Muffin Tin Misfit

Muffin Tin Monday is a fabulous concept. Really. I love it. And I so want to do it. And not just on Mondays.

But it is useless for me right now.

See, my eldest will only eat a few foods. As in, I-can-count-them-on-one-hand-few. Can I get a muffin tin with just one compartment? Oh, right. That's a bowl. I should just stick with a bowl then.

And #2? I would have to prepare his muffin tin in the middle of the night. The second he hears me open the fridge or the pantry, he's at my feet, grunting and whining for food, food, food. He doesn't care one bit about the presentation. But Truett, look how cute these rows of food are!

Earlier in the summer I was completely inspired by Rainbow Challenge Monday. All those colors! I started Truett's lunch with blueberries and was moving right around the color wheel with grapes, strawberries, mangoes, kiwi, etc., filling up my little muffin tin. Beautiful! Vibrant! I loved it!

But I couldn't stand the whining of Hungry Impatient Boy for one more second so I just dumped it all on his tray without even taking a picture.

See, we have eating issues around here. One won't eat. One won't stop eating.

Thankfully my mom got me a huge bag of cookie cutters at a garage sale. I didn't even realize I needed them but I did!

We've got numbers, letters, seasonal themes, you name it. Besides the fact that Oliver loves to play with them and spell words with all the alphabet letters, they're proving useful for some lunch time creativity. That he WILL eat. Always a plus.

I made a "C"!

Please note that O removed the grapes from his tray the second he had a chance. He was concerned they might contaminate his other food, which, by the way was: Ezekiel bread with Sunbutter, O'Soy yogurt, (grapes) and Amazing Grass w/ soy milk to drink.

Just give me the food, Momma. Stat!

Any feeding ideas that you moms would like to share? We've got food allergies to consider (as well as a child who refuses to consume fruits, veggies or meats) but I'd love some new ideas.

Chrys

New Allergies?

Oliver clearly has some allergies that the medical profession didn't catch. It appears that we could've skipped the testing altogether b/c he seems to have lots of information on his allergies. The following conversation occurred today during lunch...

Oliver: "I'm not allergic to cow's milk."

Me: "Yes, you are."

Oliver: "I'm not allergic to soy milk."

Me: "You're right. You can have soy milk."

Oliver: "I'm not allergic to goat milk."

Me: "That's correct."

Oliver: "I'm not allergic to pig's milk."

Me: "Hmmmm. Pig's milk. That is interesting. I don't guess you are."

Oliver: "I am allergic to Truett."

Me: (laughing) "Oh, really?"

Oliver: "And beds. I am allergic to beds."

No coincidence that this conversation occurred right before nap time.

Afterwards Oliver sang "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" to Truett...I guess all the animal talk made him think of that song.

Chrys

Country Cousins

Oh, get ready for a long post! It was a fun day with lots of photo ops...

We traveled to East Texas this morning for a family reunion. Jammie, PawPaw and Melissa piled in the van w/ us and we headed out, stopping at Ham's Orchard on the way. Truett tried a peach but brother declined, of course. O enjoyed counting them and rearranging them, though.And he particularly enjoyed some peach ice cream...
We decided it was time to start testing some of Oliver's allergies but didn't do a good job of trying one allergen at a time. He ate milk in ice cream, eggs in birthday cake and catfish fried in peanut oil. Oops. He was itchy but it was bearable. From now on I'll be more intentional about which allergen we're "testing".

We met lots of family at the catfish place for the annual greasy lunch. (I'm not complaining, it was some yummy food!) Oliver ate fried catfish (???) which he called "bread". We didn't correct him. He was also a big fan of the hush puppy. Evidently he likes anything fried and then smothered in ketchup. Oh, and don't forget the birthday cake in celebration of Uncle Charles' 80th.And after that we headed to the farm and sat outside to enjoy the gorgeous weather and the East Texas trees. Oh, what a dream for little boys! It seriously made me want to move to the country. We've been there before but it was SO much more fun this time b/c I looked at it through little eyes. The farm has everything a boy could want...

Room to run:
A bike to ride: A puppy to love:
A car to drive: (This "vintage" toy car has been enjoyed by lots of kids over the years. Mike worked up a sweat pushing it up the hill over and over. Truett sat in it and made car noises. So cute!)
Grandparents to wrap around your finger:More love for sweet Lucy, the puppy dog: (Truett could hardly stand it - he is CRAZY about dogs! He spent hours calling that puppy with his "click click" sound. He was not scared of her at all and was delighted by her puppy kisses.)
A turtle: (We declined the offer to take him home. He's a country turtle and city life would probably not suit him well.)Tractors:Lemonade:Mud: (A bath and change of clothes was required. This pic is one of my new favs.)
A frog:I don't have room to post pics of the other creatures we discovered at the farm...spiders, cardinals, hummingbirds, crickets. What a blast!

I asked Oliver about his favorite part of the day and he said it was playing with Lucy, the dog. "She is so cute!"

