Raising our Blessings

Prayer request !!!!!

2011-08-08T09:13:00.003-04:00

If you could please keep this little guy in your prayers. His name is Brent and he is 5yrs old, he and his siblings all suffer from a Mitochondrial Disease. All his life he has many struggles with his health and this past week he has been very, very sick and in the hospital. His family is just amazing in their faith.
Here is a quote that his Mama put on her blog, he really could use all the prayers you can give and so does his family.

"HLH is a very serious disease-acute HLH can very quickly become fatal. Thank God that his UNC doctors already suspected HLH and knew what labs to check because if we had not known exactly what labs to run,if they had continued to assume it was infection he could have died from this acute attack. So thankful for our amazing team!"

Thank you for stopping by and saying a prayer for Brent. Maybe you could write some words of encouragement to them in my comments and I will forward them to Brent and his family.

Changes....

2011-07-23T02:11:00.004-04:00

I'm slowly making more and more changes as the Lord has been working on my heart. I have come to realize that simplifying our life is one thing that the Lord has really put on my heart. In todays world we have so much and yet we are never satisfied with it, we always want more.
So I'm slowly changing things around and it's amazing with how much less we are still fine and happy.

Between both families our children always get a lot of clothes for their birthdays and Christmas. Yet I always went out and bought a few things as well, just because the outfits were so cute and I wanted those for them. Now I only buy what they really need, which is nothing at the time. There are so many families out there who are not as blessed and children that don't have enough clothes.

For the past couple of years we have also not bought many things for Christmas, I want my children to understand and realize why we celebrate this holiday.

Luke 2:9-14
An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

And for their birthdays I would love to be able to make them something on top of the gift they will get. So I have been working on a birthday gift for my daughter and came up with a under the sea playset. It's all crocheted and so far I made a little mermaid and a turtle. I will make some more sea creatures and a nice bag to put the playset in. I can't wait to see her face when she opens her gift, but at the same time I can wait because it means that she'll be 2. Thankfully we still have time until December, I don't want my baby girl to grow up too fast.

Now I just have to find something that I can make for my oldest, he'll be turning 11 in October. So if anybody has some ideas, leave it in the comment section. I will make the boys crochet lightsabers for Christmas and I saw some really cute crochet pattern for a Starwars playset.

Way too long....

2011-06-17T11:08:00.009-04:00

It has been way too long since I last posted. Things have just been very busy here I guess. We have made it through our first year of homeschooling and it was a success. J tested already and he did great :0). Since O in Kindergarten he doesn't have to test this year.
Back in March the kids and me went to spent time with my family in Germany and stayed for 2 months :0). It was great seeing everybody but daddy was dearly missed as he couldn't come with us.
We celebrated O's birthday in Germany and he was so excited, he is a big fan of Capt'n Sharky and you can typically only find it in Germany. So we went with that theme and he loved it all :0). I can't believe he is 6yrs old now, time sure has flown by fast. I remember the day when I handed him to his daddy at 1 week old. Daddy was deployed and not home for his birth and it was just the most precious moment ever to see him hold O for the first time. It still brings tears to my eyes today.
The little ladybug is growing up fast too, she is 18 months old now and super busy learning so many things every day :0). She speaks a lot of german now, since we stayed there for 2 months and it's so cute to hear it. She is also potty trained and doing so well. I never thought it was going to be so easy to potty train her, it took us 2 days and we were done :0).
We will continue with schoolwork during the summer just not on such a strict schedule as before :0). I had bought the sciene curriculum "Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology" from Apologia for the fall but the boys have been begging me to start already. And the beauty of homeschooling is you can do just that and they don't have to wait :0). So far they love it and really enjoy all the things we get to do.
So I leave this little update with a few new pictures :0).

Playing in my Godparents backyard :0)

Birthday boy

Silly boy

4 Generations, my mom, grandma, me and ladybug :0)

Science Journals

O's Cell Anatomy, with the help of mommy writing the words

J's Cell Anatomy

Sensory Play with rice and lentils :0)

Happy Fall

2010-10-27T01:26:00.002-04:00

although honestly the temperatures don't let you know it as of right now. It has been so humid and muggy the past two days, ack.
Well we have been quite busy the past couple of weeks. Between school work, canning, baking, birthday parties, taking care of my precious babies, crafts and many more things I haven't really had the time to update the blog :0).

So here are some pictures of our pumpking patch visit from two weekends ago, the kids had a fun time.

Not always fun and games.....

2010-09-30T15:18:00.003-04:00

but today it sure was :0). It absolutely brought joy to my heart seeing my boys playing the sight word game 4 in a row together. Yet another one of the benefits of homeschooling, they are able to bond in such a great way :0).

And here is a video of Owen from the other night, when he was practicing his reading :0). I just love the sparkle in his eyes when he manages to finally read the word map. He has never seen the word map before, so it was his first time sounding it out :0).

Can you guess....

2010-09-23T12:45:00.004-04:00

which letter we are working on this week???????

Still going strong and we are almost finished with week 6, so much fun and pleasure to teach my boys. We finished up Treasure Island ( what a great book) and now we are reading Stowaway for our reader from Winter Promise. We have done a few more experiments, which of course I did not have the camera handy, ack.
Owen finished one of his math books already and is working through the second one fairly quickly too, I guess we know where his strength is.
We started adding some sight words and also sounding out simple words and reading. This isn't one of his favorites, lol. But he is coming along nicely with it.
So here is the clue to what letter the little guy is learning this week.

So far so good.....

2010-08-30T17:27:00.004-04:00

Things are still going good here with homeschooling. I had a few moans from the little guy but was always able to find interesting ways to get him to sit down and work on his letters. Math isn't the issue, he really takes after his brother on that one and loves it :0).
So here are a few more pictures of our homeschooling experience and adventure so far.

P.S.: I'll post some pictures of our seachest we are working on later, as that is totally a post worth in itself ;0).

Milk trial

2010-08-27T00:43:00.002-04:00

Since the little guy has lost some weight in the past couple of weeks, I thought it would be time to trial him on milk again. I thought it would be awesome to get some extra calories in him to at least keep his weight where it is right now. I figured we would start with a glass a day to not overload his system, he does fine with cheese and yogurt.
In the evening of the second day I knew for sure that it was a bad move to even trial milk, ack. Lets just say the poor little guy didn't make it to the bathroom fast enough and I had some cleaning to do, which included giving him a shower :0(.
I guess the only positive thing out of this is that he at least didn't vomit as he did in past trials. And I'm glad he loves his whole grain drink from Trader Joe's so much. Just not sure what I will do when the military decides to move us and there might not be a Trader Joe's around, ack.

Week 1 of homeschooling....

2010-08-20T20:28:00.006-04:00

Week one has come to an end and so far things are going pretty good as I would say so myself :0). We started a day later as I was planning to, as my wonderful husband had the day off. The boys had a blast learning all new things and did great :0). We will be working on the shadow box this weekend as well as making a ocean pie, yum.
So here is a little summary of what we have been up to for the past 4 days ;0)

Bakers Rack with all our homeschool supplies/books

Owen's letter of the week, a nice little craft that I thought of.

Owen's bible part of his curriculum, the days of creation

Days of creation his pages that he made so far, this will be turned into a little book.
Jonathan reading

working on his handwriting

practicing his letter "S" in his special dinosaur book

His fake smile, lol. He is so proud of his letters

Some more reading

and more reading, with the class pet ;0)

Counting the days to 100

Guess who'll be 8 months tomorrow....

2010-08-01T16:20:00.007-04:00

I can't get over the fact that it's already August, time sure flies by fast. This also means that we will begin our homeschool journey soon, my plan is to start the middle of August, the 16th to be exact.The boys are so excited about it and wanted to start already, we are still waiting on Jon's language arts supplies and math though. And tomorrow our little ladybug turns 8 months old, this has gone by way too fast. She is such a happy girly, loves to cuddle, squeal and crawl.

Today we went out to the beach at the York river to release our butterflies, it was a bit windy but we had a fun time. And finally the weather is actually not too hot and we are able to spend our time outdoors some more.
It was also the little ladybugs first time getting to play in/eat the sand. She was definitly enjoying it a lot and was having a blast, just like her brothers :0).
So here are some pictures of our little adventure today, which sadly was cut a bit short because it started raining.

Time to give a little update :o)

2010-05-30T17:51:00.004-04:00

We are all doing well here and it's starting to be really hot already. Which I can tell on Owen's face as well, since he has started to flush quite a bit again. So far he was able to play with his friends and hasn't had a reaction but we also make sure he drinks plenty of water and rests in the shade or air conditioned house.
He is just now getting over a sinus infection and we had to add singulair and flovent to his meds as he wasn't feeling to hot and had a persistent cough for almost 2 months.
I'm happy to report that with the med changes and taking an antibiotic he already sounds a lot better.
He is still eating gluten but I have to say his stools really don't look to great at times but still not complaining of stomach aches out of the ordinary. We will continue our gluten trial and see if we can get him tested for celiac again some time in the future.

One great thing is we are homeschooling this year, which means no worries about him having reactions or taking meds to school. That makes me feel so much better and he is so excited to be home and learn.
For him we picked the curriculum from My Father's World , it's the deluxe kindergarten package and I love all the hands on activities it offers. He of course is excited about the butterfly garden and the ant hill the most ;o).
For Jonathan we picked The Adventures in the Sea and Sky Program from Winter Promise . He is so much into these themes and I think he'll really love it. We also got the Young learner's guide with it for Owen, that way he learns just a bit about it too.

As for the little princess of the house, she is busy being super cute and learning new things every day. She is babbling and smiling a lot, her reflux is well controlled with 15mg's of Prevacid and she is doing great.
I can't believe that she'll be 6 months old on the 2nd already, time sure flies by when you have little ones. She is now sitting up all by herself for a bit and loves it :0).
She goes in on Tuesday for her 6 months check up and I will update on how much she weighs and how long she is.

Here are some recent pictures of the little ladybug (as we call her)

Forget the playpan, all I need is a little box :0)

Sitting pretty

My pretty girl

Happy girl

Guess who's 5 :0)

2010-05-03T11:33:00.006-04:00

The little man turned five years old on the 29th and we had his party this weekend at an indoor putt putt place. It was awesome and everybody had a fun time, the place was great and they were on top of everything and very well organized. So if you are in the Hampton Roads area Cosmic Putt Cafe is the place to go, especially with the hot and humid summers we have here. We sure will be back to play a round or two of putt putt.
And the best part of it was that we didn't have to worry about him touching gluten since he has been on gluten for 3 months now and still doing well, woohoo. And we also didn't have to worry about his Mast Cells acting up because of the high temps outside since we were indoors and in an air conditioned place :0).
So here are some pics of the little man's Birthday party, hope you like them.

His shark cake, made by Mommy :0)

Explaining the rules of indoor putt putt, don't want any broken windows, lol.

He was first and was so excited to play

Chowing down a hotdog

"Happy Birthday to Owen"

Opening gifts

Donate for a good cause

2010-04-15T13:31:00.002-04:00

An online friend of mine is holding a fundraiser for the Heal foundation. Her son Zachary has been diagnosed with Autism over 2yrs ago.
HEAL has raised more than $1 million to serve the hundreds of local families and individuals affected by Autism. These funds allow HEAL to disburse, grants that help support camps, educational programs, community projects and financial aid for families in the Jacksonville Florida area. Ultimately, HEAL's goal is to generate enough funding to build HEAL House, a refuge where therapeutic programs and services can be offered under one roof. "

So I kindly ask anybody that can donate right now and has the financial needs to do so, even if it's just $5.00. Every little amount helps those families in need of great programs for their autistic children.

Here is the website to donate at and thank you very much.

http://www.firstgiving.com/saragomez

Sneak Peak revealed :0)

2010-03-31T23:50:00.003-04:00

Wow, it's so much harder to take pictures with 3 kids than I would have thought. We got a few decent shots but not all what I wanted, lol. We never even gotten around taken a shot of all 3 kids together as the little Miss about had it, lol. She also didn't give up her Nuk for her shots either but it was better than having her scream I guess.
So here are some of the shots from today ;0). I plan on taking some pictures of the kids together this weekend as it's suppose to go up into the lower 80's.

