I don' think I ever posted about Breckyn's blood testing. After having skin testing done for allergies back in the summer, we followed up with our doctor in November. Since B was obviously older and eating more and more foods (and had already tested positive for food allergies), the doctor wanted to do another panel with all of the nuts and seafood to test for those.
The results from her next series of allergy testing proved that she still had the milk allergy (I was really praying she would have out-grown it quickly), AND in addition was allergic to peanuts, and mollusks (oysters). We have adjusted to this new lifestyle for the most part but it is worrisome when we are out and around others. People do not realize so many of the things milk, butter, cream, etc. are actually in. We have to be careful, often take our own food for her, and pray she doesn’t come in contact with things she shouldn’t have. At home, we use rice milk or coconut milk in most anything we need milk in. (Although it does work a little differently and I have found a few things that is just does not work in—ex. Coconut milk will not make pudding for banana pudding-you will have banana soup :)). We have found a healthy “dairy free, soy free, etc” butter from Whole Foods in case we need to use butter and olive oil won’t work in a dish. Cheese continues to be the problem. Anything we make with cheese, etc. I have to have an alternative meal for her (although I have made homemade pizza and lasagna for her and left out the cheese (blah!) and she has eaten it—she doesn’t know any better though. We use plain greek yogurt as a healthier sour cream substitute in our house so any of that she cannot have. N did find her a dairy/soy free fruit yogurt she can eat from Whole Foods as well, just can’t find a plain one to use in cooking.
It is soo hard to do the mind shift between kids for foods….P would not drink milk so we loaded her up on cheese, yogurt, etc. with every meal for her calcium, etc. To this day she expects cheese and yogurt each and every day. Making sure not to give any to Breckyn proves to be challenging. Also, teaching her to share back-fires at us when we always tell her she can’t share her goldfish, etc. and we have to make sure we comb the floor making sure no little goldfish are lurking under the table from being dropped.
Speaking of milk--she quickly depleted my freezer stash of milk and is now completely off of breast-milk. We tried for a while with coconut milk with no luck. We moved on and have started rice milk. She tolerated this a little better. I think the temperature of it being cold was an issue so I was mixing 1/2 cup of milk with 1/2 cup hot water. Now, we are drinking a whole sippy cup of rice milk with breakfast, lunch, and supper. She truly does like it now! She still drinks water between meals. We did have a few issues with constipation right when we made the switch but I think her body has adjusted now to not having breast-milk and she is doing good.
Peanuts-We are making sure she is not exposed to peanut butter, etc. and also making sure fried food that is made by others is not made in peanut oil, etc.
We are heading back in June to do repeat skin testing and I am praying the levels are dropping meaning she is out-growing these crazy food allergies.
We also were down with the sickness over Christmas break. While I don't ever want my babies to be sick at least they were sick during the holidays when we were home. We started with both of them at the doctor for coughs and runny noses. Turned out Breckyn had RSV and a virus (that presented itself in crazy spots all over her body) and Paislyn had a different type of virus. Fast forward a few days and we were sick again. We took Breckyn in (after the 102 fever/fussiness episode) and kept P home to keep her from getting any germs in the Dr. office. Turned out baby Breckyn had DOUBLE ear infections. Poor baby went 13 months without ever having an ear infection and now both ears are infected. The next morning we headed right back to Sugar Land to take P in (ugh!) and turned out she had an ear infection in the ear that still had her tube in. The tube was in the process of working it's way out so instead of all of the pus stuff pooling behind her ear it was draining out (which was not pleasant!). The good thing was that we were able to treat it topically by using RX ear drops, the down-side--she had to lay flat on her side, get 4 drops in, and then lay still for 10-15 minutes...HA! What 2 year old will lay still while cold stuff is running in their ear and then stay that way for that long...it was not fuN!!! This was P's first and only infection since her tubes were put in over 1.5 years ago (she was 9 months). I would definitely say they have done their job! We were ear infection free for over a year! WOOHOO!
The spots that covered B when she had RSV.
Silly girls in the Dr. office
P playing Doc on her babies after being in the office so many times lately :)
Best Christmas present ever! Bathing her baby kept her entertained for 45 minutes one afternoon.
Here is a picture catch-up of all things post-Christmas.
Showing sister the birds outside the window.
P is such a big helper these days...she helped Daddy put together our picnic table we got for Christmas the other day. She is his right-hand man these days and has to have her fingers right in whatever he is doing.
We are learning to use a fork...at first it was a toy, now she will not start eating until we give her one.
Sweet Sleepy Beauties! :)
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