If you remember me mentioning here about the possibility of seeing a Nutritionist who is based in Maryland. I had decided to make the appointment since it takes 6-8 weeks to get in. That would give me time to do some more research and gather information and then change my mind if I wanted. Well, the best laid plans...I got a call on Tuesday that they had a cancellation. On Thursday. As in February 28, 2008. So that was unexpected, but in the end it was a really good thing.

Alysa's feeding therapist was involved so we had my information and hers. I was very impressed with the Nutritionist. My biggest concern was the dairy thing. Not everyone is understanding as to the reasons why I keep Alysa off dairy. But she was very understanding, knowledgeable and open to the whole allergy thing. She never once tried to get me to give Alysa anything dairy – either on purpose or out of sheer stupidity. And everything she suggested was just that – a suggestion. She never pushed for anything and made sure I wanted more information from her b4 she suggested something else. I never felt pressured to sign away my life savings. Everything was based on what I was comfortable with doing.

Her feeling is that Alysa has something irritating her insides causing her reflux. With the allergies in the family and her Environmental Allergies she thinks it’s a food bothering her. Her thinking based on her diet - which is mainly made up of soy and wheat - is that we’re looking at a soy or gluten intolerance. Yay! She suggested retesting her for food allergies since her last tests were done at 1 year of age. Since allergy testing is so unpredictable at that young age and I’m OK with that. Sometimes it's better safe than sorry. She also suggested an IgG test for intolerances. She said there’s a lab in Atlanta that sends a kit with how to prick their finger then you send it to them and they test for 30 foods.

She wants her off soy. But thankfully she means the main sources of soy – soy milk and soy yogurt. It didn’t click until dinner that we use soy butter. Yikes! So I'll be checking into Earth Balance’s other vegan substitutes. Thankfully, she is not concerned with the soy in breads, crackers, etc. What a relief that was – as it was my biggest fear about soy. I’d have to throw out every ounce of food in my house.

She also wants to change her vitamin. She and the therapist want her off fluoride vitamins – not sure on that one yet… but again, she is not pushing. Her therapist gave me some articles about how fluoride is bad for you – when aren’t there these kinds of studies? So I still have some checking to do there. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with eliminating the fluoride yet.

I’m going to put her on a fish oil supplement which helps with sensory development and sooths the sensory nerves. It will help in her eating since she’s learned foods are bad and make her miserable.

I’m also putting her on a probiotic (this was my suggestion) and she gave me some good ones to try.

The drink she wants me to give her is this recipe (per day):
14oz rice milk
2oz coconut milk (already checked with her allergist that he is fine with us doing this as it’s more a palm seed than a tree nut)
1tbsp of some rice protein powder mix (I have to buy this)

There is one other supplement that helps to heal the esophagus lining, but she is waiting to see if the other things help her reflux before we add this.

Her follow up is scheduled for April 18th.

I then spoke to her allergist and he agreed that the retesting is a good idea. He is testing her for the allergies by blood and he’s adding in a celiac screening since we’re looking into intolerances. His opinion is to keep her on the fluoride. He also suggested to find out what is in the vitamins and how much, then call her Ped’s office to make sure it makes sense for her.

We didn’t get to talk too much about Kayla, except in relation to family history. So I’m hoping as time goes by I can work her in. I can’t work to get Alysa off Prevacid w/o getting Kayla off. But she was also impressive that she agreed no probiotic with lactose. Not everyone realizes that can be an issue. She gave me suggestions of things that are all dairy-free so I can use them with Kayla too. This is the main reason I'm so open to these changes.

I picked up the coconut milk today - $1.79 for 13.5 ounces and at 2oz a day you'd think - OK, not too bad since it will last almost 7 days. But...it has to be used within 4 days. Just my luck, right? And then I shelled out $40 for the fish oil supplement. Thankfully that is a 90 day supply. And it's kid friendly both in dosing and taste.

So wish us luck on our new path. Hopefully we're headed towards one reflux-free child.

