKE PASSED WHEAT!!
And because he's an over achiever like his siblings... I'm calling eggs a pass, too. We've been trialing it off and on for a while. Baked in treats, straight up scrambled style... We only had one incidence of a bad diaper. We'll chalk that up to an "unknown" ingestion.
Eggs and Wheat.
I'm almost brave enough to try soy. Almost.
We have our allergist appointment next week. He's going to fall over when I list our passes. I'm leaning towards asking for a patch test for the few things he failed when he was 8 months old. Although the good old breast milk test seems to be working for us. He's practically eating what we eat (slightly altered, of course). I really need to trial chicken. That's the other biggie we eat that he's just had bits and pieces of here and there. No real trial. However, chicken.. turkey... aren't they kinda the same? Nevertheless, he's doing great with his food options.
I see an end to our nursing coming soon. There have been days I've only nursed him 2 or 3 times. Most days we nurse 4 times.
Update on our iron intake... he doesn't really like beef. So I've been giving him his iron supplements. I mix it into his yogurt or applesauce and he just makes a face. It really makes his food taste like metal. But he eats it. We go back to the ped in two weeks for that test. However, I think I'll ask the allergist to do a quick test next week to see if his numbers are any better.
Side note: Jake's becoming a pro at spoon feeding himself! It's messy, but he's learning. I know I've wished this year would hurry up and pass so he could be "normal", but man, I'm missing him being a baby. He's growing up too fast. *sniff*
Second side note: He now says "thank you" when I give him food. double *sniff*
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Four days... Nothing.
Four days of wheat now and nothing. Nothing at all. Normal, happy, Jake.
Could he really be starting to grow out of some of this already? He had a slight reaction on his patch test 8 months ago to wheat. Back then I thought he was reacting to wheat in my diet. I stopped eating wheat for 2 months. When I introduced it back into my diet, he was fine. Of course the patch test is not that reliable. He could have been fine with wheat back then, too. Or maybe he's healing and his gut is maturing?
If this really is going to be a pass... I'm just going smile and take it. Again, I don't understand it. But we'll take it. And I thought dairy made our life easier. This takes the cake. Literally.
Could he really be starting to grow out of some of this already? He had a slight reaction on his patch test 8 months ago to wheat. Back then I thought he was reacting to wheat in my diet. I stopped eating wheat for 2 months. When I introduced it back into my diet, he was fine. Of course the patch test is not that reliable. He could have been fine with wheat back then, too. Or maybe he's healing and his gut is maturing?
If this really is going to be a pass... I'm just going smile and take it. Again, I don't understand it. But we'll take it. And I thought dairy made our life easier. This takes the cake. Literally.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Its unofficial... Jake's trialing wheat.
Yesterday Jake begged and cried until I gave him a bite of my steak soft taco. I have no idea what was in the tortilla. I'm guessing white flour and soybean oil.
Today he begged and cried until I gave him my pizza crust. PIZZA CRUST. I think I've jumped off the deep end.
I'm not winning mother of the year over here. But it's not like I gave him a rice crispy treat. I will draw the line somewhere.
I guess I could be one of those moms who say "if Jake can't have it, then none of us will". But why should my big kids be punished for Jake's dysfunctional gut?
The truth is, every time I eat something, I think about his reaction. Will he whine and cry for it? Can I make something that looks similar and trick him? Some days I make my older kids wait until Jake's taking a nap to have a snack.
Some days I've just said NO too many times.
I don't like hiding things from my kids. I don't like eating when he's not looking. I don't like telling my older son we can't meet his friends for pizza at lunch time because Jake will throw a fit. I don't like eating dessert in shifts so Jake doesn't see. But when we're at the grandparent's for dinner (every Sunday), dessert is always there. I'm so tired of saying NO.
So, today I said YES. We're trialing wheat. In our own unconventional way.
I really hope this doesn't come back and bite me in the ass.
Today he begged and cried until I gave him my pizza crust. PIZZA CRUST. I think I've jumped off the deep end.
I'm not winning mother of the year over here. But it's not like I gave him a rice crispy treat. I will draw the line somewhere.
I guess I could be one of those moms who say "if Jake can't have it, then none of us will". But why should my big kids be punished for Jake's dysfunctional gut?
The truth is, every time I eat something, I think about his reaction. Will he whine and cry for it? Can I make something that looks similar and trick him? Some days I make my older kids wait until Jake's taking a nap to have a snack.
Some days I've just said NO too many times.
I don't like hiding things from my kids. I don't like eating when he's not looking. I don't like telling my older son we can't meet his friends for pizza at lunch time because Jake will throw a fit. I don't like eating dessert in shifts so Jake doesn't see. But when we're at the grandparent's for dinner (every Sunday), dessert is always there. I'm so tired of saying NO.
So, today I said YES. We're trialing wheat. In our own unconventional way.
I really hope this doesn't come back and bite me in the ass.
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, May 6, 2011
Savory Zucchini Corn Muffins
I've been in a baking funk lately. Maybe because it's getting hot here and I don't want to turn on my oven. However, today I felt like putting together something with corn and dairy. My Dad dropped off his first zucchini of the season this morning and it was enormous! Just the inspiration I needed!
Do you see the size of that thing?
