Living My Dream

Kayla's Story

2009-11-02T20:26:00.001-05:00

Back in March, at the FAAN conference I attended in Baltimore, I learned about some of the newest food allergy studies on the horizon. Dr. Robert Wood (top in the allergy field) spoke of the newest milk studies being done with milk products baked into foods such as muffins, etc. These studies greatly intrigued me, as do all of the studies in the allergy community. As you all know I am a big supporter of these studies. It is the only way we will ever be able to beat out these allergies and cure our children and prevent our future children or even grandchildren from having to live their lives the way our children now do. I raise money for this type of research and am always interested in the outcomes.

In April when Kayla had her food challenge (and failed), not only did her skin test show a very strong reaction to milk, but she reacted with hives and an itchy throat to only a small drop of milk on her tongue. At that time, her doctor and I both agreed that the next time it comes around where she would be ready for another challenge we would first try milk in a baked form.

Then in May I was notified by FAAN about a baked milk study being done in New York City at Mt. Sinai hospital. If you asked me a year ago, if I’d ever consider putting Kayla in a study, I would have said an emphatic NO WAY! But my curiosity got the best of me and I contacted the woman in charge of the study. After a few e-mails I received a telephone call and was able to learn more about the study. Over time my curiosity grew to be real interest. Overall, it took J and me three months to decide to go ahead with the study and even then I scheduled her first challenge for October thinking I had plenty of time to change my mind and back out before then.

The Study itself is very interesting. It is being done at Mount Sinai hospital in New York City led by one of the top allergists and food allergy researches, Dr. Hugh Sampson. The goal of the study is to see if she (or kids in general) can tolerate eating dairy in a baked form heated for a certain length of time at a certain temperature and to see if doing so changes her chance of outgrowing her milk allergy. Over time the goal is to decrease the length of time the milk has been heated as well as the temperature and to eventually have her safely drinking unheated milk. The total length of time this study can last is 3 years 10 months. There are four total possible challenges done over a two day period. The food challenges, in order are muffin, pizza, rice pudding and unheated milk. At any time of even a hint of a reaction, the challenges would be stopped. Whichever food she would have been able to eat successfully would be fed to her at home. For example, if she could eat the muffin yet reacted to the pizza, we would have had to continue to feed her muffins with milk baked in at home for a period of 6 or 12 months. At which time we would bring her back to pick up the challenges with pizza. It would be imperative during that time to keep the rest of her diet the same with all the same strict controls on dairy exposure – both for her safety and the validity of the study.

We opted to do the challenges over two days back-to-back to lessen our trips into the City. On the morning of October 27th, before the challenge they drew blood to do IgE testing and at that time they inserted an IV in case of a worst case scenario reaction. Our first hint of good news came when they did her skin test for dairy. She was tested with the milk extract, milk itself and boiled milk. Her reaction to “real” milk and boiled milk was nonexistent and her reaction to the milk extract was very very very small. This alone made me almost fall off the bed from shock. Her next step was the muffin. All the food was given to her in servings of increasing size every 15 minutes over the course of 1 to 1 ½ hours depending on how much they had for her to eat. Kayla devoured the muffin they gave her as fast as she could (the poor kid was starving!). Let me say here that this was the most nerve-wracking, stressful 2 days of my life! To feed her food that we spent years avoiding for fear of a reaction was so scary. I was watching her like a hawk and even drove her crazy with “how do you feel?” Kayla actually got to a point where she would just look at me and say, “I already said FINE!” :) When she finished the muffin they waited 2 hours (to be sure of no delayed reactions) before giving her a slice of pizza, again in small and increases doses. And let me say this kid LOVED the pizza. She couldn’t get enough. I will admit, I went into this study thinking she may have a chance at eating the muffin, but NEVER in a million years did I think she’d be able to eat pizza cheese. I honestly did not think we’d be staying overnight in the hospital. But that’s exactly what she did. And Wednesday morning, although she has never like rice pudding, she was a trooper and was able to safely eat ALL the rice pudding. Tuesday, Jerome was with me so at least I had someone else to watch her with me and at least keep my nerves company. But Wednesday it was all me (and the 2 nurses in the room) and it was scary and stressful and exciting. Because after waiting the 2 hours after rice pudding, at 11:30am she took her first sip of chocolate cow’s milk (the chocolate flavoring actually helped her overcome her fear of drinking the cow’s milk). In the end she safely drank 6 ounces of real, bonafide cow’s milk with not a reaction or hive to show for it.

And Kayla made J and me so very proud. She was a trooper. She knew what we were doing, she knew she was being fed dairy, but she took it in stride. She listened to the nurses and did what they told her to do. I know she was scared because the night before right before bed, she got a monster of a headache. Tuesday morning when we got into The City and parked, she clung to me as we walked the few blocks to the entrance of Mt. Sinai. She never complained or argued about eating the muffin or the pizza. She even initially questioned whether the pizza had cheese on it. By Tuesday night she had warmed up to the nurses and was giving out hugs. She was also going stir crazy but we were able to get down to the children’s play room area for toys and arts and crafts that evening. Kayla seemed to sleep pretty well; I on the other hand really didn’t sleep at all. Those chairs they say fold into a bed are a joke!!! Wednesday morning she even ate all the rice pudding even though I could tell she hated every bit of it. She’s never liked rice pudding so I wondered how it would go, although until Tuesday night I never thought we’d get that far. The only time she showed fear was when I told her she’d have to drink cow’s milk. That, to her, was it – the real stuff. And the thing she remembers having a reaction to (just 6 months ago). She kept telling me she didn’t want to and wasn’t going to, no matter how much I explained it to her. Finally I told my antsy girl that it was the only way for us to be able to go home. But when the nurse came in all she had to say was she could flavor it with chocolate and Kayla was then ALL about drinking it. She, again, couldn’t get enough of it. In the end she ate a whole muffin, a slice of pizza, a whole lotta rice pudding and 6 ounces of cow’s milk over a 2 day period and nada – zippo, NO reactions.

We are still in complete shock and now trying to navigate the murky waters of re-entering normal world with no food restrictions. For me, anyway, this is pretty hard. I know it will be a loooong time until I stop reading ingredients and I am constantly washing my hands after touching dairy – it’s ingrained and I feel dirty! I catch myself watching her like a hawk after she consumes some. It is just all surreal right now.

Kayla, on the other hand has made a seamless transition. She didn’t really get it when we were leaving. So as we’re walking through the halls of the hospital on our way out, I told her she was no longer allergic and could eat dairy. She jumped up and down, danced around and sang, “I can eat dairy now!” And now she just keeps thinking of all the things she can do and have now that she couldn’t before. Friday was her big day at school having pizza for lunch. She wants ice cream from the ice cream truck. She announced it to everyone at school. Speaking of school – those people, the ones whom we would not be here without, if they had not taken her allergy so seriously and really really tried, and been successful at keeping her from reacting at school, she would not be where she is. And it touched me to see them rally around her. I was told they were literally jumping for joy and I have gotten so many congratulations. I was also told other kids were going to the teachers – “Did you hear? Kayla can have dairy now!” So it goes beyond the adults and it is so sweet.

Kayla enjoyed her first ever Halloween being able to eat what she was given. She loves peanut butter cups, candy corns, kit kats and m&m’s. She continues to drink cow’s milk with chocolate syrup but so far does not like cheese. I’m trying to moderate her a bit as to not overload her stomach with new foods, but still give her some daily. Not to mention I had gone food shopping just before the study so we’re not in need of much. :) But I can not wait to get English muffins – oh how I’ve missed those.

Although she never was an active part of the study since she passed all the challenges the first days out, she’s still in it and we will be following their protocol. So in 3 months (January) we will go back to NYC for a check-up. At that time we’ll have to remove all dairy from her diet for 1 month. Then in February we’ll go back again for some testing and another unheated milk challenge. The point of this is to confirm those kids working their way through the foods gradually are really cured and not just not reacting due to a tolerance of foods they were used to maintaining in their system. I don’t foresee any issues with Kayla since she’s fine now after 5 years of no dairy. But technically she’s still in the study. I know that month will be hard on her – not just practically (back to her own snack at school, etc) but also hard to understand. But the study is the reasons we know right now that she can eat dairy again so I do not want to pull out on them. But her restrictions will be less since I’ll know dairy is not a danger, so we won’t have to be insane due to fear of an accidental exposure.

So that is our scoop. It was an amazing thing and I’m now looking forward to care-free events of the future that were so stress-filled in the past. First up is 2 birthday parties in November and Thanksgiving in Ohio. This will be one heck of a Thanksgiving for us with more than our normal to be Thankful for!

And please note – once she’s discharged from the study – we will be having one heck of a PIZZA PARTY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Check out what’s in my fridge!!!

2009-10-29T19:46:00.003-04:00

Yup! That really is a gallon of cow’s milk in our fridge. Kayla has OUTGROWN her dairy allergy!!! I am in complete shock and am suspended in disbelief and can not believe, that for the 3rd day in a row, Kayla has ingested some form of dairy and is going strong!

It’s been a long road and especially most recently. I have so much to share which will in part explain my sporadic posting recently. But it’s a lot to type, let alone digest mentally and emotionally.

But so far, it has not been a lot for Kayla to process. She was so excited to go to school today and eat a “regular snack” and tell her teachers she’s no longer allergic to dairy! She's even more excited to eat pizza for lunch tomorrow since it's, well, Pizza Day at school! She’s my trooper and you’ll see as the details unfold why I am one proud Momma!

A rare moment...

2009-10-28T14:14:00.002-04:00

...Kayla singing for the camera.

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Pure craziness

2009-10-23T20:46:00.001-04:00

This week has been a blur - literally. I have been nonstop. So I apologize for my lack of visiting - and I had been all caught up too. The biggest bummer is I have so many things rattling around in my head to blog. I just haven't had the time. Even though my weekend will be no less hectic, I'm hoping to get some thoughts down.

In the mean time - I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Wow!

2009-10-15T21:31:00.008-04:00

That’s really all I could say today. A few days ago, I shared my story about Kayla’s spider gift and that I was told to expect a Congratulations package. Today when I got home from picking Kayla up from school, I saw this in front of the door:

Now I am certainly no stranger to on-line ordering. But I’m really good at remember what I ordered and even knowing when to expect it. I was wracking my brain trying to figure out not only what I ordered, but what I ordered that was so large. It wasn’t until I started opening the box and saw the Improvements catalog inside that I realized this was her special package.

So first I did what any ~~crazy~~ good Mom would do and got out my camera. Then I called Kayla in to open her package. The gift was a second Drop Down Spider. And to make it even better it was in an adorable reusable pumpkin bag. But what blew me away the most was the card. They sent a card for her that was signed by 29 employees. I was (and still am) absolutely blown away.

And Kayla has said she wants the two spiders to hang next to each other and be married.

p.s. J says he wants to work for this company because “they have heart”. Let’s see if he still feels that way when I start buying some Christmas decorations from their awesome Christmas catalog.

My little Patriot

2009-10-15T12:54:00.002-04:00

She is just TOO cute if I do say so myself.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

p.s. Excuse the boxes - Christmas shopping is in full swing. ;)

A Bloggy Surprise

2009-10-12T21:23:00.003-04:00

Last week I posted about Kayla’s journey to stop sucking her thumb and the prize (a drop-down spider Halloween decoration she chose for going 10 days without it.

Well last Thursday I received an e-mail from the VP of Marketing at Improvements Catalog. She told me how she loved Kayla’s story and her desire for their spider. In fact, she loved Kayla’s story so much she wanted to send Kayla the spider “free of charge”. Needless to say I was blown away by this and entertained the thought that it was a hoax. My first reaction was “How did they hear about Kayla?” until I realized I had put her story and a link to the spider here. I contacted her back and asked her to confirm she came upon my blog and to let her know how much I appreciated her interest and offer but I had already ordered the spider (it was actually already in route to my house). This morning, I heard back from her and was told she has credited my credit card for the cost of the spider AND shipping. They are also sending Kayla a “special package with congratulations for her success”. For the second time I was blown away.

Although this was my first time shopping with Improvements Catalog you can be assured I’ll be back. They seem to have a great selection of a wide variety of products. Head on over and check them out. Of course I highly recommend their Drop Down Spider.

And I could tell you all about how excited Kayla was to receive her spider and how much both girls love it. But instead I’ll just let you see for yourself:

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And for the record, Kayla is on Day 12 and counting with her thumb. She's doing amazing!

A new restaurant

2009-10-08T18:43:00.004-04:00

A couple months ago Kayla's allergist was approached by a local restaurant owner about getting the word out that his Italian restaurant is very accommodating to food allergies. So in our support group meeting last month we decided to test him out. Last night we had our meeting at this restaurant. I had arranged with the owner ahead of time to expect our group.

So 11 of us (including our allergist) swooped in on this restaurant and gave him a run for his money. He was phenomenal. So knowledgeable about the menu and foods and food allergies. He said he can and will adapt any dish. Every dish is cooked in it's own pan and he and his staff are very aware and conscious of cross-contamination issues. I was very unsure myself about eating dairy-free there since cheese is a huge staple in Italian cuisine. But after talking to him I decided to try the chicken francaise. It's normally served in a lemon butter sauce but for me he made it in a lemon, white wine and olive oil sauce. This was hard for me since I was without Kayla and I usually take advantage of that to get my dairy fix. But since that would have defeated the purpose of going there, I was good and ate dairy-free. It was absolutely delicious!!! And J agree wholeheartedly when he had my left-overs today.

So needless to say I'm looking forward to having a second restaurant option for Kayla.

I applaud the owner for creating an environment where us allergy moms could go and feel comfortable. He was brave taking on 10 of us at once but he held his own and then some.

Nickelodeon Food Allergy Video

2009-10-07T16:57:00.004-04:00

Here is a video Nick News put out recently on kids with food allergies. Nickelodeon had contacted my allergist in search of kids for the video. Of course I contacted her but she only wanted older kids. I had tried to get her to think about doing a video on the younger crowd for the younger crowd but so far no go…

It is a very well done video and I’m thrilled to see positive press given to food allergies. It’s 22 minutes long but definitely worth watching.

You can view it here.

p.s. Ignore the two completely ridiculous commercials before the video. :)

Road Trip

2009-10-04T14:31:00.006-04:00

Ever since Michelle came to the East Coast last January while her husband is deployed we’ve been wanting to get together IRL. We finally succeeded yesterday. We met with the kids at the Port Discovery Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.

The drive down was uneventful and the kids were raring to go by the time we arrived. The museum was great – tons of stuff for the kids to do. The only part I found a bit stressful was the net tunnel climbing part. It was HUGE and was in the center of the building but spanned the 3 stories of the building with multiple entrances/exits on each floor. So I had to keep the kids out of it for the most part b/c it would have been too easy for them to get separated and lost. With my backpack I couldn’t climb with them and leaving my bag with my wallet and epi’s was out of the question. They got to climb on some of it and were really good about coming down when I told them to. Michelle took all the girls up once to do the big slide which made Kayla really happy.

There was also a cooking class which we could not take part in. Since they were using white bread and chocolate or butterscotch chips all of which contain dairy.

Both of their favorite part of the day was going down the big slide. And Kayla was just too excited to be meeting and playing with another Kayla. She thought that was pretty cool.

It was so great to meet Michelle, Kayla and Lucas. Her Mom joined her too who is really sweet. Both her kids are just too adorable. Thanks for a great day Michelle. We all had a lot of fun.

Up in the nets

Alysa milking a cow

Pumping gas

Kayla thought this would be a good idea

The girls loved the squeegee

We were able to get a group picture with the kids sitting still. Amazing!

Kayla's Poem

2009-10-03T08:00:00.001-04:00

Here is poem Kayla's teacher did with them at school. Kayla filled in the blanks.

I AM

I am..."Kayla"
I wonder..."about books"
I want..."a spider web halloween decoration"
I am..."Kayla"

I pretend..."to be a ghost in the house"
I feel..."water in my tummy"
I worry..."about Alysa putting her foot in the car"
I cry..."about getting boo boos"
I am..."Kayla"

I like the color..."blue"
I dream..."about Storybook Land"
I try..."to dance"
I hope..."for me and Alysa to be best friends"
I am..."Kayla"

Last year Kayla would not get up and dance with her classmates. This year she is and that is a big step for her so I smiled to see her say she tries to dance. And the part about Alysa being her best friend just melts my heart.

And here we have a note Kayla received in the mail today from her cousin. She was very excited about it.

Kayla’s Thumb

2009-10-02T08:00:00.001-04:00

Kayla has been a thumb sucker since she was 3 months old. As a baby it was great – she was able to comfort herself and she was a great sleeper. But with her allergy it’s always made me very nervous. Although she reacts from dairy contact her worst reactions would come from ingestion. If she ever touched dairy with her thumb and then put it in her mouth before washing her hands it would be very bad.

When Kayla was in feeding therapy I was told by her therapist that when she’s five there is a thumb sucking program in order to get her to stop. I had hoped to avoid this step but alas we were unable to. The older she gets, the more she branches out which means the more dairy she is around without me being glued to her side (which is how it should be). And this means the higher her risk is of coming into contact with dairy and then putting her thumb in her mouth. This makes me increasingly nervous. The other reason of course is the obvious, the longer she sucks her thumb the more money in orthodontic bills we’ll have.

So…I took her Wednesday and her therapist spent time talking to her about thumb sucking. Kayla is now wearing a thumb guard. Technically we’re starting with night only but Kayla was fine having it on her first day and she actually wanted to wear it to school yesterday. Amazingly she can write with it on and she did really well with it. She went to sleep her first night with minimal complaints and slept through the night. She was great in the morning and called her therapist as requested and told her all about her non-thumb-sucking night. Once she goes 10 days without sucking her thumb at night she will get a prize. Her therapist told her she could pick any “big” prize she wanted and Kayla has request a big spider Halloween decoration. Thankfully for me I found this today and Kayla really wants it. Boy did I get off cheap.

