Why Did I Doubt Myself - Gluten Free (on top of dairy, soy, egg, nut, beef, and bean free)

I always included fruits and veggies into my diet but I honestly ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. That included sweets, fatty greasy foods, fast foods, etc. I met friends who said they ate more clean, more cooking from scratch, less eating out. I always said I could never, ever do that!

Well here I am. Doing that.

My baby boy was very upset right after he was born. He was miserable, crying constantly, popping on and off the breast, acting in pain, arching his back. The doctors first said it was just reflux disease and put him on meds. Didn't help. He was miserable.

I did my own research and found his symptoms were similar to those babies with food allergies. I sought the advice of a GI specialist, got x-rays on his distended tummy, and we concluded that he was most likely reacting to a myriad of foods. He said I should eliminate dairy, beef, eggs, nuts, and soy from my diet if I wanted to keep nursing him. On second though, the doctor said, you won't be able to do that at all so just take his $30 a can formula, here is a script for more, and put him on that.

I was so upset. I had nursed all 3 of my other kids just fine. I was upset that the doctor doubted me so much. I went home and pouted a bit while stewing about what to do.

I decided I needed to do what was best for my baby or at least give it my very best effort. I cut it all from my diet. It takes weeks to make sure dairy, especially, is out of your diet. It is hidden in so many things! My baby started acting happier and healthier. We later learned he was reacting to beans so we cut that as well.

It was hard. My family kept eating what they wanted. I was the main cook so I would serve mostly what I could have and then offer other things to keep them happy. Eating out was hard but doable. If I ever thought about the foods I missed, I would just imagine my sweet baby in so much pain and the craving would disappear.

We felt like he was still reacting to something. We kept careful watch of him and his symptoms. We sought more GI and allergist help, with no help. I did more research and found that maybe he and I both were reacting to gluten. I was so scared to cut that as well. I figured my husband would not be happy with me eliminating yet one more thing and making it harder to cook. I thought about it for a while, did research, and then mentioned it in passing to the hubby.

He quickly got on board! I was so shocked. He decided to cut gluten with me. We have been gluten free for 16 days now. I definitely noticed a change in both my baby and me after only a week. My hubby noticed a change after about 2 weeks. The kids gave it a half try and decided that completely gluten free was not for them! Haha.

I do not miss it. I am currently only avoiding all things gluten and have not found any replacements yet. I really want to try a gluten free vegan chocolate chip cookie! It has limited our ability to go out to eat so much which is great for our health and wallet. I eat a lot of the same things over and over but that is okay. I feel so much better and my baby doesn't scream as much. I think he may be sleeping a bit better too! I am so mad at myself for waiting so long to try this out of fear! I am doing it. I am changing my health in ways I never thought I could.

The doctors are confident that my baby will outgrow his allergies as they think his reactions are simply GI related and not anaphylactic. They suggest letting him taste the culprit foods and see how he does.  However, I am not ready to let him taste test any allergy suspected food as he is pretty nonverbal.  We will see what the future holds.

Oh My, Lego Fun For All Ages!

My children are 1, 6, 8, and 14.

 

As you can imagine, it is hard to find something that we can all do together that every kid will enjoy.

 

 

Enter the Legos. Dax loves when his sisters make him Lego swords to play with.

 

The girls invite him in their game and his face lights up.

 

He likes to come down in the mornings and knock over whatever was built before.

 

Ainzley had a blast making her little robot. She likes to match colors.

 

Chaz has loved Legos since he was little.

 

We had a Lego table for him when he was smaller but it got worn out and had to be thrown away. I really miss that table.  He spent hours with his Legos and Lego table.

 

It has been so fun to watch the creations and hear the stories that go along. There are always background stories to go with the Lego structures Chaz builds.

 

Brijet is full of creativity. This Lego structure was inspired by robots.

 

It is fun to hear giggles and stories coming from the other room and peak in to find all four of your babies playing happily together while you get the back door fixed.

 

Dax loves when his big siblings are playing beside him.

 

Brijet and Ainzley come up with some unique and symmetric designs.

 

I really need to invest in more Legos so we have enough for all four to play happily!