Zucchini Corn Muffins
½ Cup millet flour½ Cup corn flour
1 Cup corn meal
1 Tbsp baking powder
½ tsp sea salt
¾ Cup buttermilk
2 eggs
¼ Cup canola oil
2 Tbsp water
1 Cup shredded zucchini
¾ Cup whole kernel corn
2 Tbsp fresh chopped basil
½ Cup grated parmesan cheese
__________________________________________________________________
Preheat oven to 400 F. Prepare muffin tins with paper muffins cups or lightly grease. In large mixing bowl whisk together millet flour, corn flour, corn meal, baking powder and sea salt. In separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, oil and water. Gently stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until moistened. Fold in zucchini, corn, basil and parmesan. Spoon mixture into muffin tins. Sprinkle extra parmesan on top if you like. (I like!) Bake mini-muffins 15-20 minutes, or medium muffins 20-25 minutes until tops are golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
My trip to Whole Foods and Sonic
Wow. I haven't been to WF in over a month. The only thing I really need to buy from WF is hulled millet and millet flour. However, I always end up buying a cart load and spend way too much money there. In an effort to avoid spending our whole paycheck at Whole Foods, I stocked up on my millet items over a month ago. I finally ran out of millet this week. I could not be happier!
So today I went to WF. Jake has since passed DAIRY and CORN. Wow. I know I keep saying that, but, Wow! I had so many CHOICES! Did you know they make corn pasta? Pasta!! I almost fainted. I bought corn tortillas (quesadilla anyone?), popcorn, cereal, corn meal, corn flour. Sticking to my list, I also bought milk boxes, yogurt and buttermilk. THEN... we went to the juice bar. I ordered the kids a carrot and apple juice. To die for. It makes me really want a Vitamix. Jake was thrilled to be drinking something orange out of a straw cup like his brother. Oh happy day. I really missed my Whole Foods "fix". Once again I'm grounded for another 4-6 weeks. It's like a sickness.
Next stop? Sonic. Did you know it was 100 degrees here today? Hello heat. I haven't missed you. I hope your stay is short this summer. A must in the summer is Sonic slushies. If you go between 2 and 4 they're half price here. For $2.30 I can buy four slushes. Did you know they make a plain slush? It's just frozen sugar water! I talked to the girl on roller skates. She verified with the manager inside. Just frozen water and sugar. Are you sure? Yes. Because my son has allergies. Yes.
Jake's face was priceless as he slurped on his slush. He was so happy.
Things really are getting better around here. We are going to survive this crazy FPIES. Jake may never have McDonalds (rice flour on everything there!), but that's OK. We're discovering other options.
So today I went to WF. Jake has since passed DAIRY and CORN. Wow. I know I keep saying that, but, Wow! I had so many CHOICES! Did you know they make corn pasta? Pasta!! I almost fainted. I bought corn tortillas (quesadilla anyone?), popcorn, cereal, corn meal, corn flour. Sticking to my list, I also bought milk boxes, yogurt and buttermilk. THEN... we went to the juice bar. I ordered the kids a carrot and apple juice. To die for. It makes me really want a Vitamix. Jake was thrilled to be drinking something orange out of a straw cup like his brother. Oh happy day. I really missed my Whole Foods "fix". Once again I'm grounded for another 4-6 weeks. It's like a sickness.
Next stop? Sonic. Did you know it was 100 degrees here today? Hello heat. I haven't missed you. I hope your stay is short this summer. A must in the summer is Sonic slushies. If you go between 2 and 4 they're half price here. For $2.30 I can buy four slushes. Did you know they make a plain slush? It's just frozen sugar water! I talked to the girl on roller skates. She verified with the manager inside. Just frozen water and sugar. Are you sure? Yes. Because my son has allergies. Yes.
Jake's face was priceless as he slurped on his slush. He was so happy.
Things really are getting better around here. We are going to survive this crazy FPIES. Jake may never have McDonalds (rice flour on everything there!), but that's OK. We're discovering other options.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Jake passed corn.
I don't understand it. But we'll take it.
Did he have a corn intolerance and now he's grown out of it? Were we duped with the ascorbic acid? Was it something else that caused that reaction?
I don't know what to think any more. Meanwhile, Jake will eat his Kix and beg for his TJ's Kettle Corn and I will breathe a sigh of relief.
The allergist is going to flip when we visit next month. We've passed dairy AND corn.
We're going to play it safe with some summer fruits next. Watermelon? Cantelope? Honeydew? Yes, yes and yes. Maybe we'll try one of our "shelved" foods again. Maybe eggs?
One foot in front of the other. We're moving on.
Did he have a corn intolerance and now he's grown out of it? Were we duped with the ascorbic acid? Was it something else that caused that reaction?
I don't know what to think any more. Meanwhile, Jake will eat his Kix and beg for his TJ's Kettle Corn and I will breathe a sigh of relief.
The allergist is going to flip when we visit next month. We've passed dairy AND corn.
We're going to play it safe with some summer fruits next. Watermelon? Cantelope? Honeydew? Yes, yes and yes. Maybe we'll try one of our "shelved" foods again. Maybe eggs?
One foot in front of the other. We're moving on.
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.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Failing Strawberries
What a mess, of the diaper explosion kind. We're talking poop from head to toe. TJ's freeze dried strawberries are the obvious culprit. About 1/4 cup of them. No more strawberries.
The end.
The end.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Dairy - Winning!
I've been waiting to use that one!
I have finally given Jake a full serving of dairy. No issues. Nothing. Nada. He and dairy are holding hands and singing Kumbaya.
I made organic whole milk yogurt yesterday in my $18 Yogurt Maker. It worked beautifully! Perfect yogurt tang. The face Jake made when trying it this morning was priceless. It was more tolerable when I added a little sugar and coconut to it. I have some Mango Sorbet leftover in my freezer. I think it will be great mixed in with the yogurt!