Back to School Night

2009-10-01T09:43:00.000-04:00

Tuesday night J and I went to back to school night for the girls. We had to split up since they’re both there now. And since Kayla’s teacher was not there the first half of last year I didn’t want her talk to be skipped. J went to Kayla’s classroom while I went to Alysa’s. Once again I was very impressed with Alysa’s teacher. She’s very animated and fun and sweet. She has taught in traditional schools and holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree and then was trained at a Montessori Academy in New York. She became a Montessori teacher because she believes in the philosophy behind it which is what I want in a Montessori teacher. The Montessori Method is very important to me and it is what I’ve always known I wanted for my kids. I believe this is only her 2nd year as a full teacher but she has been at the school for at least a couple years more than that as she did her Montessori internship there. All the kids in Alysa’s class were asked to draw pictures of their family or parents and then we, the parents had to guess which ones were us. I did correctly guess as she drew J with no hair and a beard. :) I was told this morning that I have to hang up her picture. Did I mention I’ve run out of room to hang up all that Alysa brings home from school? One thing she also said that really hit home with me was at the end of her presentation she thanked us for bringing out kids there and said she really enjoys our children and she said, “they are my children as well”. I remember my Mom telling me I had a teacher once who told her the same thing. This really warmed my heart. If someone has my child for hours each day I want to know they love and care for them and truly enjoy not only what they do but my child specifically. And believe me from what I was told by her teacher and assistant they are definitely enjoying Alysa. I was told she is fun and they love her. Her teacher was not surprised at all when I told her Alysa started reading last week just one day after Kayla started. She said Alysa’s concentration and focus amazes them. Nothing distracts her from her work and her teacher can see the concentration on her face and that she is absorbing what is going on around her. If Alysa is sitting near the teacher while she’s helping another child with reading, she can see Alysa kind of looking out into space but deep in thought/concentration as she absorbs and listens to her teacher. We were also told her fine motor skills are excellent. She said the only thing we need to work on with Alysa is her love of the child-sized potty. Apparently 3 weeks has not been long enough to make the novelty wear off. She will go to the potty very often ‘just because’. So I will be adding daily conversations with her about how you only go to the potty when youreally have to into our daily routine. But hey, if that is their only issue with her I’ll take it. Otherwise it seems I have a wonderfully engaging, intelligent, funny and loving 3 year old (almost 4 year old). :)

I can’t give as much detail about Kayla’s teacher since I was not there. But J said it was a good presentation. She is almost done with her Montessori certification which makes me happy. I was very weary when she was hired mid-year last year with no certification. But thankfully she has been wonderful and believes in Montessori as well. Not to mention Kayla adores her. And when I say she adores her, I mean it 110%. Kayla is constantly inviting her over to our house and on outings, etc. It’s so cute. I have actually invited her over for dinner in October. She was very happy to accept and Kayla is just beside herself with excitement. I was told Kayla is doing wonderful with lunch and is handling it very well both practically and emotionally. I also spoke with Kayla’s other 2nd teacher. They combine the Kindergarteners in the afternoon so Kayla is then with her teacher and another one. Kayla is warming up to her pretty well and last week gave her her first hug. J was given a poem with blank lines to fill out what things he thought Kayla would say – favorite things to do, etc. They will then ask the kids the same questions and we’ll be able to compare them. I’m looking forward to that.

While I was there I ran into the Mom of one of Kayla’s old classmates. Her son is now in First grade, so I stopped to talk to her and ask how he was doing. She then proceeded to tell me how her daughter talks about Kayla and will tell her Mom during activities, such as making brownies, that Kayla can’t eat them because she’s allergic to dairy. Her son is allergic to peanuts so she does get the allergy thing. I thought it was cute but was a bit surprised her daughter remembered Kayla. Her daughter did join her brother for Kayla’s party in August but that was because the parents were away and the Mom offered to pay to have her come if I didn’t mind since their babysitter would have both kids. But I was surprised she would remember Kayla. But in talking to her Mom I found out her daughter is in class with Kayla in the afternoon as her teacher is Kayla’s 2nd/new teacher. Then as I was getting ready to leave the light bulb went off over my head. Her daughter is the little girl Kayla has been talking about. A girl it seems Kayla is really bonding with – her first from school actually. And this little girl talks about Kayla all the time too. It makes me happy and it’s so ironic that it’s Kayla’s “old” friend’s sister and how she was actually at her party in August and Kayla didn’t even realize it. And then her Mom said how when Emma talks about her, her son will say, Kayla’s my friend. Hey – you can’t have too many friends, right?

So it was a great night and we really enjoyed ourselves. I love getting to see their rooms and what they do. And to top off the night I came home to Kayla who readily read me a new Bob Book - #5 in the series. So her excitement of reading is growing and so is her confidence. Such an exciting time!!!

My reader

2009-09-25T12:59:00.002-04:00

I'm one proud Mommy!

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She's a hoot

2009-09-18T08:13:00.000-04:00

Who do I mean? Well, Alysa of course. And those are the words her teacher's assistant used Monday when J picked her up from school.

Last Friday, when I was picking Kayla up I ran into Alysa's teacher. She stopped me to tell me that she had to tell me how Alysa had her and everyone in the classroom cracking up that day. That morning, a few minutes before it was time for Alysa to go home she told her teacher she wanted to sing a song. So Alysa stood up in the middle of the circle in front of all her classmates (she so doesn't get this from me) and proceeded to sing my Dad's version of Old McDonald. What is his version you ask?

"Old McDonald had a farm, e-i-e-i-o. And on this farm there was a gal, Alysa was her name. With an Alysa here and an Alysa there. Here Alysa, there Alysa, everywhere Alysa Alysa...Old McDonald had a farm, e-i-e-i-o."

Her teacher told me she has a great sense of humor. :)

I have feeling there will be a lot "I need to tell you how Alysa made us laugh" stories in my future.

But on the way home Alysa told me, "Mommy but I don't know the real words."

First day of school - FINALLY!

2009-09-15T19:43:00.005-04:00

Last Wednesday was Kayla’s first day of Kindergarten and Alysa’s first day of preschool. Both of them were very excited to be starting back to school. Kayla missed her teacher and has been chomping at the bit to be a Kindergartener ever since mid-way last year.

Alysa, well just forget it. She was begging to go to school all last year. So this was a huge deal for her. And since she is already acquainted with the school through Kayla and is not shy in the slightest (most of the time) she had no trepidation on her first day.

She groaned a bit at first when I woke her up in the morning but when she realized it was a school day she was all bounce and smiles. Kayla, although wanted to go to school, was your typical ~~adolescent~~ child who didn’t want to be ~~yanked~~ gently guided from her slumber.

At school Kayla was very proud to be there with her Sister and show her the ropes. Alysa was quick to give her teacher a hug on her very first day.

When I picked Alysa up she was all smiles and very proud of her first day. She is very vocal about her day and tells me what work she does and is even more proud to tell me when she does not need anyone’s help.

Kayla has been having lunch at school and I am happy to report…well…nothing. No issues, no problems, all seems to be well. I am packing her lunch in containers she can open and close on her own with no help. My goal is to make her as independent as possible which will limit her need for assistance and therefore limit the chance of mistakes while also taking some pressure off her teachers. The easier it is on them the safer it is for Kayla. She has been happy eating there and is eating well. She is a child who does not eat well at all outside of her normal routine of home. But so far that has not been an issue at school. I have prepared her as much as I can and it seems to be working.

After Kayla’s first day when we asked her what her favorite part of the day was she answered, “Seeing Alysa on the playground.”

I tried taking Alysa out to lunch her first day and that did not go too well – she was just way too tired. And her not being used to eating out didn’t help either.

Here are some pics of their first day.

Last Thursday I took Alysa for her first in a small series of dance classes at the library. I’ve been kicking around trying them out with dance but sometimes one class is not enough. So this was perfect. The classes are a half hour and there are 6 of them and they are no additional charge which makes them affordable. Alysa absolutely LOVED it and was such a cutie. I apologize for the picture quality – I had to take them through a window.

DC Trip

2009-09-14T20:06:00.011-04:00

Wow! The DC trip was seriously more than I could imagine. With an estimated 1-1.5 million people in attendance I am happy to report is was an amazing success!

My parents and I got up bright and early at 4am and met up with the bus-goers at 5:30am. There were three buses all completely full heading down to DC (and that is just one part of the state – there were other bus trips from NJ as well). Although we got off to a bit of a late start we made it to DC by 10am. The march itself was initially supposed to start at Freedom Plaza at 11:30. But when we arrived on Pennsylvania Avenue at 10am the march was already in full swing. I believe there was a bigger turnout than expected which prompted the march to begin early since everyone would never have fit at Freedom Plaza!

We joined the march at PA Avenue from where our bus dropped us off. I was absolutely blown away at the number of people we marched with. Once we arrived at the Capital building we were able to settle close enough to hear the speakers throughout the day. There were a ton of great signs and I was able to get pics of many of them. Although with 1-1.5 million people I know I only got to see a fraction of them.

We also had a couple amusing happenings.

I was told on the bus that I looked 17. I tested that theory last night by stopping off to get J some beer. I wasn’t carded. So either I do NOT look 17 or the employee at the liquor store was not doing her job.

I went with my Mom to the bathrooms and wanted to forget it when I saw the lines. She insisted we stick it out. 1 hour and 40 minutes later we ended up taking our picture with 2 newfound friends we bonded with on line. It was running joke that we were practicing for our future healthcare lines.

We met a lot of great people and it was a very peaceful and respectful event. It was an awesome experience and I am very proud to have been apart of it.

The March:

We arrived at the Capital:

Us getting settled at the Capital:

The crowd around us:

Looking over the crowd and down Pennsylvania Avenue:

Some of my favorite signs (and yes, I had a lot of favorites): :)

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Tomorrow will bring us back to our regular scheduled programming and photos and an update on their first day of school last week. And yes, I know I'm behind on my visiting too. So catch-up will get underway on Wednesday.

My jump into activism

2009-09-11T16:26:00.008-04:00

Tomorrow, September 12, 2009 I will be traveling with my parents down to Washington DC for the March on Washington. As I’ve gotten exceedingly frustrated with the path this country is on I have become more vocal and wanted to attend a local tea party rally on July 4th. But with no one to watch my girls I was unable to. But this was how the seed was planted for the DC trip. My Dad knew about the Sep 12th rally and suggested it. Luckily I was able to ~~coerce~~ convince my good friend June to watch the girls for me.

We’ve decided to join a bus trip down instead of driving and having to deal with the nightmare of parking, etc. The rally will start off at Freedom Plaza where there will be speakers. From there we will march 1.1 miles to the Capitol Building for a continuance of the rally and many more speakers.

And instead of just going to join in we will be armed with a 4’ x 6’ banner as well as flyers and postcards. Our goal is to not just oppose the ever-increasingly heavy tax burdens or the never-ending slide towards socialized medicine, but to bring back to the forefront of everyone’s mind what this country was founded on. Our individual rights have been eroding further away under each administration. So much so that many don’t think first of individual rights. And I for one want to make sure my children grow up knowing this country was founded as a Republic with a government whose sole purpose was (and still is) to protect our rights as individuals.

Here is everything we’ll be bringing with us. My Dad was the brains and behind the content and I designed them in Photoshop. We had them printed at Vista Print.

Banner:

Front of the Postcard: (click to enlarge and you can read it)

Back of the Postcard:

We’re expecting a strong media presence so keep an eye out for me on the news!

p.s. Sunday I will finally post about their first day of school. It's been a busy week here.

Ringing Rock Park

2009-09-08T20:26:00.004-04:00

We had a VERY rare day on Labor Day. J and I were both home and we had nothing but time as a family. We decided to take the girls to Ringing Rock Park in Pennsylvania. It's a place we both grew up going to as kids and knew it would be a hit with the girls. It's a very large "field of boulders" on top of a mountain. And the rocks, when hit with a hammer ring like a bell.

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You can see by the last part how precarious it is to navigate. Quite a few times I was holding my breath. Thankfully no falls or injuries. The worst part was when the girls decided (both separately) it would be a good idea to jump from rock to rock. A mother's heart can only take so much.

After ringing rocks, we went to a park for some playground fun. It was a totally awesome and relaxing day. I so wish we could have more of these...

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Tomorrow is a big day in our house. Kayla starts Kindergarten and Alysa starts preschool. They both will be attending the Montessori school. Kayla's biggest change will be that she will be there all day from 9-3 which means lunch! It's a huge step for all of us but one I'm comfortable with since she's staying one more year at the Montessori school. They have been wonderful and I know will continue to be. I've gone over all the details with her teachers and there will be a lot of hand washing. Her teacher will be strategically guiding the kids to sit appropriately so no kids with open milk will be near Kayla - same for pizza day. She will also guide them according to what they have for lunch that day. I have grilled proper lunchtime etiquette into Kayla's probably-overloaded 5 year old brain and she appears to be very confident. I have packed her lunch in containers she can open and close herself. I figure the more independent she is the less the teachers need to help her which minimizes the risk to her and the stress on them.

I'm nervous because it's new, but relatively minimally so. I'm also excited for her. And Alysa couldn't be more excited. And she's not just excited for school, but she's excited to be able to eat the dairy snacks the school provides. But she's so cute too when she tells me she'll keep the dairy away from Kayla. She's such a good little sister. But what I'm most excited about is the fact that after Alysa is done in school at 11:30 I will be taking her out to lunch. Yes, a lunch with dairy infestation. A lunch solely for her where she can eat whatever her little heart desires. Don't worry - I'll bring my camera.

When honesty stinks

2009-09-06T15:45:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I had $170 to deposit into my checking account. While we were out running errands we stopped at the bank. I sent in my deposit and when I got my deposit slip back I looked at it and saw it said $1,700.00! Boy oh boy - what I could do with that extra money she put into my account. But of course I did what any honest person would and sent it back and notified the teller of her mistake. When the girls questioned why we weren't leaving I used it as an opportunity to teach them about the right thing to do.

But on my way to my next stop I couldn't help but daydream about what I could have spent that money on and feel a little disappointed that I had to give it back.

Welcome Fall

2009-09-02T17:14:00.005-04:00

I can't say I'm 100% ready to give up summer yet.

I wasn't done with swimming or shorts and tank tops.

Although I'm excited for the kids to head back to school because they are excited, I am not ready for school.

I'm not ready to watch Kayla head off to Kindergarten and be gone from the house all day long.

I'm not ready to watch Alysa, my baby, head off to preschool.

And I'm most certainly not ready for the chaotic mornings which entails waking two kids up who don't want to get up before 9 am and rush them through breakfast and out the door.

I'm not ready for short days or cold weather.

I'm not ready for bare trees.

I'm not ready for heating bills.

I'm not ready to give up watching the girls play outside for hours each day and eating meals with them outside.

But as much as I'm not ready to give up the long days of summer, I am finding myself looking forward to all Fall has to offer.

I am enjoying this week full of cooler days.

I'm enjoying shutting the air conditioning off for a bit.

I'm enjoying watching the girls put their hoodies on as the sun goes down and they're still outside.

I'm looking forward to corn mazes, apple picking and pumpkin picking at the local farm.

I'm looking forward to colored and falling leaves and the leaf piles that come with them.

I'm looking forward to watching my girls grow and develop under another year (Kayla) and her first year (Alysa) of Montessori.

I'm looking forward to cool crisp mornings when all you need is a light jacket.

I'm going to miss Summer but I am also looking forward to enjoying Fall!

Daddy’s Girl

2009-08-31T20:39:00.002-04:00

Yesterday the girls and I spent the day at my Mom’s having a play date with a neighbor. After dinner my Mom took Kayla to Borders while my Dad and I took Alysa to Cold Stone Creamery for ice cream. I had promised Kayla when we got home, even though it would be late she could have ice cream.

When I got home with the girls, J told me he was taking Kayla “out” for ice cream. He had packed her safe ice cream in a cooler and wisked her off to the little playground in our neighborhood (aka the LP) to have her ice cream while looking at the stars just the two of them.

Kayla was so excited and it made my heart melt. And lucky for me I remembered to hand J the camera as they walked out the door.

[p.s. And leave it to Alysa to pick Cold Stone's strawberry mango banana sorbet which I was told was 100% dairy-free.]

So true my little chatterbox

2009-08-29T16:37:00.001-04:00

Alysa came to me today and asked me what something was on my desk. It just so happened to be a glue stick that she was asking about. I told her it was glue and she then asked me if I would put some on her lips. I explained that it was glue and not chap stick and if I put it on her lips her lips would stick together. Here is our conversation from that point.

Me - "If I put it on your lips, they would stick together and you would not be able to talk anymore."

Alysa - "Oh no."

Me - "I know, it would be horrible. You love to talk, don't you?"

Alysa - "Yup."

Me - "Do you ever not talk?"

Alysa - After thinking for a few seconds, "I don't' talk when I'm asleep."

Rainy Day Activities

2009-08-28T15:58:00.011-04:00

It's been a dreary day here clouds and rain all day. A perfect day to stay home. But any Mom knows staying home on a rainy day means having to entertain the kids while trying to be somewhat productive.

It's been a pajama day.

A little extra TV time day.

A day of cleaning the kitchen, laundry (aka the usual), and trying to play catch-up day.

A day I finished the instructions for Kayla's upcoming Kindergarten year which goes along with her safe snack boxes. I had to make a second one this year since she'll be in two classrooms this coming year.

A day I started shopping for a new VCR (mine is on its last legs) which has shown me there are no more inexpensive alternatives. They're all VCR/DVD combos. I don't need a DVD player, only a VCR.

A day I priced a DVR which I'd love but learned it won't fit into our budget right now. In the process I learned my Fios bundle period is ending next month. Which means my price will go up by $50. But...I could rebundle for only $10 more (no other option really) and this time I'll get Showtime and HD (even though I don't have an HD television). But the icing on the cake is I'll get Wifi on my laptop. And not Wifi in my home, but Wifi that goes with me wherever I go. I can go to the airport and get free Wifi access through Verizon. Talk about making my day!!!

I made pizza dough in the bread maker for dinner tonight.

I made some more Power Balls.

I took sugar cookie dough out of the freezer and made cookies with the girls.

I made Kayla's day by washing her new bathroom (bought on clearance last year for $5) and she's wearing it around the house.

And I'm hoping for a relaxing night tonight while possibly munching on a few of those cookies.

So it was a day of productivity and quality time with my girls. Sometimes rainy days aren't all bad.

A day at Seaside

2009-08-23T20:44:00.009-04:00

The girls got their first trip to the New Jersey shore and boardwalk today. We took the chance on the 40% chance of showers and met my parents down there. There were a few "sun showers" but other than that we lucked out as it didn't start to rain until we were leaving.

And thanks to Hurricane Bill who came by off the coast yesterday, the waves were pretty big. We spent the afternoon going on rides. I'll thank Hurricane Bill again for the remnants that came through yesterday for leaving the shore empty which meant no crowds and no lines.

I even got to enjoy a Kohr's orange cream twist ice cream cone with Alysa. YUM!

Carousel

The big ferris wheel

The swinging whale

Bumper Cars

On the roller coaster

Kayla tried the "kiddie" go karts but didn't have the strength for the peddle and bottle necked everyone and had to get off. She took it well though.

They both loved the sand too - that is until they realized how hard sand is to clean off.

Alysa is the world's neatest ice cream eating 3 year old. She didn't get a drop on her. She's so careful with the dairy it makes my heart melt. And she won't touch anything until she's cleaned up afterwards either. But she was also SO excited, telling my Mom, "I ate lots of dairy dairy ice cream!"

Here is some video of them on the bummper cars and a car ride that whipped them pretty fast! They loved them.

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My swimmer

2009-08-21T21:10:00.007-04:00

My goal was to get Kayla swimming all on her own this summer. Not an easy task with a child who does not always embrace change or independence. With many things she needs some strong ~~pushing~~ encouragement. She had no interest in peddling her bike until I walked away and refused to push her anymore; or to pump herself on the swing until I taught her how walked away and made her "sink or swim"; or to independently go to the bathroom or dress herself until I refused to help her on the potty and dress her the month before she started preschool at the age of 3. Swimming on her own was no different. She was comfortable with the status quo of using her floaty vest. Lucky for me I have a swim vest where you can remove the flotations one by one. Yesterday I took her down to the last 2 floaties and then got her to take the vest off (at which time I took the last 2 floaties out of the vest). She took it upon herself to let go and swim in place however briefly. I jumped on that and gave her the added ~~push~~ encouragement she needed. She ended up getting annoyed with me yesterday as she usually does with my ~~pushing~~ encouragement and refused to even admit she swam on her own. But today, she put her vest on knowing full well there were no floaties in it and that gave her the confidence she needed to swim and practice more swimming and she improved greatly just in one afternoon. I am so very proud of her.

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Meet our new family members

2009-08-20T17:55:00.005-04:00

Meet our new fish. We have 5 total - all little fish, much to J's disappointment.

The girls are super excited about the aquarium. And they've made it more exciting by bring a little of our friends who moved to California back into the house.

