Playing Catch Up...

Yeah, it's been a while. We have good excuses. Don't we always??

After Aiden got that nasty stomach bug, he passed it onto me. How would I not get it when he threw up all over me about 20 times? All over meaning sometimes...it went into my shirt. You wanted that visual didn't you? He had it worse the one day, but he continued to throw up at least once each day for the next few days. It took a while for him to recover and go back to eating normally, probably for fear he would keep throwing it all back up. Poor guy. :(

Then it was Easter and we had family in for that next week. Ryan's mom came to visit, which is always fun. Aiden had a blast with her especially and would ask for her when he was supposed to be going to sleep or doing other things he might not have wanted to be doing. I think he knew she might rescue him... ;) When she left for home, she took Camden, who is now visiting with his dad for the week. And since, Aiden and I have been running like crazy doing all the things we couldn't do while sick or entertaining company. So, we've been a tad busy.

Easter... We went back to our "home" church, where the service was actually held at an amphitheater in town instead of the actual church. (Another post for another time, but we've been back and forth about what church to attend, as we have moved farther away from our old church, and for other reasons. But we keep finding ourselves drawn back to it... More later. I hope. If I get time. For the many posts I keep wanting to put up...) Anyway, the service was HUGE, and it was incredible to see so many there celebrating together. I haven't heard the final count, but there were thousands. Back home, Aiden got a new Bible and a puzzle with animals. He adores both. He carries his Bible everywhere he can, saying "Bi-bi" and "Jeeees" (Bible and Jesus). Camden got some new books, too, one being his first daily devotional, and a t-shirt. We try to keep the Easter baskets full of things that represent what the holiday means to us. True...the puzzle might not seem to fit...but there were animals on the Arc, right? ;) And wait...no mention of candy?? Yep. No candy this year. Nobody noticed, either. Camden didn't ask or seem to care or even realize it was missing. He also got the new Toby Mac cd from MaMaw, and he was too thrilled about that to care for candy anyway, even if there had been some!

We have eaten out a couple times over the last week. (Eating out isn't a common occurrence for various reasons. Money. Food allergies....) We discovered that P.F. Chang's has an awesome gluten-free menu. And after ordering but before being served, we also discovered that all of their meats are marinated with eggs the night before, meaning Aiden couldn't have anything with meat, meaning that the only thing on the g-free menu he could eat was veggie stir-fry. He did not seem to care and loved it! Another discovery...their chocolate cake is probably THE best chocolate cake ever. Then last night we went to The Melting Pot for my birthday (well, mine and Ryan's, since we're just a week apart). Don't tell Camden!! He might not be so happy to find out we went without him... They also have a ton of gluten-free options and have a good menu telling you what you cannot eat. Only one meat has egg in the marinade, but it wasn't even one they had with the Big Night Out this time around. We had to make few substitutions so that Aiden could eat...leaving out the pot-stickers and getting extra chicken. And we almost forgot there was beer as a base with the Fiesta Cheese (the one we almost always get), so we just subbed with white wine, and it was fine. No chips or bread for the little guy, only two of the sauces (one of which he just loved with everything)...and for dessert he was stuck with fruit. But he was just fine with all of that. He ate fairly well!! And I'm very pleased that more places are getting on board with gluten-free menus and are actually aware of what all it involves!

Aiden turned 20-months-old. I'll get to that post next. Soon, I hope.

And today...today I turn 30. Most of all, it's just another day. It's not such a big deal that I am the big 3-0...but it just sounds strange to say I'm that age. It's like I am officially an "adult" now, even though I've been an adult for quite a while. I mean, I do have a husband, two children (one of which is about to turn 11!), a house, etc, etc, etc... But for some reason, being 30 seems to make it official. Not sure if that makes any sense.

Last night, after getting Aiden to bed, Ryan and I turned on Friends. We have the entire series on DVD and watch it every now and then. We start from the beginning and watch through to the end. And then do it all over again. So, last night, the next show for us to watch just happened to be "The one where they all turn 30." No kidding. Pretty funny, in a way. Some of them were talking about what they had or hadn't accomplished by this time. In a way, I've accomplished a heck of a lot. A bachelor's degree, a master's degree, I'm married, I have two kids...that's a lot. But I do feel that there is a ton that I haven't accomplished. I still don't have a career or know what I want to be "when I grow up." And here I suddenly am "grown up." I often go through the day just getting through the day...running errands, taking care of the kids, making dinner...and sometimes wonder what I'm not doing that I should. Is there something more profound I should be doing, too? Thanks Friends, right. (No, I wonder this all the time. With or without Friends to throw it in my face.)

Aiden has made the day so nice and easy...waking at 5am and refusing to go back to sleep. Taking over two hours, with plenty of yelling at me, before he would finally go to sleep for naptime. And the day is not over!! What more should I expect, right? He doesn't know it's mommy's birthday! ;) And now I'm going to go outside and do some yard work. BUT tonight...there will be cake. After our yummy and very filling (too filling) meal last night, we made a stop by P.F. Chang's and grabbed some of that chocolate cake to eat tonight. I'm still deciding if I'm going to share....

PS - Pics of everything in the April album online:

2010 April

Well, the weekend got off to a good START...

Friday went pretty well...

First, Aiden had an appointment with a new dermatologist, who was absolutely great with him. She played with him for the longest time and looked over him, kneeling on the floor so he could continue to play with his cars the whole time. We've been dealing with some bad eczema flare-ups for a while now, and he's got a bit of a yeast/fungal infection, as well. And we're concerned about an infection from him scratching the eczema every chance he gets...which is more often since he is sitting on the potty some now. He uses that as an opportunity to scratch, even if we're there to stop him (you can't catch it all the time!). So, we left with FOUR prescriptions, one promising to be rather expensive. Well, actually, she gave us enough samples for one of them, so that helps. The expensive one is a prescription lotion, and the pharmacy had to order that, so we'll get it Monday. Some of his spots are already looking worlds better.

Then there was a soc hop at Camden's school. Lots of fun. He even joined in on some dances with his friends. Apparently they learn some of the line dances in gym (as in the cool ones...). They had a big raffle event, as well. Tons of HUGE baskets filled with things based on themes. AND Camden won one! We put tickets into a bunch, some that he wanted, some that would be nice for all of us. Of course, he didn't win the one any of us REALLY wanted, but it's always exciting to win! It was a basket of school supplies...we now have enough crayons, glue, paper, pencils, erasers, etc to last for QUITE a while, plus plenty more items, some pretty nice! He was actually pretty pleased, and, get this - it's the basket from HIS class!

We ended the night by putting Aiden to bed and watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution with Camden. If you haven't seen this show...you so need to! It actually takes place in the city Ryan grew up and where his family still lives. There's a lot of focus on school lunches. Camden no longer eats school lunches, but we still think he can learn a lot from watching about them. Great show. We're hoping it helps to lead to some big changes in the school lunch program. Click here to see more about the Food Revolution. And while you're at it, sign the petition to get some healthier lunches in our schools! (Whether or not you have a child in school... It should be that important.)

So, the weekend got off to a pretty good start... Then Saturday happened. I think, and I'm totally serious, that this was the worst day of poor Aiden's little life. He woke up early throwing up. And he never really stopped. He never had a fever, which is odd, I think. He couldn't keep anything down, though. We talked to the on-call dr around 10:30 Saturday morning, and he said not to give Aiden anything to eat or drink for the next 4-5 hours to let his stomach settle. The kid was begging to have water or nurse. I did break down and nurse him before his nap because he just would not accept going to sleep without that, and he hadn't thrown up for two hours by then - the longest stretch he had all day at that point. He took a good nap, but as soon as I had him out of the crib, he threw up again.

He threw up at least 20 times during the day, if not more; we lost count after a while. He was literally begging to have water to drink or to nurse all day long, and it's been breaking our hearts not to give him anything. I know it's what he needs, but I feel like we're starving him! He had a couple sips of water earlier in the day and threw it up. Ryan got some electrolyte mix to give him (like Pedialyte but without any sugar or anything artificial - it actually tastes really good!! We got the kids version at Whole Foods, though it's only showing the main version on the website, which is supposed to be fine for kids, too)...even just having a teaspoon of that resulted in him throwing up. With so little in his belly, he was dry heaving pretty much all day. I've experienced a lot of dry heaving during my pregnancies, and I think it is one of the worst feelings ever. He was at the point where he couldn't breathe when he was trying to throw up and you could tell it really hurt him...and scared him. It scared us plenty, and we weren't the ones doing it! Aiden has had some stomach bugs before, but he usually only throws up a couple times and then just doesn't feel good the rest of the day. He's never had anything this extreme. Luckily, he's not been showing signs of dehydration, but we've been watching closely because of how much he's throwing up. He was pretty lethargic most of the day...getting up to play for a few minutes here and there earlier on but then getting worn out easily, and spending most of the day just lying in my arms and asking me to sing to him.

