I know it can be really touch living with food allergies when you have a family that has all different ones but one we have in common is gluten and wheat. We have learned through trial and error what we are allergic to and what we are not but it varies with season. I know there is an intolerance when there are skin rashes, hives, digestive issues, mood changes, sleepless nights and candida/bacteria imbalances. We have also taken it a step further and done stool tests to look at the inflammation, digestion, absorption and intestinal health markers. We have all done the Genova Allergy blood tests to know what foods we need to stay away so we do not weaken the digestive system, therefore weakening immune system even more.

People always ask me what we eat but we eat tons. I have learned how to make so many meals/desserts using brown and white rice flours. We try and eat a lot of fresh foods and whole foods because my kids and of course myself do not digest the packaged foods that well. My son is able to eat the Glutino apple bars and he LOVES them and they are a life savior for snack when he goes to school. I also don’t live in a bubble and I give my kids Yummy Earth Lollipops and bake daily so they have lots of yummy treats to eat. Max also adores gluten free plantain chips. YUM! Samantha adores banana chips. I swear kids have an intuitive nature about them to know what causes their bellies to hurt and so they reach for what makes them feel good and when they don’t-they don’t feel well. Luckily, they are still little and so it is still pretty easy for me.

I have learned that are food allergies are really bad when out gut is a mess. So I use a ton of probiotics and I rotate them. I also incorporate cultured foods and mix it in with his burger a few times a week. The probiotics are key and finding out what foods are creating the “leaky gut”.

Dr Weil describes Leaky Gut as, “Leaky gut syndrome is not generally recognized by conventional physicians, but evidence is accumulating that it is a real condition that affects the lining of the intestines. The theory is that leaky gut syndrome (also called increased intestinal permeability), is the result of damage to the intestinal lining, making it less able to protect the internal environment as well as to filter needed nutrients and other biological substances. As a consequence, some bacteria and their toxins, incompletely digested proteins and fats, and waste not normally absorbed may “leak” out of the intestines into the blood stream. This triggers an autoimmune reaction, which can lead to gastrointestinal problems such as abdominal bloating, excessive gas and cramps, fatigue, food sensitivities, joint pain, skin rashes, and autoimmunity. The cause of this syndrome may be chronic inflammation, food sensitivity, damage from taking large amounts of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), cytotoxic drugs and radiation or certain antibiotics, excessive alcohol consumption, or compromised immunity.”

If you are having trouble with your digestion and you need my help, feel free to check out my website
Rachels Wellness.

Dearest Samantha,

So it was a tough month for you. We had some interesting food allergies come up..actually hives that were covering your body from head to toe. We tried everything homeopathy, Sulphur 200c and sulphur 30c, Chamomilla 30c, Belladonna 30, and then Benadryl and and the creams but nothing was working and you were getting worse by the day. We took away your lactose free milk and started a elimination diet and try rice milk and that made it worse. I have a feeling the safflower oil was aggravating the situation. You also were dealing with candida and bacteria, which in not uncommon when your stomach is really messed up but the questions still remained-what was causing the problem? You were so unhappy and finally when you eyes blew up and your lips swelled, I scooped you up and took you to the ER and they gave your IV prednisone. For me to have you on that type of medicine, it was really bad. So I have since tried everything and the hives started to come back until one day I saw you play with play doh and BAM-hives-ah-WHEAT!!! So play doh went in the trash and so have the hives. It will take some time for you body to recover because you were in really bad shape so I am giving you yeast medicine and an all natural bacteria medicine because you had a bacteria rash on your skin from itching the hives raw. Finally I am giving you chinese medicine to help with the rashes and that seems to be working. Thank goodness. Poor baby. But I hink it is safe to say No wheat and No gluten. I am going to get you tested next week via a blood test. Just like your mom and your brother.

Halloween was not that much of a day for you because we were in the ER that day but you and I did have fun answering the door and handing out candy. In our new neighborhood it seems that halloween is like a national holiday. So we put on your Tinker Bell/Angel costume and took a few pictures. This was a great picture of us that night and even Esther seemed to make her way into the picture.