Sneak Peak......

2010-03-31T09:24:00.003-04:00

So we are heading out tonight and have a family picture taken. This will be quite interesting with 3 kids this time around. Last time we have a family picture taken it was just 3 of us together period. With dh's deployments and Owen being as sick as he used to be, we never got around to taking a family pic of the 4 of us. Well at least not at a foto studio.
I'll give you all a preview of what color's and patterns you will see in the pictures to come. I think they will turn out cute no matter what and the colors represent spring really well :0) .

There are always first times for everything......

2010-03-18T22:37:00.003-04:00

and guess who got to go to the beach for the first time??? Yep little Miss Abigail and she was fascinated by the waves and the different sounds but slept most of the time :0).

And here is a nice family shot, our first one as a family of 5 :0)

We've been busy bees....

2010-02-27T14:28:00.004-05:00

Wow, I can't believe how long it's been since I last wrote something on here. To my defense though, 3 kids can keep you quite busy ;0).
So where to even start, we have a few changes that happened and some good updates :0).

Lets start with the smallest one, she was diagnosed with reflux at 2 weeks old and we started her on meds right away when we saw the first signs of discomfort. We had to increase her medicine once but she has been doing awesome. I wish it would have been this easy with Owen when we went through it, but sadly he wasn't medicated the right way until he was over 6 months old. I'm just thankful to be able to enjoy my last baby so much and not have a screaming child all the time.
She is growing well and at her 2 months check up she was up to 10lbs15ozs and 24inches long. And oh my is she a talkative little one, I absolutely love this stage. Why don't you see for yourselves.

So on we go to Owen, since being on Gastrocrom he has done so wonderful that we decided to put him back on gluten a little over a month ago. So far so good, we have not seen any reactions like we usually see and his bm's are normal, woohoo. We'll keep an eye on things and will still have him tested again for Celiac when he has been on gluten for a long enough time. He is enjoying all the goodies he gets to eat right now and I pray that we can keep him on gluten for the rest of his life. It would just break my heart having to take all the things away yet again but if we had to I know we would.

As for Jonathan, he is still going great in school, straight A's and on the principals honor roll list. He still loves Karate and we just bought him his sparing equipment 2 weeks ago. He just got his second yellow belt a few weeks ago as well. He has been a great help at home and is a wonderful big brother.

And me, what have I been up to. I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves :0).

Crochet cardigan for the little Miss

gotta have a matching hat to go with that

My first pair of wool longies

They look even cuter on the model ;0)

And of course dressing her up is a part of our daily life now :0).

Ahh it's so much fun having a little girl to dress up.

How to get a smile...

2010-01-25T23:25:00.002-05:00

from this little girl. It sometimes is hard work to get a cute smile from the little princess but she has been giving us more and more lately. She does take after her brother though and is so serious at times :0). And she also takes after him in a reflux perspective, she is quite the puker that is all I have to say.
So in the process of getting her to smile these are the captures that I got:

She was smiling and then puked, lol (Thank goodness for Prevacid, at least she is comfy now)

Seriously mom you didn't have to post this picture above!!!!

I forgive you and here is that sweet smile that you have been trying to capture for so long, ahh she just melts my heart with those smiles.

P.S.: Today she smiled back at Owen for the first time ever and the bigger his smile got the bigger hers got. Just wish I had my camera handy but of course not at those prefect moments :0).

Not Me Monday

2010-01-25T23:14:00.003-05:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

In no way did I take the boys to the dentist this past week with baby puke in my hair. I also was not at all aware of it and just put the hair up in a ponytail, nope not happening at my house.

That same day in the evening I did not just grab the new shirt out of the shopping bag and put it on after baby girl had puked all over the front of me. I was not to lazy to run upstairs and just get a shirt out of my dresser.

It also wasn't me that you seen shopping at H&M for things that baby girl really didn't need. I didn't go there for one shirt that would match her little leggings that I had bought at a different H&M and certainly didn't come out with a big bag full of things. I should mention that I didn't buy two shirts for myself, nope.

I also was not overjoyed when the cashier at H&M told me that they will open a store closer to where we live, so no more 1hr drives for us. And I didn't blurp out "I liked that, but dh and the bank account won't", lol.

The little guy was not wearing the same shirt 3 days in a row just because it was his favorite and I wasn't going to fight it. Nope he always has to change shirts every day and he also won't sleep in them and wear them the next day, that would just be wrong.

Not Me Monday....

2010-01-11T12:29:00.007-05:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Yesterday I did not let my daughter sit in a what I was thinking poopy diaper just because she was asleep and I wasn't gonna mess with her. Luckily to find out that it really wasn't a poopy one after all, nope I'm always good and change her right away.

Today my second born is not sitting in his room with a towel on the floor and his lunch tray so he can eat there and I have some peace and quite while baby girl is sleeping. No we always sit at the table in our breakfast nook to eat all out meals.

I have also not been lazy and relying on my lovely husband to be loading and unloading the dishwasher since baby girl has arrived. I'm a good mother and housewife and do everything around the house.

Last but not least I have not been hooked on cloth diapers that I have been looking around what other ones we could also purchase on top of the gazillion we already have. Nope never, baby girl has enough diapers.

Ahh the love of cloth diapers....

2010-01-02T04:51:00.004-05:00

Since Miss Abbey has arrived she has only been in disposable diapers in the hospital and a handful of times while out and about. This has changed though too and I have ventured out with her in cloth diapers, especially now that we have some one-size pocket diapers that are easy to use. I have purchased some Smartipants diapers from Diaper Junction and they are awesome and easy to handle. I already get them ready after every wash and all I have to do after taking them off Abbey is open the snaps to the biggest setting and throw them in my diaper bin until it's time to wash them. The soaker in the pocket comes out while in the washer, which really works great.
At home we also use fitted diapers that a friend of mine made for little baby girl and we also use prefolds with Thirsties diaper covers and also the gro baby shell. And we also have a one-size pocket diaper from Rumparooz , which is a great diaper too.

I love cloth diapering as it is so much better and you never have to worry about having to run out in the middle of the night because you are out of diapers ;0). And honestly cloth diapers are so much cuter and come in so many different colors. It can be quite addicting especially with all the choices there are :0).

So if you are cloth diapering or interested in trying it out why not follow this link Use'>http://www.diaperjunction.com/?AffId=47">Use code AFL550 to save $5 off $50 at Diaper Junction. , and get $5.00 off a $50.00 purchase at Diaper Junction . I have ordered a couple of times from their website and they are awesome, fast response and super fast shipping as well. And I was able to visit their store one time as well and they were super friendly. I'm sure it wasn't the last time that I was there in person at their store.

I will also have the link on the left top side of my blog, so if you return just use that instead of having to search for this post :0).

I'll leave you with a picture of my cutiepie wearing a fitted diaper with her Thirsties diaper cover.

Some things just change the more kids you have...

2009-12-29T07:12:00.004-05:00

So I always said that I would never let my babies sleep in bed with me, it worked for Jonathan and mostly for Owen as well. Now he was sick quite often and some nights were just really rough, especially since it was just me taking care of him (dh was deployed at the time).
Now the princess has taken over the house and boy have things changed in that perspective ;0). She certainly knows how to do it to land in our bed at around 2am and stays there until it's time to get up in the morning. She keeps fussing and spitting her pacifier out until we put her next to us in our bed, then she keeps the paci in and goes right to sleep. She can't lay completely flat though, as she has decided to take after her brother and have reflux as well. So this is what you find at our house after 2am lately ;0).

Ahh, this is the life :0). I just know how to do it.

Psst, don't tell my brothers ok, they might get jealous ;0).

Are you cloth diapering or....

2009-12-28T15:06:00.004-05:00

looking into it and very interested??? Well here is a great opportunity to extend your stash of cloth diapers or to get started. Diaper Junction is giving away $300 smackers to buy cloth diapers at their store. Just visit their blog here and it gives you the details on how to enter. The giveaway ends on 01/08/10 , so hurry and get your entries in to have a chance to win and enjoy guiltless shopping for cloth diapers.

From my family to yours.......

2009-12-24T20:19:00.001-05:00

Compassion.....

2009-12-23T12:11:00.004-05:00

Jonathan was chosen for the Good Citizenship Award this month. And as the title says in this post it was for Compassion :0). It's so nice to see him be so caring about others, especially his classmates that need the help.
You know as a parent you always wonder whether you do everything you can to teach your children to do the right things. You wonder if they ever listen to the things you have to say and try to show them.
I'm so very proud of my big guy and what a great kid he is :0). And I'm so glad that the things we do teach him actually stick and make a difference and make him a better person.
So don't question whether your kids listen and soak it all in, they actually do. Even if they don't always seem to show it ;0).

Some Christmas pics....

2009-12-20T23:30:00.002-05:00

Better late than never I guess. We finally were able to get some Christmas pictures taken and have ordered our cards. Now we just have to get them ready to mail out, so they might be more like New Years Cards, lol.

Ahhh the brotherly love for their baby sister :0)

2009-12-09T01:14:00.002-05:00

Baby Abbey is very much loved by her brothers :0). They have been so good with her and just love to talk to her and touch her. Now in the last picture it gives me an idea how things will go when we have Christmas pictures done, lol.

Our princess has arrived......

2009-12-04T21:13:00.004-05:00

Introducing our precious little girl Abigail Rose, born 12/02/09 at 1:30pm, 7lbs14oz's and 20 1/4 inches long.

So here is the quick version of how labor and birth went :0).

We are thrilled and finally home as of today around lunchtime. She is such a sweetie and the boys love her very much. Owen keeps coming over and tickles her little feet and says "tickle, tickle, tickle" and wants to kiss her on her head :0). Jonathan is holding her right now as I was taking a shower, of course with daddy's supervision ;0). The birth was fast, just like Owen's. I was induced on Wednesday as my cervix was dialating but I didn't have pain with the contractions at home. So we arrived at the hospital at 6:30am and they started the pitocin at 8am, I was already at 4cm's when I went to my appointment monday. The contractions came fairly soon after the meds were started but they didn't hurt just like the ones I had at home. They checked me after a while and I was at 5cm's, they then went ahead and broke my water. That is when the contractions started to get more uncomfortable but still bareable. After a while they really came on strong though and Abbey's heartrate started dipping sometimes as low as into the 80's, ack. I was very uncomfortable but didn't really want an epidural, so they gave me something in my IV to take the edge off. They checked me a again and I was 7cm's. The midwive left the room and in came the nurse to let us know that they'll be in again to check on my progress in a little while. She also said if I had the urge to push to let them know right away. Well the nurse left the room and all of a sudden I felt a lot of pressure and knew that baby girl was ready to come out, so I had dh call them back in and sure enough I was fully dilated. They got everything ready which felt like forever, lol. And within 10 minutes of starting to push little Abbey was born . The hospital staff was wonderful and it was a great expierence at the hospital there. The midwive assisted that birth and the guy who delivered Abbey really reminded me of Gaylord Focker from the movie "Meet the Parents/Fockers", lol.

The whole staff was just amazed at how well I did and kept saying that I must have a high pain tolerance as I was talking through the contractions and all, lol. Well at least until it was almost time to push, then I had to concentrate on them and got some IV meds, rofl.

Yet a little step closer ;0)

2009-11-25T10:15:00.002-05:00

I had my 38wk check-up yesterday and all is well, baby girls heartbeat was at 150. They checked me to see if I was making any progress and I'm almost 4cm's dilated and 50% effaced. I know it can still take a while but at least it's nice that the contractions I've been having are doing something. It's less work later when labor really kicks in ;0). So far she has stuck it out the longest in my belly, her brother were both out by this time, so this is way different. I know she has dropped and you can tell by the pics that I had posted earlier. It feels like I have a block of cement between my legs when trying to walk, lol.
The suspense of her arrival is really killing us, even my dh is getting so anxious to hold his little girl. And Owen boy he is constantly attached to my belly talking to his sister and kissing her, he keeps telling her she needs to come out so he can hold her. It's just the sweetest thing to see, especially since he wanted a brother at first ;0).
So we shall see what happens in the next 2wks and hopefully baby girl will be nice and not too huge. He brothers were rather big for being so early weighing in at 8lbs5oz and 7lbs13oz, so hopefully she'll at least decide to be on the petite side ;0).