Jake ate about half of his little jar of yogurt, so I decided to take the rest and replace the canola oil in our Millet Pancake recipe. I also replaced the 1/2 cup water with 1/2 cup organic whole milk. They turned out fantastic! Jake ate three of them. Big Bro ate seven of them. I'm not kidding... SEVEN. This was after Jake and Big Bro had already eaten breakfast!
We are basking in dairy goodness over here.
FPIES just got a little easier to tolerate.
P.S. I let Jake taste a little double chocolate frozen yogurt at a school fundraiser last night.
P.P.S. I tried strawberries again. He was fine.
I have finally given Jake a full serving of dairy. No issues. Nothing. Nada. He and dairy are holding hands and singing Kumbaya.
I made organic whole milk yogurt yesterday in my $18 Yogurt Maker. It worked beautifully! Perfect yogurt tang. The face Jake made when trying it this morning was priceless. It was more tolerable when I added a little sugar and coconut to it. I have some Mango Sorbet leftover in my freezer. I think it will be great mixed in with the yogurt!
Jake ate about half of his little jar of yogurt, so I decided to take the rest and replace the canola oil in our Millet Pancake recipe. I also replaced the 1/2 cup water with 1/2 cup organic whole milk. They turned out fantastic! Jake ate three of them. Big Bro ate seven of them. I'm not kidding... SEVEN. This was after Jake and Big Bro had already eaten breakfast!
We are basking in dairy goodness over here.
FPIES just got a little easier to tolerate.
P.S. I let Jake taste a little double chocolate frozen yogurt at a school fundraiser last night.
P.P.S. I tried strawberries again. He was fine.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
New Molars!
Jake has two new molars. Screaming? Molars. Crankiness? Molars. I'm going to chalk it all up to molars. New Passed Food? Mi... I don't want to jinx it, so I'm not "calling" it passed yet.
Jake did spit up last night. A very small amount. But he slept WELL. Better than he's slept in a week. The last week can only be described as the week from HELL. I've been a walking zombie. Up every 1-2 hours and FUSSY. Him, not me. Well, I might have been a little fussy.
We've been on the go quite a bit. He could have picked up anything.
Last night at big bro's baseball game, in my moment of "must make Jake feel like a normal kid" and "how do you tell a 14 month old NO you can't have a taste of your sisters snow cone, you must sit and watch her eat her cherry/bubble gum flavored yumminess and by the way here have another potato puff". No, I didn't let him have a taste of hers. But I improvised. He got a plain snow cone, with no syrup. GENIUS!! However, it did brush against his sisters as she carried it back from the concession stand. It had a slight bit of cherry/bubble gum yumminess that I tried to brush off. I doubt I got it all. He was in heaven with his icy treat.
Also, we ate out at the only place Jake can eat out. In N Out Burger. Thank you founders of the nothing frozen, all fresh ingredient fast food restaurant. He could have picked something up off the tabletop as he gobbled his french fries (that contain no hidden ingredients and are fried in a fryer that only fries french fries *say that 10 times fast!). Who knows. He's happy today, he slept well last night. Perhaps he was just full of snow cone ice and french fries and the breast milk put him over the edge.
This week we try yogurt. He's had some tastes of my plain greek yogurt and LOVES it. I plan to make some in my not so fancy yogurt maker. It cost me $18 at the big blue box store. Well worth it if it works. I will keep y'all posted.
Jake did spit up last night. A very small amount. But he slept WELL. Better than he's slept in a week. The last week can only be described as the week from HELL. I've been a walking zombie. Up every 1-2 hours and FUSSY. Him, not me. Well, I might have been a little fussy.
We've been on the go quite a bit. He could have picked up anything.
Last night at big bro's baseball game, in my moment of "must make Jake feel like a normal kid" and "how do you tell a 14 month old NO you can't have a taste of your sisters snow cone, you must sit and watch her eat her cherry/bubble gum flavored yumminess and by the way here have another potato puff". No, I didn't let him have a taste of hers. But I improvised. He got a plain snow cone, with no syrup. GENIUS!! However, it did brush against his sisters as she carried it back from the concession stand. It had a slight bit of cherry/bubble gum yumminess that I tried to brush off. I doubt I got it all. He was in heaven with his icy treat.
Also, we ate out at the only place Jake can eat out. In N Out Burger. Thank you founders of the nothing frozen, all fresh ingredient fast food restaurant. He could have picked something up off the tabletop as he gobbled his french fries (that contain no hidden ingredients and are fried in a fryer that only fries french fries *say that 10 times fast!). Who knows. He's happy today, he slept well last night. Perhaps he was just full of snow cone ice and french fries and the breast milk put him over the edge.
This week we try yogurt. He's had some tastes of my plain greek yogurt and LOVES it. I plan to make some in my not so fancy yogurt maker. It cost me $18 at the big blue box store. Well worth it if it works. I will keep y'all posted.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Screaming
Middle of the night, and middle of naps. Screaming. Where I go rushing in thinking something has got to be wrong. "His foot must be stuck and he's hanging upside down from his crib" kind of scream. But he has a quick nurse and goes right back to sleep. What is it?? Other than the few screams, he has been HAPPY the past two days. With normal poops, I will add.
Molars? They're still coming through.
Powerberries? I have been eating the most decadent little dark chocolate covered power berries from TJ's. I checked the ingredients... brown rice syrup. I'm a bit disappointed, Mr. Joe. I expected to see just chocolate and dried berries in the ingredients! So maybe this is our culprit?
Ugh.
Moving on. We're still doing only sips of milk. I really don't think it's the milk causing the screams. Otherwise we'd see something in his diapers.
Onward.
Molars? They're still coming through.