Thanks, East Texas cousins for such a great afternoon. We loved seeing you. Thank you for opening your home to us and allowing our sweet boys to explore and enjoy country life for awhile. It is very appealing!!We missed you, Cousin Kim, and hope to see you and your kiddos next year if not before!

Chrys

"Marker Glove"

Oliver said, "Mommy, I'm na getcha wit dis marker glove!"

On a random note, O told his Sunday School teachers today that he wouldn't be having any snacks b/c he's allergic. They were already aware of this fact but we were all surprised that he announced this himself and didn't try to sneak any. Instead he gave his teachers a lesson on backhoes while the other kids ate their goldfish. I'm thankful that it doesn't seem to bother him.

Chrys

So Momma's Not Crazy & An Allergy Update

The last week of parenting has kicked my rear. Seriously. I am so beat down.

Whining. Irrational crying. Disobedience. Irritability. Discipline, discipline, discipline.

Oliver, who typically goes right to sleep at night, has made bedtime a miserable event for everyone in our house. And probably for our neighbors as well. It has taken hours - HOURS??? - to get him down the last several nights. And you can forget potty training b/c he screams bloody murder when we mention it. (Thanks to the elimination diet he's on I can't use M&Ms for bribery anyway.) We had to leave the library without any books thanks to the fit he threw over not getting to do the puzzle he wanted to do. Approximately three-fourths of his excessive toy collection is in toy prison b/c he chose not to pick them up and Mommy had to. Are you getting the picture??

And Baby Truett must be held at all times or he will cry. Granted, he doesn't shed a tear after bloodying eight fingers by slamming them in a kitchen cabinet. But walk past him without picking him up? You'll break his heart.

So. I took both boys to the pediatrician this morning thinking there had to be an explanation for their behavior.

Ear infections all the way around. Yep. Again.

We hoped things would improve on the ear front when the weather warmed up. Hmmmmm. We'll return for a checkup in three weeks and will talk then about tubes for poor Truett.

The meds haven't helped the boys yet but somehow those two new antibiotic prescriptions have made me feel better: I'm not crazy! And perhaps we haven't really raised children who will intentionally act this way forever!

I'm rejoicing.

Allergy update: Oliver can't have his beloved milk but is intrigued by all the "new milks" in our fridge: goat, almond, rice, and soy. He requests a new one each time and hasn't missed a beat. The fact that I got a couple of chocolate versions of the new milk has definitely aided in the transition.

Thanks to those of you who emailed and commented with ideas. We got some Sunbutter as well as cashew and almond butter. He likes all three and has been sampling a little of each at mealtime. We're still adjusting and haven't seen a real improvement in his symptoms yet but I know it hasn't been long enough.

I felt sorry for him at church on Sunday b/c he had to wear a huge, florescent sticker proclaiming his allergies. His teacher is a friend of mine and said he didn't even notice when the other kids were eating cheddar goldfish at snack time b/c he was too busy playing intently. So that's good.

On Sunday our thoughtful friend Jan surprised me with an orange cake, one of my favs, for an early birthday celebration. She even called my mom for the recipe, super sweet. It was delicious and I felt so sad for Oliver b/c he couldn't have any of it. He started to fuss but Mike ran to a vending machine and came back with Oreos, which we learned are vegan. Who knew? Oliver had never had Oreos before but he is understandably now a fan.

And finally, for the record, Oliver weighed 32 lbs today and Truett weighed 18 lbs, 9.5 oz.

Chrys

What's For Supper?

I was grocery shopping at Mal-Wart (as O says) today and had a basket chock full of food and fussy boys when the allergist called with the results from last week's blood test.

She explained that Oliver isn't allergic to dust mites, cats, shrimp and fish. That's the good news.

He is, however, at least somewhat allergic to all of the other allergens they tested. The worst, and the ones she recommends eliminating at least for a time, are milk, eggs and peanuts.

Yikes. Let me now put back the majority of the items in our grocery cart.

It is difficult to explain to folks that Oliver does. not. eat. They just think I mean he's picky. It's more than that. He shudders, shakes and gags when we force him to try foods. He recently threw up all over Mike when I popped a bite of key lime pie into his mouth, thinking he'd like it. He eats no fruits. No veggies. He survives solely on cereal, milk, yogurt, bread and peanut butter. Every once in awhile he will surprise us and eat some meat as long as it is completely disguised in ketchup.

You know I've tried everything. I have persisted. I have been deceptive. I have disguised foods and, as recently as this morning, got him to eat fresh peaches and butternut squash without his knowledge b/c they were pureed and hidden in his yogurt then covered in granola. (Gross, I know.)

So I'm not sure what he's going to eat for a few weeks while we eliminate these foods to see if there is an improvement in his symptoms.

I got some soy milk and we'll see how that goes. The boy loves his milk.