First, when I got on the computer this morning to find out that I won a ticket master gift certificate, a Bob Evans gift certificate and 2 bags of Boca Java coffee. Why did I win all these great prizes? For Thea’s 1 Year Bloggiversary of course.
*Note – the coffee will be making J’s day when he reads this – he’s the coffee addict in our house.*

I’m most excited about the Bob Evans gift certificate. I love going there for breakfast and get to go so infrequently due to Kayla’s allergy. Now that I have $25 to spend there, it will force me to find some babysitting (*hint*hint*Mom*) for her so I can go and enjoy a sinful breakfast full of dairy. Or…I can take my littlest girl while Kayla is in school. And since she’ll only eat their fruit cup, it leaves me with $23 to spend on myself. LOL

Second, I got on a conversation this morning with a coworker about age (he is younger than me). He told me, “Well you haven’t hit 30 yet.” Oh how sweet of him – now if it were only true… If you ask Kayla, she’ll very loudly announce to you that I am 31!

I am always told how much Alysa looks like me. Even I am thrown sometimes when I look at Alysa. It's bizarre to see a little clone of yourself.

Me (on the left)


Alysa (my youngest)


Hop on over to WW to see more great photos.

I’ve always known Kayla’s doing very well at school. Not just by what she’s learning (like how yesterday, she, all on her own, found the item to bring into school that started with a ‘K’ – a key chain). But also that she has seemed virtually unphased with the fact that she has to eat a different snack than everyone else in her class. I supply all her food and she has never complained or even questioned it.

Last Thursday when I picked her up, the teacher’s assistant brought me a box of Jell-O so I could check the ingredients. Apparently, for the ‘J’ week (everyone brings in an item that starts with J), two kids brought in Jell-O. Kayla did not get to have any that day b/c they never feed her anything that is unapproved by me. They had the other box for the next day. As I was reading the box, Kayla’s ‘boyfriend’ Ethan came up to me to ask me if Kayla could have Jell-O. He was quite excited to find out that she could.

Yesterday, they had the other Jell-O. It was the first thing Kayla told J when he picked her up. She was beside herself with excitement that she got to eat Jell-O. And I’m sure that she got to eat what all her friends were eating. She even told J that Miss Danielle told her she could eat it. So I know, although my little girl takes the snacks in stride, it does impact her and she would love nothing more than to eat the things her friends are eating.

Every day she makes me more proud. Her understanding is growing each day. If she sees food on the ground, she points it out to me and tells me it could be dairy or asks if it is. And more and more scenarios like what happened last night at gymnastics are becoming the norm for her…

J took her to gymnastics last night – it was his first time taking her to the new place. When they got there, as Kayla was getting ready – taking her coat and shoes, etc off, there was a girl who had a Reese’s Peanut Butter cup in her hand and was about to open it. Kayla saw it and immediately asked J – “Does that have dairy in it?” The Mom of the girl heard her and it started a conversation between her and J. She was quite impressed, that Kayla, at 3 ½ recognized the danger to her. She then voluntarily told her daughter to wait and eat it in the car.

I had hoped that Kayla’s allergy would go away before she was old enough to have this level of understanding. But that did not happen. And as I watch her learning to speak up and question the foods around her, it makes me happy and proud. She is learning to advocate for herself and that is so important. She has a long way to go, but she’s heading in the right direction.

Has it really been a week since I last posted? Wow – it was a busy week and whizzed right by me w/o me even realizing it.

So we did it. We bit the bullet and moved Alysa into a Big Girl Bed. I had wanted to wait as long as possible like we did with Kayla. But, our little monkey was getting scarily close to climbing out. She loves her bed which is the reason why she has not climbed out yet… But when she wants a “sip of water” before bed, her little foot goes up over the bar. She had even started to pull herself up to support her body and let her legs dangle over her mattress. And since she’s already broken her arm once, I didn’t want to risk another broken bone. So…we converted her crib to a toddler bed last night. Just like her big sister, it was a seamless transition. And just like her big sis, she stayed in bed all night and in the morning when she woke up. I know that will change with time, but we got a good few months out of Kayla before she started leaving her room to stall bedtime… In some ways Kayla was more excited than Alysa. She was very proud of her little sister and loved going in to get in bed with her when they were both awake this morning.