Powerberries? I have been eating the most decadent little dark chocolate covered power berries from TJ's. I checked the ingredients... brown rice syrup. I'm a bit disappointed, Mr. Joe. I expected to see just chocolate and dried berries in the ingredients! So maybe this is our culprit?
Ugh.
Moving on. We're still doing only sips of milk. I really don't think it's the milk causing the screams. Otherwise we'd see something in his diapers.
Onward.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Milk Update
So it took me three days to actually GIVE Jake some milk after I posted. We are now on day three of "sips". He's probably had one or two teaspoons a day. Slow and steady wins the race, right? Did we not learn anything from the Tortoise and the Hare? Besides, we had a busy few days and I just wasn't ready.
I thought about doing raw milk, baking the milk in something, cooking it, then I thought... I'm just going for it. I'm going to give him what I want to buy for him to drink. I don't want to drive to some dairy farm to buy raw milk for him, unless I thought he really needed it. Again, he's had ZERO reaction to any dairy in my breast milk. This is what I'm basing things on. I really think he's going to pass milk. So our trial is consisting of organic whole milk from TJ's.
I have a yogurt maker I'm dying to use. If the sips continue to go well, I may whip up a batch of the yogurt this week.
I can't believe I just typed those words.
Symptoms?
Well... Jake is cranky. He also is having a molar explosion that is erupting in his mouth.
His sleep is interrupted. Up every hour from Midnight til 5am last night. But, I keep going back to the molars. They look so painful. So painful, that tonight I may give him some of his infant advil at bedtime, just so he can have some relief. When he wakes up he's not crying in tummy pain either. It's different. It's not a stiff body, arching back, dear God, help me cry. It's just a fussy cry.
As for symptoms, that's it. He had a normal poop yesterday (I know y'all were dying to know). His tummy seems FINE. He's just been acting like a two year old the past few days. Tantrums and such. Maybe he'll be like his big sis and go through this stage early. Then Jake will be a wonderful, terrific two year old. Maybe he'll even be a wonderful, terrific two year old with no allergies. I'm dreaming.. I know. I don't know when I'll ever let him try rice or oatmeal again. Maybe when he's 18 and begging to try sushi like all his friends. I seriously doubt he'll ever beg for oatmeal. "But Mom, I don't want Frosted Flakes. I want OATMEAL!". Baaahhaahhaaa.. I make myself laugh.
Goooooooo Milk!
I thought about doing raw milk, baking the milk in something, cooking it, then I thought... I'm just going for it. I'm going to give him what I want to buy for him to drink. I don't want to drive to some dairy farm to buy raw milk for him, unless I thought he really needed it. Again, he's had ZERO reaction to any dairy in my breast milk. This is what I'm basing things on. I really think he's going to pass milk. So our trial is consisting of organic whole milk from TJ's.
I have a yogurt maker I'm dying to use. If the sips continue to go well, I may whip up a batch of the yogurt this week.
I can't believe I just typed those words.
Symptoms?
Well... Jake is cranky. He also is having a molar explosion that is erupting in his mouth.
His sleep is interrupted. Up every hour from Midnight til 5am last night. But, I keep going back to the molars. They look so painful. So painful, that tonight I may give him some of his infant advil at bedtime, just so he can have some relief. When he wakes up he's not crying in tummy pain either. It's different. It's not a stiff body, arching back, dear God, help me cry. It's just a fussy cry.
As for symptoms, that's it. He had a normal poop yesterday (I know y'all were dying to know). His tummy seems FINE. He's just been acting like a two year old the past few days. Tantrums and such. Maybe he'll be like his big sis and go through this stage early. Then Jake will be a wonderful, terrific two year old. Maybe he'll even be a wonderful, terrific two year old with no allergies. I'm dreaming.. I know. I don't know when I'll ever let him try rice or oatmeal again. Maybe when he's 18 and begging to try sushi like all his friends. I seriously doubt he'll ever beg for oatmeal. "But Mom, I don't want Frosted Flakes. I want OATMEAL!". Baaahhaahhaaa.. I make myself laugh.
Goooooooo Milk!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
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.
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.
Monday, March 28, 2011
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*
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*
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
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.
Jake is cranky.
Ugh.
Not sure what to do next. I hate FPIES.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
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.
Friday, March 18, 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
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.
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.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
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.
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.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
National Exposure!
Please visit this link ---->>>> Fpies is getting some much deserved national exposure!!
To help with FPIES research, please visit FPIES UNITED FAMILY FUND .
To help with FPIES research, please visit FPIES UNITED FAMILY FUND .
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Day 1 of Probiotics
I decided to stop food trials for a few weeks. I feel like this week we've been knocked backwards. Jake's sleep is AWFUL. Up every hour. He's been cranky. His tummy just isn't right. I stopped the sorghum trial after two days. Was it the sorghum bothering him? Or was it the bean test I put him through? (mean mommy) Either way, I feel like we need to get back to happy baseline.
I gave Jake his first sprinkling of probiotics in his Coconut Applesauce today. I went with the Culturelle for Kids. I also picked up a box for me, as well. We'll do this together.
Meanwhile, we've had a fantastic day in Jake's world. I took a much needed break from the kitchen. Today included 80 degree weather, the skate park, and dining al fresco with good friends.
This is the good life. This is what life is about.
**I have a few new coconut recipes coming up soon. I've been busy in the kitchen this week!
I gave Jake his first sprinkling of probiotics in his Coconut Applesauce today. I went with the Culturelle for Kids. I also picked up a box for me, as well. We'll do this together.
Meanwhile, we've had a fantastic day in Jake's world. I took a much needed break from the kitchen. Today included 80 degree weather, the skate park, and dining al fresco with good friends.