The night wasn't great but not as bad as we were anticipating, maybe it felt that way because we were prepared for the worst. He got sick regularly after going to sleep, until about 1 or so. He actually had asked to go to bed, so you know he was tired! He went down without nursing...but he still woke up regularly for a few hours to throw up, until about 1am or so. Each time he got up and got sick, he would then reach for his crib and say "bed," because he just wanted to go back to sleep. (He was incredibly pitiful.) After that, he slept until 4, woke up without getting sick, and then slept again until almost 6. Since he had went so long without getting sick and was really insistent on nursing, we let him. He threw it up about 30 minutes later. We noticed this morning he has some red spots under his bottom lip and on his chin, probably from the acid from throwing up so much.

BUT...he hasn't thrown up since. Yet, at least. In the morning, we let him have a few pieces of dry cereal here and there, along with a teaspoon or so of the electrolyte drink. By 10, he was begging to nurse, and since he had kept the other down so far, we let him nurse, but just a little. He was pretty mad about that but still took a nap. Woke up after an hour, was up for a little while, insisting again on nursing. He must be feeling a bit better because he's getting really mad when we tell him no about nursing or tell him he has to wait. Yesterday, he would keep asking but not throw a fit. He didn't have the energy! So, I just nursed him some more, and he's actually back in bed about to go to sleep again. We were going to speak with the on-call doctor more today if he kept throwing up, but he hasn't gotten sick since 6:30, and it's almost noon at this point. That's pretty big for him, so hopefully he's on the mend!

I realize this might not seem that big of a deal...a stomach bug and all. But it has been for him and for the rest of us. He's not at the point where he can understand he can't eat or drink because he'll get sick from it. Having to see him beg for water or milk and having to tell him no has been so difficult for us. Seeing him throw up in the way he has, seeing how painful it is for him and how scary...it's been painful and scary for us. We've been really worried about dehydration or needing to go to the emergency room, but thankfully it did not come to that point. We're all exhausted, and Aiden still isn't feeling well, but he does seem a bit better than yesterday. And he's certainly not throwing up as much, which we're thrilled about. But we're still taking it very, very easy and slow with the liquids and a bit of dry cereal.

Hopefully he's fine by tomorrow! Camden is out of school for a while, and we're hoping to be able to get some things done and be able to get outside and play soon. And hopefully nobody else catches whatever it is he has. I'm not sure where this came from, but...every stomach bug he has ever had has come one day after being in some doctor's office. I don't think that's a coincidence. Even our regular doctor's waiting room doesn't have toys for the kids (which we are thankful for!), but Aiden still walks all around, touching the chairs and trying to share his toys with just about anybody sitting down in the room. The office we were at Friday did have a play table, and even though he was there for maybe two minutes (and shared his toy with two different men sitting and waiting), it's really impossible to keep him from playing and interacting with others. We can take all the toys in the world and try to distract him, but there's no way with him. We can wash his hands as soon as we get into the exam room. But he still seems to constantly get sick after going to the doctor...

Aiden's Big News!

Aiden has some exciting news to share!

(And NO...not that kind of exciting news! Ha!)

Go to our pictures HERE and see the last few that were uploaded earlier this week. Here are a couple of them...

That's right...Aiden pooped in the potty!

This might have been coincidental and just plain ol' good timing, but we'll still take it. This was on Monday. Today, Aiden actually did this AGAIN...after asking himself to do it! (Earlier he told me he needed to poop, as well, but it was too late. But still! That's something!)

He sits on the potty multiple times a day, asking many of the times or agreeing enthusiastically if we ask, and happily sitting for up to twenty minutes if we let him, just reading a book and swinging his feet. We're not really pushing this at the moment, just working on awareness. He's been showing some signs that he's aware for a while now. But if he keeps this up...who knows!!

We're really not expecting much at the moment, though. Camden started to train around 18 months, then decided he wasn't ready. Started again around 2 years, then decided again he wasn't ready. At 2 1/2, he trained in no time. He was ready. ;) So, no worries. We won't be disappointed if he's not potty trained in a couple months or even more. We're just following Aiden's lead and seeing where things go. If he wants to potty, he sits on it. When he says he's done, we let him down. He's in charge.

Good Day

Ahhhh...today was a good day.

Well, it didn't start out as we would have planned. Aiden woke up by 5:30, but...life goes on. Other than that and his tantrum right before naptime because he was so tired (wonder why?!), it was a great day.

Camden had a soccer game. An early one. I stayed in with Aiden because he's had a cold and it was still cool out. Camden probably could have sat this game out, too, because he said his throat was hurting, but he went anyway. They won, again. He scored, again. He's scored in each game so far this season.

The weather has been perfect today. I managed to get Aiden outside for a bit before lunch, while Ryan got things ready. He just ran and ran. The boy loves outside. He ran down the street past where Camden was playing with some friends in the cul de sac, stopping to wave at everyone. There's a long wooden bridge that connects paths in the neighborhood, and Aiden loves walking on it, so he did that for a while. When it was time to go back home, he threw a fit for a minute when he figured out we were leaving the bridge. Then another fit when I took him in the back door. But he was excited to eat, so... He just loves the outdoors! I'm thankful for the warm weather we're having lately. Camden wants to be out all the time, which is better than him asking why he can't play computer/video games. And Aiden gets so excited when we get to go "outside, outside."

Then I had a 90-minute massage with the best massage therapist around. (Seriously. This lady is really good and clearly knows what she's doing. Any locals that are looking for a good place to go, let me know. It's well-priced, too, compared to the other places I've been in the area.) That was a much needed break, though there were some pretty painful moments. I'm sure it would help if I could go more often, but... At least it's a good pain. And still relaxing.

After that, the guys were heading to the grocery and happened to be going right when I was leaving from my massage, so we all went together. Didn't really have much choice, even if I wanted to go on home. Ryan was driving by just to say hi, and once Aiden saw me...there was no leaving without Mama! We got home from grocery shopping with enough time to play outside for a bit before dinner, too. That was my plan. Spent a little more time going back and forth on the bridge while Camden stayed at home playing basketball in the driveway with some friends. Aiden kept running, coughing, and signing "bird" (because birds were chirping all over the place!) all at the same time. Nothing was going to slow him down!!

Everyone liked dinner. Boys are all in bed asleep now. And nothing special is on tv, which means we might actually get to bed at a decent time ourselves.

All in all, it was a good day.

I took some pictures of Aiden running around today (harder to get pics of Camden b/c he's always off with his friends...) that I will post on our albums soon. I'm on Ryan's laptop right now, so no-can-do just yet. I did post some pictures of our family night at the park last night. We had a picnic with pizza (Z-Pizza now has gluten-free pizza!! Not quite the same...but it was decent. And they're egg-free, too, so Aiden could also eat it!) and spent some time just running around in an open field. Another great evening. Pictures are here...

2010 March

I'll add the pics from the weekend soon! I'm sure there will be more pics now that we'll be getting outside more with some nice weather.

Hope everyone else is having a good weekend!!

Updated...newest pictures have been added. I don't waste any time, huh? (Not with super-cute pictures to show off!) ;)

Nineteen months

Busy boy always looking at something else!

Yes, this is late. As usual. It's tax season, and I have a demanding toddler. I get little computer time these days. Ask all the people I owe emails...(or that have been owed and waited for a couple weeks to get them). All of this is based on when Aiden actually turned 19-months, on the 6th, not on what he's doing now.