Meet:

Green - Jeff
Yellow - Jen
Pink - Emma
*The other two fish are named Mommy and Daddy.

To make it more amusing, the girls have chairs by the tank and will just sit and watch them. This is the commentary J and I heard a couple of days ago.

“Mommy is chasing Jeff.”
*pause*
“Now Jen is chasing Mommy.”

Apparently, Jen, is quite possessive over her Man!

I'm hoping Alysa won't make us get rid of the tank before we've had it for a week. She has a, let's say a stubborn or strong-willed streak. She gives me a run for my money and sometimes is just downright difficult. She's getting into the habit of putting her hands IN the tank and rearranging the scenery. I'm not one who is big on punishing both kids due to misbehavior on one of their parts. But there is a major danger factor here. It's a 10 gallon tank which J is estimating weighs at least 80 or so pounds plus it is, of course, glass. So I have told her if she does not STOP messing with the tank the fish will have to leave. She's been better today but she did move the box of supplies sitting on the shelf under the tank. She really pushes the limits that one.

Other than that - Kayla had her 5 year check-up yesterday and has dropped back down to the 25% which just means we'll monitor her weight gain. Even though she dropped though her BMI is 13.8 which puts her in the 10% for that and in the "healthy weight" category even if it is borderline. A "healthy" weight for her age is 32-40 pounds and she's 33 pounds. Otherwise she's a picture perfect 5 year old. She got 3 shots yesterday and was up last night with a 101.7 fever and still has a fever today. Hopefully it ends soon and doesn't last the full 72 hours. I need sleep tonight and so does she.

Speaking of weight, I'm even more in love with Children's Place now because of these. For the first time I got the slim jeans. They are only available on-line but boy do they make a difference. They actually FIT her and I will barely have to adjust the waist. I'm so excited to have jeans that fit her - now if they only made their other pants in slim...

That's what I call an entrance

2009-08-19T21:43:00.001-04:00

R.I.P. Sister Fish

2009-08-17T12:45:00.002-04:00

Sunday we lost our second Beta fish to the big porcelain bowl in our bathroom. Sister Fish (named because according to Kayla she is our first fish Freddy’s “sister”) died yesterday when she swam into the boat in her bowl and got stuck.

The girls are taking it OK. As soon as they flushed her down the toilet, they immediately asked to go out and get another fish.

J got our old octagonal tank down but unfortunately it has a crack. The base is in great condition, although a new tank won’t currently fit in our budget. But instead of getting another beta, J is taking them to get two goldfish. This way if we can get our hands on any other aquariums sitting around unused (hint-hint Dad) then we can just move the goldfish to the other tank with any other fish we get.

And to ease your minds about how Sister is doing in the after-fish-life, Kayla has told us that, “Freddy and Sister are dead fish friends.”

A busy weekend

2009-08-16T19:27:00.001-04:00

Yesterday morning, I took the girls over to a strip mall in my town for their annual Touch a Truck event. It was our first time going and the girls had fun. There were tons of trucks, buses, cars and even a helicopter that they could look at, sit in and play with. It was brutally hot so we only stayed for an hour which worked for them because Alysa was freaking out over all the kids honking the various horns – my little on has very sensitive ears. I was never so thankful for my pool as I was this morning when came home and jumped right in.

Then yesterday afternoon we headed out for my food allergy support group’s first annual picnic. I’ll bet you’ll be shocked to hear I was the planner and organizer of said picnic. I know, that is so out of character for me. We had 8 families with about 35 people including 15 kids. Here is our list of allergens:

Dairy
Peanuts
Tree Nuts
Eggs
Wheat
Soy
Oat
Fish
Shellfish
Chocolate - Cocoa Beans
Rye
Beef
Sesame Seed
Gelatin
Red Dye #40
Peas
Beans

My goal was to make the picnic 100% allergen-free which of course was no easy task. And not included are other allergens since my one friend’s son’s list of foods he can eat is smaller than what he can not. His includes things such as sunflower and safflower oils, etc. She was a huge help in coming up with a menu because what it boils down to is if her son can eat it, anyone can. We were initially going to go for some chicken hot dogs but since we are having the picnic at a public park and have no easy/safe way of cooking them, and the picnic is mid-afternoon, we figured snacks are more than enough for the kids and adults.

So here was our picnic menu:
Popcorn – air popped with canola oil and sea salt
Wegman’s Kettle Cooked Potato Chips
Fruit
Veggies
Rita’s Water Ice
Water
Allergen-Free Candies

It was brutally hot but we lucked out with a gazebo and plenty of shade. The picnic was a great success and everyone had a great time. The best part was all the parents were relaxed and the kids could just eat and eat without worries.

Then last night, J and I headed to the shore for dinner with his boss and coworkers. The best part of this outing was we were treated by his boss.

Today we spent the horrendously hot day at Storybook Land for Kayla’s birthday. It rained on her b-day so it was our reschedule. I’m about done with being outside for a while but it was a good day.

This & that

2009-08-14T14:16:00.004-04:00

Monday evening, J was ready for a late night swim and decided to let Kayla join him. She’s routinely up reading in her room until 10-10:30, so a 9:30pm swim wouldn’t be a huge deal. When she came downstairs, sneaking past Alysa’s room (who was fast asleep) she was beside herself with excitement. Her pure wonder and delight at the stars, the nighttime sounds and warmth of the water was infectious. A perfect time to live life and see the world through her eyes.

Then Wednesday my friend Jenn (the one who moved to California in May) and I were finely able to get it together and get the kids to sit down with the webcam. It was so great to see her and Emma and the kids were just beyond excited bouncing around, joking, making silly faces and showing each other toys. It did all of us good to see each other and now all the girls talk about is going to see Emma’s new house. I can tell there will be many more webcam chats in our future.

My back is on the mend thankfully and I even braved Kohl’s again to return a few things. Alysa was much better behaved thankfully and I even got her a new outfit which made her day. Considering she ends up with 99% hand-me-downs from Kayla and takes it all so well, I was glad to give her a new outfit to show Daddy.

They’re currently outside soaked from head to toe. J never took down the “ball pit” from Kayla’s party which is an inflatable kiddie pool filled with balls. They jumped in and of course it’s full of water from the rain. But that just made it all the more thrilling for them. Oh to be a kids again…

Beanie Babies Anyone?

2009-08-13T11:02:00.002-04:00

Years ago, J's brother (whom we no longer speak to) gave us bags of McDonald's Beanie Babies (he works for them). We threw them in the attic and promptly forgot about them. Since the girls love little stuffed animals, J decided to bring them down recently. Since I'm completely anal, I didn't want Kayla near them until the packages were all cleaned (even though, yes I'm sure all the dairy proteins are destroyed since they are from 2000). So yesterday I sat down and cleaned all the sealed packages. We have two full sets from that year which means we have 84, yes 84 baby beanie babies. Oh my! Since there is no way I will be dealing with 84 baby beanie babies scattered all over my house I let the girls pick out 4 each (it started at 2 each but apparently I'm a sucker), Kayla has insisted we mail one to her BFF Emma and the rest I will put up for sale on eBay.

Wish me luck since I also have to begin my sorting of clothes for eBay sale.

And considering that I didn't sleep AT ALL (no joke) last night due to my back pain I don't think I'll get much accomplished today.

What a day!!!

2009-08-12T20:52:00.003-04:00

This has been a long week and it's only half over. I had an insanely busy week at work and worked late and from home Monday and Tuesday nights. This afternoon I ventured out to Kohl's to see if I could find some things that fit Kayla. She always needs the next size up in pants due to length but each year the waist gap gets bigger and bigger.

I did find a couple things that are borderline at Kohl's which I purchased with the hope that my alligator clip adjuster thingies would work well enough. And since I had a 20% off coupon I figured buy now and return later if needed. But even with those I was pretty bummed that I didn't find that much. To make the clothes thing worse, Alysa was a TERROR today. She is my shopper - loves to shop and is always so well behaved in the stores. Not today though. Oh man! She was in rare form. She was running away from me, pulling clothes off the rack and throwing them on the floor, hitting me, kicking me, pushing me and Kayla. In the dressing room she actually slapped me in the face! A couple times she hid or refused to come with me so I stood there and said she could stay. I never left her nor let her out of my sight, but Kayla freaked out thinking I'd leave her behind or she'd get lost. I kept telling Kayla I would NOT leave without her. I took away the only leverage I had (a toy fish she brought in with her) which she ended up losing the rest of the day. I'm telling you if she was older, she'd be grounded for the rest of the year. It was horrible and I just sucked it up and dealt with it b/c I was not coming back at another time.

When I was putting her in the car, she fought me the whole way and after her seat belt was on, I told her I was so mad at her but loved her. I then gave her a big kiss and I have to admit it made me laugh when that made her super mad! Serves her right.

Tonight, when J got home I took Kayla to Children's Place. I usually have luck there but for the summer I couldn't get her in any 4 bottoms. And now 4T pants are too short. Thankfully something went my way today and I hit the jackpot. All the 4's fit (although the jeans and kakhi's have to be adjusted in the waist). I was able to get quite a few outfits. Next stop will be Target, which usually works for her too at least to some extent. So depending how that goes I may be able to return some TCP things, but if not, at least I know I can get her pants that fit. And most of the stuff from Kohl's is going back. At least TCP is not insanely expensive, although it's more than I'd spend if I could get everything at Kohl's and Target. Oh well, such is the life of having a skinny minny. :)

At Children's Place, we were paying and Kayla said to me (pointing at a double stroller with 2 kids in it) that they dropped their goldfish. I looked over and sure enough I saw a goldfish on the floor. I then saw the whole bag on the floor. I'm pretty proud that Kayla's developing that eagle-food-eye. I had seen the stroller but she noticed the food before me. I made sure to tell her how proud I was too.

Now I'm off to bed as at TCP, Kayla fell and when I went to help her up I threw my back out. And I mean it's I can barely walk I have no idea how I'll get into my platform bed threw it out. It's bad. I think it's a night for Tylenol with Codeine.

3 1/2 year old math

2009-08-09T14:59:00.003-04:00

In so many ways Alysa is just your typical 3 year old - perfectly on schedule, not ahead nor behind. In other ways, she seems, to me at least, a head of her "age group". Or at least she's ahead of where Kayla was at her age - and Kayla was pretty "on target" or "in range".

The girls have spent this weekend at my parents' house giving me a blissful weekend to myself to relax and spend time with friends. I can't say I've been the most productive (which I'm sure I'll regret later this week), but I slept in, had two fun, girls' nights out and ate lots of dairy!

Friday on my way to drop the girls off, I had two errands to run first. When we left our house I told the girls I had to make two stops before we went to Nanny's. So we went to our first stop and as we were leaving I told them we had one more stop left. While driving, I had this surprising conversation with Alsya.

Alysa - "Mommy, we have 2 more stops left."
Me - "No, Alysa - we have 1 more stop. We had two stops, we went to one and have one left.
Alysa - "No Mommy, we have 2 left. We had three stops. Nanny's house is the third and we went to one so we have two left."
Me - "Wow. You're right Alysa."

She totally blew me away with her math. And when I looked back at her she was sitting there with her index and middle finger up counting down our stops. The funniest part is when we got to the 2nd stop, she put her index finger down, got out of the car and walked all the way into the store with her middle finger up and on display!

Happy 5th Birthday Kayla

2009-08-06T04:48:00.000-04:00

Sweet Kayla,

Today you turn 5. I’m not quite sure how that has happened, but here it is. Six years ago at this time, I was thinking I might have to come to terms with never having a child and now here you are, my spunky 5 year old.

You continue to light up my days and make me laugh. I look at you now and see a big kid, gone is my baby girl. You continue to make me so proud in so many ways.
At times, it breaks my heart when I see you let down or left out of things because of your allergy, yet it makes me swell with pride when I watch how well you take it. Most of the time you take it better than me. You just accept that you can’t eat from the ice cream truck, yet it is still your “favorite truck”. You are accepting that your Sister can eat dairy and do not get upset when we can include her in an ice cream outing or some yummy looking treats at a party. You give your dolls and stuffed animals allergies. I know this is a way for you to process and cope, but you do it in a way that shows you accept this as it is. You hardly ever show sadness or anger, you just accept and move on. You are so grown up in ways I never would have imagined and it makes me one super proud Mommy.

You’ve had a lot of changes this year. You made your first best friend and watched her, [heartbreakingly] move away to California. You have adjusted, but talk about her often and miss her every day. You are no longer a preschooler, but now a Kindergartener and I love to watch your excitement grow each day. You’ve turned into a night owl staying up, some nights, later than me as you read in your room. Many nights as I’m getting into bed you come in to tuck me in. You’re beginning to read and have become quite the helper always telling me, “I can do it Mommy.”. You make your Daddy and me proud every day.

Today we will be in Storybook Land at the birthday girl’s request. I’m excited to have a fun day just me and the girls, although Daddy will be missed.

I love you Kayla and can’t wait to see what this next year brings!

Crabbing 2009

2009-08-05T17:20:00.006-04:00

So the day after Kayla's party we woke up at 3:30 in the morning, got ourselves packed with coolers for lunch and water, snacks, epi pens, etc, woke the kids up and headed out the door at 4:30 am to head to the shore for some crabbing. The weather forecast was iffy but based on the 3:30 am radar we chanced it. Of course, shortly after leaving the house we headed INTO torrential downpours which lasted for the entire drive. We made it to the boat landing before my parents and sister and when they called to see what it was doing, I told them we were in a monsoon. I had followed the radar the whole way down on my iphone so at least I knew we were, at 5:30 am, at the outer edge of the storms. So by the time 6:00 rolled around and the boat place was open it was nothing but clear skies. It ended up being a fantastic morning on the water and even though it was still July and early for crabbing season, we caught 2 bushels of crabs that were both 3/4 of the way full.

All the kids had a blast and the only bummer was we needed 2 boats so the kids had to waive to their cousins across the water. But they were all too busy catching crabs anyway. Kayla didn't need time to warm up this year but she kept losing crabs off her line because she would keep pulling it up and would pull the crab out of the water before we could get the net to her. Alysa, on the other hand was a natural. She instinctively knew to STOP pulling her line up as soon as she saw she had a crab and wait for the net. Pretty amazing for a 3 1/2 year old. Although unfortunately when my Mom ever-so-brilliantly decided it would be a good idea to use pliers to fetch some bait that fell in the bushel with the crabs and got "bit" by a crab that all ended. My mom screamed and Alysa crumpled in fear. She would not go near the lines or traps again the rest of the day and freaked out every time we brought a new crab into the boat. She liked them much more once they were cooked. Hopefully she'll forget about that by next year.

It was a great day and we ended up sharing the crabs with neighbors and coworkers and still had a ton to eat. Mmmmm...Yum!

Kayla's Party

2009-08-01T09:43:00.010-04:00

July is over and my Sister is back home. We had a fun, jam-packed month with them and I am so sad to see them go. I have a ton of pictures from the month to share which I hope to get to over the course of this week, I’ll start off with Kayla’s birthday party. She turns 5 next week, but we moved her party to July in order to include my Sister and her family. And since my Sister (and kids), my Grandmother and my Aunt and family were all going to be here, we turned Kayla’s party into a mini family reunion inviting extended family who we don’t get to see often.

We did this year what we did last year – had the kid part at Pump It Up and then came back to the house for food and fun with family and some close friends. The added attendies obviously meant more food so it was extra nice to have my Sister there to help out with the prep work.

Just like last year, Pump It Up was amazing with regard to Kayla’s allergy. They used all brand new, sealed packages of juice, water, paper products, etc. They volunteered to do all the extra cleaning for us (benches, tables, birthday child chair, etc) so we could remain in the room with Kayla. We had a total of 25 kids there (next year we will begin scaling down how many she’s allowed to have) and they all had a blast! Kayla was just beside herself on her day and I barely saw her the entire time. All I kept seeing was blurs of yellow running around the room and on the equipment. Once we left and headed home it was no different – she was so busy playing and swimming that it wasn’t until right before bed she told me she never got to eat dinner. Ha! She never listens to me about eating during the parties. She was happy with a yogurt and then went to bed. The kids also seemed to enjoy the dessert and the fruit in the party room. The dessert – now this leads me to the cake fiasco.

The cake – where do I begin? A year or so ago I found a cake book on clearance. It’s a book on how to make all different shaped cakes. Since I make all of theirs myself I bought it. In there, Kayla found a 3-dimensional castle cake that she just fell in love with.

She found this cake about 6 months ago and has never waivered from it. I had decided to make this cake for the kid party and instead of making a second cake or even cupcakes for the house, I decided to make a Cookie Pizza that I saw from Allergy Moms. Unfortunately when I went to start assembling the cake, it was so hot in my house from the oven being on all day it melted and took the cake with it. The more I tried to add to it or salvage it, the more it fell apart and the closer I got to the edge. I even tried refrigerating it and the icing. No luck – it fell apart more in the fridge. Cooking for 50+ people was so stressful for me this year (more so than prior years) and I was on the verge of cracking by the time J got home. I had this cake that wasn’t working all I wanted to do was salvage it for Kayla – it’s what she’s talked about nonstop for months with regard to her party. When J got home, he tried to move it to the freezer and it just completely fell apart. I was crushed and so was Kayla. She even told me it wasn’t OK to not have her castle cake.

In the end she took it well and I moved the cookie pizza to Pump It Up and had cupcakes at the house. I had extra cake batter and had made cupcakes with it earlier and still had some in the freezer (I always have them on hand) so thankfully I didn’t have to bake anymore. I put some candy flowers on them that I had left over from other cakes I have made. The candy flowers made Kayla happy. I have to say the cookie pizza came out really well though – so I was glad something did.

So at Pump It Up I stuck with the cookie pizza and a fruit platter.

And here are the cupcakes I made last minute.

Also at her party was a child with a strawberry allergy (easy, I just left strawberries off the fruit platter) and two kids with peanut/tree nut allergies. One is my girlfriend’s daughter and the other is a child from her class. He is who broke my heart. I had talked to his Mom earlier and e-mailed her the information on the dessert. After talking to me she was fine with him eating what I was serving, but she warned me he may not want to. And he did not. He even refused to eat the fruit. I just felt awful for him. I may know that what I served is safe, but I totally understand him not trusting that. I would never and could never feel offended even if it was his Mom who didn’t want him to eat it. Heaven knows I can’t say I would in their shoes. But he has gone into anaphylactic shock and remembers it so it’s sad that he has that fear. It is the kind of things we struggle to balance – a healthy fear with being as normal as possible. I also never want a child to feel left out at our parties. Whenever I can I want to accommodate as much as possible, especially for the kids. But on the other hand, I applaud him for taking responsibility and advocating for himself and staying true to his comfort zone.

Here is my menu (with recipes) for the party at our house:

Snacks:
Ruffles Potato Chips

Onion Dip
Tofutti Better than Sour Cream
Lipton Onion Soup Mix

Tostidos Scoop Chips

Watermelon Salsa
2 ½ cups chopped watermelon
1 can black beans (drained)
3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped ( be sure to use gloves
3 Tbl chopped fresh cilantro
Salt & pepper to taste
Mix together and refrigerate

Appetizers:

Buffalo Wings
Five pound bag of frozen wings (can use fresh, if preferred)
2 bottles Red Hot
2 sticks of butter

Broil or grill wings until cooked. Put in large roasting pan, add hot sauce (found in the isle with Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce), for each bottle of red hot use one stick of butter. Simply slice butter in pats and throw in. Bake for 1-1 ½ hours, until sauce cooks down a little. The wings are actually better if made the day before, or even several days before and frozen. Just bake to heat. The more you bake them the better they are.