In other news – we had some sadness in our house last week. The girls’ beloved fish Freddy died. Kayla was upset and sad, but took it very well. The morning he died, J found him and while I told the girls, he sent Freddy to the sewer. That morning, when we came downstairs, she yelled, “Huh – where’s Freddy?!?” When I told her again, she said, “But I really want him back”. Of course this was quickly replaced by the request for a blue fish. ;) So…J took this to heart. So I’d like to introduce everyone to the newest member of our family.



Freddy’s “sister” fish (according to Kayla), appropriately named Sister (also by Kayla). It took quite a bit of coaxing to NOT name this blue fish Freddy. So when she suggested Sister, we were thrilled. LOL

Thea's celebratingher 1 year Bloggiversary by giving away...well...whatever. No one knows what the prize will be yet. But hey - I'm up for winning anything. Hop on over to check it out.

So I posted here that the food allergy magazine won Martha's vote. Well, technically that is still true, as it won 57% of the vote. 57% is a majority no matter what way you slice it. But...us Food Allergy Moms got jilted. Martha decided that in her world, 57% plus another minority percent of the vote equals a TIE. So...she has taken the winner and is splitting it between 3 existing magazines and taking the tied "winner" (aka the runner up, as it did not get the majority % of the vote) and giving pet lovers their own magazine. OK - I'm not knocking pet owners, but...they did not win! Plus, there are a bunch of pet magazines - where are the food allergy magazines. So she really expects us to buy THREE of her magazine for a few recipes? Let's just say there's a reason I'm no fan of Martha's and I won't be buying any of her magazines!!!

You can see the clip here:

So last night, yet again, Kayla woke up with a fever. I actually heard her moaning in bed, not crying, moaning. She had a 102.1 fever and was laying in bed, holding her forehead saying it hurt. So we gave her Motrin and I climbed into bed with her so she wouldn't be alone until her fever went down.

As she's laying in bed, curled up next to me, I told her that the medicine would help her fever and make her head stop hurting. She looked at me with her eyes half shut and said, "Does the medicine have to go up?" So I explained that it has to go down to her tummy and then make it's way all the way back up to her head before it will feel better. She accepted this. Of course when the medicine kicked in, she was wired and was chatty and playful - go figure!

I'm a zombie today, but she's in fairly good spirits. How does that work anyway???

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In other events - my parents took us to PF Chang's last night for dinner. It was delish as always. Now, they have always been wonderful and more than accommodating with Kayla's allergies (which is why it's the only restaurant we'll go to). But last night, the chef came out on his own (we did not ask to speak to him) to meet Kayla and go over the menu and make sure we didn't have any questions. He even wanted to make sure that Kayla has always been problem-free when she's been there in the past. We made sure to tell him WHY that is the only restaurant we trust with her. It helps that they will both eat the food there too. The girls were also very well behaved, which always makes me proud.

So, if you remember, I had opted to try out this year's...



...I got my package today from Random Muse. Perfect timing if you ask me.



Mmmm...delish. I can't wait to dig into the Reese's. I also have to tell everyone, that she was super sweet and from reading my blog and seeing that Kayla has the dairy allergy asked me what she could send me that was safe for her and our household. I was so very touched and I can't even say what it meant to me. Of course, I told her that I was actually looking forward to some "evil" food that I'd have to sneak out of the house and eat when Kayla was not around. :) But still, she included a bag of skittles which is safe for Kayla. So I am very grateful to her for thinking of them.

Now, I had said a little while back that we don't typically celebrate V-Day. And we don't - as you can tell I'm on the computer and J ran out to get a couple odds and ends (soy milk, soy yogurt...). But...the girls and I found these when we came downstairs this morning.



And then, I found a note to go into my office, which was gated off from the girls...