Favorites

• A new favorite book, especially for bedtime, is now God Gave Us You. Shortly after he impressed me by sitting through this book, he decided he also liked The Little House, which is much longer (a lot longer than one would expect him to sit and listen!). I've realized that Aiden's naptime nursing session is a great time to get him used to hearing longer stories, and he really loves it, as well. He used to be a super-quick nurser, but now he will take quite a while, which is opposite from what I keep hearing from others with nursing toddlers. And it makes a perfect time for cuddling together and reading longer books. Whenever it's time to sit down before his nap or bedtime, he grabs whichever book he wants (always the longer ones now!), and pats the seat indicating he's ready.
• Draping blankets/towels over his shoulders and the back of his neck (kind of like a scarf) and walking around. It's so funny to see. He'll use whatever he finds, even a hand towel from the kitchen.
• Cereal. With milk. In the mornings, when we're walking down the stairs to get ready for breakfast, he tells me he wants cereal. I often don't even have to ask, he just tells me. It used to be bananas, but now he is all about the cereal. And if I ask him with or without milk, he lets me know clearly he wants with.
• Other favorite foods...sweet potatoes (he will eat an entire one and more if we let him!), tomatoes, avocado, blueberries, dried cranberries, currants, yogurt bites, any of the freeze dried fruits from Trader Joe's (these things are so yummy and great for on-the-go), tortilla chips (he calls them crackers). Pirate's Booty (veggie and barbecue flavors) is a new one; these are rice/corn puffs. Camden takes the veggie ones in his lunch most days , and I'm always surprised he's choosing those over the barbecue! It's hard to find good snacks that are gluten- and egg-free, esp that can be tossed in something to have on the run; and these are healthy to boot! A side note about the cranberries...did you realize the Craisins kind you get at the store has lots of added sugar? I'm not surprised, but I never paid too much attention until Aiden wanted some and we happened to see some at Whole Foods that were marked as being sweetened with apple juice. There's still some sugar b/c it is juice, but it's less, at least! And they taste better, I think, too.
• "What's this?" We hear this from Aiden about ten times a minute!! He points to any and everything asking what it is, even if he knows what it is. And he'll point to the same thing over and over, too, especially when reading. It's actually really great because it's a good way to work on his language skills. We often ask him to tell us what it is instead, too.
• Kermit the Frog toy. This used to be Camden's when he was really young (I think...that or it was mine? It's been too long....). Aiden loves it because he sings. BUT he can't really find the button to push easily enough (it is tricky), so he's constantly asking us to do it. Over. And over. I don't mind hearing the songs over and over. It's having to push the buttons over and over that gets to me.

• Lip balm. He loves it. Whenever he sees it, he gets excited at the idea of getting some.
• Sweeping. He tries to use the big broom, too. Maybe it's time for his own child-sized broom... ;)
• Trying to put our shoes on. And when successful with that...trying to walk in them.
• Five Little Ducks song. He will sign "duck," letting me know he wants to hear the song. Sometimes he'll even go out of the room while I sing, playing whatever. But when the song is over, he appears again to let me know he wants me to sing it again. This will happen over and over, sometimes until I just say I'm not singing anymore (sometimes after singing it 25 times, you need a break).
• Reading. Reading books has always been a favorite. He will sit and let you read over and over. He'll often get some books, take them to the couch, and pat the seat until you finally come over. He can be rather insistent, though, when it comes to reading, he doesn't need to be. We're happy to oblige. :) Until we've read the same book about 7 times, at least. He's all about the repetition, as you can surely tell.
  

He's either telling me what he's pointing at or asking "What's this?" Probably asking, even though he knows the answer.

Least Favorites

• Giving up his 4am nursing session. Ok, so before this month, he was waking around that time each morning to nurse, and he would stay awake and nurse for nearly an hour before finally I could stop him and then get him back to sleep (no, he doesn't nurse to sleep). At this point, we agree he should be able to skip that and just nurse when he wakes up...it's only a couple hours later. But man, it's been a rough time trying to convince Aiden. Actually, he's been ok giving up the nursing. But he still often wakes at that time and doesn't really go back to sleep! He'll be in and out of sleep until we let him stay up around 6am (with Ryan having to constantly go into his room...if I do, he gets VERY angry that I'm not holding him, nursing him, or taking him to our room). It's not been fun for any of us (I'm still awake even if I stay in our room), and we're all a bit sleep deprived. Because of this, Aiden's also been sleeping more poorly at naptime. But...we seem to be having a bit of improvement over the last few days, so hopefully that will continue! We think his recent separation anxiety is a big contributor with how difficult this has been. He just wants someone in there with him. But then he doesn't go back to sleep as well if someone is in there. Not a fun cycle.
• The end of a Signing Time video. He only watches one a day, if that. Sometimes when it's over, he's fine. Sometimes he fusses a bit. Sometimes he throws a fit (though usually just for a minute, until something else catches his attention). And he asks for Signing Time all throughout the day.
• Being taken out of his Radio Flyer wagon. Even if it is inside, he will beg to sit in it. And after a while, we'll feel bad that he's buckled into a wagon inside, so we'll go to take him out...and he gets pretty mad. So, I promise, we're not making him sit in it...he LOVES that thing.
  

New Developments

• Drinking from a cup (again). He now drinks from a regular cup at every meal. He was doing fine with this before, and then last month he decided he was too afraid it would spill and didn't want to hold the cup by himself. After a few meals where we would help him once then leave it up to him, he realized if he wanted to drink, he had to hold the cup himself. And he did. And he did fine. We now only use sippy cups with straws during the day for his water that he carries around. Or for smoothies, which he has also had from a regular cup with a straw. The one problem we have is that sometimes...when he's done with his meal, after he hands you his bowl and all that, instead of handing you his cup, he picks it up and then quickly turns it upside down!! He's doing better about that lately. Not sure why he does it...he doesn't act like he's doing it to get attention or to play. He acts surprised when it goes all over him. I think he's just figuring it all out.
  
• Potty awareness. No, we're not pushing potty learning, but Aiden is showing a number of signs and some interest. So, we got a potty seat...and he asks to sit on it quite a bit. Hasn't led to anything yet, and we're not in a hurry. But he's certainly at least interested.
• Nursing. As mentioned above, he is no longer nursing in the middle of the night. He also gave up his 10am nursing. I wasn't sure when that one would happen because for a long time now, he has demanded that one and is very punctual about it! 10am on. the. dot. I have gone along with the "don't offer, don't refuse" method with nursing, now that he's a toddler. One day, he happened to have some cereal out and kept eating that instead of asking to nurse. So, after a few days of that, I considered that session to be dropped. He's asked a couple of times for it, but it's usually too close to lunchtime, so I do say no then. He still nurses before nap, before bed, and as soon as he gets up in the morning. If you are wondering why I am still nursing a toddler...feel free to read this post I put up shortly before Aiden turned 12 months. And know that this is VERY healthy for both child and mom. And if that's not enough, you can know our doctors (all the ones we've been to lately!) have told us to keep it up as long as we can, especially with all of Aiden's allergies and other problems. That is actually one of the best ways to prevent allergies. (With them being what they are, I can't imagine how worse off he might be if I never nursed or stopped it earlier!) I really have no idea when he might be willing to let go of the nursing sessions before sleeping. This kid LOVES his milk.
• Aiden's really learning a lot lately. Alphabet, colors, animals, all kinds of things. If you ask him what color something is, he'll probably tell you it's red. But he can sign the colors and will say most of them, too. Sometimes he'll point out a color if you ask him ("Where is the blue?"). He's learning some of his alphabet songs. If you ask what "j" says, he'll make the j sound. If you ask him what an "o" is, he'll sign "o." Just a few examples... He's even pointed out some letters on his own and made the correct sounds for them. He loves playing with his alphabet toy on the fridge and will make the sounds along with the songs. He knows a TON of animals, the signs for them, their sounds, etc.
• Blowing his nose. This actually is from a couple months ago, but I forgot to mention it, and now that he has a cold again, I'm reminded. It seems so funny seeing him able to blow his nose, but...I guess with as often as he is sick, he's figured it out!

Kissing Bunny.
(These pics are for you, especially, Ashley!) ;)

• Bunny as a lovey... This isn't new, but we have noticed lately that when he is using Bunny as a lovey while nursing or when falling asleep, he plays with Bunny's tail. He fingers it between his finger and thumb. I can just see the tail falling off sometime in the next year or so... We'll have to figure out how to fix it asap after that happens! I don't think he could do without Bunny. He actually just saw the picture while I was typing, and starting asking for him! It's funny...because when he says Bunny, it sounds a heck of a lot like Mama. Sometimes the only way I can tell the difference is the fact that he signs "bunny." I've detected a slight difference lately. You wouldn't think the two would sound a lot alike, but they do...and hearing it the way he says it, it makes sense that they do (if that makes sense).

