I have to say it is quite funny to have Thanksgiving in the warm weather and be wearing short sleeves and not be cold while up north it was snowing. Max managed to have a gluten free meal even though we ate out because I called ahead and got him a baked potato and veggies steamed. I then found the desserts that had no gluten and he was in heaven. Sammy ate a yogurt I brought and the icing off some cupcake and she was in heaven as well.

The kids played and enjoyed dinner-well they actually did a lot of running around but it was still nice and we had a great time being with family..not my own family but it was still family. At one point Max was break dancing and this guy actually got up from his table and started to break dance with him as well-it was the funniest thing I have ever seen. The kids are growing up so fast. I cannot believe it.

I am very fortunate for all that has been given to me. I always have talked about our food allergies-gluten and wheat intolerance, egg allergies, digestion issues but at the end of the day, I have the happiest and most special kids I have ever met. Max is the sweetest and toughest little kid I know. He has a huge heart. Sammy is on fire. She is talking up a storm and has an agenda all the time and a plan. She is so strong in her desire to enjoy life and live it to the fullest. I am blessed with love from a great husband and two amazing and truly gifted children. It is all grace. I am one lucky girl!

Thank you for all you have given me, whoever you may be up there looking over me! Thank you!

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.

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

So much to tell. You have turned into a little girl right before my eyes  this month. You babble, say words, walk with ease, carry your baby around and ask for your favorite movies. You can say the following words: Max, Ma Ma, Da Da Ba for bottle, Hi, Bye Bye, Re-for remote, ruff ruff, Do for Dog and more. I am sure there are others but those are the ones that I can make out currently.

You love to point at everything and you give this look..I know you are asking me WHY? I can see the future already..so many questions and so many answers. I have a feeling that you will always want to know the answer just like your momma.

You have been cutting two teeth this month-a molar on the bottom right and a tooth on the bottom right and I swear I feel a bump on the bottom left. OUCH. We actually had to give you motrin for a few days but things seemed to have calmed down since the tooth broke through. Poor baby. Teething stinks!

You are so sweet and so much fun. You love to play with blocks and you love to put things inside of other things. You enjoy playing with the little kitchen we have in the playroom. Every morning we go downstairs and you sit on this big bean bag and watch MILO and OTIS-a movie about a PUG and  CAT while I work out. You play and watch me and we sing songs..even though I can barely catch my breath as I am running.

You enjoy empty vitamin bottles, water bottles, and anything that is not a toy. You still love to sing and dance and enjoy yourself the most when music is playing. You are shy to a degree but the minute you warm up..you are chatty and dancing.

You were able to see two huge storms that totaled almost 40 inches here in Philadelphia and that is unheard of but you witnessed it and we had a lot of fun playing outside. You loved going down the hill with your Daddy, as I know you are such Daddy’s little girl. And by the way, he loves you so much too!

You still love to snuggle despite how independent you are and I love that. You have very curly hair, especially the day after we wash your hair and it reminds of the curls I had when I was your age.

Your favorite movie is SHREK. You have a little couch inf ront of the TV and you will sit there until your favorite scene and then you must go to the TV and watch close up..it can’t be good for your eyes but it is what you do and it is adorable.

You are doing great with your food and pooping..both subjects we talk about in this house a lot due to allergies. I think this protocol that we have had you on since November is working and we are addressing some issues that are finally getting your tummy in good order. You love squash, home made banana muffins, rice, apples, pears, carrots and kefir. I also give you a litle cultured veggies each week to help with your digestion and gut..we are just so happy that you are pooping daily. You are also on a homeopathic remedy called SULFUR, which is helping you to process the sulfur better in your little body-hoping that you will have less reactions wot foods with sulfur and almost every food has sulfur.

So things are good with you and you are just such a blessing in my life. I never knew how amazing it would be to have a girl. You have taught me so much about myself. I see my fire in you and I see that part of you that is a little volcano when you don’t get your way-kicking and screaming on the floor but then-I show you cups ands blocks and it is all over. You are a great kid and everybody that sees you just says you have so much personality and so much to say already.

Ever since you learned to walk, you are just so happy and you love to explore and hide and play games. You are playing great with your brother and you guys have a lot of fun together. We adore you. I guess there is not much more to say than that. Thank you for being my daughter.

Love you tons,

Mommmy

The good thing is that we have all these tests coming back and we are starting Dr, Amy Yasko’s protocol to get the methylation process in the body working efficiently. I knwo it sounds complicated and it is. There is a part of me that know in the end we are all going to be fine but I also know that something is going on in Max’s body that effects him on so many levels and we are working hard to figure it out.