This is the good life. This is what life is about.
**I have a few new coconut recipes coming up soon. I've been busy in the kitchen this week!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Shepherd's Pie (S-Pie)
Tonight I made dinner. No big deal, right? But tonight I made dinner that EVERYONE could eat. And guess what? EVERYONE loved it. My big kids practically licked their plates. Jake devoured it! I've never seen him eat so much in his short little, food eating, life.
Three basic ingredients. No seasoning. Nothing. And you know what? It was pretty good. I tried my very hardest to get an appetizing picture of our Shepherd's S-Pie. It was impossible.
Three basic ingredients. No seasoning. Nothing. And you know what? It was pretty good. I tried my very hardest to get an appetizing picture of our Shepherd's S-Pie. It was impossible.
So I think the following picture summed it up the best...
Hubs is out of town. That means this was devoured by myself and three small children. I topped the big kids' servings with some shredded sharp cheese. Yum! There were some full bellies at bedtime tonight!
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Shepherd’s Pie (S-Pie)
1 ½ lbs ground turkey (or any ground meat… beef, lamb, mutton)
1 ½ cups carrots (or mixed safe veggies of your choice… peas, corn, onions?)
1 Tbsp Safe oil, I used canola (Optional)
6 small russet potatoes
½ cup water
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Peel , quarter and boil potatoes.
While potatoes are boiling, heat oil in large skillet. Add veggies, coat in oil and cook until color turns vibrant. Add ground turkey and brown. Turn heat to low, add water, cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
When potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, discard water, reserving about one cup. Mash potatoes with reserved water until desired smoothness. If you can have dairy… add a little milk and/or butter to the potatoes for extra creaminess.
Add turkey/veggie mixture to 9 X 13 glass baking dish. Spoon mashed potatoes over the top. Spread evenly. Next, use a fork to create some peaks. This will allow the potatoes to brown a bit on the peaks.
Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. If desired, broil the dish for the remaining 5 minutes to give the potato peaks a nice brown finish.
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Probiotics
I think our next trial is going to be probiotics... for the whole family. I've been doing some research and am slowly becoming convinced. My family eats yogurt, so we do get some probiotics. I drink Kefir. But not every day.
It's been a rough year for our little family with sickness. My kids NEVER get sick. However, my daughter has been sick three times already this year. Between the five of us, we've been hit with the flu (even with flu shots), strep throat, fevers, viruses and colds all in the past few months. We eat healthy. We wash our hands. Probiotics will just be another defense for us. For Jake, I'm hoping it will help level out some good bacteria in his gut for some healing.
Next is to decide which probiotic? I'm leaning towards Culturelle. It seems very allergy friendly. Off to research some more...
It's been a rough year for our little family with sickness. My kids NEVER get sick. However, my daughter has been sick three times already this year. Between the five of us, we've been hit with the flu (even with flu shots), strep throat, fevers, viruses and colds all in the past few months. We eat healthy. We wash our hands. Probiotics will just be another defense for us. For Jake, I'm hoping it will help level out some good bacteria in his gut for some healing.
Next is to decide which probiotic? I'm leaning towards Culturelle. It seems very allergy friendly. Off to research some more...
Monday, March 7, 2011
I take it back... just a little.
You know when you put everything out for the universe to see, it's bound to bite you back.
I felt so confident about Jake after yesterday's post.
Yesterday I made these flatbread/tortillas for Jake (and the rest of us). I changed it up by using half sorghum and half millet flour. They were so yummy. Jake ate one for his first day of sorghum. For my big kids I toasted them a bit longer until they were a little crispy. I topped them with black beans, shredded cheese and shredded lettuce. I wish I would have taken a picture. They looked yummy.
Again, I was feeling confident about Jake's gut yesterday. So I ate one (OK, two) of these little bean tostada creations. I haven't had any legumes for quite a while now. I guess I was testing his gut. Mean Mommy. Better to test through me than directly, though.
Yesterday afternoon Jake woke up C.R.A.N.K.Y. He's been so happy, 24/7, lately. I knew something was up. I'm not blaming the sorghum. It was our first day. I'm blaming myself. If it had been the sorghum, I'm sure I would have saw the diaper right away. Instead we had a rough night. Then at 5:30am, there were cries. Then the smell. Other FPIES Mommies know that diaper smell. Sure enough, beans are still a no-go. Of course I don't know for sure, it could be the sorghum. But I highly doubt it. He'll be getting more sorghum today. I will not eat anything I'm not supposed to. I will play it safe.
Sorry, Jake. I didn't want to give you a tummy ache. Now I know. You're not fully healed. Just wishful thinking I guess.
I felt so confident about Jake after yesterday's post.
Yesterday I made these flatbread/tortillas for Jake (and the rest of us). I changed it up by using half sorghum and half millet flour. They were so yummy. Jake ate one for his first day of sorghum. For my big kids I toasted them a bit longer until they were a little crispy. I topped them with black beans, shredded cheese and shredded lettuce. I wish I would have taken a picture. They looked yummy.
Again, I was feeling confident about Jake's gut yesterday. So I ate one (OK, two) of these little bean tostada creations. I haven't had any legumes for quite a while now. I guess I was testing his gut. Mean Mommy. Better to test through me than directly, though.
Yesterday afternoon Jake woke up C.R.A.N.K.Y. He's been so happy, 24/7, lately. I knew something was up. I'm not blaming the sorghum. It was our first day. I'm blaming myself. If it had been the sorghum, I'm sure I would have saw the diaper right away. Instead we had a rough night. Then at 5:30am, there were cries. Then the smell. Other FPIES Mommies know that diaper smell. Sure enough, beans are still a no-go. Of course I don't know for sure, it could be the sorghum. But I highly doubt it. He'll be getting more sorghum today. I will not eat anything I'm not supposed to. I will play it safe.