Keeping Us On Our Toes

Aiden does. Totally.

We've been looking into some new lotions for him...ones that are really good with sensitive skin and that are lacking in the chemical department. Also ones lacking in parabens (those are things hidden under words like "fragrance"), which are known to cause irritation. That stuff is bad for ya! With his eczema and tendency to react to things with rashes, we are extra careful. So, the first new soap and lotion we actually found locally. Has none of the stuff we don't want. Even was recommended by others as being good to use with eczema and was reviewed by a website we really trust (that focuses on finding these safer products). This IS a newer brand, though, and hasn't been rated on the cosmetic database (more about that another time, if you're not familiar with it), but we were pleased with these other reviews, so... Anyway, we noticed Aiden's back and belly started getting bumpy after a couple of days. After a few hours outside at Camden's soccer game Saturday (where it was incredibly windy), his cheeks and chin were bright red. But we later realized...it wasn't the wind. It was the new products.

Big bummer.

We're back to the old stuff. And we got the next new lotion in today (which is free of everything, even more than this other brand, so my hopes are a bit higher). I put some on one cheek before naptime and before bedtime today. We'll see how that goes before smothering it all over the poor kid's body.

Then the other excitement...as if that wasn't enough. (Oh, trust me, that wasn't much compared to the rest of the weekend.) Sunday, Aiden slips and hits his mouth on the bookshelf. Busts his lip, bleeding, swollen, the works. It actually wasn't that bad...ended up being a cut. Injuries involving the mouth always seem worse because of all the blood. While I'm trying to comfort him and get him to realize the thing I'm shoving in his face is a popsicle that he does actually like, he throws his head back. Busts MY lip. But mine is actually worse than his... So now we're both bleeding and swollen. Only, he gets the yummy popsicle and I get ice.

(For those of you thinking, yeah, I know how that feels...getting smacked in the face with a toddler head... Well, little known fact...I currently have braces. Ha. Yeah, for just a couple months and just on the front part - the part that everyone sees, you know. Actually, the top ones come off tomorrow. Great timing. I've had quite a few hits on the mouth from his hard head. And quite a few busted lips because of it. Not the same as being hit when you just have teeth there, trust me. Today he even did it again, right next to the spot from yesterday! You can't predict where that head will go when he throws it back out of nowhere. Tuesday morning can't get here fast enough!)

Think we can top that?? Oh yeah. We can.

After he eats the popsicle and then lunch, I go to get him ready for his nap. What do I see?? Hives. On his chin and neck where the juice from the popsicle dripped down his face. Seriously?! Seriously. Our first thought was surely there were no egg products in there?? Surely not because this mama checks labels like crazy. I was quite picky about picking out popsicles despite that. (Me...picky about food? Noooo.... Ha.) These had only passion fruit, coconut milk, sugar, and pectin. That's it! Shouldn't be the coconut b/c we use coconut oil on him a lot. He has had pectin in a couple other things. I guess it could be that but not likely. Or the passion fruit. Though that doesn't seem too likely either, my mom told me today she's allergic to a different tropical fruit (can't remember which one at the moment). He's had the popsicles on two other ocassions with no problem, but we've learned that is common. It's often not the first exposure that brings out the reaction...

And, you know...I noticed the other day that Aiden seemed to have a reaction to ketchup! We get organic ketchup even (yes, really - the regular stuff has high fructose corn syrup in it). He's had it on a number of occasions. Loves the stuff. What kid doesn't? (And really...organic tastes SOOO much better than the regular stuff. It really does.) But this time, he was eating it (more ketchup than the actual food, of course) and started getting red around his lips and also rubbing it. You could tell it itched and bothered him by how he was acting. He kept whining and rubbing it. Even when he's developed hives, they haven't seemed to bother him. We're wondering about the vinegar maybe. He eats tomatoes all the time; they're one of his favorites (one of the many, many...). And, I hate to admit, this is the one food we allow him to eat that states "made in a facility that also uses eggs." Yes, I'm sorry, we broke the rule there. Nobody makes ketchup that isn't!! So, it's either that or the kid can't have ketchup. Which means nobody can have ketchup. He's crazy over that stuff. And we don't eat stuff he can't (esp stuff he wants!) right in front of him. We're going to try him again soon when his face has no other redness and we are watching like crazy. If it happens again, I guess we'll have to knock out ketchup, too.

Oh, one more thing. We go for his egg challenge the end of the month. I was hopeful and thinking, maybe he'll have outgrown it. It would be easier to deal with the gluten stuff if he could have eggs. And we're really missing some of our dishes that involve mostly eggs. I never make eggs and rarely use them for anything. Ryan tried to finish some off the other day before they expired, so I touched some cooked scrambled eggs and then touched Aiden's cheek. A hive shortly appeared. What's the point in the food challenge?? A day at the hospital just to tell us he still can't have eggs when we can figure that out at home? True, he could just have a contact issue, but if that's the case, he still isn't supposed to eat them. My hopes...not up any more.

So, yes, this kid keeps us on our toes.

I LOVE this kid

Camden is such a cool kid. Really he is. Maybe I'm a bit biased... And it doesn't hurt when he tells me I'm a cool mom.

Sunday, he and I went out on a little date (thanks to Ryan for the idea, looking everything up, and for providing the funds). ;) It was all a total surprise for him; he thought he was joining me to run errands. He wasn't too thrilled, but when I said it was a chance for the two of us to hang out together, he was up for it. First stop was Borders, where he got the second and third books in the Percy Jackson series. He was stoked. When walking out, I asked if he thought the day could get any better. He thought not.

Until we parked in front of the theater. We went and saw Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief and shared some candy and a pop (yes, I DO allow these things occasionally...). He was so happy that while the movie was coming on, he leaned over and kissed me on the mouth. I mean, there were even people sitting behind us! And he's ten! How many ten-year-olds will kiss their mama like that out in public? (Mine will apparently.) :) Ever since his first day of kindergarten, I've wondered when he would stop kissing me and telling me he loved me in public. Still hasn't happened. (But I am sure to appreciate each occurrence, realizing that it could soon end.)

Then the other night, after complaining about one more food he had to eat but didn't like...he decided he liked it. Ha. (I love proving my child wrong. I'll have to try to post soon about how we do the food thing here. Not that it's anything too special.) The next day, yesterday, he was saying he was excited about what we were having for dinner...my mini meatloaves and roasted potatoes. Before I said anything, he remarked about how he knew what I was thinking...he used to HATE both of those. Very true. He then said, and I quote, "Apparently your method of getting me to eat and like foods works. You're the smartest mom ever."

He then added, "Except for maybe your mom." (Because, hello, she taught me all this!)

Here are a couple pics of Camden...who fell asleep after refusing to eat his dinner b/c it consisted of the meatloaves, mashed potatoes, and peas, none of which he liked at the time. He likes it all now, except for the mashed potatoes. While he does really like potatoes now...he can't stand mashed. I wonder how long I made him sit at the table before he fell asleep? Or maybe he cried so much he fell asleep? Can't remember. (I'm not mean, though, really.) :)

He was four-years-old here.

What a cutie! Even if he was refusing to eat his dinner...

I should post this recipe soon (the meatloaves). Mmmm...so yummy! I'll try to remember. And find the time. ;)

Jump to this morning... Camden had a two-hour delay with school because of some snow (we've had a very unusual amount of snow for North Carolina this year!), and my errands still had to happen, so he tagged along before school. When I dropped him off, after we said our goodbyes and he was walking away from the car, he turned around, grinned, and blew me a kiss.

Ah. I really love that kid.

Now, I'm off to write all of this down, date it, and possibly have him sign it to prove that he said/did all of this. He might be singing a very different tune soon! (The attitude is already kicking in, and with him just being ten...and knowing how I was when I was a teen...I know it can - and surely will - get much worse! I'm trying to prepare myself for it.) I might need a reminder of how sweet he really is under that occasional attitude. ;)

Speaking of doing things in your sleep...

This one isn't so cute, though.

I've noticed Ryan has a tendency to do something in his sleep, and it's really been bothering me. Hopefully he won't mind me writing about this. This isn't a gripe session. It's a genuine concern.