Great craft, especially when you have children with food allergies ;0)

2009-11-24T09:59:00.004-05:00

The other day I went to Michael's and noticed that their Christmas foam kits were on sale. So instead of paying 7.99 they were 4.99. I bought the Christmas tree and Gingerbread house. Owen and me made the Gingerbread house and Jonathan was excited about the Christmas tree. I love the fact that you really don't have to use a lot of glue, since most foam pieces have a sticky side :0). Less mess to clean up later for mommy.
I'll be going back soon and pick up the nativity set and a few other ones and we'll just build our own little Christmas village. Best thing about this craft is that you don't have to worry about any reactions as you would with a real Gingerbread house. Unless you want to stand in the kitchen and whip up your own recipe that is safe for your kids, but with swollen feet/legs right now I'm not in the mood to do so, lol. Another bonus is you can use these decorations year after year :0).

So here are some pictures of our crafts and also some pics of the cookies after the boys had decorated them, before putting them in the oven. Enjoy!!!!!

I can breath again......

2009-11-22T23:15:00.002-05:00

The first picture was taken on the 11th of this month, the second just earlier today. Baby girl decided to move further down within the last 11 days :0). Now of course my walk is a little off as I waddle like a duck, lol. But it's nice to be able to breath better again. We shall see what she decides to do as to when she makes her grand debute into this world. She has stayed put longer than her brothers so far. We have about 2 1/2 weeks to go until her due date but I still hold on to the hope that she might come a little earlier than that.
Of course I can just see her deciding to come on Thanksgiving while we sit down to eat with friends :0). I can tell you one thing, I will enjoy a nice piece of turkey before leaving for the hospital though. Even if it means squeezing my legs together, rofl.

GF sugar cookies :0)

2009-11-21T21:12:00.003-05:00

I was searching online and came across a recipe for sugar cookies, those sounded pretty easy to make. So we went ahead and baked a batch on Tuesday night and the rest of them today. Boy am I glad that I found that one, you wouldn't even think they are gluten free :0). Now I had to use a bit more rice flour then the recipe asked for as they were a little too sticky but they turned out great.
As for decorating, I usually do an egg wash before we bake them and let the boys just go to town with sprinkles :0). Then you pop them in the oven and in about 10-12 minutes they are done, yum. So here is the recipe, hope everybody likes them as much as we do. I'm sure I will bake a couple more batches of those as Christmas is getting closer.

Sugar Cookies

1 cup shortening (I used butter flavored Crisco)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups rice flour blend (I simply use 2 cups of rice flour and one cup of potato starch, you could also use tapioca starch)
1 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream shortening and sugar, add eggs and vanilla. When combined, add dry ingredients. Wrap dough and chill for about an hour. Roll out and cut as desired.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Cool, frost and decorate.

Gluten/Dairy/Soy Free Pumpkin Spice cake

2009-11-10T23:45:00.003-05:00

1 box betty crocker yellow cake mix (gluten free)
1 can pureed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
pumpkin pie spice
cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Put pumpkin, cake mix and spices in a mixing bowl and beat on high for 2 minutes. The batter should be lighter and fluffier. Pour batter into a greased pan and bake for 30-45 minutes or until a knife or cake tester comes clean when inserted into the cake.

Not everything has a price tag :0)

2009-11-10T19:27:00.003-05:00

1 pint coconut bliss dark chocolate ice cream (dairy/soy and gluten free) $4.99 on sale,

one 12 pack gluten/dairy/soy free ice cream cones $3.99,
Seeing your gluten/soy/mostly dairy free child eating this combination
with a huge smile on his face, knowing he won't get sick from it
.

.
PRICELESS

I just had to post this tonight as it was really uplifting seeing the little guy so happy. Lately he has realized how much different his diet is from everybody elses. And if there are things that he can't eat or have, his first response is "it's not fair". How do you explain to a 4 1/2yr old that certain things just make him sick and he'll be miserable, when everybody else gets to enjoy it. I already dread the day he starts school and has to sit at a different table as well because of all his food issues.
So if anybody with food allergic/sensitive children have been there just leave me some ideas on how to explain it to him in the comments box. Thank you :0)

GI appointment and another diagnosis added...

2009-10-27T23:27:00.000-04:00

Well we saw the new GI specialist today and he was really, really nice . We went over everything pretty much and how the Gastrocrom has made a huge difference in Owen and he was happy to hear that. So we won't be making any medicine changes at all for him and he only needs to go see the GI every 6 months as long as all goes so well .

On to Owen's strange vomitting episodes that he has from time to time. The GI asked how often the episodes come and how long they last, upon answering it all he diagnosed Owen with CVS (cyclic vomitting syndrome). So on top of the Masto diagnosis he has CVS now too. We won't medicate him yet for it as his episodes are spread further apart since starting the Gastrocrom and only typically last for about 5-6hrs. He said if he has them more often or they last longer we will start him on meds for that, but we hope we don't have to.

He is now 41 1/4 inches tall, woohoo and weighs 36.7lbs which is over 1lb down from his peditrician appointment. But it seems like his eating strike is finally over and he has been eating well again, so I'm sure he gains that pound back soon.

First week of doctors appointments....

2009-10-22T15:06:00.002-04:00

So monday Owen go to see his doc at the optometry clinic. They played fun little games to check his eyes with glasses on and without glasses on. He also had his is dilated to check how his right eye is doing.
The verdict is that his prescription has changed, his right eye is a bit better. He went from 6.25 to a 6.0 and his left eye stayed the same at 4.5. The doctor isn't too happy though about his right eye and we have to come back again in 2 months. If things are still the same we have to start patching his left eye to make his right eye stronger.
We already talked to Owen about it and made it sound more like fun by telling him he can pretend to be a pirate ;0). He gets to pick the patches he wants to wear and hopefully that will help and he will co-operate.

He goes and sees the GI specialist on Tuesday next week and I can't wait to tell them how well he has been doing on the gastrocrom. Jon has an appointment at the asthma clinic as well next week. So keep checking in for those updates as well.

Tuesday I had my OB appointment and all is well, baby girl is doing good and her heartrate was in the 140's. I have to go back again in 2 weeks and they will do the strep B test, since my kids tend to come earlier than their due dates. Today I'm 33 weeks and I can say that I'm at the point of pregnancy were I'm glad when baby is finally with us. I wake several times at night and have had a horrible time with heartburn lately.
One thing I have noticed is that I can't eat any fast food anymore, it messes with my poor GI tract so badly that it's just not worth it. Not that we eat it a lot anyways, so I won't be missing anything :0).

Oh and while we were there I put Owen on the scale and he has lost a pound from the almost 3 that he had gained. He is right now on a eating strike and I'm glad that we found carnation instant breakfast chocolate that he likes to drink. So hopefully it likes him back and he'll be up to the pound lost in no time again. I will probably update on that one as well next week, since he always seems to have delayed reactions to things.
And talking of delayed reactions, he had one to the eye drops they used to dilate his eyes. He got up the next morning and his eyes were all crusty and the white was bright red, ack. He still has some issues now but it has gotten a lot better already. I'll just have to tell the doctor next time we see him.

All things have to come to an end eventually....

2009-10-18T20:38:00.006-04:00

And so has the visit with my parents and brother too :0(. We had a great time and so much fun together but it went by way to fast. Hard to believe that we won't see them again until June next year, ack.
They really liked the area here and we did see quite a few things. We celebrated my mom's 50th Birthday in NY City, which had been her big birthday wish :0). It was a very busy weekend but it was worth it as well.
Down here in VA we took them to the beach, and it was fantastic. My mom, dad and brother were in the water only up to about the knees and a dolphin swam by so close they could have touch him :0). So that was definitly a once in a lifetime kind of thing, of course this happens after my brother had put his camera down, lol. We got a few shots of the dolphins that were a little further out though.
We also did a lot of shopping as things in the states are way cheaper than in Germany. We also went to dh's workplace and checked out all the helicopters he works on. And we took them to the Army Transportation Museum that same day.
Another nice trip one morning while Jon was in school was Historical Yorktown. We walked along the River Walk and went to a few stores there. Sadly the day that we picked to go the museum was closed, ack. But we all still had a fun time walking around and seeing all the old historic buildings.
And we took them to the Norfolk Zoo on the weekend before they had to fly back home again.

My brother was only able to stay for 1 1/2 weeks but my parents were still here for the big ultrasound :0). They really enjoyed that a lot, especially my dad (step-dad) since he has never been to an ultrasound at all before. The boys enjoyed it as well and Owen is really excited to finally meet his little sister.

The goodbye was again the hardest thing and of course Owen has to turn everything into a tear jerker, lol. We had said our goodbyes and there were already quite a few tears. My parents went up the escalator as we were getting ready to go back to our van. They already had checked in all their luggage and were ready to go to the gate, Owen kept yelling for them. And his last words really brougth tears to my eyes, he said Oma and Opa (grandma and grandpa in german) I love you so much. It was the sweetest but also most heartbreaking thing to hear from him, he had such an affection in his voice that just brought you to tears.

My parents made it home safely by Wednesday with a little unplanned stop in Amsterdam. Their original flight was gonna take them from Detroit directly to Frankfurt but it was changed and they had to switch in Amsterdam before flying to Frankfurt.

Things have calmed down a bit but we have lots of appointments in the next couple of weeks. Owen goes and sees the optomatrist tomorrow and I have my OB appointment Tuesday. Then next week Tuesday Owen sees the GI specialist and on Thursday Jonathan has to see his doctor for his asthma. That doesn't count in the dentist appointments I have to make for the boys and I have to call tomorrow for Owen's allergist appointment as well. And in between all this my friend from Germany arrives this coming Saturday and will be staying with us for 2 weeks. I'm really looking forward to seeing her and can't wait to take her places, between appointments that is of course, lol.

So I'll leave this post with a few pictures of the past couple of weeks during my parents visit :0).

The whole gang minus dh in front of the statue of Liberty

Us in front of the NYC skyline, my brother took this picture
My parents at the beach
Exploring the treasures they have found

Dolphins at Virginia BeachSaying Goodbye to my brother
My brother and me
The boys with a fireman in front of Norfolk Zoo

The whole gang at the Zoo

Won't keep you waiting any longer :0)

2009-10-10T21:46:00.004-04:00

Here are some pics of our little girl from the 3D/4D ultrasound today. It was just the cutest thing and I'm glad we went ahead and did it. We also have a video of the whole ultrasound and saw her yawning, sticking her tongue out and pucking her lips like she was blowing kisses :0).

Smiling

Her foot :0)

Already sticking her tongue out at us, lol

An amazing appointment....

2009-10-08T13:37:00.002-04:00

I called yesterday to make an appointment with the dermatologist for Owen. To my amazement they had an appointment available for today :0).
So off we went and saw yet another new doctor for his symptoms. We were in and out in no time and it was an awesome appointment.
I'm glad I stayed up a little longer last night and printed out the pictures of his spots flaring up. Two out of his 3 spots are gone again and were only there for about 1 1/2 months but the dermatologist agreed that they are mastocytomas. Yes, you read this right, the first doctor ever to acknowledge that we are dealing with a Mast Cell Disorder.
Since he is doing so well on all the meds right now and is responding to them, he won't be doing a biopsy to confirm it. The treatment wouldn't change anyways, so we'll just keep up with the Gastrocrom, Zyrtec and Prilosec.
He told us to follow up with the GI specialist and allergist. We see GI on the 27th and I have to call to make an appointment with the allergist, hopefully we see somebody else this time as I really think the allergist is a little rude, ugh.
So all in all the best appointment we have had in a long time and yes we are dealing with a Mast Cell Disorder but things are under control for the moment and nothing needs to be changed, woohoo.

