Where to begin...

I sat down the other day to blog since it's been well over a month now, and I got completely overwhelmed. There's so much to catch up on I don't know where to begin. I definitely want to share pics of our amazing vacation to Colonial Williamsburg (as well as updates of Baby Zoe and all the cousins).

And of course, I wanted to share the good news that we sold our house after only three weeks on the market. Then there's the frustration of not finding a new house (at least not the one we want for the price we can afford), the sinking realization that we have to find a place to live in a few short weeks, and the slow resignation (on my part) to the fact that that place will be a temporary duplex, which is smaller than our already too-small house.

Maybe some day soon I'll blog about all those things...and all the lessons that God is teaching me along the way. But for now, I want to focus on something else that has been consuming my almost-every waking moment...my son's food allergies.

We've known for a little over a year that Little Man had a peanut allergy. It came as quite a shock, and provided to be a HUGE exercise in education and self-control for me as I come from a long line of peanut-butter-lovers. (My dad has been known to add the staple to such things as hamburgers and hot dogs!)

Just when I thought I finally had the routine down--checking labels, quizzing restaurant personnel, informing caregivers, sticking brightly-colored "Allergy Alert!" stickers all over him before putting him in the church nursery, hiding and sneaking bites of contraband PB here and there...the stakes got drastically higher.

A couple of weeks ago we visited the allergist with a simple question concerning vaccination and ended up finding out that, in addition to peanuts, Little Man is also allergic to egg and soy. Well, this provided a whole new level of education, adjustment, and more than a little stress to my life. I've known a few other moms who have struggled with food allergies in their families, but I had NO IDEA the level of stress it can cause. I have an all-new appreciation and empathy for families who deal with any type of food allergy or intolerance.

I've only begun my research, so I'm sure there is much I still do not know. But I wanted to take some time to list a few things I've discovered in the last few weeks. I hope this will be helpful to any who have, or know someone who has, food allergies.

1. Soy, soybean oil, and soy lecithin is in almost EVERY processed or prepackaged food (even organic or all-natural foods since soybeans are a natural food).
2. Some sources say soybean oil and soy lecithin do not contain the protein that causes an allergic reaction and therefore are safe. However, our allergist maintains that those ingredients can and do cause a reaction. We choose to avoid them to be safe.
3. I have yet to find a bread, tortilla, or wrap that does not contain soybean oil. I did find a whole wheat pita bread that seems to be safe.
4. It is important to check the ingredients on EVERYTHING! (I found soy listed on my cornstarch, and my friend found it as an ingredient in her flour!)
5. Some sources maintain that only raw egg contains the protein that causes allergic reaction (because heating the egg changes the protein). While Little Man has never reacted to anything with an egg cooked or baked into it, our allergist recommended avoiding it as it can cause a reaction.
6. You can use the following substitute for 1 egg in any baking recipe: combing 2 Tbsp flour, 2 Tbsp water, 1/2 tsp baking powder. (I have used this in muffins and didn't notice a difference!)
7. You can also substitute 1 Tbs of flax seed and 3 Tbs of water for 1 egg in any baking recipe. (I have not tried this yet, but found the recommendation on the side of the flax seed box.)
8. Children will likely outgrow many food allergies, including soy and egg by the time they are in preschool. The chances of outgrowing a peanut allergy is much lower.
9. Those with a peanut allergy should also avoid tree nuts (almonds, walnuts, etc.), even if they do not test as reactive to those allergens, because most plants process them together and there is a high risk of cross-contamination.
10. Soynut butter is a good substitute for peanut butter for those with peanut allergies. We used it for awhile until Little Man developed the soy allergy. (Yes, apparently they can develop an allergy to a food they've not reacted to previously.) Sunflower nut butter is also recommended as a substitute as it is not processed with nuts and therefore no risk of cross contamination. (However, the only brand I've found so far is manufactured in a plant that processes soybeans!)

I'll share more as I learn. Right now I'm working on "tweaking" some of our favorite recipes to be Little-Man-friendly and will post some once they've been tested and approved. :)

If you know someone who has food allergies, I recommend the the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network web site. It's a wealth of information. If you have food allergies, what tips and tricks have you learned along the way? I'd love to hear from you!

Catching Up

A lot has been going on around here lately, hence the lack of posts. Now that we're headed into Fall, it doesn't look like it will be slowing down much. But I promise to try to post more than once a month. In the meantime, here are some highlights of what we've been up to:

We FINALLY got our first harvest from our small garden attempt.