So, I used to be the one to always get up with Aiden at night. He needed to nurse; not much Ryan could do, especially when Aiden was sleeping in our bed. But now Ryan gets up if Aiden wakes in the middle of the night. He goes in to try to get him back to sleep without nursing. Aiden often doesn't wake until about 4 or 5, at which point he demands to nurse, which is fine (if you knew how often he woke up until this past fall....). He had been waking a bit earlier lately b/c of colds and teething. Every now and then I would wake up when Ryan was also waking...but sometimes instead of him jumping out of bed to go to Aiden, like he was supposed to...he was turning OFF the monitor!!!

Seriously.

And he was totally unaware of what he was doing. Ok, so he wasn't really asleep. But he was mostly asleep and not awake enough to realize what was going on. One night recently, he was turning it off and I caught him and said something. Aiden had been crying before he turned the monitor off. I asked if he was going to check on Aiden, and he responded...but he's not crying now. Um, yeah...you don't hear him now because you turned the monitor off! He still wasn't getting it, so I just had to get up and check on Aiden, who actually had went back to sleep (probably after he realized nobody was coming to get him, poor thing.)

The problem is, this has happened more than once. And Ryan is completely unaware of what is going on. Sometimes I don't wake up when he gets up with him, not if there is little fussing and he goes right back to sleep after Ryan is in the nursery. Once I actually woke up after Aiden was crying...it took me a while to figure out what was going on, and it was because Ryan had earlier woken and turned off the monitor! I'm not sure how long Aiden had been crying before I finally woke up. Ryan was snoozing away next to me and didn't remember turning off the monitor when I asked in the morning. This was actually the first time this happened. The other times I've been lucky enough to wake up when he was turning off the monitor.

Some of you might think..no big deal. Aiden will go back to sleep on his own after a while anyway. Well, that's not how we roll. We don't do things like that. When Ryan is awake and we talk about this the next day, he doesn't like it, either. He is just completely out of it when it happens. We're worried that something could happen where Aiden does need us and we can't hear him. Surely I would wake with enough crying. But really, I'm a deep sleeper once I'm out. I keep that monitor turned way up!

*Sigh* Not sure if there is anything much to do. The monitor is kept right at our heads, and I have been putting it closer to my side than in the middle. Of course, the last few nights, Aiden's been sleeping until 4 or later, which helps. But it's still a concern.

Cutest. Thing. Ever.

Ok, I KNOW I say this about so many things that Aiden does....that it's just the cutest thing ever. Here is one more to add to the list.

When I tell Aiden goodnight, he's with his daddy, brushing his teeth. Daddy has the last couple steps in the bedtime routine. So, I'll always say goodnight a last time from the steps and blow him a kiss. Over time, he's associated the word "goodnight" with blowing kisses because of this.

I always go in to check on the boys before going to bed myself. I straighten them out in their beds, make sure they're covered up, and kiss them and tell them I love them. When I went in to Aiden the other night, I whispered, "Good night, baby boy." And...in his sleep...he blew me three kisses.

Is that not adorable?! My heart about melted.

Eighteen Months

Ok, I'm finally getting around to it. To be fair, Aiden has been sick some, and then I had what we are sure was the flu. Then I got even sicker from the Tamiflu; seriously, I'd rather have the flu. I won't be taking that stuff ever again! And then I had to wait to get access to the good computer with the pictures from my hubby who is busy with tax season, so here we are halfway into month 18, and I'm finally getting posting this. Sorry!

This is kind of a long one. Been a busy month for the little guy!

Weight 23lbs
Height 31 inches

Favorites

• Hats. Aiden suddenly loves hats and asks for us to put them on him all the time. He also likes to put on his baby sunglasses, which he never liked before (even hated!).

• Puzzles. He's getting quite good, too. He has three wooden puzzles, and I think it's time to get some more. The funny thing is, he's better at the ones that are slightly more difficult... His favorite right now is one that has emergency vehicles...police car and motorcycle, fire truck, ambulance, etc...even a tow truck. When he picks a piece up to put it on the puzzle, I tell him what it is and what they do (the firetruck comes when there is a fire and the firemen help to put it out and make sure everyone is safe...that sort of thing). He even tries to say "tow truck" when he gets that piece.
• Dancing. We really need to get record this so you all can see, but Aiden has the funniest dance moves. He will play certain toys that have music and then dance to the music. When dancing to certain songs/music, he will slowly "walk" but will spread his legs as far to the sides as he can and will put his hands on his thighs as he goes. Hard to explain, and it is absolutely hilarious. We have NO idea where he got this from, but it's the way he moves! Other times he nods his head (slowly and as far down and up as he possibly can) to the music. It all depends on the type of music that is playing.
• "Again." He signs it instead of saying it, but it is his favorite word these days! After I sing a song, after we read him a book, after just about anything (but those two things in particular), he immediately signs "again."
• Singing. He loves for me to sing to him. He'll sign for me to sing whenever I'm changing his diaper or nursing him. And usually before I'm through with the song, he'll sign "again." It's like he knows the song is almost over and wants to be sure I know he wants more!
• Reading. He's always loved reading. But this child thinks every hour is story hour. Seriously. He constantly asks for us to read to him. (And of course we happily oblige! Well, usually. Sometimes it's a bit harder when I'm trying to fix dinner and he's working on the fifth or sixth story...)
• Kissing. I know, this has been mentioned the last couple months. BUT not only does he love to kiss us all the time now, he also likes to kiss his animals...AND to make them kiss each other! He'll take his two little kitty toys and put their mouths together and make the kissing sounds. A.DOR.A.BLE. Seriously. (There's a picture in February's photo album of him doing this. You have to see it!)

Oh...wait...here's a picture...

• Rubbing noses. I know I mentioned this last month, as well. But it's so cute, and he starts it himself! He'll lean forward and turn his head side to side so we're rubbing noses, and he'll say "neh, neh, neh, neh." I'm not sure where the sound came from, but this is the only time he does it. This kid really is too cute.
• Pillows. The kid loves pillows. If he joins us in bed, he has to get on Mommy's pillow, too. We finally found Camden's old toddler pillow, and he really likes sleeping with that. And he just loves getting all the couch pillows together and playing with them, especially....
• Pretending! His favorite thing to pretend is sleeping. He'll lie his head on a pillow and pretend to be sleeping. He'll close his eyes, put his finger to his lips and say "shhhh" and act like he's asleep! Too cute.
• His little tricycle toy. He likes to be pushed around on it, and he can finally move himself around on it, as well. It's now a toy that he can only play on when a parent is next to him, though...because he also figured out how to STAND on the seat (and even let go of the handlebars once while standing!!).
• Favorite foods... Tuna. Can you believe it!? But it is. I add just a tiny bit of veganaise, and he will eat as much of that stuff as we will let him! Bananas is another favorite, of course. He asks for them all the time. Blueberries. Tomatoes. Taco soup. If he's eating something he might not love, he'll ask for fruit by doing the sign for fruit - or cheese, any kind. Oh, and cinnamon! If he's not crazy about something but sees you put cinnamon on it...oh boy does he suddenly love it! Same thing goes for cheese; put some Parmesan cheese on something and it's suddenly ten times better. He also likes a lot of soups that I might not have expected...just about any vegetable soup, lentil vegetable soup even, tomato soup (and we just discovered tomato bisque...yum!). He really likes soups! I'm looking for great veggie soup recipes if anyone has any to share. I'm wanting to stock up and freeze a bunch to have on hand, and I'm looking for a variety of soups so we don't get bored with them easily.
• Kisses for his hurts. He seems to most often bump his head, and there for a while it also seemed that no matter what he hurt, he would point to his head and expect me to kiss there. But now he'll also show me his hands if he falls on them. He'll come to me and either point to where he hurts, lean his head toward me if that's what he hurt or put out his hand, palm up and give me this pouty little sound, indicating he got hurt. Then I kiss it, tell him he's all better now, and he seems to agree (usually).
• He's got a new favorite naptime/bedtime book, too. Brown Paper Teddy Bear. We ALWAYS read Guess How Much I Love You, but he discovered this book and asks for it over the other now! So....the bunny book is getting some shelf time lately.
  