I also appologize for not posting as much right now but my parents are here from Germany so we have been quite busy the past 2 weeks. I'll be posting some more again once things settle down and my parents leave. Then I will also have some 3D/4D pics of our little princess as well, we are going for the ultrasound on Saturday.

Baby is growing.....

2009-09-20T09:39:00.004-04:00

Here is a picture of me from the other day. My belly is getting bigger and bigger :0). We are preparing things for her and have just today bought her car seat. Last week her bedding set arrived and now we just need the crib, which we will order on either Wednesday or Thursday when my parents and brother are already here :0). It's so exciting getting things ready for baby girl. I also have been crocheting a hoodie for Jonathan, which is a little over halfway done now. Next is Owen's hoodie and then I will work on a dress for baby girl. So hopefully those all will be done by the time she gets here. Those will be the clothes they were when we have pictures taken, I can't wait to see them all in their new crochet hoodies and dress :0).

So here is a pic of me with my baby bump at 28w3d

The pediatrician appointment

2009-09-18T22:16:00.001-04:00

We had to go in as he was running out of prescriptions for his Prilosec and Zyrtec. And I also wanted to bring up his latest reaction.
The appointment went very well and we have a referral to see the dermatologist down in Portsmouth. The pediatrician can't send us off base from the clinic over here, they only refer out to the Navy hospital.
He was more considerate of the possibility of him having Mastocytosis, since we have done so many tests and everything comes back normal, yet he has so many symptoms of a Mast Cell Disorder.
The only issue with seeing the dermatologist is that his rashes have gotten a lot better since starting the gastrocrom. And the two spots that he had on his back have disappeared again after about 1 1/2 months, ugh. He still has the faint one on his hiney so we shall see.
He also keeps getting those red little spots on his lip that stay and then go away and appear again in a different area on the lip. That is certainly not a spot to biopsy from though, ugh.

All in all it was a good appointment though and after we pick up the gastrocrom one last time from Portsmouth we should be able to get it through the pharmacy here, woohoo. I'll call back and check on that in about 3 weeks.

Now on to the really great news that made my day, they weighed him and drumroll please............................................ .....................
he weighed in at 38lbs . Which is a 3lbs gain since they started him on the gastrocrom, woot woot. If that doesn't tell you anything then I don't know what will, lol. Even the pediatrician said something about how it shows that he is gaining better now.

First week of school

2009-09-12T13:39:00.005-04:00

I can hardly believe that summer is over and my big guy is back in school. Time sure is flying by fast, even this pregnancy. Can you believe that in not even 13 weeks we'll be welcoming our little baby girl into this world.
Well back to school it was this week for Jonathan and he likes it. He is in the talented and gifted program this year as well. I guess they went with his SOL scores and also his grades in school, he is a straight A student and we pray that it stays that way. We always encourage him to try his best and are very proud of him. He has such a joy in learning new things and we never have any issues with him doing his homework, again we pray that it stays this way when he hits the teenage years, lol.
So here are 2 pics of Jon on his first day of school :0), new haircut and all.

He also started karate in June of this year and really loves it. 2 weeks ago he earned his yellow belt and is still enjoying the karate lessons each week :0). I'm happy we found something that he really likes doing. I will also attach a picture of him with his karate suit and yellow belt :0).

I will write an update on Owen and his health after we have his appointment with the pediatrician next friday. Oh and I forgot to mention that he did have a reaction while we were at the cottage but thanks to benadryl we had things under control again fast :0).

Our cottage vacation :0)

2009-09-02T21:20:00.005-04:00

So yes we have been almost home for 2 weeks but I just haven't found the time to update and post some pictures of our cottage vacation. We had a great time and it was fun and relaxing, minus the two bee stings that Owen got. The boys had a blast playing with all their cousin's, catching toads, making smore's, going swimming and just spending all day outdoors. We also took them to the train museum in North East, played miniature golf and on the way home stopped at the horseshoe curve in Altoona despite having to sick boys in the van, ack. One was barking up a storm and the other one was barfing up a storm, thank God for ziplock bags as puke bags, lol.
Oh and Owen decided to show us that he is indeed capable of drawing a person when he wants to, I will attach a pic of his self-image.

I had my OB visit last friday and everything is going well, baby girl is growing good and her heartrate was in the high 140's to low 150's. She is kicking like crazy almost all day long and the boys really think it's funny to see all the waves she makes on mommy's tummy :0).
Here are a few pics of our vacation up north at lake Erie.

First night watching the sunset

Owen's self-image

Done swimming after he got stung twice by a bee, ack

Quick gluten free lunch/dinner !!!!

2009-08-09T18:21:00.004-04:00

Last night I didn't feel like making anything big for dinner and wasn't about to order out either. So I made one of my really really old recipes that I saw in a kids cookbook while we still lived in Germany :0).

I don't really have measurements so you can adjust the amounts however you want to. Yesterday I used the following ingredients, there is really no limit to it and it's really a super fast but still mostly healthy recipe.

7 hotdogs cut into slices ( I use beef as we all like them better :0) )

4 small potatoes

1 yam

1 stalk celery

1-2 carrots

1/2 cup peas

1/2 onion diced

4 mushrooms sliced or a small can of mushrooms

1 cup gluten free vegetable broth (you can use any kind of broth really)

Sautee onions and hotdogs in a pan for about 4-5 minutes, then add 1 cup vegetable broth and the rest of the ingredients. Cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes or until veggies are tender. Serve and enjoy, we sure did :0).

Busy, busy, busy.....

2009-08-08T00:22:00.002-04:00

I really have enjoyed crocheting so much again. Here are two headbands that I made this past week. I still have to take a picture of the dolphin that I made for Jon, he absolutely loves it and takes it to bed with him every night :0).
Right now I'm working on another dress for baby girl. I won't reveal too much yet but lets just say when we are out and about everybody will know her by her bright colored dresses :0). I will also crochet a matching headband for that new dress and can't wait to show everybody.

Shark Attack !!!!!!

2009-08-02T18:41:00.004-04:00

I'm sure some of you are thinking now that we were at the beach and there was a shark. nope not at all what happened. Here is a pic of the latest shark attack in our house. One cute little boy was the victim but the outcome really isn't too bad :0). And this is where I got the pattern from :0) http://suggarcoatedlies.blogspot.com/2009/06/shark-hat-pattern.html . So all you crafty mama's get to work and create something fun for your kids.
My next project will be crocheting a dolphin as per Jon's request :0). After that there will be still a shark hat to make for my friends little boy and then back to making more dresses for Abigail Rose (aka peanut/ or Abbey).

baby girls first outfit :0)

2009-07-31T10:53:00.003-04:00

So I've been a bit busy over the past couple of days working on our sweeties little dress with the matching bonnet. First time ever that I tried these patterns but the outcome is very cute :0). I altered the dress pattern a little as I wanted a jumper and not a dress that buttons in the back with sleeves.

Drumroll please....

2009-07-22T14:40:00.003-04:00

Now updated with the ultrasound pic :)

Today we had our big ultrasound and peanut now has a gender and name :0). Everything looked great and baby was very active, the tech had a hard time getting a good heartrate, which was 155bpm.

And we are overjoyed to announce that we're having a little...
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

GIRL

Fun in the pool and our trip to the Farmer's Market

2009-07-18T22:06:00.003-04:00

So as promised here are some pictures of the boys in their pool from the other day. They love it and want to go in it every day. Which nobody blames them, with the heat and humidity here, lol.

We also went to the local Farmer's Market for the first time this morning. We got quite a few things and it wasn't expensive at all. The boys were excited that it was right by the York River in Yorktown. So after picking out our yummy green beans, yams, squash, zucchini, tomatoes and eggplant (which cost us $7 and some change :0) ), we walked along the river for a bit and watched all the jellyfish swim by. Once we got home I washed and cut the zucchini and squash and froze them for later use this week, I also cut up the green beans as we will use those for tomorrows meal. And I made some yummy eggplant parmesan, without breadcrumbs of course, since it's our gluten free version :0). Jon suprised me when he told me he actually liked it, last time he tried, he wasn't to fond of it, woohoo. Owen ate it all but I could tell it wasn't his favorite.

The rest of the day we spend outside and the boys go to play with their friends :0).

Update from us....

2009-07-15T22:48:00.003-04:00

Our little peanut is growing steadily and getting more and more active in my belly. Boy I can already tell that I will have my hands full with this one, way more active than the boys were at this stage in pregnancy. For the past week I have felt the little kicks and they are already getting stronger. The past 3-4 weeks I have felt peanut push up against my right side and it's nice and reassuring when you finally feel some movement. I had my OB appointment Monday and everything looks good, they forgot to schedule the ultrasound and I'm still waiting to hear back from radiology with the appointment, ugh. If I don't hear anything back by tomorrow around lunchtime I will call and see what is going on.

Owen has been doing good as well and Sunday will mark 6 weeks without diarrhea, woohoo. This is the longest stretch ever so far, thank God for Gastrocrom. He wasn't to fond of playing outside today and kept coming back into the shade where I was sitting, so we went back inside after 20 minutes. He has been enjoying more grapes and even watermelon without getting sick from them, woohoo. This is truly a blessing and he absolutely loves all the new foods he can have.

A couple of weeks ago I signed Jon up for Karate and he goes every Thursday. So far he is still loving it and is always looking forward to going on Thursdays. I'm so glad I found something that he really likes and enjoys.

We've been busy with going to the pool and to doctors appointments the past couple of weeks but now things should calm down for a bit until the middle of August. My SIL and family will come to visit us. They will stay for 2 days and then we'll be all heading up North to spend a week at the cottage by the lake with the whole extended family, woohoo. We can't wait to see everybody again and enjoy some family time.

I will try and upload some pics in the next couple of days of the boys playing in the pool outside in our now fenced in backyard :0).

Prayers for Gavin....

2009-07-04T14:27:00.003-04:00

If you guys could please say a prayer for Gavin and his family. They are heading to the ER right now as there appears to be a hole in his PICC line.

It's been a while....

2009-07-01T23:05:00.004-04:00

I figured I'll give an update on how things are going on our end :0).
Well Owen is still doing great since adding the Gastrocrom, still no diarrhea issues at all. This has been the longest he has gone without in a while, sunday marks 4 weeks without any, woohoo.
His stools were a little iffy on sunday but not diarrhea, at first I was expecting it to turn into dirrhea but it never did so. However he ended up having a reaction to the heat outside while he was playing at the chick-fil-a playground. He started flushing and got a bit whiney and took many breaks, I gave him Benadryl and once we got home he slept about 3hrs. He woke up crying inconsolably and I couldn't even touch him. I noticed his lips were a little swollen as well so I gave him another dose of Benadryl. He slowly calmed down after about 10-15 minutes but still wasn't feeling great. We did go to our friends house down the street for a little while but he expressed it very clear that he didn't want to go outside to play, honestly nobody blamed him for it :0). Today he started to break out in a rash on his chest but is feeling good, he has a pediatrician appointment tomorrow and I'll update on it when we get back :0).

I'm sure you have noticed that my blog design has changed quite a bit :0). I want to thank my friend Carla at Masto Mama Chronicles for it, I won her contest and that was my prize. I absolutely love the new blog layout and have a smile on my face everyt time I see it :0).

As for myself and the little bundle, we are doing great :0). I can finally say that I'm over the sickness/tired part of the pregnancy and dh definitly appreciates that fact that I can cook and eat meat again :0). My next appointment is on the 13th of July and we should be able to find out what we are having by then. This baby already has a mind of it's own and is stubborn already, lol. Everytime I lay on my left side now, baby will start pushing up until I turn either on my back or my right side. It's so nice to feel baby move though and I enjoy the moments of it, since this will be our last bundle of joy :0).