There was also a note attached that he got me some real milk (hidden in the garage fridge). Yum! I had a nice cold glass earlier today and it was so refreshing!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day and a good week. This was another very hectic week and I'm a bit behind on work and the house. So I'll be spending tomorrow playing catch-up. But, will I ever really catch up - that is the question of the day!

I just saw over at Go Dairy Free that the Food Allergy Magazine won the Big Idea. It was apparently announced on her show today. And who said our little votes can't make a difference?

It’s a week late, but I’m getting to Alysa’s latest GI appointment. J took her in last Monday and overall she’s doing ok. She gained 1 pound in a 6 month period – not the best, but it’s keeping her steady on the growth curve. Of course, we all want to see her gain some ground. Her doctor is happy with her progress so far in feeding therapy, but I feel we still have a long way to go. Alysa is proving to be more stubborn than her Big Sister. Her doctor would like us to start giving Alysa 8 ounces of whole milk (yes, real cow’s milk) per day with some added powdered milk. She hopes these extra calories and fat will give her a boost. The thought about bringing milk into the house is a bit nerve-wracking, but I think we can work with it – especially when Kayla is in school. I also think with Kayla now being 3 ½ and the understanding she is gaining of her allergy, that I can even have her gated out of the kitchen when I give Alysa cow’s milk. Kayla is very curious about her allergy and asks about foods more and more and she understands that she is the only one in our house who can not have cow’s milk. So we will see how it goes. I will be adding whole milk to our grocery list this week. Wish us luck there.

I asked her doctor about her thoughts on a probiotic for Alysa and if she thinks it could be beneficial to her esophageal and stomach issues. She is 100% supportive of that and thinks we should all be on one. Um…couldn’t you have suggested it then? So I am now investigating the different types and brands – some contain dairy.

The latest with her feeding therapist is she wants us to consult with a Nutritionist who is in Maryland. According to Alysa’s therapist she is very good and through diet and supplements (not sure if probiotics are one way) has ways to heal the gut. She would like to see Alysa eat better, gain wait and get off of Prevacid. I’d love that as well for both of the girls. I am trying to find out some information on what types of things she’ll do before I agree to a consult, as the consult is $200. I am more than willing to do what it takes, but I don’t want to spend the money to find out she won’t be adding much to Alysa’s treatment regime. Her website has basic information on her and articles she has written, but it does not say too much on how she treats patients. So we shall see about going that route.

In other news - Kayla had mild stomach bug on Friday. And I mean mild – she only threw up once. For her that is amazing. I’m hoping it means her resistance is building up. So far we’ve escaped it and it’s been over 72 hours. Of course, I stayed home all weekend to avoid the risk of having a 2 year old throw up in a store. I enjoyed it actually, since my week was so hectic last week – and it gave me a chance to get some things accomplished around the house.

Kayla has her Valentine’s Day Party this week. I have Divvies chocolate chip cookies at home that I am giving to the school for their snack on Thursday. I’m waiting on Kayla’s Valentine’s cards to arrive so I can help her sign her name to them. It should be a fun day for them. I’m sure I’ll be sifting through unsafe treats in her goody bag that day. Thankfully her teachers are good with the obvious stuff. I know Kayla will just love getting all the Valentine’s from her friends. It will be fun for us to look through them. I think I’d better make one up for Alysa too – she won’t like not getting any.

Other than that, our Valentine’s Day will be uneventful. We don’t really celebrate, so we’ll have a normal night at home. What are your plans for Valentine’s Day?

Did I really post 3 days ago? Boy, was it a looong 3 days. No reason in particular - just very busy. Aside from working Monday and Tuesday, Monday Kayla had gymnastics, Tuesday night I was just in a bad mood, Wednesday, I worked in the am for 3 hours (it was a hectic week at work too) and Wednesday afternoon I had a doctor's appointment, then the allergy meeting at night. Today, Alysa had gymnastics, then I got Kayla from school, lunch and nap/rest (I worked while they were napping), then was Alysa's feeding therapy, home for dinner and then back out for the dentist - yes, only me and the 2 girls. Ever have your teeth cleaned while being used as a jungle gym? It's a pleasure. But, Kayla's making progress - she actually walked back to the room, sat in the chair (twice), went up and down on it and almost let her clean 1 tooth. Oh and she let her count them - she has 20. Alysa? She has 4, or that's at least all she'd let be counted.