Least Favorites

• Thinking Mommy is leaving (or Mommy actually leaving). We thought maybe we were lucky and missed out on this....but separation anxiety and stranger anxiety have moved in! Just a few weeks ago, this became noticeable. Even when around people he sees every now and then, Aiden has become clingy with me and shy with others. When we got his hair cut recently, he wasn't even happy with me being right next to him. When someone new is around and I am holding him, he hides his face in my shoulder. (And I have to admit, sometimes it's just too cute and quite endearing.) Now that he's older, too, he stays in the kiddie room when I go to my Mommy Bible Study meetings. He's stayed in there twice, and both times he was rather cuddly with the person watching him. He didn't cry, but he was pouty and wanted to be held. Pull at my heartstrings, why don't ya...
• Going down the stairs on his own. I think he's just very aware that he could fall. He might go down one stair, if that, and then will turn to us and reach out to be picked up.
• Snow. He's not a fan.
• Drinking from a cup by himself. A real cup, I mean, not a sippy cup. He was doing fine with it last month, but he realizes he can spill it if not careful. So, instead of worrying about spilling (which he REALLY does not like doing!), he would rather us hold the cup. Actually, he refuses to hold it himself! We'll even help him by holding it over his hands. Sometimes he'll do this, but he usually puts up a fight.
• Making/seeing others cry. A couple times this child has banged into my mouth with his head hard enough to make me cry (I mean...I had a bruise from one for a few days, so I think that indicates how hard it was), and he's done the same to Camden, as well. Once he sees us crying, he gets really upset, like he is scared.
• Being held in certain ways (for example, if you hold him out in the air like he's flying) or being set on the edge of something (like on the counter with you in front of him, maybe to wash hands or something like that)...he's very aware he could fall and doesn't like it. He gets nervous and tries to cling to whoever is holding him or next to him.
• Getting things from under (or close to being under) the table. He's bumped his head enough to have learned... If a toy is on the floor and within a few inches from being under the table, he won't get it himself. He'll stand a foot or more away and will act like he's reaching with all his might to get it, looking at you in a helpless way...b/c what he really wants is for you to get it for him.

New Developments:

• Talking. Aiden is definitely saying more words. He also talks a LOT in his own jibberish. It's funny to hear. He certainly has a lot to say sometimes, that's for sure; he's just the only one that understands what he's saying! We actually got this on tape recently, but we have a hard time getting things from the camcorder to the internet to share. Not that we don't know how...I think we need a different camcorder. Some compatibility issue that we're not sure how to fix. (Anyone well versed with these things is more than welcome to come and help out! We actually have a really nice camcorder...not sure why this should be so difficult!) I really like how he has his own ways of saying things sometimes. For example, ball is always said twice (ball ball). And when he says Hi, he waves his hand back and forth, but when he says Bye, he opens and closes his hand to wave.
• Separation anxiety/stranger anxiety. Mentioned above. He also won't talk when around some people, even if they're not "new." BUT he will tell them "bye bye" when he thinks it's time for them or us to leave! Funny how he can be so forward about that.
• Cleaning up. I mentioned this last month, but this time I mean with food. Aiden doesn't throw food often, but if he doesn't want something or is done with it...first he'll try to hand it over to us. If we don't have a hand ready to take it immediately, he tosses it. So...when that happens and the meal is over, he has to help clean it up and throw it in the garbage. We've noticed lately that even if he just drops something, when we take him out of his high chair and set him on the ground, he'll go on and pick it up and throw it away! Without us asking! We don't make him clean up those messes...that's just part of him being a toddler, so we take care of it ourselves. We just expect him to help when he does it on purpose. But it is extra adorable when he just notices the food on his own and goes to clean up himself!
• Turning his toys on. He has figured out where the on/off switches are, which is fine by us. But he's also figured out how to turn on things such as the dishwasher...not as fine by us. And he tends to turn the tv on and off when he sees fit (but will also undo whichever when you ask him).
• Walking backwards. He just started doing it one day, out of nowhere. Walked across the room backwards...until he walked into some toys. He'll need to learn to turn his head and see if there are things in the way...
• Asking for help without whining!! I think he's figured out he doesn't always have to fuss when he can't get something just right. He'll often just immediately do the sign for help instead of fussing or whining. Boy does that make things easier on everyone! On the occasion that he does start to whine, if we ask if he needs help, he stops whining and signs "help"...and that's that. Cuts down on a lot of frustration for all of us! (We love signing!!!)
• Flossing. Yes, Aiden flosses now. Well...WE floss his teeth, but he is very agreeable about it. The dentist keeps saying we don't need to floss but to start flossing when teeth touch. Well, he has teeth that touch! One day I noticed some apple peel stuck in between two teeth. If that can happen, it's time to start flossing. Better to start sooner than later anyway, we think.

Showing you his Valentine's shirt.

I was going to try to get some better pictures, but I never got back around to it. After taking THESE pictures, Aiden got sick. And then I did.... And then it was a week and a half late. Blah, blah. These pictures will do after all. Haha.

Test Results

As many of you know, and some of you might not, we have been trying to find out if Aiden has Celiac disease. He has been having symptoms since this fall. It has not been a fun time, and we've been trying to figure out what could be the cause for all the problems. We took him off gluten in January for three weeks, and his symptoms basically went away. We put him back on gluten, and they seemed to return. The hard part was getting him to consume gluten again, though. He didn't seem to want much of the foods that had it, and it was more of a challenge than we expected. We got a referral to a pediatric gastroenterologist at Duke Children's Hospital and saw him last week. We were surprised he decided to go on with testing, as Aiden hadn't been back on gluten for long. If you aren't familiar with what we've been going through, here's some info on the blog that we posted recently: http://daisyryanadkins.blogspot.com/2010/02/overwhelmed.html and http://daisyryanadkins.blogspot.com/2010/02/testing-testing.html

I know many of you have been wondering about Aiden's test results. We finally got the results from the last one on Friday. The tests all came back negative for Celiac. You might think we would be breathing a sigh of relief, but that's not what we're doing because it means our search is not over. The dr says he is fairly confident that we did not test too soon. I'm a bit skeptical but trying not to question too much. Aiden had only been on gluten for 12 days, and we had a really hard time getting him to consume it after being off of it. It only takes a little bit to count, but some days it was very little. And now (after the fact), everything we're reading says you shouldn't go gluten-free before testing b/c it can skew results... Anyway, we talked some with the dr about what this means. Even if he does not have full blown Celiac, he could still have a gluten sensitivity or even a wheat allergy. For those not familiar with Celiac, it is not an allergy; it is an autoimmune disease. Celiac, gluten sensitivity, and a wheat allergy are all quite different from each other. We definitely think SOMETHING is going on in relation to gluten because there is a very obvious difference in his symptoms when he is eating gluten and when he is not. Anytime he eats a decent amount of gluten, the day or two that follows will include the symptoms returning. So, after consulting with the Ped GI, we are going to go back to a gluten-free diet for a number of MONTHS. This will ensure it is completely out of his system for a good while. After so many months, probably six, we will begin introducing gluten again. If the symptoms return, that could mean he has a gluten sensitivity. We might end up testing for celiac again...just to be sure...but only if the symtpoms return and after he has been back on gluten for a number of months again. We can test for a wheat allergy if we want, but that involves going to the allergist again. We already have a follow-up visit scheduled in the fall, so we'll wait until then. We're already keeping Aiden off of some other common allergens and are waiting to test for those, but the dr might wait another year just because of Aiden's young age. Those tests can be false easily, especially with really young children. So, we'll wait to see what that dr says. I think we're more convinced this is a gluten issue and not a wheat allergy, though.

During Aiden's time off of gluten, the entire family will actually be going gluten free. I have a gluten sensitivity myself. And this is actually very common, more than you might think. Also, if Aiden DID somehow have Celiac, it often runs in the family. So, there are many reasons to have the whole family on this diet. For one thing, it just makes it easier! We won't have to make special things just for Aiden, and we won't have to worry about him accidentally getting something he shouldn't because EVERYTHING will be gluten free. Plus, this gives us a chance to see if anybody else happens to feel better on this diet. Symptoms can be very varried, or you may not even notice them - or may attribute them to something else, which is common. So, since we are doing this with him, it doesn't hurt for the rest of us to join in. (Ryan's just realized this means no cereal bars, which he usually eats at work, and Camden is not happy this means no Cream of Wheat...so we'll have to find some good substitutes and work on learning which flours, etc, we can use when cooking... And time to start scrutinizing food labels! You would be surprised at how many things contain gluten.)