The other night Owen came into my room and was looking at my belly, you could just tell that he was thinking of something. So I ask what is in mommy's belly and he tells me the baby and that he hopes that it's a boy :0). I ask him what he'll do if it's a girl and without even thinking about it twice he says "we can always bring her back to the store", lol. I tell him that it's not that easy and he walks out of my room. About a minute later he comes back to let me know that we can keep the baby if it's girl and maybe there are two babies in there, lol :0). Out of the mouth of babes, gotta love how a 4yr olds mind is working.

Our Father's Day

2009-06-22T10:28:00.003-04:00

I can say that this has probably been the best Father's Day so far for us. We decided to get up at 4am (yes you are reading this right, lol) and take the boys to the beach and watch the sunrise there :0). This is one of the nice things when you live so close to the ocean and can do things like that. We arrived just in time to see the sunrise and it was amazing, the boys had a blast as well and the beach was empty. It was so peaceful and not too hot at all, we left at around 8am and it was perfect, Owen doesn't do too well when it gets too hot.
To our suprise we even got to watch the dolphins swim by and Jonathan was in his glory. He has been all about dolphins for the past couple of months. Of course Owen wasn't to impressed with the dolphins he would have rather seen a shark, lol. He is our little shark boy and loves to learn about them :0). But he was happy and excited when he saw big crabs running all over the place when we got down to the beach. I guess for him it has to have either claws or jaws with sharp teeth to be interesting.

We had packed a cooler with drinks, gluten free blueberry muffins and diced strawberries. The breakfast at the beach so early was great and we all enjoyed the muffins, which I made from the Betty Crocker yellow cake mix. They tasted very good and we all enjoyed them.
So I'll leave this post with a few pictures from yesterday for you guys to enjoy. Sadly I just couldn't get a picture of a dolphin, well actually more the fin that would stick out from time to time.

A wonderful Gastrocrom update :0)

2009-06-19T09:58:00.002-04:00

So Owen has been on Gastrocrom for 1 1/2 weeks now and over the past couple of days I have noticed some differences.
None of his stools are floating on the water anymore and they are not the pale yellow color that they used to be either. We haven't seen any diarrhea so far but still waiting to see if there is a difference as sometimes he can have a good streak (well as good as it gets for him at least) for about 2-3 weeks. There has also been no more greasy stuff swimming on the water as well(I know sounds gross but that was his norm) and the smell is like regular poop and not like something that crawled up there and died, lol.
He has been enjoying blueberries by the pint and so far we haven't seen any issues at all, usually he had diarrhea especially with the amounts he was eating. And another difference is that there is not as much undigested foods in his stool anymore either.
I have also noticed in the past 2-3 days that he has more energy, especially when playing outside with his friends :0). And I'm not the only one that noticed this, my friend commented on it yesterday as well. Usually when playing outside he couldn't at all keep up with the kids and just came over to me and sat down and rested or played with chalk. Well Wednesday he played soccer and chased around the kids and was able to mostly keep up :0), this is the first time ever that he was able to do so.
When I asked him what his new medicine does he told me it makes his tummy better, the old medicine didn't make it feel so good. Keep in mind he is still taking Zyrtec and Prilosec as well in addition to the Gastrocrom now.
In a way this statement made me happy and sad at the same time. You see he used to say his tummy felt fine before starting the Gastrocrom and that it only hurt a few times. Now we know this wasn't the case as he can tell the difference and never knew anything else before.
I'm just so happy with this report of praise and our prayers sure have been answered :0).

So anybody out there with a child that has unexplained symptoms and no doctor can pinpoint them, don't give up. Keep searching for answers and push the doctors. I knew exactly that something more than reflux was going on once we started solids and he seemed to react to everything. Yes we officially have no diagnosis for him yet but I kept pushing to try different meds and we have found a mix that works really well for him and make him feel better.

And a big thank you to my friends and family who supported us through all this. And a big special Thank you to Carla who has been so helpful and supportive with infos about Mast Cell Disorders for us.

What's for dinner Wednesday (gluten free style)

2009-06-17T20:30:00.003-04:00

Tuna Rice Dish

1 cup milk
1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 1/2 tsp chicken or vegetable bouillon
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups cooked rice
1 can (7oz) tuna fish, drained
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese (or like I did 5 slices Kraft singles cheese, since I didn't have any grated, lol)

In a saucepan, mix together milk and cornstarch. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat.
Stir in bouillon, salt and cheese. Continue stirring until cheese is melted. Add tuna, mix well and then add the cooked rice stir and serve with some veggies :0).

Gluten free pancakes, yum

2009-06-13T14:15:00.003-04:00

So this morning in a hurry I was searching the internet for some gluten free pancake recipes and found one that sounded yummy. I did adjust it a little and added some ground flaxseed and also cut the oil in half and added some applesauce instead. It turned out very yummy and the boys loved them.
So here is our new favorite recipe

Gluten Free Pancakes

1 cup gluten free flour blend *
2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
1 Tbsp honey
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp applesauce
1/3-1/2 cup milk

Combine flour, ground flaxseed , baking powder and salt. Add eggs, oil, applesauce and milk to the dry ingredients and mix just until smooth.Spoon 2 tablespoons of batter onto hot griddle for each pancake. When edges are dry and bubbles form in the center, turn pancakes once and finish cooking.

* I used 1/2 cup brown rice flour, 1/4 cup millet flour and 1/4 cupcornstarch.

You can also add blueberries to this recipe, that is what we did this morning and they were very yummy .

The GI appointment

2009-06-10T19:35:00.003-04:00

Ok so we didn't get a diagnosis at all and he said those spots look like bug bites. Oh and they could last a couple of months, which he said after I showed him Owen's spot on his little hiney, come on he had it since freaking October at least that makes it 8 months, ugh. Oh and he said if it welts along the whole area we rub he doesn't think it could be Masto, well hello it's just the spot itself that welts, ugh.

The GI is leaving next month and we are stuck without one, especially since he said that from a GI standpoint he has nothing else to offer. Come on the little guy has recurrent diarrhea and still refluxes, who should we see then, ugh. So in a way that doesn't upset me too much that he is leaving and I wonder if he just kind of rushed through today because he knows he's leaving, ugh.

We did however end with the prescription of Gastrocrom (Mast Cell Stabilizer) and have 5 refills on it. And the best thing is they actually had it at the pharmacy on base, woohoo. So pray that this works and he will improve on the meds and maybe then just then we can get him diagnosed. So I guess for now we'll try the Gastrocrom and go see his pediatrician next month and let him know how he is doing.

I just wish they wouldn't drag their feet and give him a diagnosis of Masto already as that is really what my gut tells me he has.

And here are some close ups of the spots that he thinks are bug bite, before and after rubbing them, ugh. And no I didn't rub the whole area around them where it's red, it just turns that way.

Make it 3 now.....

2009-06-08T08:45:00.003-04:00

This morning I was showing dh the spot I found the other night and there was another one, they are small (think pinhead). Both spots welt when being rubbed, I just wonder how many more he needs to get before the doctors will acknowledge them, ugh.
You can see the one on the righ bottom side of his back nicely, the other one is more on the left side in the middle of his back. Of course he wasn't holding very still while I tried to take a good pic, ugh.

Update on the little guy...

2009-06-07T18:37:00.002-04:00

I know I haven't really updated a lot on Owen lately. But honestly there isn't much to update unless I want to sounds like a broken record, ugh. He still goes through bouts of diarrhea, even while he was on a low dose of Miralax. So we took him off after a month as there was no sense in giving it to him. Today he hit the toilet 6 times so far and has been laying on the couch sleeping since 5pm. He was flushing again earlier so we gave him some benadryl to help him with that, as he wasn't feeling the greatest either. We did make it to have his pics taken before he got really grumpy so that was at least something positive today.
2 nights ago we found another spot on his back this time and when I rubbed it, it welted up just like the one on his little hiney does. At this point I think it's best that we go ahead and have the spot on his hiney biopsied to finally know once and for all if he has Mastocytosis or not. He has another GI appointment on Wednesday and I will be pushing to get his endoscopy slides from 2yrs ago stained as well to look for increased Mast Cells.
I just know that he does not have the chronic idiopathic urticaria and have a gut feeling that we are dealing with a Mast Cell Disorder. I will just keep pushing until we finally have our answers and I don't care on who's toes I'm stepping. The poor guy can't keep up with kids his age when it comes to playing outside and riding his bike, he always wears out so fast from such simple things. And then add the GI issues, rashes, flushing, swelling and you have a great mix of symptoms that makes for one grumpy boy. Oh and after talking to my friend Carla via email, I know the allergist is wrong in thinking that all Masto patients have anaphylaxis. That was his whole reasoning why he thinks Owen more than likely has CIU instead of Masto.
So say a little prayer that the GI agrees with us and we can finally get some answers. And also that we can get the gastrocrom at a pharmacy here in town, since the hospital we go to only has the inhalant version of the Mast Cell Stabilizer.

Our sweet little something finally revealed :0)

2009-06-01T19:39:00.004-04:00

So as some of you know from my last Not Me Monday post, we have a little something that we didn't want to share before today.
Well I'll just make it short and sweet and leave you with a picture of the newest member of our family. Of course we won't actually get to meet her/him until around the 9th of December so this ultrasound picture will have to work for now :0).
My boys are going to be big brothers but don't know yet, we will tell them this weekend about the new baby, as dh works nights right now and doesn't come home until after midnight. So stay tuned to hear all about their reactions to the news :0).
So Cheryl was right on with guessing that I'm preggo on her comment :0).

Gluten free couscous alternative :0)

2009-05-27T13:48:00.004-04:00

After reading this post from Mckmama I have been looking forward to trying out this recipe in our own gluten free version :0). Well today was the day, Owen and me tried this recipe but we used Quinoa instead of the Couscous.

So here is the recipe of our version, you can add whatever you like to it. There are no pics to share as we need batteries for our camera, ugh.

1 cup Quinoa
1 cup apple juice (or any juice you like)
1 cup of water
1 cup of dried blueberries
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed
1 stalk of celery, diced

Cook the Quinoa as directed on package, we used the Trader Joe's brand and it was yummy. Put cooked Quinoa in a bowl, add dried blueberries, celery and garbanzo beans and mix. I put ours in the fridge and let it cool off a little before eating it.
Both the little guy and me enjoyed our serving and we have enough leftovers for tomorrows lunch :0). And maybe I will have some new batteries for the camera and can add a picture to this post.

Not Me Monday

2009-05-19T00:14:00.002-04:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Ok, I really just have one thing to post about today, lol.
I have not been neglecting my blog for the past couple of weeks cause I have something to share with my fellow bloggers but can't yet until after the 1st of June. So I will not still keep neglecting my blog for the next 2 weeks as I am so tempted to already post about it, lol. Nope that would just be so silly :0).

Some thoughts on CIU and our plan

2009-05-01T14:17:00.001-04:00

Now that I have read up on this CIU I have gathered quite some info on it. And one thing that really sticks out is that Mastocytosis can't be ruled out with it and also that Mast Cells are involved in the reactions, whether it's just CIU or with Masto. I plan on asking the GI specialist if we can stain his biopsies to check for elevated Mast Cells in his gut and also ask if we can start the Gastrocrom. Because either way if he just has the CIU or Masto, mast cells are involved and Gastrocrom is a Mast Cell stabilizer. Since he still complains of tummy aches from time to time and his stools are still not always the way they are suppose to be, it's definily worth a try and see if things improve. Especially since the Allergist said that it's not only the skin reacting, it can happen in his stomach and intestines too.