Meatballs
2 lbs frozen meatballs (I bought chop meat and made meatballs with bread crumbs)
1 jar or can of sauerkraut
1 can (15 oz) whole cranberry sauce
1/2 c. brown sugar.

Mix sauerkraut, cranberries, and brown sugar in crockpot. Put meatballs in and stir. Cook on high for 4 hours and then low for an hour or two.

Main Dishes:

Honey Grilled Pork Tenderloin
2 (3/4 pound) pork tenderloins
¼ cup light soy sauce
5 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp ground ginger
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp honey
2 tsp dark sesame oil

Make a lengthwise cut down center of each tenderloin to within a quarter of an inch of the opposite side; press to open. Combine soy sauce, garlic and ginger in a shallow dish; add tenderloins. Cover or seal and chill 3 hours….turning occasionally. Stir together brown sugar, honey and oil. Grill tenderloins, covered with grill lid, over medium high heat (350-400 degrees) for 20 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 160 degrees, turning occasionally and basting with the honey mixture.

Yields 6 servings.

Spare Ribs
[Tony Roma’s pre-cooked ribs – ssshhh don’t tell]

Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3/4 cup honey
3/4 cup lite soy sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
1 (20 ounce) can pineapple tidbits, drained with juice reserved
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook chicken thighs just until evenly browned on all sides. Place thighs in a slow cooker.
In a bowl, mix honey, soy sauce, ketchup, garlic, ginger, and reserved pineapple juice. Pour into the slow cooker.
Cover, and cook 4 hours on High. Stir in pineapple tidbits just before serving.
Mix the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Remove thighs from slow cooker. Blend the cornstarch mixture into remaining sauce in the slow cooker to thicken. Serve sauce over the chicken.

Hot Dogs/Hamburgers

Sides:
Potato Salad
5 lbs. potatoes – wash and boil potatoes with skins on. When done, let cool. Take off skin – cut into cubes. Two stalks of celery – chopped, ½ medium onion (optional) – chopped…add to potatoes. Mix potatoes with salt, pepper, & Hellmann’s Mayonnaise. Boil 6 eggs – let cool in cold water. Peel, dice and add to potatoes. Can sprinkle with paprika, if desired.

Pasta Salad
2 boxes spiral pasta
2 cucumbers (peeled and sliced)
2 pkgs grape tomatoes
2 jars olives
12oz jar Dijon mustard
1½ C balsamic vinegar

Mix cooked pasta, cucumbers, tomatoes and olives together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, wisk together Dijon mustard and vinegar. Add a tad of olive oil to get desired consistency.

Dessert:
Cupcakes (Cherrybrook Kitchen cake mix)

~~Rice Pudding~~
¾ C Uncooked Rice
Water
1 qt. Soy or Rice Milk (plain) – [do NOT recommend rice milk]
¾ C Sugar OR ½ C Maple Syrup
1 tsp. Vanilla (optional)
Dash Cinnamon (optional)
½ C Raisins (optional)

Fill a large pot with water and add rice. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Drain. Put rice back in the pot. Add soy or rice milk and sweetener. Return to medium-high heat and stir occasionally. Allow to boil slowly, continue to stir occasionally for aprox 30-40 minutes until the pudding darkens and thickens. Add raisins if desired and stir another 5 minutes or so. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and/or cinnamon, if desired.

Cheese-less Danish
2 pkgs. Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
2 - 8 oz. pkgs. Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 egg yolk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease pan. Lay out 1 pkg of the crescent rolls without separating them. Mix together cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and lemon juice. Spread cream cheese mixture on the crescent rolls. Lay 2nd pkg. of rolls on top, pressing edges and ridges until closed. Spread top with egg yolk. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes til brown. Watch carefully.

Icing:
1 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
3/4 tsp. vanilla
milk to desired consistency (adding by tablespoon)

Mix ingredients together. Drizzle on top of pastry. Chill before cutting.

You’ll note Rice Pudding is crossed off. My cousin (18 years old) is allergic to soy (I found this out in June) so I tried to make as many dishes soy free as possible (very difficult to do with a dairy allergy). In doing so I attempted to make rice pudding with rice milk (the recipe I have actually calls for soy or rice milk). This failed miserable because the rice milk is so thin and watery that it never thickened, so that was my first dessert disaster of the day.

I’ll also mention that my daughter is probably the only kid on the planet that did NOT open any of her gifts the day of her party. She was so busy she didn’t remember to do so until just before bed. Now normally I wouldn’t worry about bedtimes the day of her party, but since we were getting up at 3:30am Sunday to go crabbing I needed to get them in bed and it was already past her bedtime. Luckily she was OK with opening them after crabbing. We all know it goes beyond ripping wrapping paper off – there are boxes to open, new toys to try out, etc. And it worked out because Maddy was upset she wasn’t going to be there while Kayla opened them.

And for the best part - here are some pictures from the day

So now I must get back on track and catch up with all of you. I apologize for my absence. August, although still a busy month, will be much less so than July. I also have a bunch more pictures from July to get up. We had a lot of fun and made some great memories with their cousins!

Busted!

2009-07-30T21:12:00.003-04:00

J and I decided to treat ourselves to some take-out this evening. We hardly ever bring dairy into the house but tonight was just one of those nights where we wanted it that bad. As usual we took all the precautions, got everything we needed out before, etc. While we were sitting down eating, Kayla comes into the kitchen (she was supposed to be in bed). I told her that we were eating dairy and to not touch what we had. She was curious and came over to look at our food. We showed her what we had and told her what it was. I also told her we'd clean up when we were done. So she then looked at me and said, "Make sure you wipe the table really good (she evened used hand motions to demonstrate what she meant)." She then went back upstairs to her room without any flicker of upset or nerves.

She makes us so proud - we must be doing something right. And yes, honey, we did wipe the table really well.

Beware of Jalapenos

2009-07-27T13:00:00.001-04:00

With Kayla’s party this past weekend, my Sister, Mom and I spent the entire day Friday cooking. Friday night when she was back at my Mom’s, my Sister put together my new recipe for Watermelon Salsa (full party details and menu with recipes to follow). In this recipe are fresh jalapenos cut up. She did this and had problems with her hands burning from the juice. She had to throw out her contacts that night and even the next morning, had burning in her eyes when she put new ones in and had to throw those away also. In the midst of this, she had to find a way to neutralize the oils from the jalapenos because it obviously does not wash off easily. So she did what most of us do nowadays – search the internet. And what she found was that you should rinse your hands in rubbing alcohol and then soak them in DAIRY!!!

So my wonderful big Sis suffered in silence so as to not contaminate herself for Kayla’s party and food prep.

First time solo

2009-07-19T18:06:00.004-04:00

This past Saturday in the middle of my Sister's visit Kayla had a birthday party. Her friend Cole, who we met when they were in Kindermusik together as babies is turning 5 as well. He was one of her "first friends" outside my circle. Up until now I've always dragged my Mom with me to birthday parties when J was unavailable to help me police the food and monitor Kayla when Alysa is with me. But as Kayla gets older and her awareness and responsibility grows I have to expand my comfort zone. It's not an easy thing to do, but I take things situation by situation. My girlfriend Jodi is really great, the party was at her house, so being familiar with the surroundings helps. She also has always avoided cheesy foods - doritos, goldfish, etc. I knew the menu and it was all relatively tame - any foods that may have contained dairy were mild and lower risk (like chicken nuggets, etc). So I made this party our solo debut. And I'm happy to report it was a success. Alysa enjoyed the potato chips and pretzels at the party while Kayla ate the snacks I brought.

They had a air and bubbles show which the girls absolutely loved! Kayla handled the whole partly beautifully (especially since I didn't realize I had no icing and had to bring her a cookie instead of a cupcake). She did well avoiding the food and joined the singing while staying far enough away from the cake. She even swung on the swings with her cookie while I helped Alysa have a piece of cake. She was patient and understanding and she made me so proud.

The only thing I did avoid was eating myself. I'm still not comfortable leaving her long enough to get food and then taking that much time to eat it. So for now, I'll stick with watching the other adults enjoy the food. Baby steps, right?

Next party...Kayla's!

MIA...

2009-07-16T22:00:00.001-04:00

I keep meaning to get on here, but with my Sis and her kids here it's been kind of hard. Give me the weekend - I'll get some pictures up Sunday since I should have some peace and quiet for a few moments.

But luckily we're all having a blast together. Tomorrow we're off to Storybook Land. Fun-fun!

American Girl & Food Allergies

2009-07-07T08:00:00.004-04:00

I just had to share my newest find. I love when companies put the positive spotlight on food allergies. Don't get me wrong, there are not many positives to having a food allergy, but with so much negative press, having it pop up with a positive or even just an every-day-reality-type spin on it is a breath of fresh air. I get excited to see even the smallest company or article giving food allergies some positive attention. So it's even better when larger and well established companies jump in.

Recently, Kayla discovered American Girl. Since then she has created a wishlist of wants from their catalog. The other night I received an e-mail from a close friend who's daughter is also into American Girl. American Girl has come out with a new lunch box set for the dolls. As with all their stuff, it's an adorable set, but what makes it so special to me is not the cute sandwich on the croissant or the box of raisins or apple sauce cup. It's not even the adorable lunchbox cooler. But it's the "littlest" thing - this set of 4 stickers...

Kayla gives all her dolls and stuffed animals allergies. The cat is allergic to mice, the dog is allergic to bones. And since she knows I am allergic to cats, she feeds her cat stuffed animals special food so "Mommy will be safe", and so on and so forth. So this will absolutely make her day! A friend of mine is getting this for her and I can't wait!

I don't even have this yet and I left a review for the product praising American Girl for their thought and attention to kids who live with food allergies. Even their product description is heart warming.

"A sheet of allergy stickers your girl can use to help her doll stay safe while she snacks"

It is through products like these that our jobs as food allergy parents do and will get easier. For us it's a fact of life and I for one am thrilled to be able to give Kayla something that will help her to feel, as Gina put it, like "One of the Gang".

Thank you American Girl!

Our 4th in pictures

2009-07-05T09:56:00.004-04:00

We headed out to our township fireworks yesterday and was pleasantly surprised that although there were a lot of people there was enough space and it was not cramped or crowded. The girls had room to run around and play and be goofy. The fireworks, which we were told would go off at dusk, didn't start until 9:45p.m. Alysa was begging to go home even before they started. But they were great and the girls were in awe!

Shortly after we got there we got to see 4 parachuters jump out of a plane. Later on when Alysa saw another plane she asked if more would jump. I can see this may be a running theme in our house now.

You will note the glow sticks in Alysa's hand. These were "given" to us when we arrived. You'll note how fed up I am with taxes with this translation (my actual thoughts at the time)...

Attendant - "Would you like some glow sticks for the kids? They were provided by the Township"

My Internal Translation - "Would you like your kids to have a glow stick that you, bought for this event?"

Thankfully the kids loved their glow sticks - Alysa actually slept with hers. :)

Happy 4th of July

2009-07-04T16:05:00.006-04:00

It's been super busy around here and it will just get worse with my Sister and kids arriving tonight for 3 1/2+ weeks. We're so excited to see them but with that and Kayla's party, etc it has been and will continue to be hectic around our house.

But I can never be too busy to stop and reflect on this day, the birth of our great country and the freedoms conceived by our founders. This year will be the first we will take the girls to see the fireworks. We will try to find a place not amongst the crowds, but where we can get a good view. Kayla is not big on loud noises, so being too close will not make her a happy camper. They are very excited to go, so it should be a nice night and it's a picture perfect spring day - sunny and 81 with a nice cool breeze and very low humidity.

This day is even more important now as our freedoms are slowly being stripped away by our ever-increasing-in-power government and elected officials. With every new government mandate and law, we have less control over our lives and the lives of our children. We are being told not to live for ourselves and the values, we, as individuals hold dear, but to live for others. This is not what I wish for myself or my children or any individual in our great nation. It is because of this that I am excited to be joining my Dad in Washington DC on September 12, 2009 for the National Taxpayer Protest. It will be my first protest and I know it will feel good to do something to help get the word out that the path this country is headed down is disappointing and unacceptable!!!

I hope everyone enjoys the festivities today. Please take the time to remember what made this country so great to begin with - Individual Rights - the right to pursue our own dreams and not the dreams of others!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY

Alysa's Sleep Apnea

2009-06-25T10:02:00.004-04:00

Alysa had her follow-up sleep study back in May the night before Memorial Day. It literally came up quickly as in 2 days notice. I called Friday to schedule it for June and was told they had an opening that Sunday. So I took it. Two weeks ago, I talked to the sleep doctor and was thrilled to hear that her sleep apnea is GONE! She stopped breathing a max of 1 time per hour, which he said is borderline normal and her oxygen saturation level never dropped below 98% (last time it dropped to 84%!!!). He's THRILLED that she is eating so well and off Prevacid. He was actually surprised at how well she's doing.

This morning actually, she woke up at 8:45 and was BEGGING to eat b/c she was SO hungry. Music to my ears. :) She devoured 2 pieces of sausage, 3/4 of an egg and a whole banana. I had to give her the sausage before the egg was done because she was begging for food. She has never done that before. Dinners are still her worse meal, but she's slowly picking up some new foods. Ham is currently her "favorite", well immediately after chips and dip. :)

Here are some pics of her at the sleep study.

In bloom

2009-06-22T22:03:00.004-04:00

I have been MIA this past week from traveling and just the chaos of life. Last week we took the girls to their favorite amusement park and then I was in Rhode Island for my cousin's high school graduation for a long weekend. It was a great time and my Aunt was wonderful and made everything (including her party) dairy free, so not only could Kayla come but I could relax.

I will work on getting a better update and pictures up in the next few days. But in the mean time, Kayla was thrilled to come home to her flowers in bloom!

Dairy Alternative Month

2009-06-10T21:15:00.001-04:00

I will say there is truly a month for everything! Thank you to Janeen for not only adding me to the list of dairy-free blogs, but for letting me know about this every important month of Dairy Alternative Month.

Kate DeBevois from the Philadelphia Wellness Examiner wrote an article about it and included links to some milk free sites. Some on her list are new to me, so I’m excited to check them out.

I’ll take a page out of Janeen’s book and post some more of my favorite milk-free websites.

Sarah
Amy
Go Dairy Free (yes, even though I know she is listed in the article – I love her site and book)
Milk Allergy Companion
Chocolate Emporium
Amanda’s Own
Cherry Brook Kitchens
Enjoy Life Foods
Divvies
Tofutti - I can still have my chips and dip!!!
Silk - yogurts and “milk”

We’re “lucky” in that dairy, although it’s can be very hard to shop dairy-free (many many bizarre and “regular” things contain dairy), it is one of the easiest if not the easiest food to substitute for. Many of you who have been to my house know that I can serve foods that would fool anyone into believing it was made with dairy and not without. So I will now go and enjoy the rest of Dairy Alternative Month even if I do still miss cheese every day of my life.

The threat of the Ice Cream Man

2009-06-09T07:09:00.001-04:00

I get a lot of people who don’t quite understand why I try to keep Kayla away from certain situations. The prefect example is ice cream. Her school this year is having ice cream at their annual end of year picnic. Last year they tried Rita’s. This year, because, from what I am told, other parents complained that their precious kids were denied Mr. Softee (give me a break!), they went back to ice cream. Although I still am furious in many ways, I did not make a huge fuss over it. The main reason being is I know I have it good there. The bottom line is they keep Kayla safe and they make her feel safe. And they do this while including her in everything. The director did, after talking to me, offer to have all the kids eating popsicles to sit at a separate table. But I will still bring Kayla her own safe popsicle. I have thus far tried unsuccessfully to obtain the ingredients for Mr. Softee’s popsicles and giving her something that sits amongst ice cream is a bit beyond my comfort level.

Before I get too far off track, I know some, probably the director included does not quite understand why I am so concerned about the ice cream factor. The bottom line is ice cream is messy – ESPECIALLY when being eaten by a bunch of preschoolers, outside on a hot June day. And now I have a perfect example as to what risk being around ice cream poses for Kayla.

Saturday, J’s work had their annual open house (pictures to follow later). His boss does it up with a petting zoo (with goats, bunnies, hedge hogs, birds, chickens, etc); baby chicks to hold; face painting and pony rides. The girls were super excited about going and had a blast. This year, for the first (and thankfully last time – it was apparently very expensive), his boss had the ice cream man come. Before we left to go home, Alysa very much wanted her face painted. So we waited on line – for well over a half hour. Surprisingly she was patient and waited and actually got her face painted. After, I was doing something for Kayla while Alysa meandered around in circles by me with her blue butterfly face. The next thing I know she came up to me showing me her hand. She had a blue streak across it. My first thought was she wiped her face and had paint on her hand. Bust as I was wiping her hand off with only a tissue, I looked up and there standing next to Alysa was a boy holding some blue ice creamish pop in his hand. It then hit me that it wasn’t face paint on her hand, but ice cream dripped from his pop. Thankfully I noticed this and I was able to wash her off with wipes. But had that been Kayla, we most likely would have had a reaction, or a strong possibility of one.

The drippage factor of ice cream is the EXACT reason it puts me into a tailspin. Thankfully her schools ice cream eating will be done at tables and as contained as it can be (with hand washing afterwards). But it still is not something I consider fun. I’m dreading the picnic and can not wait for it to be over.

Enters Kayla's newest stage...

2009-06-04T12:21:00.001-04:00

...telling ghost stories.

Kayla – “Once upon a time I was in bed and Alysa was outside. Alysa called me outside and we found a huge beatle. We were holding the beatle and we heard ‘Oooooooh Ooooooh”. We turned around a ghost was there. He took the beatle from us and ate him all up. Then he tried to kill us and we took him and threw him away. We threw him all the way to Mars. Mommy, where is the ghost now?”

Me – “I am guessing he is still on Mars where you threw him.”

Let's hope not...

2009-06-03T17:01:00.001-04:00

Makes you appreciate seat belts

2009-05-30T08:00:00.001-04:00

J found some footage of some GM crash testing from 1968. Scary stuff - reinvorces why I feel naked without a seat belt. You can see the footage here. [Scroll down to get the the video.]

My new stove

2009-05-28T13:39:00.006-04:00

I know it's often said and thought that women would not be happy to receive a new appliance. But for the most part, I don't fit that mold. As long as it's an appliance I want and would use, I'll take it. Heck, I'd love the roller ball Dyson even if it meant getting it for my birthday, Christmas or anniversary.

Our stove which is at least 10 years old (I'd put it at older than that) has only had 2 working burners for 6 months or more. With a family of 4, it's usually not an issue, but it made the holidays trickier. We have an electric stove and J has cleaned the components out multiple times which will only work for a short amount of time. He estimated it would cost about $80 to fix the 2 burners. So then came my boss. She's been remodeling her kitchen and it came out that I'd love a flat-top stove and she happened to have her old flat-top stove that was only a few years old. They were not keeping it because they went with stainless appliances. She sold it to us for $100. I can't tell you how excited I was - yes, over a stove. J had his work cut out for him since she obviously cooked dairy. There was a TON of cleaning involved before bringing it into our house, but it's really no different the stove we had before. That one used to be used for dairy as well - even by us.

J worked really hard to get the new stove cleaned and installed before Memorial Day as we had some friends over. It's nice to have stove top that is so easy to clean.

Old stove

New stove - isn't she beautiful?