Sorry, Jake. I didn't want to give you a tummy ache. Now I know. You're not fully healed. Just wishful thinking I guess.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Changing for the better
I think Jake's gut is changing. For the better. Well, minus the egg incident. I'm still not convinced it was a fail, though. I like to live in denial.
Poop. I'm going to talk about poop. Jake has either had blowouts or constipation. There has never been a middle of the road, normalness to his poop. Until recently. He's fairly normal. Every other day. Normal consistency. I think his gut is changing. Healing?
Food challenges. I played it safe from 6 months to a year. We challenged several foods in the same food families, not really going out on a limb. I think his gut needed this time for healing. I've been a little more daring with the eggs, coconut and turkey (with natural flavorings, that was scary). I'm not so sure Jake would have passed any of those 6 months ago.
I'm declaring coconut a very easy pass. And a great addition to his diet. I will continue to feed it to him every day. His new favorite is coconut applesauce.
Today I'm starting sorghum flour. It's in the same family as millet, but a little easier to work with. It should open more options for us.
Coconut milk will be trialed sometime in the future. Guar gum comes from a bean. Hmpf. I'm not sure if I'm ready to go down that road.
I've been in a baking funk this past week with all my coconut flour fails. Maybe if I combine it with some sorghum I'll have better luck. Hopefully I can spend some time in the kitchen this week and get my groove back!
Poop. I'm going to talk about poop. Jake has either had blowouts or constipation. There has never been a middle of the road, normalness to his poop. Until recently. He's fairly normal. Every other day. Normal consistency. I think his gut is changing. Healing?
Food challenges. I played it safe from 6 months to a year. We challenged several foods in the same food families, not really going out on a limb. I think his gut needed this time for healing. I've been a little more daring with the eggs, coconut and turkey (with natural flavorings, that was scary). I'm not so sure Jake would have passed any of those 6 months ago.
I'm declaring coconut a very easy pass. And a great addition to his diet. I will continue to feed it to him every day. His new favorite is coconut applesauce.
Today I'm starting sorghum flour. It's in the same family as millet, but a little easier to work with. It should open more options for us.
Coconut milk will be trialed sometime in the future. Guar gum comes from a bean. Hmpf. I'm not sure if I'm ready to go down that road.
I've been in a baking funk this past week with all my coconut flour fails. Maybe if I combine it with some sorghum I'll have better luck. Hopefully I can spend some time in the kitchen this week and get my groove back!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Coconut, day 4!
So far, so good!
The only thing I have noticed is better sleep at night (well, 2 of the last 3 nights).
Coincidence? Or Coconut?
Here's my only frustration... baking with coconut flour. I have YET to figure it out. And I thought millet was hard. Here's the thing... Coconut flour likes to be baked with eggs. We can't do eggs...yet. (I'm still hopeful) The egg replacements I've tried are not working. Or maybe I need MORE of them since coconut flour is extremely absorbent. I'm going to make one more effort today with the coconut flour and crossing my fingers and toes I can make something that doesn't dissolve into a powder when I touch it.
Meanwhile, our trials have consisted of coconut/millet granola and coconut sweet potatoes. I've been adding a few teaspoons of organic unsweetened shredded coconut to Jake's sweet potatoes. He's been taking them OK, although he prefers his sweet potatoes straight up.
Since I haven't seen any sort of build symptoms, I'm banking on a pass this week with the coconut. I think I'm going to try coconut milk next week. However, I need to look up what all the "extras" are. Guar Gum? What the heck is Guar Gum? Off to research...
The only thing I have noticed is better sleep at night (well, 2 of the last 3 nights).
Coincidence? Or Coconut?
Here's my only frustration... baking with coconut flour. I have YET to figure it out. And I thought millet was hard. Here's the thing... Coconut flour likes to be baked with eggs. We can't do eggs...yet. (I'm still hopeful) The egg replacements I've tried are not working. Or maybe I need MORE of them since coconut flour is extremely absorbent. I'm going to make one more effort today with the coconut flour and crossing my fingers and toes I can make something that doesn't dissolve into a powder when I touch it.
Meanwhile, our trials have consisted of coconut/millet granola and coconut sweet potatoes. I've been adding a few teaspoons of organic unsweetened shredded coconut to Jake's sweet potatoes. He's been taking them OK, although he prefers his sweet potatoes straight up.
Since I haven't seen any sort of build symptoms, I'm banking on a pass this week with the coconut. I think I'm going to try coconut milk next week. However, I need to look up what all the "extras" are. Guar Gum? What the heck is Guar Gum? Off to research...
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Day 1 Coconut
Day One of coconut went great! I made up some millet/coconut granola for Jake. I used millet puffs, organic shredded unsweetened coconut, freeze dried blueberries, raisins and coconut oil. I Toasted it for about 10 minutes at 300 degrees and it was a success! Jake ate it off his tray just like he does his puffs. It was very messy, too, just like his puffs! I added some to my yogurt this morning. Delish!
I ventured to Whole Foods yesterday to pick up some coconut flour. I'm going to attempt some popular coconut banana muffins that have shown up on the BabyCenter FPIES board recently. Minus the banana, of course. I also picked up some coconut water and coconut milk. The milk has a lot of "other" stuff in it though. I think if we pass coconut, I'll trial the milk separately. I hope I'm not getting ahead of myself.