Not so Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-29T21:29:00.003-04:00

It's hard to believe that my little guy was welcomed into this world 4 years ago today. Time has just flown by so fast and he has grown up into this little person with lots of character :0). He has been talking about his birthday for weeks now and was so excited to come downstairs this morning to find the table decorated with his candle train and balloons.
The unwrapping of the gift was just the beginning of it all this morning. He got new food, seasonings, utensils for his diner and of course he wouldn't be a chef without the matching hat and apron :0). He bought a GI Joe plane with the money Grandma and Grandpa send him and he also got a new bike.
So this afternoon he was riding his bike in our cul-de-sac for quite some time. The one thing he kept asking about was when he gets to eat his cake :0). Tonight he got to go to one of his favorite restaurants, Uno Chicago Grill and enjoyed a gluten free pizza. Boy he sure suprised us when he actually ate 4 slices of it. And the waiters even came over and sang their special Uno Birthday Song to him :0). Now before we left to go there he already asked again about his cake and if we could bring it, lol.
Finally after getting back home he got his wish and blew out the candles on his cake. I made him a gluten free chocolate cake from the gluten free pantry and it turned out great. I even added a cherry filling in the middle of it and used cream cheese frosting. He definitly enjoyed every bite of the cake and I'm sure it will be the first thing he'll ask for in the morning for breakfast.
So I'll leave you with a few pictures of my little guy, beginning with 3 when he was just a tiny baby in the hospital and the first day home :0).

The allergist appointment today....

2009-04-28T20:55:00.003-04:00

The allergist was very, very throughout with everything. We went over everything on how all the symptoms started and when. How often they occur on and off meds and so on.
He is pretty certain what Owen has is Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria (CIU) but also said mastocytosis can't be completely ruled out either. He won't proceed with any further testing though to rule it out either, since the treatment is the same in both we will just keep him on the Zyrtec and give him Benadryl for his reactions when needed. He said we don't need to worry about certain foods or things causing these reactions as we won't find the answer there.
He does agree that Owen probably does have Celiac Disease or something similar and to stay away from gluten since we know it makes him sick. I loved how he put it that Owen is the best lab test, his reactions are more of an answer than any allergy test :0). And we don't have to worry about giving him milk either since we know he throws up from it too. Any foods that we see him react like that we are to keep away from his diet.

He did order a blood test to rule out hereditary angioedema and Owen of course was not happy about that at all.
So overall a good appointment but not really any more answers than before. But at least an allergist that works with us instead of blowing us off.

And here is a link with more info on CIU for those interested in all the medical stuff :0) http://www.urticaria.thunderworksinc.com/pages/whatis.htm

Just in time for the allergist...

2009-04-27T21:53:00.005-04:00

the poor little guy breaks out in a rash all over his legs. I really hope and pray that some of it sticks around for them to see. When I asked if it bothered him he said his legs itch, but of course I can't give him anything since he can't have antihistamine before allergy testing. So hopefully he'll be ok tonight and get some sleep. I took some pictures but sadly the flash really takes off the redness and without a flash it doesn't show up either, grrr. These are the only decent pictures that I can get, he has this all over his legs though in different variety of rashes. Some of it looks like he got sunburned and is red but you can tell it's a rash and not a actual sunburn. Then we have a hive like rash with bumps and one that has red streaks, like somebody scratched him :0(. In the last picture you can see hived looking scratches and the redness on the inside of his thigh.

We love warmer weather

2009-04-25T18:47:00.003-04:00

It has been quite warm here for the past couple of days. But today has been the warmest so far, it was around 90 and humid. So while dh and the boys went to the grocery store to pick up some drinks and milk, I set up the little pool we have had since Germany. The boys were super excited to play in the water and get to use their waterguns.
I know it's been a while since I've posted on here but we had a lot of things going on that I can't talk about right now. Owen has his allergist appointment on Tuesday and he has been off the Zyrtec for a couple of days now just in case they want to do some allergy testing. Every morning he has been sneezing his poor little head off now and last night he had broken out in a rash on his tummy. The rash was luckily gone again this morning. So keep the little guy in your prayers for the upcoming appointment.

Here are the pictures from todays fun day outside :0)

Our Easter weekend...

2009-04-13T20:09:00.004-04:00

The boys had a blast hunting their Easter eggs in the toyroom and livingroom. It was so much fun to just watch them and the joy in their eyes. So here are a few pictures of the boys hunting for their easter eggs and showing off their Easter gifts :0).

What a fun weekend we had :0)

2009-04-06T21:36:00.005-04:00

Thursday afternoon my BIL, his wife and their 2 girls arrived and stayed with us until sunday. It was so great seeing them and getting to spend so much time together :0). So I let the pictures speak for themselves :0). This was also the first time ever to the beach for my nieces, Hannah was so excited and it was just the cutest thing seeing the pure joy in her eyes :0).

Buckroe Beach Hampton, Hannahs first time at the beach :0)

Ft. Story beach,

Owen and Hannah and the beach

Virginia Beach Zoo

He will make a great babysitter one day :0), Jon and his cousin Heidi

Jon, Hannah in her new Tinkerbell outfit and Owen

Uncle Brian, Hannah and Owen on the carousel at the mall

Exhausted after a long day out

Nice family picture at the zoo :0)

URGENT Prayers needed!!!!

2009-04-02T19:32:00.003-04:00

Please keep my friend Carla and her son Gavin in your prayers. She had to take him to the ER for an emergency endoscopy as bloodwork taken earlier in the week showed that he has internal bleeding. Check her blog and read about their awesome family and their faith in God through all their trials.

What's for dinner Wednesday (gluten-free-style)

2009-04-01T20:57:00.003-04:00

Sometime last week I was watching Barefoot Contessa with Owen on his favorite TV channel (food network). She made a very yummy sounding potato salad, so Owen and me decided to try it out :0). Dinner for that night was steak, spinach and strawberry salad and the potato salad.

For the potato salad I used about 8-10 big potatoes, peeled and cooked them and cut them up into bite size pieces.
I used 1 cup of mayonnaise, 1/3 cup of buttermilk, 2 tsps of mustard, 3 stalks of celery(diced up), 1 medium onion(diced), some garlic powder, 2 green onions(sliced), salt, pepper and some herb seasoning (I got that from Germany, but it will work without it too) and mixed that all together for the sauce. Added the cooled potatoes and mixed it all together. I put it in the fridge for a few hours and then tasted it just before serving to see if I needed some more salt and pepper. It was very good and the whole salad was gone in no time :0).

For the spinach and strawberry salad I just used fresh baby spinach and fresh cut up strawberries. The recipe I found called for a raspberry vinaigrette but all I had was balsamic, which worked out too and the salad was very good. Both boys even ate that salad, woohoo.

GI appointment update...

2009-04-01T18:43:00.002-04:00

Wow, I'm still floored at how well the appointment went. I was so ready to put up a fight for my little guy to finally get somebody to listen. Well I didn't have to do that at all, the GI specialist was awesome and listened to everything I had to say and took lots of notes and also kept my notes and pictures that I brought to the appointment. He also went ahead and put in the referral to the allergist without me even saying a thing.
He doesn't want to do any further testing at this point as his last endoscopy came back clear and he is gluten free right now anyways. He also agreed with me not to put him back on gluten as the last time we had negative results for celiac disease but we do know that he gets very sick from it. Owen has a higher chance of developing Celiac Disease since he has both genes for it and later down the road we could re-trial gluten and get him tested. I told the GI once Owen is old enough to make that decision it's up to him whether he wants to or not but that won't happen for quite a few years, lol.
I was also very impressed that the GI didn't question our thinking that Owen might have a Mast Cell Disorder and he would be willing to trial him on Sodium Cromolyn (Mast Cell Stabilizer). Before trialing it he wants us to see the allergist though first because they prescribe that medicine more than the GI's do. I'm just happy to know that somebody is actually willing to treat him for a Mast Cell Disorder to see if things with his reactions improve :0).

Next he ordered an abdominal x-ray to see if Owen is impacted and if that is the problem with his intermittent diarrhea issues. So off we went to do that and we just got back home a little while ago. Boy was I suprised to already have a message on my voicemail from the GI to let us know that Owen does indeed have a fair amount of stool in his bowels. So he wants us to do a clean out and then keep him on a low dose of Miralax to see if that helps his diarrhea. I was suprised as Owen usually goes 1-2 times a day and the stools usually are normal. He just keeps getting diarrhea every couple of weeks for a few days and then it's back to normal again.
So we'll do this right now and see how he does with in the stool department and follow up with the GI in 1-2 months.

Oh and another positive about this GI is that he does understand that people can have true food allergies but also intolerances that won't show up on allergy testing :0).

Wow, God is so awesome in all of this. It's amazing how our prayers have been answered and I'm so thankful to finally have found a GI specialist that will work with us and not question everything. Thank you everybody who prayed for us and have a blessed week :0).

One down, one to go and one in the planning...

2009-03-31T22:16:00.003-04:00

and no this is not my kids I'm talking about, lol.

Owen had his appointment with the optometrist today and I'm happy to say that it was a great appointment. His glasses are doing the trick and he has adjusted very well to them, so well as to say that the doctor thinks that there is only a 5% chance that he will ever need patching or even surgery. Woohoo, we are very happy and praise God that his eyes have responded so well and that he is so good about wearing the glasses. He actually gets up in the mornings right away asking for them :0).

Tomorrow he has his appointment with the new GI specialist about his ongoing GI issues that we are still dealing with. If you could please say a prayer for us that the GI specialist will be a good one and actually listen to our concerns and won't brush us off as so many others already have done. I have printed out all the info on his symptoms, procedures and current meds he is taking, so we are more then prepared for this appointment.

And last but not least I will see if the GI specialist can get a referral in to see an allergist since the peds office either forgot about it or never put it in at all. Owen is still having these weird reactions going on and we pray that we find the right doctor to give us some answers. God is in charge and it's in his timing that he will reveal these things to us.

Thank you for the prayers and have a blessed night,

7 things you may not know about me...

2009-03-26T19:29:00.002-04:00

1. I was born and raised in Germany, only lived in the states all together for not even 2yrs but I do not have a german accent.
2. If I could I would have a Chinchilla as a pet :0), I think they are cool.
3. I would love to study marine biology sometime in the future
4. I know how to windsurf and look forward to surfing when we go to the beach this summer
5. I have never broken a bone in my life, despite the fact that I was a total tomboy and still haven't slowed down.
6. In school my best friends were guys, I never really got a long with girls to well
7. I gave birth to my firstborn on my own birthday :0)

Thanks to Linda at The Gluten-Free Homemaker for tagging me. The 7 people I am tagging are:

Elaine at Matters of the Heart
Carla at Masto Mama Chronicles
Kelly at Our Family
Jill at Sneaky Momma
Liz at Loving Mom 2 Boys
Elizabeth at McKayla's Journey
Kelly at Toddle on-The Life of Drew

The rules are simple. Link to your original tagger and list these rules in your post. Simply share seven facts about yourself in the post. Tag seven people at the end of your post and let them know they’ve been tagged. And have fun!

My little chef

2009-03-25T21:22:00.002-04:00

My little guy has really started to like cooking and baking with mommy :0). He loves food network, especially Rachel Ray and will sit contently for quite some time watching cooking shows with me.
So he helped mommy make a gluten free bluberry buckle the other day and it was gone that same night.

So here is the recipe for it :

Blueberry Buckle :0)

For the topping you will need:
1/4 cup of sugar
1 tablespoon brown rice flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

Filling:
1 cup gluten free flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 egg
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 8 inch baking pan.
Mix sugar, brown rice flour, cinnamon and butter together to make the topping, it will almost resemble brown sugar.
Mix together gluten free flour, sugar, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt. Pinch in the butter until you have a sandy texture. Beat egg with milk and vanilla. Stir into the dry ingerdients, fold in blueberries. Poor filling into pan, sprinkle topping over it and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

What's for dinner Wednesday (gluten-free-style)

2009-03-25T21:12:00.004-04:00

Not really a recipe today but more of a tip :0). My boys both love Mac and Cheese. Well when we have a busy day and need a quick dinner I just make them. I buy the regular Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. I dump the gluten pasta in a ziplock bag and give it to my good friend. I rinse the cheese package to be sure that there is no gluten on it. Cook up some gluten free pasta, we really like the Trader Joe's brown rice macaroni. Make the cheese sauce as suggested on the package and mix in the pasta. There you have it a quick and easy dinner that the kids will love :0).