I finally feel like somebody is giving me a plan and that feels so good. I cannot tell you how often I worry-24/7. It is hard to explain to anyone who does not have an allergenic kid what it is like to worry about allergies. But like I said, it is not anything that is killing him and that is where I need to get grateful. I just sometimes get jealous of people who don’t need to worry about food or allergies.

Luckily we found this doctor and our doctor Daphne Goldberg will help us to navigate. I also have another doctor named  Dr. Joe Carcetti advising me on the genetic stuff as well. So all in all we are good. I just have felt tired these last few days and just needed a break. Between school, which takes up about 4 or 5 hours and week and the kids and day light savings, which has the kids now up between 5 am and 6 am, I am tired.

I am fine but I am tired. Ok just need to vent and say SCREW DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME-WE ARE NO LONGER FARMERS-WHO NEEDS THE CHANGE IN TIME!! Thanks feel better now!

So here is another one of Max and his cars!

And here is another one of my little girl who is always striking a pose for the camera!

And there is the typical morning in my house!

And then there is a typical Sunday. Go Eagles!

So we are all doing much better. Sam is fine and it toughened her up. Max is loving school and I think he enjoys the constant schedule and attention he gets there. We went to the chinese herbalist and she gave him a formula for Qi stagnation, clearing the heat and calming the spirit. He started to eat again. Yeah! I think I will take the baby next week. I am also doing NAET with him, which is a technique used to help clear allergies and intolerances. We cleared Eggs and chicken the other day and we will go back next week for another treatment. I did this when he was young but hopefully it will take this time.

I am almost done with my cold. I hate being sick. Good news is that the pill is regulating me and the doctor thinks that in 3 months I will be back to normal (whatever that is). I have also been doing a liver cleanse and I it has been hard to give up my huge bowl of popcorn at night (it is so my comfort food). At this point, I cannot give up that one cup of organic coffee in the am. I know I should but I cannot so for now, this is the best I can do. Lets see if by this week I have the willingness t give up my soy milk in my coffee, which is so my comfort food too. I love creamy anything!

So then I got pregnant with Samantha after having 2 periods and bam I was pregnant again. But this time my hormones were insane right after I gave birth. We thought was it B-12 deficiency, Folic Acid, Anemia, Candida, Anxiety, Rashes, Hives, Allergies, of and now I have angioedema, which is severe swellings and welts after I eat something I am allergic to. I looked like the OCTO MOM the other day. My lip swelled up so much and this has happened for the past 2 years on and off and now more on. Crazy thing is that I am in amazing shape and back to my pre pregnancy weight. BUT my body is wacked and I dont know why. Monday I have an ultrasound of my uterus and ovaries. We just got back my estrogen level and my doctor said that my body has the estrogen level of a pregnant woman and NO i am not pregant. So what the F__K?

So there it is. I am annoyed and crying and yelling and angry all in one minute. It stinks but I am trying to stay positive in the midst of having every crazy emotion. So be prepared for a lot more talk about my hormones. Coming soon are pics of Max’s first day at school. yeah I felt that crappy that I could not even post about it.

You are totally a beach boy. We have been down the shore for almost a month and you love it. You wake up early in the morning, watch a little TV, go for a run in the stroller with your sister and me, get your bathing suit on and the rest is history. Your day is filled with playing in the baby pool, the beach, fun games, watching endless games of dominos and Gin, getting pulled in the wagon and trips to the produce stand and the market. This is your life these days. You seem to love the one street living laid back  attitude at the beach.

You are a great big brother but you do not really like sharing your toys with your sister. You will share toys that you are not interested in playing with but the ones that she is playing with all of the sudden become the ones you want. We are really trying to help you learn this valuable tool of sharing with your sister and sometimes you do it and sometimes it produces a full on tantrum. Sharing is tough and you are very intelligent because you try and do the bait and switch..you will actually dangle a toy in front of her face and make a really happy face so that she will want it and usually you do this with a toy that is not enough a toy like a fricken napkin or something like that…you are such a salesman already.

But you are an amazing brother and you have so much fun playing with Sam already. You also love to sit on her, push her over, kiss her till she screams and lay on top of her. These are all things that we try and explain can hurt her because she is little but she loves it because you are paying attention to her. 

Your allergies are much better. You are officially chicken, turkey, dairy, egg, wheat, gluten, oat, corn and soy free not to mention garlic and a few other fruits. I know it sounds like a crazy diet but you pretty much eat whole foods and nothing processed. I am going to try chicken in a month or so because I have a feeling that you were allergic to the garlic in your nitrate free hot dog and not the chicken but we will see. I guess you are lucky because I have to eat the same way. Crazy huh? bad allergies but adorable..this is our family motto.

