2 steps foward.......8 jumps backwards

So I have been MIA for a long time.  I have actually written and rewritten this particular post several times the past few weeks.  We have had a lot happen over the last year including an expected sugery and testing that lead to a very unexpected diagnosis with Kaitlyn.  A very unexpected allergic reaction in Adrianna which we thought to be immune to this craziness.  We've had disappointments with our allergist and insurance company. We've moved....yes that's taken a lot more out of us than we expected.  We've also had a diagnosis of asthma with Tyson.  It's been a definite trial and error with Mason in regards to what's safe and not safe for him to eat.  I've not had much luck in the gluten/wheat free, egg free and diary free baking.  I feel like I'm some how failing him as his mom by not being able to provide more variety for him to eat.  So with all this and more that's been going on I decided I would take the time to dedicate a post for each "big" event.  That way I'm not posting a book!  Now I just have to decided which one to tackle..........

Small Victories

We've had a few more small victories over the weekend.  Normally these things wouldn't be even worth mentioning but when you are challenged daily with food issues the small things become big things.  We've add yet another food to the list.  What is it you ask?  Green Beans.  He was a little reluctant at first but he's warmed up to it.  So we are up to 5 foods now!!!!
So what's the other victory?  Mason took an ounce of formula this morning!!  Again he is still just chewing on the bottle but I'm still hopeful that he will soon get the hang of it.
We have 9 more days until his allergist appt and I'm full of questions.  It seems that more and more labeling is focused on Gluten Free and not so much wheat free.  One of my many questions is the distinction between the two.  I'm anticipating that we will also be carrying yet another set of Epipens for precaution.  I'm thinking about rotating when the prescriptions will expire.  Right now Tyson and Kaitlyn are on the same cycle since we got theirs at the same time.  I'm thinking that spacing them every four months might be better.  (Ok so that was just a ramble of me thinking will typing.)

In other news this weeks focus is to find a PreK program Tyson.  The elementary school that Adrianna goes to is not peanut/ tree nut free.  In fact they quite often sever PB&J and use peanuts in school treats and projects.  Adrianna knows when she gets home she has to change clothes and wash her hands.  Although it would be easier to have them both at the same school I just can't do it.  Erick and I would be a huge ball of nerves all day.  Not to mention I'm not to happy about their "policy" when it comes to lunch.  The school nurse said that they don't have a "safe" table and if his allergy is that sever (which it is) that he would have to eat lunch in an office alone.  NOPE, not gonna happen.  Tyson has the right to eat lunch safely with everyone else. Period
So with that being said I'm off to research and call schools.  Laundry is gonna have to take a back seat today....

Sugar Free Zone

In my haste to make sure I posted today I forgot to mention that we as a family decided to become a sugar free home.  Wow right?  Let me tell you how this played out....

I've been having a challenging time with Tyson and his hands.  His hands like to playfully hit and punch and push his sisters and daddy.  We have had several conversations about his hands.  I know little boys play rough and there is a time and a place for it but it's been getting a bit out of control.  It seems like this is the only way he wants to play and its wearing on his sisters.  After another round of tears from Kaitlyn and Tyson hiding in his room I decided we need to find a solution.
I have been pondering how to go from eating sweets almost daily to letting them be what they should be-treats and for specials occasions like birthdays.  Well my sweets loving boy Tyson said it best, "Mommy the cookies make me want to punch and kick."  Well that was just the door I was looking for.  We decided that since sugar and sweets were making him act out that we needed to cut them out.  I asked Adrianna, Tyson and Kaitlyn to think of their favorite fruits, veggies, diary and meats.  Then we are going to cut out pictures of them and make a calendar/menu with these foods.  I could have jumped through the roof with excitement over all of this.  Don't get me wrong...I LOVE SWEETS especially of the chocolate kind.  But I have to admit that I feel more run down and tired when I do eat them.  Any way this is our experimental week.  I'm also going to round up recipes and ideas for homemade summer snacks like fruit pops and slushies.  I want to be able teach the kids how to make healthy alternatives.

Daily Update

Well the bottle went a little better yesterday.  He again chewed on it more than anything but he did manage to chew 1 ounce which is more than the day before.  Giving him the bottle did interfere with his sleep schedule but that has never been consistent anyway so it wasn't a big deal.  The challenges are there but I know in the end it will be well worth it.

Day by Day posts....

I've decided that I am going to post daily.  Right now I am still working to get Mason to take a bottle and I am also trying to get him on more of a feeding schedule with solids.  I gave him yet another "new" bottle yesterday and he almost seemed giddy to have it.  He still doesn't realize he is supposed to suck on it and not chew it.  He did mange to get half an ounce out of it and that's been the most to date.  I figure if I offer it as much as possible he'll eventually get the hang of it.  I also know that when he has an episode (spitting up) that it will be much easier to pinpoint the cause with him on formula.  Right now its a guessing game if it was something I ate or something he ate and that's not a good thing with allergies at least as far as I'm concerned.  As far as solids go we have been successful with applesauce, sweet potatoes, green peas and carrots.  Although since starting the carrots on Sunday he has been spitting up a bit more.  This is where the questioning comes into play though.  I have started getting more rice since then as well.  So again until I know exactly what he is taking in I can't say for sure what he is reacting to.

Finally have a direction......

So we went to Mason's GI appt today and finally got (after a mess up with the first lab) the results to his allergy test and he was positive for allergies to milk, eggs and wheat. I had already cut out the milk and eggs but the wheat is a whole bigger ball game. It does explain his sever reaction to the baby cereals. So where do we go from here? Well the first goal is to get Mason to take a bottle. Until that time I'll cut wheat out of my diet as well. We do get to introduce more foods- green beans, peas, carrots, squash, avocado, corn and broccoli so he'll have more options. Another positive is that he was negative to soy so we can try soy formula first and see how he reacts. We also have to take him our pediatric allergist. I'm relieved to some answers and ready to tackle this challenge. My prayer is that as he gets older he'll out grow the allergies. If that doesn't happen I know that we are well equippped to handle it.

Anaphylaxis - Living Without Article

Anaphylaxis - Living Without Article