Laughter Lives Tuesday

2009-03-24T09:37:00.003-04:00

This post is part of "Laughter Lives! Tuesday" on the Riggs Family Blog. Check our their blog to read everyone else's "Laughter Lives!" posts.

My sweet little Owen decided to sleep in bed with me this weekend, while Daddy slept on the couch to keep our friends puppy company. As we were laying in bed I told Owen "I love you to the moon and back" . He turned to me with a very serious look on his face and said "I beat you up mommy" . A little shocked to his answer I asked him "why" and he told me "mommy that is far away and I live here" .

Oh boy....

2009-03-24T09:19:00.003-04:00

I'm sure today will be a very pleasant day, can you hear the sarcasm in this. Poor little Owen has been to the bathroom 3 times already this morning and hasn't even been up for an hour, . I think it might be the banana he ate yesterday as he hasn't had them in a while but I can't be sure. I sometimes really wish this child would come with instructions, lol. He was flushing a bit last night so I'm not sure if that has to do with it too or not. A lot of the time when he has a reaction he will have diarrhea the next day so who knows. The weather has been mostly nice to him as it hasn't been too hot yet, but he was flushing really bad on Saturday and fell asleep on the couch by 6:30pm. Dh woke him at around 8pm to eat something but he didn't eat a lot at all, which is unheard of in Owen, except when he isn't feeling hot. Hopefully this episode will be passing soon and he'll be doing better again.
A positive to this is that God was really showing me that Owen does need to see a GI specialist, as I was really questioning it the other day. I was thinking well his reflux is well under control and he hasn't had diarrhea issues within the past couple of weeks. So God really opened my eyes this morning and I'm thankful for that. And I'm just glad and happy that he hasn't complained of a stomach aches at all during this.

Not me Monday

2009-03-23T00:45:00.002-04:00

First off I would like to ask everybody who is reading my blog to pray for the MckMama Family, Stellan is in the hospital with a very high heart rate.

So here are the things I did not do this past week ;0)

On St. Patrick's Day I did not color my little guys hair green after he did not already start it, just for the fun of it. Nope how irresponsible is this and it teaches him it's ok to color on himself. I also did not take a picture of him after we were done and I fix up his hair a little.

My sweet little guy did not pee in between my neighbors garage door and trash can while playing outside, nope he would never do such a thing.

I did not lock my kitty in the kennel with my friends puppy that we were watching for 10 days. And I certainly did not do it to see what they would do, just to find out that they were both just sitting there staring at me, lol.

I did not wait until everybody was in bed last night to eat 4 big strawberries without the fear of having to share them. Nope I'm always generous and share everything.

A busy, fun and rewarding weekend :0)

2009-03-22T20:24:00.002-04:00

After a long search we found a nice swing set for the boys and set it up this weekend. Well my loving husband did most of the work and I tented to my soon to be veggie garden. It took him pretty much all day Saturday to set it up and today we added the rubber mulsh and border for it. I have some pictures of the swing set below, the garden pics are in the making as it's not completed yet. So stay tuned as in a couple of weeks I should be done with that as well :0). I can't wait to eat our homegrown tomatoes, squash, carrots and so on.... . I have seen Blueberry and Raspberry bushes at Home Depot but wasn't sure if I could grow them in big enough pots. I will do some research on that but if any of my fellow bloggers know, just comment or email me :0).
It was a long weekend with lots of work and I actually fell asleep on the couch by 8pm last night. But seeing the boys smiles on their faces while sliding and swingin was worth the hard work :0).

Have a blessed week,

Dh at work

Taking a break for a healthy snack :0)

The end is in sight, woohoo

It's done, mission completed

Flashback Friday

2009-03-20T21:37:00.004-04:00

These pictures below were from 5yrs ago, wow time sure flies by fast. Dh, me and Jonathan met up with our good friends in Washington DC for a hockey game. It's so nice to think back to this as we all had a great time and enjoyed it, especially since we were still stationed in Germany. Jonathan and their daughter Isabelle are 4 months apart and they seemed to make the perfect couple, it was the cutest thing seeing them walk hand in hand at the park near the train station :0).
The funny thing is that our friends were station in VA at that time and now 5yrs later we are stationed in VA and they are down south in Alabama :0). Hopefully we'll be able to meet up sometime soon and maybe even watch a Hockey Game together, as they love Hockey as much as we do :0). We have known them since my friend Amy and I were pregnant with Jonathan and Isabelle :0).

Dh and me with Jonathan and Isabelle
At the Hockey game, Philadelphia Flyers vs. Washington Capitols Walking at the park Hand in Hand :0)

Following a duck at the park

What's for dinner Wednesday (gluten-free style)

2009-03-17T22:26:00.005-04:00

Monday night I made some sweet and sour chicken over rice :0). It was yummy and dh and I really enjoyed it, the boys weren't as fond of it but I think it had to do with the veggie mix that I used. Next time I'll try it with broccoli, carrots, cabbage and green onions only. I used a frozen mix and it had a bunch of things in it that the boys are not familiar with, like water chestnuts.

So here is the recipe, I just pretty much made it up myself and used a sweet and sour sauce recipe that I found online.

1 tbsp olive oil

3 chicken breasts, cubed

3 cups frozen or fresh stir fry vegetables

1 onion / dice

sweet and sour sauce (I used this recipe), I however didn't use the bell pepper and used more pineapple and it was cruched not junks. You can adjust that to whatever you would like. This was a lot of sauce, especially after I added more pineapple, so I had some left over for another time.

Brown chicken in frying pan/wok over medium high heat until thoroughly cooked. Add onion and veggies and fry another 5-6 minutes. Add the sweet and sour sauce to the chicken/veggies and cook on low until veggies are done. Serve over rice and enjoy :0)

The boys appointments...

2009-03-16T17:38:00.002-04:00

Well Jonathan acutally only got to see a nurse practioner and dh took him. So I only have what he told me, lol. She wants to wait to send him to the allergist until his allergy symptoms start, which absolutely doesn't make sense to me . Once his symptoms start his asthma acts up and I have to give him meds and then they can't do allergy testing on him . But they did give us a paper to go to a asthma clinic right there and get info and set up appointments for that, so I guess it's at least a start. As for his issues at school and home with his work and lack of focus and so on, she wants us to keep an eye on it and when he still does it at the end of the school year we will start paperwork and testing for that.

As for Mr. Owen the appointment went really well. This ped actually has seen kids with Masto already, so that is a added bonus. He does think that the spot on his bottom is too small to be a Masto spot, especially since that is the only one he has. But he also says we can't rule out that it's not systemic mastocytosis. As for the allergic reactions, he made a copy of all the documents that I brought as well as pictures that I took with me . He put them in with his medical records to have it right on hand as most of the things are done on the computer now and they were of course down today . He also said he has seen kids test negative to everything and still having allergic reactions and later on when they were way older tested positive on tests. I have to say I really like this pediatrician and he listened to all my concerns and was very throughout. At the end of the appointment when I was ready to ask for the referrals he told me he wants Owen to see a GI specialist as well as an allergist . He said that we might later on refer him to a dermatologist for the spot but for now the GI and allergist are at the top of the list . He also put in a referral for an optamologist to check his eyes again and see if they improved with the glasses. Wow, I'm still amazed that we had such a great visit and everything went so well. I have prayed in the car on the wayy to the appointment that all goes well and that I won't have too much of a hard time getting the referrals, so praise God for that answered prayer

Not Me Monday

2009-03-16T02:41:00.002-04:00

Join me for another round of this therapeutic session started by MckMama. Head on over to her blog for more great Not Me's.

Yesterday I did not fall down my boys bunk bed steps in an attempt to chase the kitty. No way would that happen as I never do such childish things anymore, lol. And I am certainly not sure that I will have some nice bruises on my bottom and back from not falling down those wooden steps.

My almost 4yr old did not come walking into our family a couple of times these past days with poop in his hands. And this poop certainly was not from him as he is fully potty trained and we have no issues. And I certainly would not be tired of having to deal with this if it really would be the case.

I also did not ignore overhearing my dh yelling at our little dude with poop in his hands. And I certainly did not stay upstairs in our bedroom on the computer so I wouldn't have to clean the mess. Nope I am a very responsible person and took care of things myself.

It is not almost 3am here as I am writing these Not Me's. Nope I do not have a issue falling asleep today as I am not in pain from the fall that did not occur yesterday.

As I am a great housekeeper I did not forget a load of laundry in the washer for 2 days and did not just realize that this morning while walking by the washer. I did not have to re-wash that load again as I wasn't about to find out how it smells, lol. Nope I'm on top of laundry and it is not overflowing my laundry basket upstairs in my hallway.

Flashback Friday (Hard to believe)

2009-03-13T11:43:00.006-04:00

My little dude will be 4 soon. I can't believe how much time has gone by since the day he was born. We definitly had many hurdles and have overcome a lot of them and are facing new ones. As a little guy Owen was a very unhappy baby. But who wouldn't be if you had reflux and the meds didn't do their job and you were puking and in pain all the time. Once we started solids that opened a whole new can of worms and he was so irritable and constantly broke out in rashes and had GI issues. He was throwing up almost daily until he was close to 18 months old and even after that we still dealt with a lot of other issues. The countless nights he woke up out of a deep sleep in misery and there was nothing we could do to take it away from him. Carrying him around while he was arching his back wasn't fun at all, neither was sleeping on the couch sitting up with a restless child on your chest. Even though there are still hudles to overcome with his still excisting symptoms I praise God that he is doing way better than when he was a baby.
Once we got the right dose of Prilosec he was finally not in pain anymore from his reflux, he still refluxes but it doesn't hurt him anymore :0). He will still break out in rashes from time to time but they are more under control since he started taking Zyrtec daily. And we have also noticed since starting Zyrtec he tolerates foods better. Praise God for showing us what works to make him feel somewhat better.
Yes he can't have gluten, soy and some other foods, he also can't drink milk but there are so many choices of things that he can have. He does fine with small amounts of cheese and yogurt so that is a added bonus and makes things a little easier. And being back in the states has made things definitly a lot easier too, especially when it comes to all the gluten free flours and foods :0).
It amazes me how easy the little dude gets excited, especially when it comes to food. His eyes light up every time we are in the store and he discovers something new that is gluten free :0).
I still remember the first time we found a box of the new formulated now gluten free Rice Chex. He was so proud to have found a cereal he can eat and told everybody in the store about it while carrying the box around with him. It was just the cutest thing to see and people were just smirking when they saw him :0).

We have defnitly come a long way and God has taught me a lot through these years :0). Especially to be more tolerant and accepting of others as you never know what kind of battle they are going through themselves.
So here are a few pictures of the past almost 4yrs in the little dudes life :0).

My little dude with his big brother, he was 2 days old :0)

The first time he got to meet Daddy :0). He was 6 days old and Daddy was home from Afghanistan for 2 weeks :0)

6 months old and not happy at all :0(

His first birthday, enjoying the cake. Mommy was trying to be good and used whole wheat flour, the poor guy had hives all over his head shortly after eating the cake :0(

My 18 months old little carebear.

Two years old and enojoying his b-day at the lake. I'm still in awe that it was so hot that day :0).

2nd b-day, Licking the icing off his cake, he barely touched it and didn't want anything to do with it :0(

2 1/2 yrs old, Port Discovery in Baltimore during our stay at Walter Reed Medical Center

His 3rd Birthday with his gluten free fruit cake, I had to make him another one :0)
3 1/2 yrs old, playing in the leaves outside our appartment

What's for dinner Wednesday (gluten free style)

2009-03-11T18:02:00.004-04:00

This recipe is really old and my grandma has already cooked it as long as I can remember.