As for lunch, I'm going to serve him the milk and egg-laden nutritional nothingness that is A to Z SpaghettiO's. He saw them on the shelf and was intrigued. He's very excited about them. I guess we'll start the elimination diet tomorrow after I've had a chance to think about this some more. I know: I'll process while our eldest eats his can of processed food. That's nice.

Yep, I am that mom. The one I said I'd never be. The one who feeds my kid an entire meal out of a can. Because maybe, just maybe, he will eat it simply b/c he digs the alphabet. Maybe. he'll. eat. Something.

Anything.

I used to buy everything at Whole Foods and Central Market. Fresh. Organic. Beautiful. Vibrant. Colorful. Healthy.

But even Mal-Wart has cereal, milk, yogurt and peanut butter.

I tell you what, desperation changes a person.

Chrys

"Dey Drawed My Bludd. I Cwied and I Cwied...

...but I got a pollylop."

I think he'd say it was worth it.

We saw the pediatric allergist today and learned that Oliver's dermatagraphia prevents us from doing the skin test we were prepared to do this morning. Even the control would read positive since his skin overreacts to any pressure at all.

It makes perfect sense now but I wish we had known before needlessly keeping O off medicine for a week in preparation for the skin test. I honestly didn't even think that Zyrtec was doing much but now we know it was helping a ton. The poor kid was miserable, covered in hives and welts, and we couldn't give him anything that would skew the results of the skin test. (You know, the skin test we couldn't do. So frustrating.)

Another aggravating aspect of the appointment was finding out that the blood test the pediatric dermatologist ordered is not one that allergists deem accurate. Nice. So poor O had his blood drawn the first time for nothing.

This experience was much better b/c Dadoo was with us and it was done at the brand new Children's Medical location. The techs were fantastic and Oliver was so brave. Truett and I took pics and cheered for Brother.

The results should be in next week and we hope to get some direction on this food allergy stuff.

Chrys

Allergy Update & "Bad, Mean Ants"

We got the results yesterday from Oliver's blood test. I'm not sure what any of this means yet but I'm not going to panic...at least not until we see a pediatric allergist! Hopefully that will be soon.

The blood test indicates that Oliver has Class III allergies to eggs and wheat, Class II allergies to peanut and soy, and Class I allergies to milk and corn. Yeah, I don't really know what all of that means yet but it feels slightly overwhelming for this mom of a toddler who refuses to eat any fruits, vegetables or meats and survives on carbs and dairy. Yikes. I was told the allergen classes go all the way up to six so I'm assuming his aren't severe. But I've got tons to learn. If anyone wants to school me in food allergies, bring it on.

He also has at least one infection, probably two. (The nurse prac couldn't see one ear drum b/c of all the wax and didn't want to dig b/c she was already going to prescribe antibiotics for the other ear.) And, of course, it is probably due to his allergies. The poor guy is having a rough spring.

Oddly enough, Oliver only had one ear infection in his life until Truett came along. Maybe he is allergic to his baby brother??

After the doctor's appointment this morning we returned to the butterfly field to gather more milkweed for our hungry monarch caterpillars. They are growing like, well, (milk)weeds. I can't believe how fast it happens. Amazing. Mike has taken some incredible time lapse pics of our caterpillars hatching from and then eating their eggs, eating leaves, etc. Our main computer is still out of commission, though, so we'll have to post those at a later date. Stay tuned.

So we were in the butterfly field searching for milkweed today when Oliver started screaming. I mean SCREAMING. I was a few yards away and I flew to him and swooped him up as I heard him say, "The ants! Ants are getting me!" Bless his heart, the child was standing in a fire ant bed!

I threw off his shoes and slapped the ants off of him. With Truett under one arm, Oliver under the other and four milkweed bouquets in front I managed to fly through the field with superhuman power that only moms know about. Both boys were screaming (Truett was scared to death) and I was near tears myself. I got them to the van where I doused Oliver's legs in water to make sure all the ants were off. I got bit several times and was afraid Truett had been bitten as well by the way he was carrying on. (I never found any bites on him, though.) Fire ant bites sting so badly and I felt awful for poor O who was covered in them.

I panicked at first b/c I was concerned that our sensitive Oliver would violently react to several dozen fire ant bites. Last fall his face was swollen for days from a single mosquito bite. Thankfully that didn't happen.

We raced to my friend Rachel's house. She's a nurse and I knew she'd remain calm. We doctored O's feet, toes and legs then he proceeded to play happily with Rachel's boys like nothing ever happened. Owen and Noah were thrilled with what we brought them--two monarch eggs that we found on our milkweed!

I've given Oliver benadryl twice today and am keeping his feet coated in itch medicine. He's fussy but that is to be expected, especially considering his ear infection. He's talked all day about the "bad, mean ants" that "got him".

For the record, Oliver weighed 31 lbs today and Truett weighed nearly 18 lbs.

And Oliver requested a "pollylop" at the doctor's office. Sorry, bud.

Chrys