So...the very first of the food allergy support group meetings was last night. It went very well. Considering it was the first ever, the turnout of 13 people (or more accurately, 13 families) was excellent. It was scheduled to last 1 hour and I left at 9:30. But hey, try getting a group of 13 women in a room who all deal with the same issues and see if you can shut them up. The doc who started it (my girls' allergist) acts as a fascilitator and helps with some doctor-info, but even he said his goal is to give us a chance to share ideas and heart-ache and "B*tch and Moan" if needed. My hope, aside from being around people who understand, is to possibly get some safe play groups together. Most of the women have children 3 and under which is perfect. I'd love a place to go or people to have over who understand completely and we can work to make it safe for all who are there.

I'm really looking forward to future meetings and I hope it grows (there is no group in South Jersey. He is currently working to get us listed with the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

Each month he is planning on covering a topic - next month will be outgrowing food allergies. He also is putting together a recipe swap - I volunteered to bring in a recipe and food. I'm opting for rice pudding and believe I can make it free of the Top 8 allergens (milk, eggs, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shell fish and soy). It's a big hit in my house, but I usually make it with soy milk - so for this venture I'll make it with rice milk - not sure how it will turn out. Maybe I'll make a batch of both? That's a thought...

Did I mention I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed this week? Making two recipes should help that...

While reading this, please try and remember that Alysa is only 2.

Saturday, I was doing some work in the kitchen and my office (aka the dining room). I had the gate down on the stairs and the girls were joyfully playing upstairs (this is a fairly new thing for them). I started to hear what sounded like toys falling down the stairs. They were happily chatting, so I let it go. A few minutes later, I hear it again. So I go over and I see them picking up these little pieces to a patterning set they have. One had circles, the other squares (they decided they were ‘cookies’ that day). I told them that they could not throw toys down the stairs. Kayla went back upstairs, toys in hand. Alysa finished gathering her ‘cookies” and started her trek upstairs. When she was half-way up, on the landing, I said again, that they could NOT throw toys down the stairs. Alysa stopped, turned to me and said, “Mommy, you need to go in your office.”

Sunday, after lunch, I took the girls upstairs to play while I took a shower. I told the girls that while I was in the shower, they were not to play in my room (Alysa has a habit of falling off our platform bed). As I left my room to head into the bathroom, Alysa came over with her Baby and Taggie in hand and tried to go in my room. As I pulled the door shut and told her she couldn’t go in my room, she proceeded to push past me and push against the door in protest trying to open it. I was trying to balance shutting the door w/o hitting her in the head, smooshing her fingers or letting her push it open on me. She struggled against me and was pretty annoyed with me. Finally after me telling her a couple times that she could not go in my room, she tossed Baby about a foot into my room and said, “Oh, I have to go get Baby.” To say she stunned me with this is an understatement. But please give me credit that I did not give in. I promptly picked her up and put her into the hallway and I got Baby and handed her to her and shut my door.

I know I’m a biased and proud Mom, but she truly does surprise me with what she comes up with!

Ok - so I'm not a huge follower of Martha Stewart, but last week a friend of mine e-mailed to tell me she was going to have a special on baking with food allergies. Of course, life got away from me and I missed it. But...from there I found out that she has a vote going for her next "Big Idea". These ideas came from her staff and there are 7 in total and voting on the ends on February 7th. The best idea is a publication dedicated to food Allergies with recipes, ideas, etc. Currently, this idea is close to being the lead idea - it is trailing by only 1%. So I'm enlisting your help. Please go vote for this idea!