Here is some of the ingredients that you will need:

1 medium size cabbage

1 pound ground beef

1 onion/diced
salt, pepper and paprika to taste
Vegetable or Beef broth

Mix the ground beef, onion, salt, pepper and paprika together in a bowl, set aside. Take off the outer layers of the cabbage. Take a large pot and put a layer of cabbage on the bottow to cover it all the way, you can also use more if you like cabbage (that's usually what I do). Then you add a layer ground beef mixture on top and keep alternating the two until the ground beef is gone. Add a last layer of cabbage on top. Then you pour the vegetable broth in the pot over the cabbage/beef mix. I don't really know how much as I never measure that, I would say probably about 1 1/2 to 2 cups. You want to make sure you have enough broth to not burn the cabbage at the bottom of the pot.
Cook the cabbage mix on Medium for about 10 minutes, then turn it down to simmer for another 40-50 minutes until the cabbage is tender and that's it. I'm sure this recipe would work for the crockpot as well but I haven't tried it yet.
Usually I serve it with boiled potatoes but you could also serve it with rice :0).

Uno Chicago Grill

2009-03-10T21:51:00.002-04:00

I have to say it's a great place to go when you are eating gluten free :0). A friend of mine (thanks Meghan) had mentioned that they have a gluten free menu. So as we were driving around Williamsburg tonight after our trip to Walmart, we were going to find some place to eat dinner. Dh had put Golden Corrall in the GPS and we were almost there when I saw the Uno Chicago Grill. Knowing that they did have gf pizza we decided to give it a try. Boy did Owen feel special as he got to order a pizza that was safe for him to eat, he was excited beyond believe. It's amazing what kids with food allergies adapt to and what little it only takes to make them happy :0).
When they brought the pizza out to the table the manager actually came up to let us know that all measurements have been taken to avoid cross-contamination (jaw drop). Wow, I was absolutely amazed by that fact and was happy to hear that somebody actually takes the time to really read into these things. So needless to say we have found a new place to eat at when we are out and about. I shared the pizza with Owen as I wasn't that hungry ( my reflux has been really going crazy again for the past 2 days and my chest feels on fire, ugh) and I have to say the Pizza was yummy.
So my gluten free blogger friends try it out and enjoy a great meal there, they have other gluten free foods as well but my little guy really wanted pizza and I can't blame him for that :0)

Not Me Monday

2009-03-09T00:16:00.007-04:00

It's time again to confess all the little things that I didn't do :0).

I did not pack a cooler with mostly junk food and Capri Suns and Pepsi to take to the beach with us. Nope only fresh fruit and veggies were packed.

I was not excited on the days Owen took a nap this past week.

I'm not preparing a list of symptoms, pictures and so on to take with us to the pediatrician, that way I won't have to fight for any referrals.

I also did not forget to shave my legs just before we went to the beach, it had not been a couple of days since the last time I shaved them.

My house is in perfect shape right now and I did not slack on unpacking more boxes just because I was not tired of seeing them and putting things away.

When we went to the mall after our trip to the beach I did not buy my little guy a pink shirt. And this is also not the 3rd pink shirt that he owns now, nope not at all.

I did not let my little guy eat waffles in bed while I surfed the net. It also did not end in a disaster and the bed was not covered in crumbs.

For more Not Me's go to MckMama's blog.

A day at the beach...

2009-03-08T21:52:00.005-04:00

I just had to add this picture to remind my fellow bloggers about the rare event of snow in VA we had not even a week ago.

Now today it was in the upper 70's and we loved every minute of it. So we decided to take a trip to the beach and ended up at Ft. Story. In the picture below you see the Old and New Cape Henry Lighthouse. It was absolutely beautiful at the beach and we all had a blast collecting seashells, feeding the seagulls, running around and dipping our feet in the very cold water :0). So below are just a few pictures to enjoy.

I think he was very tempted to throw me in, lol.

Flashback Friday

2009-03-07T00:14:00.005-05:00

Here are some pictures of the boys from the summer 2 years ago. We were still in Germany at the time and went on vacation to the North Sea with my parents. It was a great summer and we repeated the vacation trip a year later again, same vacation home and everything. I'm sure I will miss it this year, especially since it's up in the air whether or not my parents will be able to visit in September or not :0(.

Playing in the mud/sand

Sitting in the water and enjoying the sun :0)

Who says I can't walk on water, lol. :0)

Look mom, a seashell just for you

Building sand castles was a lot of fun

He had a blast flying his kite

Funny things kids say....

2009-03-05T23:18:00.002-05:00

Tonight when I tucked the little guy in bed, I had quiet the conversation with him :0). Here is how it went:

Owen: Mommy, the kitties are getting old and we need to take them to the cat store.

Me: Why do you want to take them there, buddy??? Don't you think they would be sad???

Owen: But mommy, they are old now.

Me: So what do you want to do then??

Owen: Maybe we can get a black cat, mommy.

Me: No buddy, that is not gonna work. Wouldn't you miss the kitties??

Owen: Why?? We can visit them at the cat store.

Me: Nope, this is not how it works. If we take them to the pet store some other family will eventually take them and we won't be able to see them anymore.

Owen: Oh ok. Then how about having 3 cats mommy???

Me: No thank you honey, now go to sleep.

Owen: But mommy, why not.

Me: Because we already have 2 cats.

Owen: But mommy, how about....

Me: Go to sleep now buddy, it's late.

Owen: Ok, goodnight mommy.

Me: Goodnight, sweetie. I love you

Owen: I love you harder :0)

No more than we can handle....

2009-03-04T21:32:00.004-05:00

I have no clue what is setting the little guy off but we are seeing more familiar reactions again. All morning he has been so whiney and totally not himself and the whole time he looked like he literally just got out of bed. He was flushing and just laying around in my bed watching cartoons. When I checked on him his face was all puffy and he was not feeling well at all. I gave him Benadryl and after about 20 minutes he started to feel a little better. Tonight he was fine and back to his old self again. I guess it's at least good that I document all these reactions on camera for the new doctor to see and that Benadryl works so well.
The poor little guy has been off for about 2 days now and had some GI issues last night, lets just say Daddy had some floor cleaning to do in the bathroom as the poor little guy didn't make it in time :0(.
So please pray for Owen and his latest reactions again. And especially also that God will provide us with a good pediatrician that will listen and refer us to the right specialists.

I am very calm in this all and keep reminding myself that God won't give us more than we can handle. God showed us what works for Owen's reactions and I am thankful for that. And I know he will carry us through this, whether we get all our answers as to what is going on or not. He will never leave us nor forsake us.

Not feeling well at all

Puffy face
Back to normal tonight again after he had Benadryl

What's for dinner Wednesday (gluten free style)

2009-03-04T09:23:00.005-05:00

Tonight we'll be having steak, mashed potatoes and peas.

I don't really have a recipe for this as it's very simple but have a little tip. My youngest can't stand the texture of mashed potatoes and gags easily on them. So I have been experimenting and found a way for him to eat and enjoy them too. I just add one sweet potato to the regular potatoes, cook them and mash it all up after draining it. Add some margarine and milk and voila ready to eat. It adds a little bit of color and has a smoother texture than just regular mashed potatoes.
I was amazed at how fast my little guy had eaten his portion and asked for more.

For more gluten free recipe ideas hop over to The Gluten-Free Homemaker. Thank you Linda for hosting this great carnival.

We can't....

2009-03-03T22:50:00.002-05:00

seem to get ~~away~~ enough of snow. No matter where we live it seems to follow us, lol

Flashback Friday

2009-02-27T14:40:00.003-05:00

Down below are a few pictures of the little guy from last year January. Right after we got back from visiting my inlaws he had a horrible eczema outbreak. Which was food related as he accidentaly ate some gluten and soy. He was covered with eczema on his arms, belly and legs. We resorted to putting socks on his arms so he wouldn't scratch all night long.
I'm thankful and happy that right now his skin is looking so much better. Not perfect, he keeps having little patches of eczema but nothing like he had last year.

Hi/Lo Thursday

2009-02-26T10:20:00.002-05:00

This post is part of "Hi/Lo Thursday" on the Riggs Family Blog. Check out their blog to read everyone else's "Hi/Lo" posts and get your link on their site.

Our Highs:

After waiting for almost 2 months our second shipment has finally arrived today.
Owen has been doing pretty good the last couple of days, no more reactions since Saturday.
Seeing my boys having so much fun at Awanas yesterday :0).

Our Lows:

Owen's allergic reaction Saturday and how miserable it made him feel
Both boys not listening at all yesterday and Owen squirting red dye on our brand new couch.

What's for dinner Wednesday (gluten free style)

2009-02-24T22:23:00.005-05:00

We had a very simple but yummy dinner last night. BBQ chicken tenders, rice and steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots.

Place frozen chicken tenders on cookie sheet and bake at 375 for about 35 minutes. Take the tenders out and spread BBQ sauce (I used kraft BBQ sauce) over it and return to oven for another 10-15 minutes.

While the chicken cooked in the oven I made some rice in my new rice cooker and steamed the veggies.

For more gluten free dinner ideas head over to The Gluten-Free Homemaker website.

Soon, soon

2009-02-24T19:40:00.002-05:00

will I be able to post some pictures again :0). I made an appointment to have our second shipment delivered and the date is Thursday. Yippie, I can't tell you how happy I am to see the rest of our things finally here at the house. So stay tuned I have tons of pictures on my camera that are just waiting to be downloaded ;0).

Not Me Monday...

2009-02-23T08:53:00.003-05:00

Wow I can't believe it's Monday again. So here are a few things that did not happen at our house this week :0).

Yesterday I did not enjoy time away from my family, while going to the movies with my friend. And also did I not enjoy a small popcorn and Buncha Crunch without having to worry about having to make sure Owen won't get in contact with either of them. And I do not think I deserved to get away as I had the perfect night before and we all certainly got enough sleep.

On the said night before my little guy did not have swollen hands and lips from either the hotdog or brown rice tortilla that he ate. I also did not have to dose him up on Benadryl twice, and certainly did I not have to hold him down for the second dose 4hrs after the first, as he was not screaming and thrashing around at all.

I also do not feel like kicking myself for not taking him to the ER as we would at least have documentation of this incident and proof that he does have reactions even though allergy testing comes up negative, ugh.

Dh and I did not buy a 35oz container of Utz Cheese Balls about 1.5 weeks ago and it certainly is not half way empty by now. That would be totally wrong and this is so not a safe food for Owen ;0). And he did not eat those said Cheese balls with every sandwich, dinner or whatever other snack he ate, as he does not like them at all.

I did not get sad when I put my little guy on the scale and saw that he has actually lost some weight again, despite the fact that he eats us out of house and home. And I do not hold on to the hope that maybe our scale broke during the move and is wrong, although that would absolute stink as I would be heavier then the scale says too, rofl.

I found a safe lara bar for the little guy and when he had me try some I did not about throw up from the horrible taste of it. No way would I let my child eat anything that doesn't taste right and he certainly isn't a weirdo enjoying those bars, lol.

So for more Not Me's hop on over to Mck Mama's blog.

A not so good night for Owen

2009-02-22T10:46:00.001-05:00

Last night I fixed Owen a brown rice tortilla with a hotdog and ketchup( don't ask I know he has some weird eating habits, lol). So he started to complain that his hands were hurting just before he was done with the whole thing. I checked him and his hands were bright red and swollen and so were his lips , his one cheek was red as well . Dh told me to give him some Benadryl and see what happens, sure enough it ligthened up a bit within about 20-30 minutes. His hands were still slightly red and also still swollen but not as bad anymore. My friend came over with her son and she even commented on it.
The boys were in the front room watching TV and Owen fell asleep. So I got him ready for bed and he starts getting hysterical, coughing and gagging. I finally got him to calm down and he was right away asleep again. I stayed downstairs on the couch with him for a little while and then the whole thing repeated again, ugh. I carried him upstairs and put him in our bed, he was screaming bloody murder and wouldn't calm down for anything. Even when we touched him he would flip and scream even worse . So at midnight I dosed him up on some more Benadryl, which was a total fight to get into him of course .
The whole screaming, coughing and gagging repeated again at around 1:30am and then he finally was asleep for the rest of the night.
This is the first time he ever had those brown rice tortillas and also the brand of hotdogs, so I'm not sure what caused this but I hope it won't repeat itself any time soon. I'm so worn out and tired this morning and we missed church, ugh.