EVERYONE was excited about it. (Still no tomatoes, thanks to the squirrels!)

A lot of summertime fun, before...

Little Miss started preschool!

Her "BFF" from church is in her class, and they are quite the pair.
They marched off to class hand-in-hand on the first day!

Most recently, we celebrated Little Man's second birthday!

Yes, I know there's only 1 candle...we were going for celebration, not accuracy.
(He did get two candles on his cake, but we didn't get pictures of it!)

The event warranted a trip to great-grandma "G"s house...and more cake!

And presents!

A boy can never have too many trains.

Of course, he would have been happy with just the box.

I just had to throw this one in because I love it...my boys!

Happy Birthday, Little Man! I love you!!

Happy Birthday, Baby Zoe!

It's hard to believe that it was only a year ago that my sister delivered her son 8 weeks early, he experienced severe complications and suffered from a rare genetic disorder, and I requested prayer from any and all who were willing to lift this precious boy up to our Lord for healing. Those first few days, weeks, and months were long and trying to say the least. (For the whole story, visit Zoe's web site.) But my sister and brother-in-law were strong--even inspirational--in their faith, and God proved faithful as He always does.

That's why today we have so much to celebrate as we wish Baby Zoe (or "ZoBug" as he's come to be known in our family) a very Happy 1st Birthday!

Just a quick update: I spoke with my sister last week and they had just visited Zoe's neurologist for a check-up. The doctor--who originally diagnosed Zoe as brain-dead a year ago and said he would be a "human vegetable" IF he could survive without life support--reported that there is now only MINOR damage to the cerebellum as well as the occipital lobe. That simply means that Zoe MAY have trouble with balance and coordination and could possibly experience MINOR vision problems (blind spots, peripheral issues, etc.). There is NO major damage to the brain and no reason he won't have a long and happy life. Zoe continues to be a living miracle and amaze his doctors! Praise God!

I wish I had pictures to share, but as they live more than 10 hrs from us (and my sister is slightly technically-challenged), I have no recent pics. I have a feeling my bro-in-law will post some to their web site soon, so be sure to check. We will be seeing them next month, so I'll definitely have pics to share then.

Happy Birthday, ZoBug....we love you!!!

The One that Got Away

For those of you following my saga of the Tomato Bandits, you'll be happy to know that I returned from Chicago to find some new little tomatoes plumping up nicely on the vine. Apparently my mother's advice concerning the aluminum pie tin was working!

I was so happy to see them and took great care in nurturing them. Until a few days later when I went out to find this on our deck railing...


It's as if they were just waiting for me to return. I can almost hear the little squeaky chatter now,

Wait, that's not her watering the plants. Come to think of it, I haven't seen her out here in a few days.
Maybe we should just lay low for awhile and see what happens.
[a few days later] There she is! Everyone in position; we move in at dusk.

OK, so that might be a little extreme (maybe even obsessive), but it's really starting to feel personal. So I decided to take things to the next level and follow my neighbor's "scarecat" advice. Since we didn't have a stuffed cat who was willing to be used, I adopted my daughter's stuffed donkey "Mo" to sit watch over the precious tomato plants.


Before you send me blazing comments about what an insensitive mom I must be to offer up my daughter's precious stuffed animal as a sacrifice to the tomato gods, let me be quick to add that she offered him willingly and enthusiastically. (She's taking the attack quite personally, too. I don't know where she gets that.)

But Mo only lasted till sundown. I couldn't bring myself to leave Little Miss's treasured friend out in the elements all night, especially since it was supposed to storm that night. (I'm not sure she really understood the fact that he wouldn't return in the same condition in which she offered him to me.) When she saw Mo inside the next morning, she asked with deep concern, "What happened? Now the squirrels will get the tomatoes!"

I assured her we would figure something out, but honestly I don't know what. I can't bring myself to endanger any other beloved stuffed animal. And I can't, in good conscience, spend money to purchase an animal that will only be left out in the heat and rain at the mercy of these cruel bandits. I may simply have to chalk this year's tomato experience up to just that...experience, and possibly console myself with the fact that I've kept the local squirrel population fed and well-hydrated this summer.

The good news is my pepper plants are doing well, and we will hopefully be enjoying some fresh, homegrown peppers soon!

Back from Chi-Town

OK, so we've actually been back for about 3 weeks now, but I'm still digging out from all the "catch-up" stuff and trying to get the house ready to put on the market at the same time--whew!