This also means that when we travel, if we get to do so during this time, we'll have to really watch what we're eating when eating out or visiting others. This will be the biggest challenge but not impossible. :) And no worries about this being unhealthy. A gluten-free diet is perfectly healthy. We will make sure we get all the nutrients we need. A diet with gluten is not necessary in the least and will certainly not hurt anyone. Hopefully, though, we can figure out what is going on sooner rather than later. This will take longer than we would like, but it's definitely worth it. And we definitely all agree that there is some correlation between these foods and Aiden's symptoms.

Thanks to all of you that have been so supportive as we've been wading through all of this. It's been frustrating and exhausting at times; we feel like it's consumed us as it seems like just about all we think about is his food intake and symptoms, keeping track of every little thing and analizying all of it. And it's just been no fun for Aiden (or us) when his symptoms do appear. We had been hoping for a clear answer, but it seems like we won't quite have that for a while. Either way, hopefully we're on the way to finding out what is going on. We do appreciate all the support, the concerns, the prayers, everything.

What I wish

If I could have a wish right now, it would be for EVERYONE in our home to be healthy for at least a week. No, two weeks.

Sound silly? Not if you have been around us anytime during 2010. What? You haven't? Well, that's probably because we've been TOO SICK to have you over.

Actually, we haven't been sick in the contagious sense the entire time. Well, Aiden and I spent a week with some really bad colds and sore throats. That started Jan 13th. By the way, I hate how "cold" sounds so harmless and simple, but, man, it can knock you out and make you miserable if you get a really bad cold. They need a harsher sounding name for that... Since then, I've been battling a sinus infection. I finally went to the dr for that a week ago, but that was because I got laryngitis and completely lost my voice and they said I had to come in for "anything involving the throat." So, I got some antibiotics for the infection, but nothing for the laryngitis since that's just due to the inflammation and all. I would have had some cough meds to help calm that, which would also have let me sleep some, but I'm still nursing so that was a no go. Due to that, though the infection was going away, I got absolutely NO SLEEP because of all the coughing and congestion.

Add onto that with Aiden waking from teething. Fun times.

Then Ryan gets a cold.

Then he and I start to feel better. Not quite there yet, but we were on our way. And Aiden gets sick again.

This is our life. Welcome.

Aiden woke up yesterday with a fever. Threw up a couple times when he tried to eat, but mostly he refused to eat. (It's times like this I'm glad he still nurses or else I might worry a bit more.) He spent the day lying around, taking extra naps, and wanting his mommy right next to him. While he looked completely pitiful, it was so endearing. A mama can't help but love being needed in such a way every now and then. I knew we were in for a rough night, too, when he kept waking and by midnight kept reaching for the door, indicating he wanted to go to our bed...(which he did, of course!). But did I really mind? Anything for that little guy.

He's fine today. Fever is gone, and he's back to normal.

But now my sinus infection seems to be returning. Oh, that makes me so happy. I've only been fighting it for a month now. While I'm glad it's nothing contagious, which means I don't have to worry about getting anyone else sick from what I have, I still would like to FEEL well myself.

Camden seems to be the only one all of this isn't touching. How is that?! I want to know. Because I want it for the rest of us! 2010 has not been the best year so far for some of us.... Of course, if I could get some sleep and maybe get some stress relief, that might do it for me. I'm quite aware of that.

Seriously, I would just love for a couple weeks with everyone perfectly healthy. Is that really too much to ask?? I would think not, but....

Testing, testing...

Ok, so when I wrote the last post about all this gluten stuff with Aiden, we were waiting on a referral to the pediatric gastroenterologist at Duke Children's Hospital. I called our family dr's office on Monday, knowing our provider was not in that day and wouldn't see the request until Tuesday. So, it came as quite a surprise when I got a phone call at 8am on Tuesday morning, before the office was technically open. We already had an appointment with the specialist THAT THURSDAY...two days away! That never happens...getting in that quickly. We even got the specific ped GI that we requested (per a recommendation from a friend who works with these providers, saying this guy was "the best" of the department). I was shocked. But also a bit concerned...did we really need to go in just yet? I wanted to talk with the nurse or doctor before actually going in for an appointment.

And...surprise again! I got to speak with a nurse that same day. The visit wouldn't be pointless even if testing was put off, she said. She also relieved me quite a bit when she said Aiden only needed to consume the equivalent of a graham cracker a day to get enough gluten for accurate test results. Aiden would at least eat some cheerios each day, and that's what I gave him to snack on when we were running around, so he should have gotten enough. She also said some doctors would test after being on gluten for two weeks, some waited four.

Thursday rolled around, and we got another call. Instead of waiting until the afternoon, could we come in as soon as possible? Some spots had opened up. So...off we went as soon as I got Camden off to school, picking up Ryan on the way. We left the house at 10am. We returned home that afternoon after 3pm. We were in the exam room for three hours, at least. The only stop was a very quick lunch after leaving the hospital. It was a long day, needless to say.

But that's to be expected there. We always have to wait a long time when we see a specialist at Duke. The upside...when it's our turn, the doctor gives us plenty of time...taking a good history, getting all the facts and hearing us out. You may spend time waiting, but that's a small price for great care. Plus, this time, during our wait, my friend Melissa stopped by to chat with us, too.

So....after talking with the doctor for quite a while and filling him in on...basically everything Aiden has experienced since he was born (seriously, they do a good job), he told us what we kind of knew. This could be celiac. Could be a gluten sensitivity. Could be a wheat allergy. All of those are completely different from each other. Also...this could be something else altogether. We explained how we were concerned about Aiden's slow growth (going from above the 75th%tile at birth to the 30th at one year and now in the 14th at 18 months...all the while being a VERY good eater), his tendency to get sick easily and stay sick for a long time (despite all the protective factors), and all the other "symptoms" that could mean something or could mean nothing at all. He agreed. And while he said the slow growth was something to keep an eye on, he wasn't too concerned because at least Aiden wasn't LOSING weight; it's possible he's also still "settling into" his normal growth pattern (is this something they're all supposed to say to help keep parents from worrying too much? Ha.). Anyway, after all this talking and whatnot, he decides to go on with the blood work. I was a bit hesitant because Aiden had only been "on" gluten for 12 days at that point, but the doctor thought it was fine, especially with Aiden being younger. And hey...going out there is not a quick trip (or cheap), so we went on with it.

Aiden was quite the trooper. They took SEVEN vials of blood. Wow. We didn't expect that. Aiden did cry at first, but after a couple vials, he was fine...just put his head up against Mama and watched where the blood was being removed from his arm. (I wonder how this will affect his sudden separation and stranger anxiety that he has been exhibiting. This certainly reinforces that strangers aren't necessarily the nicest people out there, huh?) He did pretty well, though. He later cried more after whacking his face into the corner of my glasses...

So now...now we wait. The results should be in within the next few days. If the results are positive for celiac, we go in for a biopsy to confirm. I'm really trying not to even think about that yet. We didn't even ask about the process when we were talking with the doctor. No point.

But if the results are negative... I'm not sure what that means. It means this might be ruled out. (But we will worry, of course, that they tested too soon.) There are many other possibilities, if we get negative results, though. That's not something we're really excited to think about, either.

I'm trying to just tell myself...whatever will be, will be. It doesn't help to wonder and worry. It was easier yesterday. Harder today. Today Aiden showed more symptoms, especially after he ate some more wheat yesterday than he had been. I think we've figured out that Aiden doesn't really care for white bread. He's always eaten wheat bread. We got a fabulous bread machine for Christmas and have been using that instead of buying bread...but we've been making white bread because in order to make wheat, we would need to buy extra gluten to use with it. But we don't want to buy all these extra ingredients and then find out that he does have celiac and needs to avoid them. We happened to buy a loaf of wheat bread the other day, and Aiden suddenly likes bread again. So funny. Camden was the same way. I always gave him wheat bread, and the first time he was given white bread at someone's house, he looked at it like it was the strangest thing ever. Ok..off topic. Anyway, this explains why he hasn't been wanting much bread...the bread, biscuits, ect have all been white.

I'm more worried about the results being accurate and trusting that they are accurate than anything else. Feel free to pray that they are accurate and that we can feel at ease with what we are told. Right now, that's actually our biggest concern. Thank you for all the kind comments and all the prayers. We really do appreciate it all. It helps having that support and knowing so many people care about our little guy.