Here's the strangest thing about yesterday... He only woke up once last night. What??? Huh??? He hasn't been up less than 4 times a night for the past, I don't know how long. Is it the coconut? I'm really not sure how much he actually ate. I put a pile of the granola on his tray. I didn't know how much would actually get in his mouth. Then the hubs was in charge while I ran some errands. Hubs said he ate "a lot" of it. We're real specific around here. Then again, maybe it was the large amount of turkey he ate yesterday? I don't know, but today I feel like Superwoman! Jake woke up very happy, too. I will gladly just take the good night of sleep without an explanation at this point.
Today is a good day.
I ventured to Whole Foods yesterday to pick up some coconut flour. I'm going to attempt some popular coconut banana muffins that have shown up on the BabyCenter FPIES board recently. Minus the banana, of course. I also picked up some coconut water and coconut milk. The milk has a lot of "other" stuff in it though. I think if we pass coconut, I'll trial the milk separately. I hope I'm not getting ahead of myself.
Here's the strangest thing about yesterday... He only woke up once last night. What??? Huh??? He hasn't been up less than 4 times a night for the past, I don't know how long. Is it the coconut? I'm really not sure how much he actually ate. I put a pile of the granola on his tray. I didn't know how much would actually get in his mouth. Then the hubs was in charge while I ran some errands. Hubs said he ate "a lot" of it. We're real specific around here. Then again, maybe it was the large amount of turkey he ate yesterday? I don't know, but today I feel like Superwoman! Jake woke up very happy, too. I will gladly just take the good night of sleep without an explanation at this point.
Today is a good day.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Moving on to coconut!
I'm not going let the whole egg trial let me down. So eggs are on the shelf for now, along with the avocado. We will come back to them at some point.
Today we try coconut!! I've been adding it to my diet quite a bit lately. I've become somewhat addicted. I love it in my millet, yogurt, granola. It's such a great natural sweetner. I didn't even put honey in my millet this morning! I just added some shredded coconut and raisins. Oh my it was tasty.
Crossing my fingers that Jake finds it as tasty as I do. He's starting to get a bit picky about his foods. I love when babies starting forming opinions about their food. Not.
Now how do I introduce the coconut? Sneak it into his pancakes? Mix up some special millet granola? Decisions. I may start with the granola for now since it's easy to make and I can easily monitor how much he eats. Or maybe I sneak a little into his potatoes? He's kind of smart though. He knows when something's invaded his yummy potatoes.
I'll keep you posted on what we decide.
Here's to coconut! *clink* (that would be coconut shells knocking together, not glass)
Today we try coconut!! I've been adding it to my diet quite a bit lately. I've become somewhat addicted. I love it in my millet, yogurt, granola. It's such a great natural sweetner. I didn't even put honey in my millet this morning! I just added some shredded coconut and raisins. Oh my it was tasty.
Crossing my fingers that Jake finds it as tasty as I do. He's starting to get a bit picky about his foods. I love when babies starting forming opinions about their food. Not.
Now how do I introduce the coconut? Sneak it into his pancakes? Mix up some special millet granola? Decisions. I may start with the granola for now since it's easy to make and I can easily monitor how much he eats. Or maybe I sneak a little into his potatoes? He's kind of smart though. He knows when something's invaded his yummy potatoes.
I'll keep you posted on what we decide.
Here's to coconut! *clink* (that would be coconut shells knocking together, not glass)
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Breaking from Eggs
*sigh*
Capital B.L.O.W.O.U.T. today. Mucus. Black specs. All up his back and down his legs.
Part of me wants to press on with our egg trial. Is that crazy?
Today was Day 4. We've had zero signs of discomfort or crankiness until this morning. He was a little clingy for our weekly visit to visit Granddad in the nursing home. But he eventually warmed up. I attributed it to his molars starting to push through and no morning nap.
We came home. I made lunch. I gave him an entire egg (about 1 1/2 Tablespoons?), grapes, cheecha puffs and a millet cookie. He ate most of it. He was happy. He was walking around, playing, while I cleaned up lunch. Big Bro says "Jake stinks!". I didn't see or hear him do his business. I figured it would be normal. But it wasn't. It was a blowout. He was fine after. Two hours later, he's still fine. He nursed well and is napping. He was happy going to bed.
I'm not sure what to think. Was it a crumb he picked up? Was it the eggs? I have to admit my housekeeping has been less than stellar this week. DH is out of town.
I'm not sure what our next step will be. But for now we'll take a break. At least until DH is back in town.
Capital B.L.O.W.O.U.T. today. Mucus. Black specs. All up his back and down his legs.
Part of me wants to press on with our egg trial. Is that crazy?
Today was Day 4. We've had zero signs of discomfort or crankiness until this morning. He was a little clingy for our weekly visit to visit Granddad in the nursing home. But he eventually warmed up. I attributed it to his molars starting to push through and no morning nap.
We came home. I made lunch. I gave him an entire egg (about 1 1/2 Tablespoons?), grapes, cheecha puffs and a millet cookie. He ate most of it. He was happy. He was walking around, playing, while I cleaned up lunch. Big Bro says "Jake stinks!". I didn't see or hear him do his business. I figured it would be normal. But it wasn't. It was a blowout. He was fine after. Two hours later, he's still fine. He nursed well and is napping. He was happy going to bed.
I'm not sure what to think. Was it a crumb he picked up? Was it the eggs? I have to admit my housekeeping has been less than stellar this week. DH is out of town.
I'm not sure what our next step will be. But for now we'll take a break. At least until DH is back in town.
