Shh.... Got milk?

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

There you have it. 

We're trialing dairy.  Slowly.

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

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

One of THOSE nights.

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

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

He BEGGED.  I CAVED.  He had a strawberry.

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

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

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

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

So which is it?  *sigh*

Pork Trial

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

Jake is cranky.

Ugh.

Not sure what to do next.  I hate FPIES.

Almond Butter Yogurt Dip

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

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

Almond Butter Yogurt Dip

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

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

1 tsp 100% pure maple syrup

¼ tsp cinnamon (optional)

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

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

Dairy or dental? 

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

The dairy experiment

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

I disagree. 

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

It's a pre-trial, if you will. 

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

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

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

One Week of Probiotics

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

However, I did something crazy this week. 

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

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

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

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

Probiotic Update - Day 4

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

A few things to note...

1.) NO food trials right now.

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

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

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

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

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

We're going to continue the probiotics. 

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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!

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.

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!

**********************************

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...

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. 

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!

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...

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.