Overwhelmed

It's been a while, I know. I do plan on writing about more than, as a friend would call it, Aiden's Red Chair posts. But I've been a bit overwhelmed lately. I have mentioned a couple times that we are having some problems still with Aiden and are looking into other food issues. It seems that has consumed my life these days. We were trying to keep it under wraps until we knew more, just telling close family and maybe a couple friends. I've posted about it just a little lately on facebook...more b/c I needed some support after feeling so defeated here and there.

Long story short...we are looking into problems with gluten. Does Aiden have celiac disease? We're not 100% sure, but it does look to be very likely. Ok, we're pretty sure he does. I like to KNOW things and have a hard time saying it is so without hard facts to back me up (um...with certain things..I am not like that with my faith, but with things like medical issues, yes, I am). We have not had the blood work done yet. This is where I am beginning to feel overwhelmed, really. I read up on this before taking him off the gluten, and I do know that he needs to be ON gluten in order for the tests to be accurate. Actually, I was going to go off gluten myself but did the blood work for me first. BUT I didn't want to do anything unnecessary with Aiden...why subject him to a needle and a bunch of blood being extracted just b/c of a hunch. (I know, I know...mother's intuition...we need to learn to rely on it a bit more, but I wasn't so sure this was the problem. We had already tried dairy with no changes; this was just the next step.) Anyway, so we went and took him off gluten and even mentioned this to our family doctor.

I'm skipping a lot of details here, but you'll get the gist. I'm battling some nasty sinus pain, so I'm just getting out what I feel I need to for the moment. This is mostly about me getting things off my chest. The informative stuff will come later when we know more.

So, off gluten...the symptoms went away. Completely. It was rather exciting. And I know some people who know what gluten is might think it's a difficult diet, to be gluten-free...but it really isn't for us. We don't eat many processed foods, and there are gluten-free alternatives to things like crackers and bread. It's not exactly the same, but still. And if we find out this is it for sure, there will be adjustments for learning to bake and cook with other types of flours, but we'll figure it out. Aiden eats mostly whole foods anyway (all of us do, not just him), so it really wasn't too difficult at all. It might sound strange, but I would get so excited when I would change his diaper and see a "normal" poopy diaper! Before, he was having 4-5 explosive bowel movements a day (I mean filling the ENTIRE diaper)...very soft ("wet," not just soft...but not quite diarrhea). It seemed like everything he ate was just going right through him. And the foods he eats are, like I said, mostly whole foods and things that should "bulk up" a diaper. These diapers should not be happening and are not what one would call normal for this age. But off gluten...things were as one would expect.

Anyway, after three weeks, time to go back ON gluten. If the symptoms reappear, we have our answer. It's a lot that the symptoms went away after removing gluten, but you also want to see if they come back with the food back in the diet. After a few days, we started to see the symptoms return. Not fun to see, esp b/c these diapers bring terrible, terrible rashes, regardless of treatment. But reassuring nonetheless. I mean, this would indicate we have our answer. Right? Well, the problem is...we aren't seeing the symptoms consistently. He'll have a day with them, a day without, etc. Why? Because the little stinker doesn't want to eat the stuff with gluten!!! I did not foresee such a problem. He will not eat bread, biscuits... He will eat crackers some but not many like he used to. I've made muffins, and he liked those some. He loves pasta, too, but we have to give him gluten-free brands b/c they're the only ones that can say for sure their pasta is made in an egg-free facility. So, we're finding it more difficult to get gluten into his diet than it was to get it out! Who woulda thought?!

The problem with this?? Testing. As my mom said, it looks like we have our answer, regardless of testing. But, as I reminded her...this is ME we're talking about. I want to KNOW. I have this need to know this is the right diagnosis. Plus, I don't want to have to restrict his diet in such extreme ways if it's not necessary. Gluten-free is not bad for you at all - quite the opposite - but there will be instances it will be difficult and limiting. I have talked some with my friend who is a pediatric dietitian, and she agrees it really sounds like celiac, but testing will tell us for sure. Yet, how can we test when he won't eat the darn stuff?! She's recommended going to a pediatric GI, and another friend has recommended one that works at the Duke Children's Hospital, which is where we would be sent. We're waiting on our doctor to refer us so we can get in to meet with this guy or even just ask a few questions over the phone. We're hoping he can give us some instruction or advice. Here I am breaking all my food rules and doing everything I can to get this child to eat gluten, and it's becoming terribly difficult. I hate doing it...b/c if he does have celiac, the foods are actually making him less healthy, but if we are to test for this, he has to be consuming gluten. (And I keep warning him, once this is figured out, the rules are back ON. Ha.)

This really is driving me absolutel crazy. On one hand, we weren't sure enough to do testing first and both felt it was better to try the elimination diet before subjecting Aiden to unnecessary testing. But now, I'm totally regretting that decision because we don't know how possible testing will be because of his current diet. I'm not even sure how long he needs to be consuming gluten, but I know a few days or couple weeks (after being off it completely for three weeks) isn't enough. I'm doing a bit of beating myself up over all of it because perhaps we could have had our answer by now and been on our way. Instead, I'm consumed by all of this...watching every little thing he eats, trying to make him eat what he doesn't want (and you know what he wants to eat...things like peas and carrots and fruit...wonderful things...just not breads and things with gluten!!), writing down every thing he eats, writing down when he poops, how much, all the details around it (these are records my friend told me to keep...to show the doctor and for her to look over if gluten isn't the culprit). Almost every thought I have is about this. On the days he's not showing symptoms, I'm checking his diaper nonstop. When he does, we're watching for the rash to return and questioning what to put on it this time and why it keeps doing this. Aiden is constantly pulling on his pants and scratching...even when the rash has taken a break. Diaper changes are very difficult lately. It's frustrating for all of us. And all of the symptoms and problems have been going on for MONTHS, so this is not something new. It is something we are ready to have the answers to so we can move on and get past it already.

Any suggestions?? Any ideas for ways to get him eating gluten? We welcome them. We also welcome good thoughts and prayers. Hopefully we'll have some actual news soon...whatever the answer is, we hope to know it soon.

If you haven't already, please visit Gwenn's blog and read this post.

This breaks my heart in so many ways.

This is ONE story. Out of the (way too) many.

Help in Haiti

By now we have all heard the news about the earthquake in Haiti. We've seen the news footage, seen pictures of the devastation, have heard about the rising death toll. It is beyond tragic.

This hits close to home for us, as we have some friends from church that are missionaries in Jacmel, Haiti, just a very short distance (less than 40 miles) from Port-au-Prince. Gwenn and Nick and their family have been in Haiti just under a year, joining Joy in Hope, and are houseparents to orphaned children.

Without dragging on and on about what is going on (we all know about it by now...if you're somehow out of the loop, just go to CNN.com), I want to quickly post some links about the situation and how we can all help. Help is necessary. Please do not just sit back and hope things get better for these people soon. Lots of people are praying. And yes, do pray. And keep praying, as the worst is surely not over with. But also be active. If you donate only a few bucks, it will make a difference. A few dollars to us in the U.S. can do a heck of a lot more in Haiti.

Here is a CNN.com article that was recently posted. The article focuses on an interview with Gwenn and shows some of the photos she has taken.

Find Gwenn on facebook to view her pictures. Or here are links to some of the albums she has posted. When viewing these, please keep in mind how real this is. It's easy to see a photo and romanticize it or to not take it too seriously. But this is real, folks. These were taken just yesterday, last night, today... These are on facebook, but you do not need a facebook account to view them.

Earthquake pictures added just yesterday.
Pictures of the Mangine family overnight.
Pictures taken today.

Joy in Hope page on facebook. They're showing updates and have information on how you can donate.
Donate via Joy in Hope, a 501(c)3 non profit organization... Click here and select "Immediate Needs" (or mail checks to JIH - Earthquake, 2731 NC Hwy 55 #251, Cary, NC 27519). Donations are being used to help provide much needed food and supplies to those affected by the quake.

The Mangine family blog. Gwenn is updating when they can get internet connection. She is posting about the conditions, what they are doing there, and ways that you can help. Please visit and read. There are some very touching and personal stories, not just about their family but about others they have come across.

If you want to know of other ways to donate, the list is pretty lengthy.
Here is a list from the Huffington Post and what each organization is doing to help.
Tips on giving safely and another list of possible organizations to which you can donate can be found here.

However you give and whatever you give, please just GIVE. And keep praying.