In other news, Alisa is giving away some new dairy-free chocolate bars that I'd love to try out. Go on over and take a peak.

Excitement is brewing

2009-05-27T13:52:00.003-04:00

Alysa starts preschool in September. Now that she is fully potty trained the excitement has grown tremendously. She can not wait to go and be the big preschool girl.

As she's gotten older, she is liking her sleep more and does not wake up as chipper. She has taken to pulling the covers over her head and ignoring my presence (just as Kayla does). But yesterday morning, when I went in, she popped her head up with a big smile on her face and said, "Mommy. I went to school while I was sleeping." When I explained that she had a dream, she jumped out of bed to go tell her Daddy and Sister about her dream.

It was adorable, yet sad to see her let down that she wasn't going to school yet.

Remember...

2009-05-25T12:10:00.003-04:00

I think too many don't stop to remember what today is about. It is so easy to get caught up in the picnics and having a day off. So please, whatever you are doing today, take a moment to stop and think of the men and women who have lost their lives fighting so we can have and maintain our freedoms. To all of those in the military and their families, I thank you.

Please also think of the freedoms we enjoy and make sure to appreciate them. It is so imperative right now to realize what freedoms we have and those that are slowly eroding away.

And let me say it is not very easy to try and explain, even in the simplest terms, what Memorial Day is about to a very wiggly 4 1/2 year old.

Fun Times

2009-05-23T14:31:00.003-04:00

J and I were able to get out last night for dinner and a movie with friends. Yes, I actually went to the movies. We at at Pizzeria Uno and saw the Terminator movie. Both were very enjoyable.

The group of us

The girls have been spending a lot of time outside this week. We've finally gotten many days in a row with no rain. Today, while they were riding their bikes, Kayla asked me to take a picture, and of course, I was happy to accomodate her.

A couple days ago, I got around to doing some digi scrapping for myself. My nephew Colin calls Alysa Smiley. So I decided to look through for some of her best smiles. I found so many I had to make it a 2 page spread because I couldn't decide.

Page 1

Page 2

Eating at restaurants

2009-05-18T20:32:00.004-04:00

Michelle asked me about eating out. Specifically if we ate out often and how we handle it when we do. The first part is easy. No we do not eat out often. Overall my comfort level is pretty low. I know parents of children with food allergies that do eat out fairly often (relatively speaking of course) and even some who will go to fast food restaurants. Personally, I can not see myself ever taking Kayla for fast food. The risk factor in those places seems just too high for me. And my kids would then want to play in the play areas and with Kayla’s contact-reactivity, that is a big no-no for her. Play areas where food is served is just “asking for” a reaction.

Aside from Walt Disney World, the only restaurant we take her to is PF Chang’s. It was a gradual process for us. J and I were taken there by friends years ago and really enjoyed the food. That first time and every time after when we went, the wait staff always asked us if we had any allergies or special dietary needs. Finally, one visit, I asked our waitress about it and she said it is their policy to be extremely food allergy aware and they take it very seriously. She also told us they do not cook in peanut oil (even though peanuts are not a concern for us, Kayla was not at that time eating peanuts). Gradually we started bringing Kayla with us even though we did not have her eat anything there. Before letting her eat anything, we spoke to the waitress and then spoke to the Manager who used to be the Head Chef. In actuality, there are only a couple menu items that have dairy in them. But they also have lists to printout for each allergen. So each time we go, we get an updated copy of the items free of dairy (and usually we do not even have to ask to speak to the manager, he just comes over). We typically order off of this menu. But, there are some items on the main menu that she can eat. I believe some items not listed have more of a cross-contamination risk or they are able to be altered to be safe for her. A perfect example is the Mongolian Beef – one of my favorites. It is never on the dairy-free list, but is always able to be made safely for her. So, yes upon every visit, we speak to the manager and everything is verified with the head chef. When cooking for an allergy, all of their pots/pan, utensils are thoroughly cleaned for those meals. They are also great about making all of the dishes for our table dairy-free so we never have any worries about cross-contaminating anything once it is served.

Another reason I like taking the kids here is that BOTH of them will eat there. Alysa loves their northern style spare ribs. And when I say loves, I mean she licks the bone clean. Kayla will eat their northern spare ribs, Mongolian beef, crispy honey chicken and calamari. So it’s a guaranteed good meal for both of them.

Aside from the food preparation, we clean, clean and clean! I bring wipes with me everywhere. I clean the table, the chairs, both bottom and back and anything on the table the girls or we may want to touch such as salt and pepper shakers, etc. If we sit at a table with chairs, I also bring in our own booster seats so I don’t have to clean the boosters they give you. If we sit in a booth, we forgo the boosters and just clean really well. We do not want Kayla reacting from touching the table or something on it or contaminating her food the same way.

Are there other restaurants out there that we could eat at safely? Yes, I’m sure of it. Have I researched any and tried them out? No. Part of that is the anxiety involved in trusting someone knew to feed Kayla. But another part is their age. They are 3 and 4 and in all honesty it is just not worth the hassle to eat out with them. They are not all that used to it and the hassles involved don’t make it worth our while. Packing up things to keep them busy and entertaining them for a sit-down meal in a restaurant is just not our idea of fun right now. So as they get older, I hope to push the limits of my comfort zone a bit to find some safe restaurant variety for our family.

Michelle also asked why I brought my own tea to the Tea Party. When eating out, I never know what is in the ingredients of something served. Although I doubt there would have been any dairy in the tea served, you just never know. Dairy hides in the darndest places (including medications, glue, juice, clothing, ice melt, etc). So I always like to err on the side of caution. Even if I was able to check the tea packaging and verify its safety, the tea was already brewed and put in pretty tea pots. Served by the same people pouring the milk, cutting the cheese served on the same platter as the grapes and arranging the cookies on the platters. So the risk for cross-contamination was extremely high. And it is those exposures that are harder to manage because they are so “hidden” and misunderstood by many. So unless I have 100% trust in where we will be eating and what, I pack Kayla’s food and only feed her what I brought. It keeps her safest and gives me the peace of mind to enjoy myself (even if only a little).

This may seem a bit much to some, but with food allergies you can never be too careful and it is always better to err on the side of caution. The flip-side of not being diligent or careful enough has too great of consequences. And I believe there is a reason that Kayla’s last reaction from dairy was when she was 11 months old. Mistakes can happen but we try our hardest to avoid them!

Thanks for the questions Michelle!

For those interested, here is the dairy-free list from PF Chang’s (click to enlarge).

Victorian Tea Party

2009-05-17T09:00:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, I stepped pretty far outside of my food allergy comfort zone. J and I have strived to not put Kayla in a bubble and always be honest with her in an age-appropriate manner. As she’s gotten older, we have altered our approaches to meet her age and level of understanding.

My Mom and I took the girls yesterday to Victorian Tea Party that had a fashion show with it. The girls were SO excited to go and have tea even though they had no idea what to expect. Before we made the reservations, I called and found out that of course the menu included dairy, dairy and more dairy. They had jelly sandwiches, cream cheese and cucumber sandwiches (not sure about the appeal with that one), cheese, fruit and cookies. So I packed jelly sandwiches for the girls, hot tea in a thermos, bananas and a Divvies cookie for each of them. The set up was really nice. Tables with pretty pink table cloths, some American Girl door prizes and a “silent” auction, although you could see what the other bid amounts were.

The girls were getting a bit antsy but when the whole thing started, Alysa was beside herself with glee. The had a coloring craft to start off, then the tea was served followed by the fashion show. We shared a table with another Grandmother and her Granddaughter. They were very sweet and understanding since we asked to keep the food (and open cup of milk for the tea) on the opposite side of the table. When the fruit was put out, Kayla wanted some grapes, but of course they were on the same tray along side the cheese, so that did not work. But with Kayla getting older, I did not have the heart to keep Alysa from the fruit. So when she asked for the grapes, we gave her some. Then here eyes feasted on the beautiful and heaping platter of cookies. Her focus was a tiny little colorful cupcake. So we put Alysa on the other side of my Mom and gave her that cupcake and some cookies. She was in heaven with a cloth napkin put on her as a bib and her sweats. She did great keeping her hands on the table and leaning over while she ate. Kayla was such a big girl, accepting being unable to eat the grapes and taking it all in stride with her sister eating the dairy. She even gave me the OK to eat a cookie when I asked her if she would be OK with it. This is the furthest I have ever gone with Kayla and dairy. It was nerve wracking, but I am glad I did. I do not want to keep Alysa from things she does not need to be kept from anymore than I have to and I feel the best way to help Kayla grow and learn to cope well is to not shelter her too much.

The funniest part of the day was Kayla fell in love with an American Girl doll up for auction. She wanted it so much she put her name down on the auction card. Of course my Mom who tap dances to her grand children’s tune followed Kayla around putting dollar amounts to all the cards she wrote her name down on (slight exaggeration maybe, but not by much). Aside from the doll, she really wanted the AG chair they had up for auction. Kayla won the doll AND the chair and Alysa won a wooden hat box as well as a replica Victorian children’s dress. They had a blast and are super excited about their loot.

Alysa and I also got to try on some of the articles from the fashion show. Boy am I glad to not be living in Victorian Times. Here are some pictures from our day:

FAAW #5 – Last day

2009-05-16T21:30:00.002-04:00

I have been pretty busy the last few days with house guests which has unfortunately cut into my FAAW time. But it also brings me to my post for the last day of FAAW. Our friends, Jen, Jeff and Kayla’s best friend Emma stayed with use for a couple nights before they closed on their house. It was great to have them with us for their last couple of days in New Jersey.

Jen and Jeff are truly special people. We have been extremely luck to have many friends in our lives who have shown us how important we are to them by working with us and helping us to take care of Kayla. Jen and Jeff were no exception. They were not only the first of our friends to make their daughter’s birthday party dairy-free; and this after only knowing us for 1 month; but they did it all without making us feel awkward. Food allergy parents know how uncomfortable it is to request accommodations for our children in someone else’s home. But Jen and Jeff, like so many of our other friends have taken it in stride, helped us by accommodating Kayla and not letting us down. Jen once told me that it “was not an inconvenience”. Now I certainly would never hold her to that thought, but I know she meant it. Jeff is one of the very rare individuals whom I have let cook for Kayla and part of that, aside from him being on top of the ingredients and putting up with my endless cross-contamination pestering is that he is always nervous about her eating. He keeps a close eye on her when she eats his food. It shows how seriously he takes it and he knows that no matter how careful you are, mistakes can and do happen. More than most, they understand where I was coming from and when we were out and Emma wanted a snack, Jen would pull a sealed bag of snacks out of her bag that she knows is and has always been safe for Kayla and instead of handing it to Emma, she hands it to me to check the ingredients. I never needed to remind her. She just knew and rememberd.

So yesterday was a very difficult day for us as they left New Jersey to start their journey to California. We will miss them and wish them a safe journey!

FAAW #4: FAAN’ 6th Annual Food Allergy Walk

2009-05-14T14:02:00.002-04:00

Update:
Unfortunately we have decided to postpone our tip to the Today Show. It’s rainy all day here and will be through tomorrow. Jennifer Hudson will be performing on the Plaza outside the Today Show and between that the rain we don’t think it will be as easy to get the exposure we want. We are pretty bummed since it is Food Allergy Awareness Week, but we are postponing to sometime in August and figure it will coincide with Back to School. I will definitely post it here when the time comes so you can look for me on TV.

Last year, I participated in my first Food Allergy Walk. My Mom, J and Kayla and did the walk and I was able to raise $1,500. It was a great day with lots of food samples and fun games for the kids. It was so exciting for Kayla to be able to eat the food that was offered. I also made some great contacts there for future reference. This year’s walk will be on Halloween. This year we will also be joined by Alysa and my Dad. I have also volunteered on the Walk Committee to help organize the day’s events. I’m excited to be a part of the planning stages and am looking forward to the walk itself. Since the Walk for our area falls on Halloween we will be having safe trick-or-treating with non-food treats so trick-or-treating will be safe for all kids. You can click on the button above (which is also in my sidebar) to see my walk site.

For those reading, if you have any food allergy questions for me. About how we deal or cope or on food allergies in general, post a comment and I’d be happy to answer them for you.

FAAW #3 - Full disclosure

2009-05-13T20:20:00.000-04:00

When I was at the conference in March, one of the things I took away from it was, it is possible for a child to forever test positive for an allergy via skin test even after they have outgrown it. With this tidbit of wisdom from Dr. Wood, I sought him out during one of the breaks and he was kind enough to take a few minutes to talk to me. I explained Kayla’s history (and her continuously decreasing blood levels and persistent positive skin tests). With that and her age, he recommended that we do a food challenge.

In the food allergy world, testing (both RAST and skin) are not always the most accurate. They are, in a lot of cases, best used as a guide with a child’s reaction (or lack of) to a food being your deciding factor. The only TRUE way to diagnose a food allergy is by eating the food.

Kayla, thanks to our diligence has not had a known reaction to dairy since she was 11 months old and has not ingested it since her first time at 8 months. So in conjunction with her allergist, we decided to challenger her. We did so in early April. This whole thing was a whirlwind for us and had me filled with a ton of anxiety. So much so that we did not share our plan with anyone, friends or family.

So the day before her challenge, I picked up a container of cow’s milk and hoped for the best or rather mostly for the worst to not happen.

Leading up to the challenge, I struggled with how much to tell Kayla. We have always vowed to be honest with her regarding her allergy (in an age appropriate manner of course). She can not learn to advocate for and take care of herself without a full knowledge and understanding of her condition. So I did tell her about the challenge and told her that I would be with her the entire time and both her doctor and me would keep her safe and help her. At first she was uneasy but then said she wanted to eat ice cream from the ice cream truck. After that I dropped it – I figured dwelling on it would only heighten her anxiety. But she’s too smart and remembered. The day of, she was very upset and did not want to “eat dairy”. She got upset and started to cry when the nurse was getting her weight, etc. She did not want to go in the exam room.

Her doc was excellent with her. He explained it to her in simple terms. Although it did not change her mind. Our first step was to put a drop on her skin. So we put a DVD in for her hoping to distract her. It was not surprising to me that when she cried, Alysa cried. I know from experience it’s a kid and sibling thing. Finally, in order to lessen Kayla’s anxiety, I told her doc to “sneak” a drop on her leg while she was watching the DVD. He turned his back and blocked Kayla’s view of the milk. Unfortunately, Alysa could see it and freaked out. I never expected her fear and it took me by surprise. She was crying and yelling, “No cow’s milk!” “We’ve got to get out of here!”. But with Kayla distracted, he was able to get a drop on her leg and when she asked what it was, he told her it was a little liquid. He left and we waited. Kayla’s too smart for us though and told me it was cow’s milk on her leg. After 15 or so minutes, I was encouraged since there was no reaction on her skin.

He did then do a skin prick test which of course came back positive. But to be sure, we went ahead with the challenge. At first she did not want to drink it, but all it took was for me to take a drop in my mouth (oh what bliss). She then voluntarily “drank” a tiny drop and surprisingly she liked the taste. But…it only took a minute or two for her to complain that her lip hurt. He checked and it was red. A minute later, as she continued to complain, she had hives on the inside of her lower lip. He immediately gave her Benadryl. A couple minutes after that she started to grab at her throat and when we questioned her she told us her throat itched. He stayed with us and watched her and thankfully that is where it ended. He let us hang out for a while to be sure she was OK before sending us home.

So Kayla is most DEFINITELY still allergic. And although it is encouraging that she did not react on contact, I am not holding my breath that she will never react on contact again. Food allergy reactions are so unpredictable and one reaction does not predict the next. And since every exposure and reaction can make future reactions worse, we can not let our guard with her history of sensitive reactions.

So although we did not get the outcome we were hoping for, we do know for sure she is still allergic. So we will continue on monitoring her via skin tests at this point and at least we know for her, currently, her skin tests are very accurate (especially with how strong her skin test reactions are). So life in our house has not changed, but we can try to remain optimistic that someday it will.

FAAW #2 - What I am up to this week

2009-05-12T21:30:00.000-04:00

Food Allergies, for obvious reasons, are very near and dear to my heart. Over the time since Kayla’s diagnosis, I have seen it all. I have gotten into fights and confrontations. I have seen how ugly people can be towards a child. But more importantly, I have seen the amazing amount of compassion and understanding that adults are capable of. But most importantly, I have seen the compassion and understanding come from children. I have seen how Kayla’s peers (family and friends alike) just want to keep her safe and included. It is these acts of kindness that keep us going and keep our fight to give Kayla a normal life (with parties, playdates, etc) going strong. I have also gotten so many questions from family, friends and strangers on food allergies. I love questions. It opens up a dialogue so I can educate. Education is the key to growing awareness and understanding. One question I have gotten from my Father is whether or not the rise in food allergies can be attributed more to better diagnosis and tracking rather than a true increase. I can see his point. If food allergies were vastly unknown 30+ years ago, then how can you track it properly? I can not necessarily accurately speak for the tracking and reporting of food allergies, but I can speak from my own personal experiences.

I have an excellent memory. I have memories to be age 3 and can picture the outside and inside of my Montessori preschool classroom. I’d love to see it in person to see how accurate my recollection is. But I digress. Growing up I did not have any friends with food allergies or even dietary restrictions. Food allergies were never a topic or an issue in my circle of friends or in the schools I attended. In my circle of friends, families and acquaintences, Kayla was the first child diagnosed with a food allergy. She was diagnosed 4 years ago. Since her diagnosis, excluding those I have met through her allergy (like in my support group), seven, I repeat seven kids in our circle (including family and friends) have been diagnosed with food allergies. Kayla would make eight! So yes, food allergies are definitely on the rise!

So this week, in honor of FAAW, I have helped Kayla’s allergist distribute flyers with some basic facts on food allergies as well as how to deal with a reaction. Kayla preschool distributed copies of the flyer to every student. I contacted and sent the flyer to the nurse at Kayla’s future public school. From the response I got from her at that time, I got the feeling it would not be distributed. That feeling has been validated by the repeated unreturned messages I have left for her since then. I can tell that Kayla’s public school experience will be a nightmare for me. But luckily her allergist has gotten it distributed to other local public schools and my Mom was able to get it distributed either by mail or electronically at the school where she works.

I will also be sending in a couple of our food allergy children’s books to school with Kayla this week for her teacher to share with the class. I may also give her our CD of food allergy songs.

Friday, I will be joining members of our support group on a trip to New York City. We will be meeting up at the train station for the 3:53am train to the City. We will all be decked out in t-shirts sporting the name of our support group and head to the outside of the Today Show in the hopes of getting noticed to bring some attention to food allergies. Apparently, not too long ago a group did this for Autism and got some air time. J is joining me for this trip, although I hope he doesn’t change his mind when he sees the time the train departs. So please cross your fingers that we at least get shown on TV. And if you watch the Today Show – look for me with.

Food Allergy Awareness Week (FAAW)

2009-05-11T20:53:00.003-04:00

Welcome to 2009’s Food Allergy Awareness Week. My first post for the week is a post of links to my FAAW posts from 2 years ago. They are a mix of some informational posts I did that year to help educate those on food allergies as well as some insight into our life with Kayla’s food allergy.. Hopefully it will be a good refresher for some and a good resource for any new to my blog.

I will have some other posts coming on food allergies – what I am up to this week and how things have changed for us since Kayla was first diagnosed. I also have some full disclosure coming up as well as an exciting trip I have planned for later in the week with regards to food allergies!

For my fellow Food Allergy Moms – what are you doing this week?