Here are the details behind it:
Alexis, Deputy Home Editor
Special publication catering to those with food allergies and sensitivities that would include recipes
Big Idea: To publish a special magazine that offers delicious allergy-friendly recipes, making life for people with food allergies and sensitivities easier and more delicious. Millions of people, including myself, can't eat nuts, dairy, wheat or gluten, and I’d like to empower people to make great recipes even if they can't use all the standard ingredients.

You're allowed to vote once a day every day - so please go and do this!!!

Yesterday marked my first day as a Community Leader/Moderator over at WEGO Health. It is a site that launched last August and is full of medical resources and information as well as forums to chat with others about your topic of interest. They have experts and "regular" folks like me all contributing to this great new site. I have always been one to do my own research - this was never more evident than with my battle with Infertility and Kayla's dairy allergy. This site is just the type of site I would have loved back then. An Infertility forum saved me during that time of my life - the bond of those in the same horrible place, fighting the same/similar battles - it was just what I needed to help me forge ahead. WEGO is just beginning and is working on building up it's topics and forums. My friend/FAM (food allergy mom) Janeen has been a Leader/Moderator on their food allergy site for a few months and when they launched their Pregnancy and Infertility Board, she recommended me for the job. Her and I will be a team for that Forum and I am both grateful to her for thinking of me and I'm excited to be working with her.

Even though my battle with Infertility is behind me, I am always wanting to help those dealing with Infertility. There is nothing like reaching out and connecting with someone who knows what it is really like. The best part about this new venture is that they have established forums for Allergies and Children's Health - so I hope to both get connected and help those dealing with food allergies and GERD as well as any other areas I may have some knowledge in.

Being on this end of a site like this is new to me and I'm so excited about it. I feel good about being given the opportunity to help others and learn more myself - not to mention being able to justify extra time on the computer. ;)

Please hop on over to and check them out. You can go to their main page and poke around or head over to their Forums and see if any pages attract your attention. They have many valuable topics and forums and it is only the beginning.

I am a Mom who hopes to raise her daughters to be modest in a world of um...non-modesty? A world full of television shows and commercials that I find inaproppriate, clothes that I would never have worn, let alone, let my child wear and a world full of toys and dolls that can almost make me blush. Kayla has recently made me proud - she has made me see that so far I seem to be doing an OK job and maybe there is hope for them. Kayla recently got her first Polly Pocket doll. For those that don't know, they're cute small dolls that have rubber clothes you can change them in and out of. The clothes are all pretty modest with no bellies showing. The set that Kayla has, does have one dress that is not quite perfect in my opinion, but it certainly is a far cry from the Bratz dolls. the skirt is angled, so part of it is a bit higher on one thigh and the other side is below the knee. The one day, as we were playing, Kayla handed me the dress and the doll, so I put it on her. I handed the doll back to her and she looked at her and said, "She needs her pants on Mommy." Oh, the pride I felt in seeing that my 3 1/2 year old recognized that the skirt was a bit too short to be worn on it's own.

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Kayla got yet another new bedding set. We moved her to a full size bed in December and the set we got was falling apart. She was great about taking it back and we went yesterday and picked out a new one. It's now on her bed and she loves it. I'll have to get a pic later, but I'm not taking as many pictures w/o my good camera. Oh, but it FINALLY shipped - they only had it FOREVER!!! I can't wait to have it back. The best part? They did find something wrong, I was so afraid they'd tell me it was fine.

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Kayla may have a boyfriend - but ssssh...don't tell J - he's not too happy about it. Ethan, the birthday boy from last weekend. When we left the party, not only did he give her a hug good bye, but he gave her a kiss - a "birthday kiss" to be exact. Yesterday when I dropped Kayla off at school, he was going in too. The Assistant was holding his hand and went to hold Kayla's. She wouldn't take it because her and Ethan were too busy grabbing onto each other's hands. So there they were, walking hand-in-hand into the school. It was really quite adorable. I love that age - the caring and innocence of it all.

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I've got something else brewing too, but due to shortage on time, I'll be back with t hat news later tonight or tomorrow!