As for the potty and your diaper. Basically you like to be nude. I have found you in the morning with your diaper off and saying wet. Yes, you heard me right, you take your diaper off..not all of the time but sometimes. You have started to go on the potty and you are very excited about this. You began this about 3 weeks ago and your favorite part of the toilet paper-although you don’t wipe-you just take little pieces and then throw them in the toilet and then clap. You have gone pee and poop on the toilet and I am very proud of you. You also love to get out of the pool and actually poop on the grass like a dog-we are working on this one. I think both you and your brother watch Esther, your dog, a little too much and think this is an acceptable way to go to the bathroom. Oh Boy!

You are talking up a storm. You refer to yourself as ME or Sam! You say, “I throw or I go”. You can repeat almost any word and your brother enjoys teaching you words and making your learn new words daily. You are a great communicator and you are very social.

You are in LOVE with Kung Fu Panda and you think you are a kung fu master so you walk around the house doing kung fu non-stop and hitting doors and people. We are working on not hitting people. You still love Wow Wow Wubzy and you are really enjoying books finally..although sometimes you are the one who has to read the book to me, which is adorable as well.

You are on feisty little girl. You have to have it your way and so I am doing my best to teach you that life does not always give you what you want when you want. We just started a mommy and me called Sprout and hopefully this will help you since there are 12 other little kids in the class because sometimes you get frustrated when other kids are at the playground or on the slide and you say, MY SLIDE or MY PLAYGROUND and then I say share slide…share playground..I love your strong willed personality. You have a voice. You are not scared to show it. Never stop speaking up. You have taught me so much already and I am blessed to have you as my daughter.

I love you angel!

Love,

Mommy

Dearest Max,

I promise things are settling down but the last few months have been full of change with our move and I have had to pack two months of your birthday letters into one..this has never happened but I think that is part of being a mom..just accepting that I can’t do it all. So enough about me and let’s talk about you.

First off-you still love life as you always have and for some reason you dig wearing your socks like this! Maybe you thought we moved closer to Miami!

So much has happened. You love your new school. You had a tough time at first and I don’t blame you. You were so comfortable at your old school but you have really grown to like this school. You are in a class where there are 3 to 5 year olds. It is a very traditional Montessori school where older kids help the younger kids. You go to school at 8:30 in the morning and I pick you up at 11:30. Sometimes you stay for lunch and then I pick you up at 12:30 pm but with your food allergies it is much easier to come home and eat your meal here as your school uses a microwave and I have never used a microwave for you in your life. Why start now?

The head of the school came up to me and told me how special you are because you were 5 of 16 kids that offered to do an exercise where you would help a younger child do their work. You thrive when you can show your independence and leadership skills. I was very proud of you as usual.

The biggest thing that has happened is you wear big boy underwear! Yep you heard me. Three weeks ago the school emailed me and said it was time. You had a few pee accidents but that was it and now you wear underwear-I cannot believe it. I am so proud of you!!

You love the pool. We swim everyday and sometimes a twice a day. We converted the pool to a salt water pool and it is so nice. You have been taking swim lessons and you can swim about 6 feet wall by yourself and lift your head and kick. You can also jump in on your own and dive down for rings. It is amazing to watch you each week get better and better. We have a lot of thank you’s to Miss Tracy for teaching you how to swim because in the beginning you cried everyday and then one day you said you were going to swim and you did. It was such a classic Max MOVE!

You are just loving our neighborhood. You often ask if we are moving back to our old house but we explain that we have moved and that we have sold that house. I think you kind of get it. You love being outside and we have huge doors that open up to our pool and backyard and so the whole house, since it is also one floor, seems to be one large play room.

You are a great big brother. Sometimes your little sister upsets you but most of the time you are great at helping her and helping me. You are still so stubborn and I am not sure if that will ever change but it is just who you are. You are cracking me up with some of he things you say like, “baby, stop you are giving me a headache or baby, stop you are making me tired.” Oh boy-I hope Ii don’t say those things. You think you are the police man in this house!

Anything Dinosaurs is the new theme in the house. You love watching a new show called Dino Dan and any documentary with Dinosaurs. It is very cute. You still love Kung Fu Panda but you have moved onto the next level of really wanting to watch show that stimulate your brain. You still are awesome with your imagination and playing. It always amazes me when I see you playing and  what you say we should do with all the toys or little characters in your story that we are playing out.

So basically my big boy-have fun-keep dreaming-keep asking WHY-keep exploring and I love you very much.

Love,
Mommy