Enough excuses...here are some pics from our recent trip to Chicago to visit Hubby's sis and family. (Thanks Marc & Anna for opening your beautiful home to us, feeding us amazing food, and adopting our daughter for the week!)

Our first day there we went to the Field Museum of Natural History. It was amazing, and definitely worth more than the three hours we spent there (including lunch!) I'd like to go back sometime and spend a day (or two) in it.

Kiddos and me at the water wall outside the museum.

I had planned a very special meeting at the museum with a "pen pal" of mine. We met four years ago in an online forum for new parents when our little princesses were newborns. We've kept in touch over the years (with a few others from the forum) and realized we would be vacationing in Chicago at the same time. We finally met face-to-face. So nice to finally see you in person, Hannah!

Little Miss was fascinated by the "color of animals" exhibit

Little Man was just into pushing the buttons...any button!

And who doesn't love the penguin exhibit!

Little Miss explaining that the squirrel died with a nut in his mouth.
(She had asked Hubby where all the animals came from and he explained that when
the animals died, the museum brought them there so we could come see them.
She was astonished that they all died in so many interesting poses!)

We spent one day at an amazing park near their house that is part of a Federal reserve.

The whole gang at the park

Little Man loved the slide!

The cousins on a HUGE climbing rock (notice Little Miss is keeping her little bro safe!)

We got to have dinner and spend an evening with my aunt & uncle.
The kids adore Uncle Dan & Aunt Chris!

One day we took the whole crew to the Brookfield Zoo. Again, I wish we'd had more time to see it all, but that just means we'll have to go back! It's an amazing zoo!

Of course we picked the coldest day in July to go, so the first stop
was the gift shop to buy everyone a sweat shirt.

Then the big rainstorm hit. Fortunately, Hubby had found a nice
eating area under some umbrellas to keep us dry!

The petting zoo was a huge hit.

The girls even got to see one of "Santa's" reindeer up close.

The cousins with a bald eagle (while Little Man napped in the stroller)

Our last day with the cousins was spent celebrating Mandy's 4th birthday (the real reason we went!). She loves pigs, and chose to have a piggy party, complete with piggy cupcake decorating...

Of course, eating them was the best part!

...and piggy bank painting!

And a general all-day celebration of Mandy!

Happy Birthday, Mandy! We love you! Thanks for sharing your birthday with us!

New Healthcare Plan Not all it's Cracked Up To Be

I realize I have been MIA lately. Our vacation a couple weeks ago put a halt to other things (like computer-time). You know how it is, getting ready for the trip, then going on the trip, then recovering from the trip, then catching up from being gone on said trip. It's not that I don't have anything to say, it's just that I can't find the time to say it. But I felt this is an important issue and one for which I need to make the time.

You're probably aware that I don't often blog about politics, and those who know me personally know that it's not often topic of conversation I normally engage in. However, the right to life and to conscience is an issue I do feel strongly about, so when I came across this tidbit of information I could not help but pass it along.

Unless you reside under a rock, I'm sure you've heard MUCH about the president's health care reform bill. Personally, I've heard so much hype about it that I'm really sick and tired of the term "health care reform." But, at the same time, that's about all I have heard...hype. I think the average American (like myself) isn't really aware of what the bill includes. You may be surprised (as I was) when you watch the following video.

[For some reason, blogger is not letting me embed the video.
To see the video, go here.]

Whatever your stance in the abortion debate, I hope we can all agree that no one (including medical professionals) should be forced to perform an act that violates their conscience...especially not in our great nation which was founded on individual and religious freedom.

If you are a pro-life supporter, I pray you will take the time to contact your representative and let your voice be heard in opposition to taxpayer-funded abortions. (For your representative's contact information as well as talking points, click here.) I called my representative's office this morning. It was a simple process and only took a few minutes. Please take a few moments to let your voice be heard.

Praying for Baby Zoe's recovery from surgery

I've been wanting to do an update on Zoe for awhile, but didn't have any recent photos/video to post. But finally, here it is...

Zoe and family are in Atlanta as he recovers from surgery yesterday to correct a non-threatening defect called hypospadias. I talked with my mom and dad this morning (they are also in Atlanta) and they said the surgery went very well. The released Zoe last night (didn't even keep him overnight) and he stayed with Jim & Carmen at the Ronald McDonald House. (Nanee & PaPa kept the other 2 kids at the hotel with them.) The surgeon will check Zoe in a few weeks and determine when and if a follow-up surgery will be needed.

You can see get more updates, see additional video of Zoe, and even hear him laughing at his web site.

Thank you for all your continued prayer for my sister and her family!