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!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Day 1: Eggs
Well, I went off course. I had said coconut next. Really, it will be NEXT, after we trial eggs. I keep going back and forth between "Jake needs more protein" and "Jake needs more calories and fat". I happened to make scrambled eggs for lunch for my big kids today. And, well, maybe a few pieces found their way to Jake's high chair. So that sealed the deal. We're trialing eggs this week. He gobbled them down, by the way.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Shelving Avocado
We did one day of avocado. I felt like I would "know" after one taste of it. While it wasn't a vomit/shock fail, it was not a normal food adjustment. Cranky, clumsy, clingy... then a nasty diaper the next morning. It seemed once it was out of his system, he returned to normal. He had a normal diaper a few hours later. It was enough for me to put it on the shelf for now. I'm a little bummed because he needs the extra fat and calories. I think we'll have a few days of nothing, then maybe coconut next.
Meanwhile, I'm on the search for some grass-fed lamb. I've contacted a local farm here and I believe I can get ground grass fed lamb for less than $10/lb.
I think the turkey is helping our sleep issues a bit. He was up only two times last night. Down from three times a night for the past week. Which is down from 4-5 times a night the week(s) before that! He doesn't eat that much turkey, however. I've had to trick him a bit. I've found he prefers the ground turkey over the roasted turkey (which I ended up pureeing and hiding in his food). But I can't think of anything else that is different over the past few weeks. Unless it's learning to walk? Maybe that's wearing him out? Either way it's progress. I like progress, especially when it involves sleep.
Meanwhile, I'm on the search for some grass-fed lamb. I've contacted a local farm here and I believe I can get ground grass fed lamb for less than $10/lb.
I think the turkey is helping our sleep issues a bit. He was up only two times last night. Down from three times a night for the past week. Which is down from 4-5 times a night the week(s) before that! He doesn't eat that much turkey, however. I've had to trick him a bit. I've found he prefers the ground turkey over the roasted turkey (which I ended up pureeing and hiding in his food). But I can't think of anything else that is different over the past few weeks. Unless it's learning to walk? Maybe that's wearing him out? Either way it's progress. I like progress, especially when it involves sleep.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Millet Granola!
It's been over 6 months since I've had any oats. This means no granola in my diet. Oh how I miss it. This recipe was made for myself while I'm on the elimination diet for Jake. However... I'm considering trialing coconut next week...
Maybe I'll make Jake his own version of granola! (I will post it if I do!)
The great thing about this recipe is anything and almost everything can be subbed. This is a starting point. Want to use quinoa instead of millet? Go for it! Any dried fruit will work, no need to use raisins. Leave out the nuts and seeds (I plan to for Jake). However, you cannot sub the shredded coconut and coconut oil. It makes the flavor of this yummy granola.
Next I need to figure out how to make granola bars... I need something to really "bind" it.
Maybe I'll make Jake his own version of granola! (I will post it if I do!)
The great thing about this recipe is anything and almost everything can be subbed. This is a starting point. Want to use quinoa instead of millet? Go for it! Any dried fruit will work, no need to use raisins. Leave out the nuts and seeds (I plan to for Jake). However, you cannot sub the shredded coconut and coconut oil. It makes the flavor of this yummy granola.
Next I need to figure out how to make granola bars... I need something to really "bind" it.
Millet Granola
1 cup raisins
½ cup walnuts
¼ cup raw sunflower seeds
¼ cup raw pepitas
½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 Tbsp hulled millet
1 cup millet puffs
2-3 Tbsp virgin coconut oil
1 Tbsp honey
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Add all ingredients to food processor or blender. Chop/Grind until fine chunks. Spread mixture into a 9 X 13 baking pan. Bake at 300 for 15-20 minutes. Allow mixture to cool, then crumble and store in airtight container in fridge. This is so yummy alone. I love it sprinkled on top of my yogurt or over Luna and Larry’s Coconut Bliss Dark Chocolate dessert.
Warning: Highly addictive.
And here's the recipe in pictures.
I can't help it. I'm a visual person.
The hulled millet is hiding in a boring container behind the puffed millet. Oops!
Yummm puffed millet. My 8 year old thinks it tastes like popcorn!
Reminds me of Sand Art at the fair. Anyone?
WHHHEEEEEEEEEE! I get dizzy just watching it!
Too bad Smellivision never really took off.. the aroma is divine.
My breakfast!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Millet Pancake Recipe
The first time I made these, they came out perfect. Well, as perfect as a pancake can be with such limited ingredients. I didn't write down the recipe. I just winged it. It has taken me a few tries to try to get something close to what I did the first time.
Jake is a little tired of our magical millet muffins. And I have to admit, I'm partial to these pancakes. They don't crumble as easily, which means less mess. They freeze great, too. Every morning I pop one into the microwave and in 30 seconds he has a pancake to eat. These little pancakes are our new staple.
Jake is a little tired of our magical millet muffins. And I have to admit, I'm partial to these pancakes. They don't crumble as easily, which means less mess. They freeze great, too. Every morning I pop one into the microwave and in 30 seconds he has a pancake to eat. These little pancakes are our new staple.
Millet Pancakes
1 cup millet flour
2 Tbsp raw organic sugar
1 tsp baking powder (corn free)
¼ tsp sea salt
2 Tbsp applesauce
3 Tbsp canola oil
½ cup of water (or more if needed for desired consistency)
Combine dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients, stir to combine. Pour ¼ cup portions onto a hot griddle. Flip after a few minutes when bottoms are golden brown. Let flip side brown for a few minutes. Serve alone or with some 100% pure maple syrup! These pancakes freeze well.
On a side note: Jake passed turkey!
Gobble, Gobble!
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