And for those not directly impacted (by a child or family member): anyone can help spread the word on food allergies – no informational tidbit is too small. I know my personal friends have taken what they have learned through me and applied it to their lives. A perfect example is a very good friend of mine who lives in Texas. Because of what she has witnessed through me, she asks new friends of her children if they have any dietary restrictions and always checks before bringing food into their respective classrooms. Will you or have you helped to educate those around you? If so, please tell me, I’d love to hear about it.

Prior FAAW posts:
Kayla's Diagnosis
How to Read a Label
13 Food Allergy Facts
Managing Kayla's Food Allergy
What the Future Holds

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T10:28:00.002-04:00

Wishing all the Moms a wonderful and peaceful day!

What my kids think of me...

2009-05-05T20:37:00.004-04:00

I saw this interview on Facebook and thought it was pretty cute. Of course I did this a month or so ago and am just getting to post this now...

1. What is something mom always says?
Kayla – I don’t know
Alysa – A lot of names

2. What makes mom happy?
Kayla - Hugs
Alysa - Kisses

3. What makes mom sad?
Kayla – Not getting hugs and kisses
Alysa – No hugs and kisses

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
Kayla – Make a silly face
Alysa – Doing silly dances

5. What was your mom like as a child?
Kayla – I don’t know
Alysa – Being a little girl

6. How old is your mom?
Kayla - 32
Alysa – I can’t know that

7. How tall is your mom?
Kayla – Taller than me
Alysa – I don’t know. 32!

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Kayla – Play with us
Alysa – Go to work (yeah – she doesn’t know me too well – LOL). And hugs!

9. What does your mom do when you’re not around?
Kayla – Wake me up
Alysa – Be sad

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Kayla – I don’t know
Alysa – A hug

11. What is your mom really good at?
Kayla – Carrying me
Alysa – Going to work [:(] and collecting things

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Kayla – Not carrying me
Alysa – Not collecting things and not going to work

13. What does your mom do for her job?
Kayla - Working
Alysa - Nothing

14. What is your mom’s favorite food?
Kayla - Cereal
Alysa - Pizza

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
Kayla - Listen
Alysa – Eating all my dinner

16. If your mom were on TV, who would she be?
Kayla - You
Alysa - Nothing

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Kayla – Hugs and kisses
Alysa – Build puzzles

18. How are you and your mom the same?
Kayla – We both like the computer
Alysa – Our shirts are the same (we are wearing our FAAN Walk t-shirts today)

19. How are you and your mom different?
Kayla – She’s taller than me
Alysa – Grabbing stuff [???]

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Kayla – She gives me hugs and kisses
Alysa – I get a hug and a kiss

21. Where is your mom’s favorite place to go?
Kayla – to Disney World
Alysa – to work (NOT…)

This isn't really a tag, but if any one decides to do this, let me know so I can come check it out.

Special Agent Oso

2009-04-29T17:23:00.004-04:00

This is one of the new shows the girls have decided they love. I think it is fairly new to Disney's Playhouse Disney line-up. If not, I've just never heard of it before.

It's a cute enough show (not quite as entertaining in my opinion as the Little Einsteins, but Special Agent Oso helps kids tackle tasks by using 3 steps). But this has fast become my favorite new show because one of the episodes is about food allergies.

The episode is entitled "On Her Cousin's Favorite Salad" and comes after "License to Clean". When Jade's cousin is coming over she wants to make a pizza for lunch. Jade's Mom tells her they can't because her cousin Rachael has food allergies. She tells Jade Rachael can not eat cheese or bread and if she does she will get sick. Jade is disappointed and sad for her cousin but then her Mom says she can make a special salad for them to have for lunch. The rest of the episode is how Special Agent Oso helps her make a salad.

It's a cute episode and really great for little people. It's simple and to the point and addresses it in a non-threatening and non-negative way. I give Disney two thumbs up for putting this in their show. I'm glad this episode is currently on On Demand and will make sure the girls wear it out until it expires.

It will be airing Sunday May 3rd at 8am on the Disney channel for those who are interested.

FAAN Conference - FINALLY!

2009-04-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

I finally got my info from March's conference finished. Just a month late, but who's counting?

So Saturday was my trip to Baltimore for FAAN’s Food Allergy Conference. I was up bright and early at 4:30 am and left my house at 5:30. Thankfully, I was not alone for the drive and it was a traffic-free one. It was raining, but it was all pretty light so it did not hold us up very much.

The conference began at 8:30 and went until 4:45. We arrived at about 7:50 which gave us ample time to register and look at the information they had available. They had on display many of the informational pamphlets they sell through FAAN as well as their epi pen pouches and children’s books. The children’s books are teaching tools not only for the children with allergies, but also for friends, family and they even have a book for non-allergic siblings. The great part was they had the items there for purchase, so I was able to come home with a few things without paying any shipping costs. I purchased 3 pamphlets – one that is a parent’s guide to schools, a teacher’s guide and one on laws for schools – I also got two of their children’s books – Lenny the Lion learns to read labels (Lenny just so happens to be allergic to dairy) and Susie’s Sister has Food Allergies (obviously a book for Alysa). They also had a little stuffed Lenny and his t-shirt says, “Lenny the Lion allergic to milk”. That was a little splurge for Kayla and it made her day.

I have to say FAAN did an excellent job with the conference. They took a long day of 8 hours and made what could have been a very boring day very interesting with a lot of information and broke it up and changed it up so that it was anything but boring. There was a good mix of practical and factual information on diagnosing and voiding reactions as well as what studies are going on currently and what is on the horizon. Aside from the informational aspects they had a dietician speak with some tips on eating well in spite of food allergies as well as a person from the restaurant industry who helps her company focus on giving the food allergic a viable and safe option for enjoying a restaurant meal. There were also two fathers who spoke and gave some insight into the emotional aspects and coping mechanisms. Another great speaker was a 17 year old with a peanut and tree nut allergy. It was great to see a teenager who has lived with her allergy and all that she is involved in and accomplished – groups, clubs, travel and a fulfilling life. What parent doesn’t want that for their child?

The speakers and schedule was as follows:
- Dr. Robert Wood – Director of Allergy & Immunology at Johns Hopkins University – he is not only top in the field but a peanut allergy sufferer himself.
- Lori Enriquez – Registered Dietician
- Christopher Weiss – Director of Legislative and Regulatory Research at FAAN
- Tony Mussorfiti – a Firefighter and Emergency Responder and a father of a dairy allergic teen
- Chris Ryan – a father of a 19 year old who is allergic to eggs, tree nuts and shellfish
- Caitlin – 17 year old allergic to peanuts and tree nuts
- Victoria Griffith – Director of Quality Assurance at Clydes Restaurant Group

Schedule:

- What Everyone Should Know About Food Allergies – Dr. Wood
- Eating Well With Food Allergies – Lori Enriquez
- Anaphylaxis: How to Take Action – Dr. Wood
- Reactions in Schools – Lessons Learned – Christopher Weiss
- Emergency Preparedness for People With Food Allergies – Tony Mussorfiti
- From Crib to College with Food Allergies: A Father’s Perspective – Chris Ryan
- Food Allergies Don’t Define Me – Caitlin
- An Insider’s Views on Dining Out – Victoria Griffith
- Research Update – Dr. Wood
- Question & Answer – two sessions

And now for some things I got out of the meeting:

Christopher Weiss gave data on an informative study done in Massachusetts on epi pen usage and reactions in school. They have been collecting data in recent years and have published the data from a 2 year period in (I believe) 1994-1995 (my allergist currently has my pamphlets). They kept track of every time an epi pen was administered and where the reaction occurred. I believe it was very telling to see that only 8% of reactions occurred in the cafeteria. This is the place where you would think the highest risk would be with food everywhere. But even in the absence of food bans and the high presence of food, as long as proper procedures and controls are put into place, the risk can be very low. Kayla is a perfect example of this in her classroom at school. The highest rate of reactions occurred in the classroom at 46%. For any parent of a food allergic child, this will probably not come as a surprise. Food has become, for some ridiculous reason, an intrical part of the classroom and curriculum. Although I do not support overall food bans in schools, I do support allergen “bans” in classrooms (within reason and when warranted) or an overall food ban if the people in charge do not manage the food well. Again, as long as it is managed well, there is no need for too many food restrictions. But I ask you, what is the need and purpose for food in the classroom? Parties, if needed, can be held in the cafeteria.

One thing I really loved about the conference was it was not all technical. There was plenty of information and stats and facts. But they also added an emotional and coping aspect to it. They had two parents of food allergic children speak. One was the fireman who spoke of the extra importance of emergency preparedness when you have a food allergic child and he was also a father of a 19 year old with a food allergy. So he brought the perspective of a parent and that of one as an emergency responder to his talk which added more to what he had to say. The other father has a child in college as well. He spoke of all the issues we face as parents both the logistical ways to keep our kids safe as well as the emotional ups and downs. He added quite a bit of humor to his speech as well. Let’s face it, some of what we do is comical. Like feeding our children out of our purses when we are in a restaurant (if and when we go to a restaurant). When you’re in a room full of people who truly get it, it’s quite easy to let go of some of the tension and see the humor when their usually is none to be seen. You know there is no animosity or ignorance – just camaraderie and understanding. Nothing is intended as a way to make you feel bad or inadequate, but just looking at how we live daily. The good, the bad and the humorous. The teen, Caitlin was an excellent speaker. She is what I hope Kayla (and Alysa) grow up to be. She has taken charge of her life. She is very active in extra curricular activities and has even traveled (by 17) without her parents, which I’m sure was no easy thing for her parents to let her do. I give them so much credit as well. They have raised a young woman who is responsible for her own safety and has an excellent and bright outlook on her life and future. She doesn’t let her food allergy define her and she has surrounded herself with friends who care enough to keep her safe. She made the wonderful point that if someone won’t be good for her and help her or understand, she will not be friends with them. She knows who she can trust and who she can not.

Dr. Wood, whom I have heard so much about, was great. He was an excellent speaker and gave us a lot of information. It was pretty scary though to see some of the pictures he showed. On boy in particular was probably around 6 or 7 and was covered in head to toe hives because a classmate thought it would be funny to spit milk at him through a straw and he was contact-reactive. It really sent chills down my spine.

With two 45 minute question and answer periods, there was plenty of time to answer many questions. One person posed the question to Caitlin if she had ever been bullied. She said she has not, but one of the fathers said his son was once threatened with peanut butter in school. His way of dealing with it was to go the Principal and simply ask him what the school’s policy was on dealing with weapons in school. The incident was then dealt with to his satisfaction.

Dr. Wood was able to touch on some of the studies being done on food allergies. Many which we’ve heard about. Many of the studies are around vaccine development or desensitization. Some of these studies are ones he is directly involved in and really need a separate post since this one is already pretty long.

It was a great conference and I highly recommend it to anyone affected by food allergies, whether in their every day lives (self/parent/care giver) or if you have a friend, friend’s child, relative, child’s friend or even if you just want to learn more. As someone who is directly affected, I know our best defense is accurate education.

She had a rough weekend

2009-04-26T16:18:00.001-04:00

Poor Alysa - she had fun playing outside all weekend, but fell, not once, not twice, but THREE times on the sidewalk/street. So Saturday night and Sunday, she looked quite pathetically, like this...

My worst nightmare

2009-04-25T21:33:00.005-04:00

In Gina Clowes' latest newsletter, she published a story written by Brian Hom, a father who lost is 18 year old son to a peanut allergy.

As of this morning, the latest issue was not yet on her site, so I'm posting it in its entirety below, but you can go to her site here. Below the article is an interview with Brian Hom that Gina conducted. It is very eye opening.

A Parents Worst Nightmare

By Brian Hom

I was invited to share the story of my 18 year old son BJ Hom (right) who passed away last summer on July 1, 2008 from an allergic reaction from peanuts while vacationing in Mexico.

BJ was a loving son and brother and a good loyal friend to all who knew him. As our first born son, he never asked for much. He was quiet and kind and very content with a simple life. BJ was known for his shy smile. If you tried to make him laugh, he would look at you indirectly and crack a small smile.

Last summer, our family planned a very special vacation to Los Cabos, Mexico to celebrate BJ's high school graduation and his 18th birthday. We had no idea then that the vacation we looked forward to so much would turn out to be the worst time of our lives.

It started on July 1, 2008. We were so excited as we landed in Mexico at 7 pm and quickly checked into the resort. We put our suitcases in our room without unpacking and headed straight to a buffet dinner at the resort restaurant around 8:45.pm. We finished a quick and uneventful meal by 9:20 and decided to walk around the resort to look at the pool and the beach.

It was just as we started our walk that BJ spoke his last words to me, "Dad my throat hurts. Can you buy me some cough drops?"

I bought BJ some cough drops from the resort gift shop and we separated after that. My other sons and I headed to the resort arcade while BJ stayed with my wife Kathy.

BJ told her "Mom, I don't feel well. Can we go to the room?" So they headed toward the elevator, but things quickly took a turn for the worse. BJ's lips turned blue, his face turned very pale, and he was grabbing his chest as he could no longer breathe. Kathy led him to a couch in the lobby to sit down but he collapsed on the floor of the lobby before he could make it there.

Minutes later, a lady came rushing in to us at the arcade and said "Your son is very ill and you need to come to the lobby!" I was very concerned but I didn't know what to think. I thought he might have been choking on something, maybe on the cough drop.

When I got there, I couldn't believe what I saw. BJ's eyes were open but he couldn't talk and was gasping for air. The hotel staff was frantically trying to give first aid assistance. The paramedics arrived within ten minutes and continued in their attempts to help my son.

At one point, we knew he stopped breathing so my wife and I kept asking where the doctor was. When the doctor arrived, they continued with frantic attempts to revive him with oxygen and CPR. The paramedics gave us hope that he might be breathing again. So we kept asking the doctor "Is he going to be okay? "

Finally, the doctor responded to us. He hesitated for a minute, took a deep breath and said "Sorry" Then he closed my son's eyes and covered his head with a blanket. There wasn't much else he could do.

This was the worst and most heartbreaking day in our lives. Kathy and I felt like someone had reached into our chest and ripped out our hearts. To this day, I still can't believe it really happened. But it did happen and that is why I am on a mission now. I have two other boys at home, BJ's brothers, who have peanut [and sesame] allergies too. I want the world to know that food allergies are real and this is what can happen if you are not prepared to deal with them.

This article is dedicated to the loving memory of my son Brian James Hom II.

Q&A With Brian Hom

I know that many of you will have questions about BJ's story so I'm grateful to share my interview with Brian Hom with you.

Gina Clowes: Brian, thank you so much for talking with me. I know it must be difficult but you've also shared with me that you're determined to share BJ's story in the hopes of protecting others.

Brian Hom: Yes, and I am in a unique situation in that I have two other sons at home, BJ's younger brothers, who also have peanut allergies. I have to protect my son's.

GC: Let's talk a little bit about your family's history. Do you or your wife Kathy have allergies?

BH: No.

GC: How did you find out that BJ had food allergies?

BH: When he was two years old, he ate something that he reacted to in a restaurant with hives, some redness and swelling on his face. A few years later at preschool, he bit into a piece of candy and had another reaction. Neither time did he have breathing problems.

GC: Did he ever have to go to the emergency room for treatment of his food allergies?

BH: Oh, no.

GC: Was he prescribed an Epi-Pen?

BH: He did when he was younger, but later it seemed manageable without it. We figured an epi-pen was necessary for extreme reactions.

If I had any idea or would have seen what happened that day, I would have carried it with me. I can't tell you how much I wish he was going to get a second chance. I never had any idea that something like this could really happen.

GC: You told me that BJ's anaphylactic reaction in Mexico was completely different from the few previous reactions that he had. How so?

BH: His previous reactions were visible reactions on his skin. He'd get hives, and redness. He had never, ever had this difficulty breathing. This last time, he had no hives. In fact, he was completely pale.

GC: When BJ asked you for the cough drops, did you think that he might be experiencing an allergic reaction?

BH: No, no. He asked for cough drops occasionally. Looking back now though I wonder if these could have been other milder reactions that even he was not aware were allergic reactions.

GC: Had BJ ever complained before about his throat hurting as a symptom of food allergy?

BH: No, never. We were so used to see a rash on his face.

GC: What did you think when BJ asked for the cough drops?

BH: I was thinking: How could he have a sore throat? We just flew from San Jose and he was fine..

GC: What types of reactions had BJ had in the past?

BH: He would always get hives. His face would get red and swollen. We thought that this would be the way reactions would happen for him.

This [last] reaction was so dramatically different. He had no hives, or redness. Yet this time he died within minutes of finishing his last meal.

GC: Did you believe that BJ had a "mild" peanut allergy?

BH: Yes. I had heard stories of people dying but I didn't think we were dealing with that same thing. BJ had had hives on his face once and swollen lip but we gave him Benadryl and they went away.

Now, I meet people who have kids with allergies, and I think they're in denial about how serious it can be. Maybe I was in denial too. We never ever imagined that anything like this could happen.

GC: Do you believe you know what caused BJ's anaphylaxis?

BH: Yes, it was a chocolate mousse dessert from the buffet. I warn families now to avoid buffets.

We only put this together later when my other son started to experience itching and swelling. He was quickly treated with an injection and some pills. (We assumed the injection was epinephrine.) BJ and my son Steven both ate the same dessert.

GC: What do you think or feel when you hear the backlash against food allergy families or accommodations for these children?

BH: Let them lose a child and see how they feel and they'll see it differently.

It's easy to say "My rights are being violated" because you don't really believe it's real and so you don't understand the reason for the accommodations.

GC: How are you and your family doing?

BH: It's so painful. My sons are sad, sometimes angry, sometimes scared.

There is not a day that I don't think about him. My wife and I are heartbroken. We visit him every week at the cemetery. The lifelong living without your child and having to bury them. You don't want your worst enemy to have to experience this.

GC: Are your sons being given appropriate accommodations in school?

BH: Yes, they are. Thank you. And we feel better about that now.

We planted a tree and put a memorial there to Brian James Hom II and we had the plaque state that he died of an allergic reaction to peanuts. We want people to know.

GC: What are your hopes for the future?

BH: That there is going to be a cure. That nobody out there has to die from a peanut allergy or a food allergy.

GC: Your family's story is heart-breaking. I know it can't be easy to talk about this. Why do you do it?

BH: I think of him constantly so whether I talk about it or not, it is always there. If telling my story will help someone else, I want to do that.

Sharing this story and having it happen are so different. This shouldn't have to happen.

GC: What would you like to share with other parents?

BH: In this case, the loss of my son to peanut allergy and witnessing his death in front of our eyes was horrific. We were totally helpless.

I still remember like yesterday being by his side in the delivery room with my wife when he was born and I will always remember being by his side with my wife when he died. The total pain, and sorrow of setting up the funeral services and burial within days of his death were unbearable.

Now, I have to do everything in my power to protect my younger sons. Their brother died so that these guys can live. It is a lesson learned for us and for them. We live daily with the loss but if I can prevent this from happening again to anyone, anywhere, I want to do that.

I think it's most important to make note that until BJ's deadly reaction, all his previous reactions had been "superficial". Just hives and a swollen lip or two, all of which were cleared up with Benadryl. And since they believe their son to have a mild peanut allergy, they did not carry epi pens with him. Had they done so, he most likely would have been saved.

This is a nightmare and a very hard story for me, as a food allergy parent to read, but so important for those outside our "community". This article is especially important for those who do not take food allergies seriously and for those who think, "they'll only get a rash".