Your talking is constant. Ever since we figured out your allergies, well you talk non stop. You love to say STOP and DON”T. You also love to say I DO and I Help and I pool and me too! You also love to say Cook and what you want to eat. You also love to tell me that Daddy is at work or where you daddy is and so on. You went from 0 words at the end of March to about 60 words. We are so excited for you. We also know that your talking is directly related to your allergies and know that your brain can works properly you are talking so much.

You are growing up so fast. I feel like you are such a little man. You watch everything and you don’t miss a thing. If you think that it should not be that way-you tell us. I see such a strong personality in you. Just like your Dad and myself, you always want to see if you can do it. You are obsessed with pulling or pushing your wagon or a blow up boat or something heavy because you want to see if you can do it. You grunt and bend over and use your legs..you remind me of me. You have this inner strength that is unstoppable. 

Well Max, we have out times these days because you are a toddler but I always love you and I am always amazed at how my love increases daily for you. I am the first born in my family and I know that bond that I have with my mom because I was the first. I have this with you too. You and I have figured things out along the way with each other and I am so lucky that you have walked this journey with me. This is just the beginning. I love you so much.

Love, Your Mom

I am enjoying the beach a lot but I do miss my friends and our routine at home. I know it sound crazy. I LOVE the beach and  I am having such a great time as a family but some days I just miss the known.

The hubby and I really needed this or I really needed this. I needed to remember why I fell in love with him. We have been laughing and hanging out and smooching-all things that had not happened a lot in the past 7 months. I just did not have any energy at night after the kids went to sleep and basically I just wanted to be alone. So it has been great. We have date night every Tuesday night.

Max’s allergies are better. I am finally realizing what works and what does not. Basically he eats a very plain whole food diet which consists of beef, veal, lamb, rice, fruits, veggies and well that is about it. I have been experimenting making ice cream for him. It is tough but it is tougher when he has rashes on his face and genital, tantrums, and stops talking. I always know when he has a slight reaction because his mood changes instantly. Today I am making vanilla ice cream,  I will let you know how it goes. I made banana but he did not like the texture so I am sticking with basic vanilla. 

Sam is doing great. She is back to sleeping through the night. She sleeps 6:45 pm to 6 or 6:30 am. Not bad. She still refuses to eat and I am trusting her body. I am convinced that if I would have delayed Max’s food then maybe he wold have less allergies. her body just can’t tolerate food. Everything I give her, she has a reaction so for now, just formula.

Max’s speech is so good. he is adding words daily and it is so funny to hear what is on his mind. We are so proud of him. I know the food is directly related to his speech. Thank goodness we realized this.

We had family and then friends for an entire week and i think it was a lot for me. We had a great time with my folks, then my MIL, then friends from Europe but at the end I felt like I was empty. I think it was just having everyone back to back. I was kind of bitchy the last few days and I think I just need a really good run or some quiet time for myself. We have friends coming again this weekend but it is our acupuncturist, also godmother to our kids and her family, and she is bringing needles. YEAH I am going to have acupuncture. I am so damn excited. So next time I will not plan everyone back to back and do a better job taking care of myself. 

He just like me has many foods that he has a very low response to and we must rotate them. I was pretty similar in my test. So Max is eating just plain whole foods and I am sure you are thinking what is he or myself going to eat. Luckily he loves burgers and so I can make beef and lamb and rotate them and give him bacon for breakfast. He needs to not ever eat eggs and for the other foods he cannot have them for anywhere from 3 to 9 months depending on the severity of his IgG response.

I feel so lucky that we did this test, yes overwhelmed, but lucky. Max has so many of my similar allergies and he is so little. I know it will make him feel so much better when he is feeling less allergic. We are hoping that his body will grow out of some of these allergies if he is not eating them for a while but I have a feeling that the wheat, gluten and soy will always be an issue and he will have to learn as he gets older that if he eats this stuff he won’t feel well. 

I even bought him potato chips yesterday and looked at the ingredients and saw safflower and threw them out. I know when he has an allergy because he usually throws and temper tantrum and has no patience and is very emotional. Sometimes the allergy is not just in a rash..it is subtle and sometimes it is the color of his face or the red under his eyes. 

Yes, this is hard and I am glad I did not do this 6 months ago because I would have lost it and felt so overwhelmed but now-well we will deal with it and move on. At least we know.

The good thing is that it has motivated me to start making different things for him to have like banana ice cream and muffins and corn bread and pancakes. So we will just take it day by day.