And so it begins

2009-04-22T16:59:00.000-04:00

Today is Earth Day. I am not a “subscriber” to global warming and I never have been. I don’t believe in the hype or the threat that many would have us believe. I believe that the earth’s climate is cyclical, as it always has been. For those that have been paying attention, you’ll notice the term “global warming” has been replaced with “climate change”. That is because the trend has been shifting from warming to cooling. In the 70’s the hype was global cooling and it looks like we’re heading back there. Don’t get me wrong, I love the earth. I think it’s a beautiful planet. And without what the earth has to offer, we would not enjoy the life and luxuries that we have. We also are big recyclers. But we have always recycled simply because it makes sense both practically and financially. But it is all done for our own reasons and based on our own values. And this works for us.

I’ve always known that when Kayla hit school, I would have to work against the grain to instill in her the values that are important to J and me. We have to work to counteract the things we know to be false or do not want her taking away from school. Things that in all honesty have no place in school. Well, some of this started last night.

Kayla came up to me last night and asked, “Mommy, is tomorrow Earth Day?”. She took me off guard to be honest. I had only heard in passing that it was earth day because it is not a day I really follow. Now I have no idea what exactly they told her at school about earth day. So I just sat down in the hallway with her and as simply as I could, I told her that the earth is a great planet and it has a lot of great things. Trees, grass, water, etc. I also told her that we use the trees to make paper and build houses and we drink the water. I told her we need to use what the earth has to live. Simple and to the point. She liked what I told her because she was the one that pointed out the earth has grass. :)

Things I'm grateful for...

2009-04-15T21:10:00.004-04:00

As I pack up to drive out to visit my Big Sis, I wanted to list a few things I am thankful for.

I am grateful for a Sister who:

...along with her entire family, eats dairy-free for the duration of our stay;
...stops giving her kids dairy snacks/food outside the kitchen for at least a week before we arrive;
...stops bringing dairy snacks (aka evil gold fish) into her car for a week before we arrive;
...vacuums out her car before we arrive so no traces of the evil fish trail into her home;
...cleans not only her kitchen, but her microwave and other appliances;
...cleans her fridge, makes an entire shelf dairy-free and cleans the outside of her jars of food in the fridge to minimize cross-contamination risks;
...washes her floors, chairs, door knobs and other surfaces;
...cleans the kids' toys to the best of her ability;
...vacuums the floors, couch and each and every couch cushion and pillow;
...puts away her dairy-containing shampoos so they are not used accidentally;
...is willing to open brandy new packages of food she already has opened so that nothing will be cross-contaminated when we eat there (i.e. cereals, ketchup, mayo, etc.);
...ships her kids off to the babysitter's house the day before we arrive so she can spend the day cleaning her house from top to bottom;
...all this to keep one very special little girl safe!

Thanks Chris! You're the best!!! Can't wait to see you tomorrow!

Easter Bunny Train

2009-04-12T12:38:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, we took the girls on a train ride with the Easter Bunny. It’s an old train from the 1930’s that goes between towns up by my parents. We went with Kayla’s BFF Emma and they had a blast.

Before I went, I was in touch with someone with the train company and they were a great help with getting Kayla a safe treat. Kayla is always so great with understanding having to trade unsafe candy for safe candy, but I wanted to try to add to the magic by getting her safe candy directly from the Big Bunny herself.

When I arrived, I talked to the man who was escorting her and gave him some candy. When she came by, he pointed Kayla out to the Bunny and she handed Kayla directly her safe candy. Her face was priceless when she saw the Easter Bunny knew her and gave her safe candy. I love the magic they believe in.

The girls on the train

Me and the girls

Kayla realizing the candy being handed to her is SAFE!

With the Bunny

BFF's

Happy Easter everyone!

Glad to know I'm loved

2009-04-06T12:46:00.001-04:00

Last week a coworker's husband died. So last night, when J got home from work I went to the viewing. As I was getting ready to leave, Alysa asked me where I was going. I told her I was going to a funeral. She looked puzzled, so I told her a funeral is what you have when someone dies. She looked at me and said,

"Mommy. When you die, I will give you a funeral."

Thanks kiddo.

Potty Training Update

2009-04-03T11:48:00.004-04:00

So far so good...We're on our 3rd day and so far no accidents (knock*on*wood). She's even gone poop on the potty. She did get up this morning and said she was all done with the potty. But, she's still going strong and very proud of herself.

I, on the other hand, will be proud of myself when I get caught up.

Sad Days

2009-04-01T13:30:00.000-04:00

Our friends Jen & Jeff have sold their house with a closing on April 30th. I’m happy for them that they sold it. But I’m upset they are closing in 30 days. If only Kayla knew what was coming her way. May will be a sad, sad month.

In other news – today, in our house, is officially known as “Bye Bye Pull-Up Day”. Except for night time Alysa has to say good bye to pull-ups and will be helping to clean up any messes she makes in the transition. Wish us luck. She will be in school in 5 months!

I am also working on a long post about the FAAN Conference. It was a great event and I got a lot of great information and really enjoyed it. So keep a look out for it. I hope to have it done in the next couple of days. Did I mention I also need to catch up with all of you too?

Must be doing something right

2009-03-27T15:54:00.005-04:00

*I apologize for not being able to keep up lately. This month has been pure chaos with one thing after the other.*

Yesterday, Alysa was eating a little bag of pretzels in the car in between errands. She then piped up from the back seat:

Alysa - "Mommy, these pretzels are safe for Kayla."
Me - "Yes, honey they are."
Alysa - "I'm going to read the ingredients to make sure they are safe".

When I looked in the back seat, this is what I saw (please note I took this photo while stopped at a light) :)

In other happenings, I had a nice little trip up to Rhode Island with my Mom last weekend. My Dad watched the girls for me since J was working. We drove up Friday night and arrived around 9:30. Saturday we got up and had a lazy dairy-filled breakfast. I don't remember the last time I had eggs with cheese! Boy was it delicious. Then we went to the mall with my Aunt and cousins (18 & 21) for some shopping before we had a yummy dinner (again filled with dairy). We came home Sunday to 2 girls who missed me tons. Just another part I love about being a Mom - the unconditional love. I had a great time, but missed them so much. Kayla, as usual had fun with my Dad, but each time she talked to me got all whiny with the "Are you coming home now?" and "I miss you Mommy."

This coming Saturday is my last trip for a while (for a few weeks anyway when I head out to Ohio after Easter). I am heading down to Baltimore for FAAN's Annual Food Allergy Conference. I'm going with a friend of mine who I met in my support group. I've been anxiously waiting for this trip and can not wait to go. My friend's daughter is in 2nd grade and is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. Her and I get along really well and have a bit too much in common. Both our husbands are Cancer survivors, her and I both battled Infertility (we even used the same doctor) and our daughters have a food allergy. The conference is from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. It will be a long day and even longer since we're driving there and back in 1 day. We'll be leaving my house bright and early at 5:30 am. I would go to bed now if I could get away with it. I'm always looking for more information and ways to teach others about food allergies and I'm expecting to get so much out of the conference.

I will definitely find the time after to post what I learn here. I have more to share and other happenings, but...I must get a few things done around here. Blogging is not the only thing that I've been behind on.

American Tea Party

2009-03-25T17:16:00.005-04:00

My month of chaos is almost over. Had a great trip this past weekend and slowly getting back to normal (more on that later). Of course I do have one more trip coming up (again more on that exciting trip later).

I heard this song on the radio today and had to share.

I also was able to find the lyrics at Fox News:

American Tea Party Anthem

written and performed by Lloyd Marcus

Mr. President!
Your stimulus is sure to bust.
It's just a socialistic scheme,
The only thing it will do
Is kill the American Dream.

You wanna take from achievers
Somehow you think that's fair.
And redistribute to those folks
Who won't get out of their easy chair.

We're havin' a tea party across this land.
If you love this country,
Come on and join our band.
We're standin' up for freedom and liberty,
'Cause patriots have shown us freedom ain't free.

So when they call you a racist cause you disagree,
It's just another of their dirty tricks to silence you and me.
I believe in the Constitution and all it stands for.
Anyone who tramples it should be booted out the door.

We're havin' a tea party across this land.
If you love this country,
Come on and join our band.
We're standin' up for freedom and liberty,
'Cause patriots have shown us freedom ain't free.

Now we're not advocating violence,
That's what the so-called peace crowd do.
We're talkin' peaceful protest to defend the red, white and blue.

We gotta vote out these clowns who don't love the USA.
Who stay up late losing sleep, fearing what the French might say.

We're havin' a tea party across this land.
If you love this country,
Come on and join our band.
We're standin' up for freedom and liberty,
'Cause patriots have shown us freedom ain't free.

We're havin' a tea party across this land.
If you love this country,
Come on and join our band.
We're standin' up for freedom and liberty,
'Cause patriots have shown us freedom ain't free.

Freedom ain't free,
(Stand up for America)
Freedom ain't free,
(Gotta take a stand)
Freedom ain't free,
(Mr. Obama)
Freedom ain't free,
(We work hard for our money)
Freedom ain't free,
(Don't give it away)
Freedom ain't free,
(Save the day)
Freedom ain't free,
(Don't go givin' it away)
Freedom ain't free,
(It ain't gonna work)
Freedom ain't free,
(Give back our freedom)
Freedom ain't free,
(Give back our liberty)
Freedom ain't free,
(I love my country)

Brothers & Sisters - No thanks

2009-03-18T18:54:00.006-04:00

I do not watch ABC's Brothers and Sisters and now I know I'll never want to. Allergy Moms linked to Terri Mauro's Special Needs Blog post about Sunday night's Brother's and Sister's episode. In the very first scene, only seconds into the show, one of the character's (Sarah) daughter walks in the kitchen and asks her Mom what she's making her for lunch. Sarah answered peanut butter and jelly. With that the daughter, Paige reminds her Mom that her school is peanut-free. In response Sarah tells her daughter to tell her teacher that it is soy butter.

You can watch the episode here. The moment in question is really in the first few seconds of the show.

This is really disturbing to me. I do not, nor have I ever support food bans. But that aside, this line in the show is very damaging. As an allergy parent, I work really hard, as I know my fellow food allergy moms do too in getting the word out about the seriousness of food allergies. Things like this undermine us and hurt our children. I can't fathom what the point was of this line. I will admit I did not watch the entire show, but I did read that the topic never came up again in the rest of the show - no lesson learned. So what was the point? Why even put that in there unless the point was to undermine our cause and make us look ridiculous? What kind of lesson is in there when we teach our children to lie, specially at the expense of another? I also wonder, is it really worth it? Even putting aside the danger you are placing the allergic child in, why would you put your own, non-allergic child in the position to feel responsible for making her classmate or friend sick or worse?

People never cease to amaze me.

Just like her Mom

2009-03-15T16:20:00.003-04:00

I walked in the playrom on Friday and saw Kayla sitting at her tool bench. I mean - correction - her computer.

Now I head back to my sick kids. Yes, again! Alysa is still recovering, although she's doing really well, but Kayla has a virus again - fever, headache...you know, her normal!

Calgon, take me away!!!

Just our luck

2009-03-09T21:02:00.002-04:00

J took Kayla to gymnastics tonight while I stayed home with our little one still on pain meds. I had told J to be sure to pay our monthly tuition which he did, but... I got a call to say the girl who processed the payment typed in a 0 in place of the decimal place. So instead of paying $99.75 for their two classes we paid $990.75!!! OUCH! The system would not let them reverse it because why would it be that easy? I had a bit of a freak-out imagining all the potential bouncing and fees that could have hit us. Thankfully my bank was very helpful and once the gymnastics place faxed them a letter notifying them of the error it was fixed. Nothing like having my relaxing night filled with anxiety.

Alysa on the mend

2009-03-07T13:27:00.005-05:00

It's been a rough few days around here. Thurday was the roughest with Alysa totally lethargic and miserable. She was pretty doped up and really didn't move off the couch. She was not very pleased about leaving the house to take Kayla to and from school, but she was a trooper and kept falling asleep in the car.

Yesterday, towards the end of the day she began to venture off the couch. She's a bit unsteady on her feet from the pain meds, but she's too cute wobbling around the house. Her voice is a little higher in pitch and she sounds all garbled. She's a bit difficult to understand right now but it's so adorable.

I was able to catch her on video a bit.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

She still is getting tired easily but she is playing in between laying on the couch. I feel bad seeing her in pain and so "out of it", but I can't help but think how cute she is.

Here are some photos of the past few days...

I hope everyone is having a relaxing weekend. I know I will be continuing to enjoy the warm weather we are having.

It's beginning to look like spring

2009-03-07T13:19:00.008-05:00

It is a beautiful spring day here in NJ with a high of 67. It took somework, but I was able to convince Kayla to leave the TV and head outside. I even convinced Alysa to get out of her pajama’s and join us for a little while.

It always brings a smile to my face to see these signs of spring...
me bulbs poking up from the ground

fresh, new rose buds

The girls got to do some artwork on the driveway.

Alysa even mustered up some energy to play some hopscotch.

And here I will embarass myself and show you my pathetic attempt at drawing my car (at Kayla's request)

Successful surgery

2009-03-04T13:15:00.009-05:00

I'm glad to say we are home from Alysa's tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. Our arrival time was 6:30 am which put us as one of the first surgeries. She was actually the 2nd in her OR. Everything went very smoothly. Alysa was not very thrilled with the poking and prodding, but she was a trooper, until it was time to take the "giggle juice". I had to force it on her and she spit some of it out because she did not like the taste of it. But once she was tipsy all was well. Once they were ready to take her the nurse told us where the waiting room was and she looked at me, all wobbly and said, "Where are you guys going?"

Once they wheeled her off to the OR, she was only gone for 35 minutes. Just enough time for J and I to grab some breakfast sandwiches. Her surgery went really well and her doctor told us her tonsils were larger than he expected from what he could see prior to her surgery. So we're hoping that it will make a big difference.

Typical for Alysa, when she was waking up she was freaking out, which I've learned has an official name, because what is a behavior without a name? It's called emergence delirium. So she had that, then fell asleep on me after she calmed down. then she threw up, but thankfully not on me this time. They gave her more Zofran (the miracle anti-vomiting drug) and she slept some more. Within an hour of her surgery, she was eating cheerio's, drinking apple juice, still looking ~~stoned~~ medicated, and were were headed for home.

Since the medication they gave her tasted bad, she fought me on the pain meds, so I had to give her a suppository - this should be a fun 2 weeks. And...I have to give her the pain meds every 4-6 hours even through the night. Ah, the joys of a newborn in the house.

She did take a 2 1/2 hour nap today and devoured a bananana when she woke up. I'll take it.

I am glad her surgery is over and I hope her recovery is not too bad. She is a trooper and now I hope once her recovery is over she can begin the path to a full recovery with better eating. Keep your fingers crossed for us that this helps her.

Here is a glimpse of our morning at the hospital.

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Food allergy dogs

2009-03-02T19:20:00.002-05:00

We've all heard of seeing eye dogs and dogs that sniff out drugs. Tonight, on the news I saw an 8 year old girl who has a dog that sniffs out peanut residue for her. She has a history of being hospitalized for touching an item with peanut residue. In the clips they showed, she wears gloves and the dog accompanies her everywhere, even to school and sniffs items and areas (like the lunchroom) before she uses them.

I found it really interesting and this dog is only 1 of 12 in the country. It's an interesting resource for those kids with extremely severe and sensitive allergic reactions to foods.

You can read about it here.

It figures...

2009-03-01T15:09:00.002-05:00

We are 3 days from Alysa's surgery to remove her tonsils and adenoids. And of course she got sick. She has a stomach virus and a fever. I was told if she has a fever surgery will be cancelled (a cold would not necessarily cancel it). I wasn't told how close to the surgery it has to be to have an impact. I can hope she will be well enough by Wednesday, but I won't hold my breath. And I figure, the way things tend to happen, if she's OK for surgery, I will be the one sick which would put me at staying home.

Oh and to make matters worse, she got sick at the bowling alley. And not just there, but all over me. Her and I were both covered. What a pleasant experience that was! Please let this pass quickly and with minimal collateral damage for the rest of us in this house...

Making Mommy proud

2009-02-25T14:43:00.002-05:00

Yesterday when Jerome picked Kayla up from school she was walking out with one of her little class-mates. He heard this little girl say to her Mom, "Mommy, Kayla says Spongebob is yucky and that he is not nice."

That's my girl!

Well said!

2009-02-19T18:32:00.003-05:00

I hit the jackpot!

2009-02-18T17:58:00.002-05:00

Last year, J and I got a Wawa Chase credit card. For those who don't know, Wawa is a huge chain of convenient stores in our area and they have been majorly expanding on their gas station piece of it. The Wawa by us had recently added gas pumps, so we decided to forgo our other brand-specific gas cards for the Wawa Visa. The card although, for our purposes would be solely for fuel, could be used for other purchases as well. The card came with rewards in the form of Wawa gift cards. For me this meant free gas, but J was seeing coffee in his future. Months and months went by (including months of gas bills exceeding $550) and no reward gift cards. The other day, I finally figured out that I have to go online to redeem our rewards. I feel like I won the lottery with $175 in Wawa gift cards coming our way. I'm looking forward to a big dent in our next month's fuel bill!

Sorry hon - this does not mean $175 worth of coffee!

Does my heart good.

2009-02-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday at lunch, I asked Kayla if she liked her teacher. Her answer?

"Um, almost."

What a difference a week makes...

2009-02-13T09:27:00.005-05:00

A week and a half ago (on Tuesday), when I went in to talk to Kayla's teacher, Kayla clung to my leg and was so upset that I was leaving. On Thursday of that week when I dropped off her previous worksheets that she had done, Kayla "hid" behind me from her teacher, but did not cling to me and was more "OK" when I left.

When the jelly fish arrived, Kayla was actually excited to give it to her teacher. She even let her teacher hug her after she gave it to her yesterday. Today when I dropped her off I went in to talk to her teacher (it was crazy hectic yesterday morning due to a power outage). It did my heart really good when Kayla ran into the classroom and gave her a hug. She was excited to be there and although yesterday she told me she still didn't like her, today showed me different.

I have seen that although she's still drawing pictures, she is doing work sheets again. I was also told Kayla is working with the other materials. She will now sit down and work with her teacher. She is going to be starting her in a workbook next week since she's now been able to see that Kayla is ready (Kayla certainly loves workbooks at home). I was also given some bragging rights. Her teacher told me Kayla is very good with her sounds, but will also give her big words. She told me the other day when asking Kayla what word starts with the letter 'M', instead of responding with monkey or mom or another word she said she would expect from a child, Kayla came out with "marathon". That's my girl.

I know some of her turn-around was simply time, but I also believe that having her fears/anxieties/whatever acknowledged and having her teacher and I work together has helped her come around, at the very least quicker. Or at least I hope I helped her. Regardless, I'm glad I followed my instincts, and am confident she will begin to love school like she did last year with her new teacher.

Separately, it amazed me yesterday what OMT can do for them. They had their appointments and aside from working on them with their reflux issues, he spent time working on their sinuses (we all have major colds going on). He gave special attention to Kayla’s ear since she was diagnosed on Wednesday with an ear infection. He said what he was doing would help them drain and get better quicker. I was amazed to see them both wake up alert and in good spirits with their cough and congestion almost completely gone. He also said any time they are sick, if they’re not due to see him, I can call up for an appointment. I think I may take him up on that – especially for the times when they’re sick for 2 weeks straight. I’m quite jealous of their chipperness today.

Some delayed fun photos

2009-02-12T10:43:00.006-05:00

While at Epcot, we did some fun photo editing. I e-mailed them to me and was disappointed when they were not here when I got home. I was pleasantly surprised to see them show up in my inbox today. Better late than never I guess...

disclaimer:The girls chose the accessories and the placement.

Alysa & me

Kayla

Alysa & me after Kayla had gone home sick that day

School Adjustments

2009-02-10T19:32:00.001-05:00

Kayla has been having a tough year at preschool. Last year, she adored school. We both loved her teacher and the TA (teacher’s assistant). They were great with Kayla and with the food allergy. I couldn’t have asked for any more diligence and Kayla wanted to go to school 7 days a week and was sad every weekend when she stayed home. What more could a Mom want?

If you remember, her teacher from last year had a baby over the summer which meant a new teacher for Kayla in September (typically in Montessori, they remain with the same teacher all 3 year – which is one of the many pluses). Neither J nor I were as thrilled with her. I thought she was a bit too “public school” (that is where her background was). Kayla, although always said she liked her, was not as enthusiastic about school. She would daily say she did not want to go. But, through it all, she was progressing – she’s writing her name and other letters. Doing really well on her sounds at school (as well as at home). Then, if you remember, in December we got word that her new teacher was leaving and a new one would be taking over Jan 5th. I had many concerns, the most important being a complete lack of Montessori experience. I was not happy, but tried to reserve judgment. I did feel better after I met her and actually liked her more than her teacher the first half of this year. Her background, although, not in Montessori, is one of similar philosophies and she seemed dedicated to Montessori. So I decided to continue to reserve judgment.

I believe this new change was just too much for Kayla. Since day one of learning a new teacher would be taking over, she has complained of not liking her. Kayla is my complete creature of habit. It’s even a struggle on warm days and when spring hits to transition her from a coat to a light jacket or no coat/hat/gloves, etc and vice versa. I knew she didn’t like the change, but I wanted to give it time. Especially since the teacher took over on January 5th, Kayla has only been in school for 1 full week due to Disney and being sick over and over and over…(you get the picture). But, let’s just say, without going into all the details, that last week, I had to take action and meet with her teacher. Her teacher was great and put some of my concerns about her to rest. She was also trying to give Kayla another week, before calling me. Apparently things were worse than I thought.

She told me Kayla will barely go near her. She shies away from her and will even hold onto the TA (who thankfully has stayed constant). Her teacher can not get Kayla to do any work with her and Kayla won’t even do any of the work at school at this point. She will only draw on the easel (which is evident by the million and one drawings I get home each day). Kayla has been very clingy with the TA. I then told her that Kayla, from day one has said she did not like her, but that it started before she even met her. She was very sincere about wanting to help work with me to get Kayla through this transition. Her teacher has wanted to work with Kayla to see where she is at with her numbers, letters, etc but has been unable to. She has been reluctant to push Kayla too far because she knows it will only work to further distance Kayla from her.

Later that week I brought in some of the things Kayla did last year and the work Kayla has done this year so she could get an idea as to where Kayla really is.

Thankfully we have noticed a slight improvement in Kayla in the past week. She still does not want to go to school, but…she has been bringing home some work sheets. There was a day where the TA was absent, so Kayla’s only choice was the teacher. They do have a sub, but apparently the teacher was the better option.

She and I are working to find some common ground – like Kayla and her teacher’s favorite animal is a jelly fish. Kayla has a beanie baby jelly fish and I found another on eBay, which I purchased and Kayla is actually excited to give it to her. I certainly don’t plan on showering her teacher with gifts, but I am trying this to see if it will help Kayla to bond with her. I am concerned about her back-peddling and do not want her to stop progressing at school. I do know I need to give the new teacher a really fair shot before considering changing class rooms (which has been suggested to me by others not in the school). If it’s really the teacher and she won’t progress, I would have to consider that. But if it is the change, moving her would only make thing worse and it would take Kayla way from the only constant in all of this – the TA. Not to mention, it would take me away from the TA who is the one I trust the most with Kayla’s allergy, as she is the one who handles the snacks.

It’s definitely not easy watching your child struggle. I just hope I can give her the tools and work with her to feel safe enough to work through this and begin to enjoy and look forward to school again. Especially since her preschool is going to be the safest school setting she’ll ever be in. I have a feeling it will only get harder when she hits public school. I want us both to be able to cherish the next year and half before the real battles begin…

Alysa's new bed in the making...

2009-02-08T20:32:00.005-05:00

I had a busy weekend which started with dinner out with friends last night to celebrate his birthday. My Mom took the girls for an overnight, so I got to take advantage of that and went out with Jen & Jeff this afternoon and finally took them to the best pizza place ever. I so enjoyed the pizza and am hoping my cheese cravings (which are out of control lately) will subside for a little while.

A couple weeks ago, J and I got a great deal on 2 twin mattresses for Alysa's room. We've had a hand-me-down bed in storage at my Parents' house for years. I was told it was a trundle. It's actually a sleigh bed with a pull out bed underneath. It doesn't lift up like you're typical trundle, but once it's done it will be beautiful. We're hoping the weather cooperates so J can get it done in the next couple weeks - it needs some major sanding and repainting.

Stomach bugs, fevers, pink eye...oh my!

2009-02-06T20:40:00.003-05:00

The fun never ends around here...

(yes her right eye is that swollen)

Luckily the eye drops work really quick and she's already on the mend. But I'm exhausted from sleeping with her, especially since she was freaking out through the night over her eyes being stuck shut.

It is funny though, this morning she was fighting me on cleaning her eyes and I finally told her that as soon as I cleaned them and she was able to open them, I'd put on Little Einsteins. Those eyes miraculously opened instantly! Go figure.

Disney Days 4, 5 & 6...the last

2009-02-04T20:32:00.003-05:00

Thursday, we headed over to Hollywood Studios. It didn’t last long for us because after about an hour, Kayla was melting down. She wanted to go on rides and there are just not a lot of things there for younger kids. We did see a Playhouse Disney show, but it was all downhill after that. After we realized Kayla’s meltdown was not going to end, we decided to leave HS and head back to Magic Kingdom. So J, the kids and I went to MK and as soon as we were in the car on the way there, they were different children. They were so happy to be back in “Kidville”. So we spent the rest of the day at MK just doing rides. It was during this trip that we figured out you can ride in the front of the monorail with the conductor. You just need to go to the front and tell the attendant you want to ride up front. If another family is waiting, you’ll have to wait, but the monorails come every 2 minutes so the wait is never that long. This is when the monorail became Alysa’s favorite ride and how she decided she wants to drive one when she grows up.

That night, we had our second meal at Disney. We went to the Hoop De Doo Review. It’s a country and western type dance show while you eat. I called the day before about the menu. The standard menu was corn bread, fried chicken, bbq ribs, mashed potatoes, baked beans and strawberry shortcake for dessert. Our menu consisted of tapioca bread rolls, fried chicken, bbq ribs, French fries for the girls, rice for J and I, baked beans and Tofutti vanilla and chocolate ice cream for dessert, as well as Silk Soy Milk for the girls to drink. Aside from the altered menu and general accommodations for Kayla’s safety, the Chef went so far beyond my expectation. When we arrived and were given our table, before we let the kids sit, I proceeded to clean everything. I cleaned the chairs, the booster seats, etc. Then I cleaned the salt and pepper shakers and anything else on the table that could have been contaminated. As I was doing this I saw a man standing by the table watching me. Once I was done he came up to me to go over the menu (it was the Chef). He also told me, for my information, that he had already, before we arrived cleaned all those same items on the table. He said it is Disney policy to clean off anything on the table when someone with an allergy will be there. It really surprised me and showed again how diligent they are. Alysa was a bit “scared” of the show, but she was a trooper. Kayla, not only loved having safe food, but was so excited and enthusiastic about the show. She loved the entire thing and was dancing and clapping and really getting into it. And she was really beside herself with excitement over getting ice cream at a restaurant. It was a special night for her and all of us.

Friday was originally going to be our Sea World day. But after the fiasco at Hollywood Studios, we opted to bypass Sea World this year. My Sis was concerned about sitting for water shows and getting sprayed when it was supposed to be in the low 50’s and very windy. My biggest concern was food. SW has a policy of not allowing outside food in the park. They do make exceptions for those with special dietary needs, but they expect you to only bring in a lunchbox sized cooler. I was concerned they’d give us a hard time over the slightly larger coolers and the fact that we’d be bringing food for 14 since we were all eating safe lunches. I was glad to not have to deal with the headache. Instead, we spent the day at the Orlando Science Center. It was a ton of fun for the kids and us adults. A lot of hands on exhibits for the kids and coincidentally there was a huge gaming event going on, which meant X-Box, Wii, etc were all set up. It was a good day and a bit more relaxing and it allowed a bit more freedom for the kids and a day of no lines.

That evening, my parents so graciously babysat for all 7 kids while J and went out with my Sis, her hubby Jason and Jason’s brother Erik. We ate a fabulous dinner at the HOUSE OF BLUES , did a little shopping so Erik could pick something up for his wife and then had dessert at WOLF GANG PUCK’S and then headed to DISNEY QUEST for some virtual reality fun. It was a great night and wish we had the option to do those nights more often.

Saturday was the day for Animal Kingdom, but on the way there, Kayla kept complaining that she didn’t want to go and wanted to go back to the Magic Kingdom. I knew there was more for her at AK, then HS, but I did not want a repeat of Thursday. So…we had my Dad drop J and I and the girls off at MK and the rest of them headed over to AK for the day. It was a wonderful day. The girls were thrilled to be back at the MK and we had more chances to ride with the driver on the monorail. Being in Disney was so much fun, especially having all of us together, but it was nice to have a day with just the 4 of us. We were able to hit a few rides we didn’t get to earlier as well as many repeats.

It was an awesome trip and so much fun. I really hope we can get back in 3-4 years’ish. The older they get the more we will all get out of Disney! It is not only great to have a fun place to go to, but it’s so refreshing and wonderful to have somewhere to go on vacation that takes food allergies seriously and makes it as safe as humanly possible, not only for your child to have fun, but to also eat (not only by cooking safe food but also by allowing you to bring in food – no questions asked). Each day when they checked our bags, I let them know of the epi’s. More than once, I was told by the “Cast Member” to make sure I take it on every ride b/c you “never know when a reaction can happen” (of course J and I each had a set on us at all times, plus we had a set in the backpack). They have hit a gold mind with their policies and there is a reason most food allergy families I know will ONLY go to Disney. Keep up the good work Disney. Hopefully more destinations will take your lead and if not, you will continue to reap the benefits – as you should!

Day 4 - Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom & Hoop De Doo Review

Day 5 - Orlando Science Center

Day 6 - Magic Kingdom

Is it any wonder...

2009-01-30T17:13:00.005-05:00

...that Alysa got ooh's and aaah's everywhere we went today?

That is the smile she sported all over town today and is the one she is famous for at Kayla's school. They are under the impression there that she always smiles. They get to learn first hand whether it's true or not come September.

And this morning, I made her oatmeal and granola. She started eating it in Florida when my Dad would make his in the morning. She got so excited this morning and danced around the kitchen saying "I'm having oatmeal just like Gramps!"

Missing them already

2009-01-29T08:00:00.005-05:00

The girls finally got to see Emma last Saturday for the first time since we returned from Disney. It took so "long" due to all the sickies that were running rampant through our home last week.

It was so cute, yet also heartbreaking to see how much they missed each other after a 2 week absence. Whatever will they do when forever comes...?

After Emma left, Kayla and I had the following conversation...

Me - "Did you miss Emma?"
Kayla - "Yes. And I will miss her when she's in California."
Me - "I know you will honey."
Kayla - "Daddy needs to take me to California."

*sigh* If my heart is breaking for her already, I can't imagine what moving day will be like.

Disney Day 3

2009-01-28T14:43:00.001-05:00

First let me vent a bit. Kayla is sick, again… It’s just a little fever – one of her 24 hour ones I’m sure and it’s staying low at 100.5 being her highest. I haven’t even had to medicate her today and she got to play out in the snow. But, it’s frustrating to be keeping her from school AGAIN! She’s missed a lot lately between our trip and her being sick. Not that I can change it, but it’s aggravating nonetheless.

So anyway, back to our Disney extravaganza!

Wednesday, was not only fun in Disney world, but it was also my Dad’s 60th birthday. It was a lot of fun to be able to celebrate his big day in Disney World where everyone gets to be a kid.

In the morning, we headed to Downtown Disney where the girls were going to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for some beauty pampering while the boys played in the Lego store next door. We brought dresses with us for the girls to wear, so they were fully dressed to go along with their hair, make up and nails. During, Maddy could not have been happier. Her huge grin did not leave her face the entire time. Kayla only wanted to look like Sleeping Beauty. When the women showed her the hair options, she said, “I want to look like SB”. They tried explaining there were only a few “options”. Finally I told them to pick one and tell her it is SB and she’ll be good to go. That’s what they did (please remember Sleeping Beauty has long hair, which Kayla does not) and Kayla was thrilled with that. Alysa did well considering being only 3 and chose the same hairdo as Kayla. She was a bit fearful at first, but settled in well. But about half way through she was over it and they couldn’t have gotten done fast enough. But after, all 3 loved how they looked and I have to say they were too cute. Their “Fairy Godmothers” did a wonderful job making them look so pretty with subtle make-up in light pastel colors. They were done up like cute little girls and not like mini adult ‘you-know-whats’. It was really cute as well to see all the people stopping to look at them. They got so much attention and I can’t say I’m surprised. We have some cute girls in our family. I could not stop laughing over Kayla and Alysa with their hair extensions. It was quite the site.

After the boutique, we headed back to Magic Kingdom for the afternoon. That evening, we had a birthday dinner for my Dad. After, when the kids were in bed, my Sister and I headed back to Downtown Disney to do some girly shopping while the boys (including Colin) went to Disney Quest for the evening. It is an interactive virtual reality game place – a lot of fun in there. After, we met up at T-Rex for some appetizers and dessert. Not only was the food delicious, but it was a fun restaurant with roaring dinosaurs surrounding us while we ate. YUM!

Disney Day 2

2009-01-25T19:55:00.004-05:00

Our second day of Disney brought our first Disney meal. We had an early morning breakfast booked with the Princesses in Cinderella’s Castle. Because we had 14 people, we had two tables, so my Sis and her family ate at one with all the dairy they wanted. We, along with my parents ate a dairy-free table. When I arrived, they already had it marked in the computer that we were dairy-free. The chef came out to talk to us and go over the alternatives to their menu. We were able to eat fresh fruit, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs and dairy-free-gluten-free waffles and soy and rice milk. He also surprised us and brought out some dairy-free muffins. The waffles left a lot to be desired since they were lacking wheat, but the rest was delicious! They even brought us a brandy new stick of Fleischman’s Unsalted Margarine to be used on our waffles. I was very concerned about this meal because of the princess being around the other meals since Kayla is contact-reactive. But each princess was very gracious and accommodating when I explained our situation and kindly asked them to wash their hands (as I handed them each a wipe). The meal went off without a hitch and the girls enjoyed their food as did the rest of us. Kayla was in her glory meeting the princesses and it was a complete success.

After breakfast, we posed for some photo ops outside the castle before piling on the monorail headed for Epcot. We were able to do a couple things at Epcot before Kayla came down with the fever that hit Alysa the day before. The one they absolutely loved was Figment. The kids also found the sprinklers a ton of fun. J ended up taking Kayla back to the apartment because she just wanted to go to bed. My Sister, my Mom and I took Colin and Alysa on Nemo’s ride and got to watch a diver demonstration and check out a bunch of fish. Alysa had a bit of a crush on the diver, which was pretty cute. It poured that afternoon which stunk, but luckily it wasn’t until close to the end of the day. I did “take advantage” of Kayla being away and treated Alysa to a soft pretzel and some real ice cream. She was in heaven and so was Colin.

Some good news for the soy & dairy allergic

2009-01-23T12:13:00.005-05:00

I saw over at Go Dairy Free that Turtle Mountain beloved makers of soy based and coconut milk based yogurts and ice creams are rolling out a new coconut milk beverage. The drink is soy and dairy free. I could not find it on their site yet, so will, for now remain curious as to the fat and protein (and vitamin/mineral) content of the drink. But it rolls out to Whole Foods on the East Coast in March of this year. I'm even wondering if this could possibly mean I can switch Alysa to this with the added rice protein powder rather than the instead of the rice milk and coconut milk. It could save us a few pennies and some aggravation.

Disney Day 1

2009-01-22T13:02:00.006-05:00

Disney-Disney-Disney

We left for Disney bright and early on Saturday morning, January 10th. We decided to drive to cut down on expense since we would have had to rent a car in Florida anyway. Plus it was easier to bring all our food rather than to try to shop down there. If I had to shop there, it would have mean endless phone calls to local grocery stores and calls to manufacturers once we were down there. We traded our timeshare for the trip, so we had a full kitchen. We were able to have breakfast and dinners in the apartment and pack our lunches for the parks.

We arrived at our “mid-way” hotel in Georgia in approximately 12 hours. The girls are used to 9-10 hour drives to and from my Sister’s, but the last hour or so of this drive was tough on them. Add to their frustration the fact that we were only in Georgia and not at Disney World yet. They were happy to be out of the car, but were pretty wound up, so we had to split them up in bed and we each got to sleep with one of them. Sunday we arrived at the resort in the early afternoon. So we had plenty of time to unpack and settle in.

Monday we hit the Magic Kingdom for the day. J and I took the girls and Maddy to visit the Princesses, Fairies and Mickey. They loved every minute of it. The girls had been so excited to see the princesses and they were not disappointed. Nothing beats watching your children meet their favorite people face to face. Unfortunately, Alysa ended up with a fever mid-day and slept on Jerome while we waited for the Princesses. She did perk up as soon as she saw them, but once we were done visiting, she was done. I had Motrin with me in Florida, but not in the park. My Mom was having back pain, so she went back to the room in the afternoon and took Alysa with her. She napped, while we took Kayla on rides. We stayed that night for the light show parade and the fireworks. Kayla, who is sensitive to loud noises wasn’t too thrilled with the fireworks but didn’t want to leave either. She’s a trooper.

We didn’t eat at the park on Monday, we had breakfast in our apartment, packed lunch and my Sister brought dinner back to those of us that had not taken a break to go home in the afternoon. I will have more on meals there tomorrow since Tuesday was our breakfast with the Princesses. But I will say we had a reaction-free trip. And regardless of meals that was no small accomplishment. People had told me there is ice cream everywhere. Which there is, but when it’s in the upper 50’s in Florida and so many people are bundled in hats and gloves, there aren’t many eating ice cream. Our biggest obstacle was the popcorn and boy was it everywhere. Wipes were our friend – the stroller, rides, etc. I even had some “cast members” ask if there was a problem when they saw me wiping down the rides before I let Kayla get on. They, of course were wonderful when I explained the situation. The popcorn was evil to me on two fronts. The first is for the obvious – it’s a big danger to Kayla and it is dropped EVERYWHERE (does anyone know how to put food in their mouth and not on the ground?)! But the second was my insane craving. All I wanted was to chow down on a container of popcorn, which of course I never got a chance to do. So I left for home with a craving that just won’t go away…

But the most important thing was that she had no reactions – it was a huge relief to me and for that alone, I consider the trip a major success!

Here are some of the highlights from our 1st day.

Here is our 15 passenger van filled from bottom to top...