Waiting....

Well Day 1 only lasted 1 day, we have had spots of blood everyday since. I'm really started to contemplate that this is not just allergies and there may be a mild bleed in his lower GI. Yes allergies may be contributing because of the eczema we have seen on his abdomen but I have cut so much out of my diet, and trust me I read labels!!!!!
My Aunt who is a PA was telling me to remember that Bronson is "happy, healthy, and growing" and to be weary of any invasive testing that the drs in Atlanta may want to do. I am just fed up. I'm doing everything I possibly can to help my baby get better. So we are impatiently waiting for our appointment in Atlanta.

Day 1

Obviously im doing something right, Bronson had no pin drops of blood in his stool yesterday. IT makes me nervous, yet hopeful. So currently ive been dairy free since Oct 6th and soy free since Oct 25th. Egg free since Nov 30. Peanut, wheat, and gluten free since Dec 10th. Crazy I know, but im willing to do anything. Reading labels is hard work, and there have been a few times ive slipped up, but realized it right away.

HEre's my daily sample menu:

AM: slow cooked wheat & gluten free Bob's red mill steel cut oats with apples and raisins
or
turkey bacon (grassfed and organic) with tapoica bread with apple butter
or
rice cereal with low fat vanilla rice milk
I am still drinking 1 c of organic coffee with low fat vanilla rice milk and coconut sugar in the AM.

snack: banana/ or coconut milk yogurt. If we are on the go, I usually try to run errands in the morning and I will take a enjoy life on the go bar, either very berry or caramel apple, im excited because I got a new flavor sunbutter crunch!

lunch: rice bowl with beans (organic) and either ckn or turkey (grassfed and organic), daiya mozzerella cheese shreds, and wholly guacamole.
or
tapioca bread sandwich with earth balance mindful mayo, some spinach ckn and daiya cheese with a zucchini or squash (but lately i havent been able tofind good looking organic squash.

snack: blueberries or figs with rice crackers and hummus

dinner: ckn or turkey with sweet potato and zucchini, i made add a brown rice tortilla with spinach and daiya cheddar cheese shreds too.


Pretty much everything in my diet is organic, or at least labeled all natural with no preservatives, additives, etc. Im also not eating citrus fruits or beef. I did have a strawberry yesterday, but mainly just bananas and blueberries. And I try to add spinach and kale(in beans mainly) to anything for more vitamins, etc. I need to get a good green shake recipe, i love odwalla green machine drink! And invest in either a vitamix or bullet for shakes, and possibly a bread machine!

This morning my sweet husband made me vegan banana pancakes with coconut butter and maple syrup, yummmmmy! And tonight he made a pumpkin pie completely allergen free for me. I told him he could make it with the good stuff, but he didnt. It was delicious, and just what my sweet tooth needed. He is being very supportive of all this, and shows his love by cooking good foods for me on the weekends, how sweet! We finished off the night by going to drive through Chehaw park to see christmas lights. They also have a small train for kids to ride, and Derek took him for a night ride to see more lights. I thought it would be too cold for B and me, so we stayed in the car. It was a fun family tradition to start!

New food finds

Yesterday we went down to Tallahassee to get some of my specialty foods, plus get a membership at Costco for their organic finds! Costco has alot of organic, rice quinoa coffee kids juices frozen veggies organic beans fresh organic produce olive oil kids snacks big bags of rice works rice chips! We figure if we make a trip down every month or so it will be worth it. We also saved $30 bucks with our military discount at Earth Fare (our comparison to whole foods)! And you get free coupons to your email every week so we got a free pineapple! It was an early start to a long day, we made it back to Ga around 4pm to go to Dreycins friends bday party! Derek an Dreycin stayed a while I came home after a few hrs to eat and feed the baby. I was exhausted.overall I found some awesome foods! Here are some pics! I just have to say thank god for Enjoy life foods brand, they have foods without all of the top 8 allergens, including cookies and snack bars! Also earth balance has made a coconut spread to replace your baking/butter needs!!! I Love the coconut foods!!! These foods may all be more expensive, and we may just not have money to do other things but in the long run I think that these food finds are actually healthier!

Rewind....

Last week I took Dreycin to see Sesame Street Live: Elmo's superheroes! We went with our friends down the road Kaige and his mom Suzie. I was so hesitant going, taking Bronson and Dreycin. But it was a 1030 showing, and all the other ones were at 7pm so I decided to just do it. Dreycin loves Elmo, and anything related to Sesame Street. So off we went, B in the Beco carrier and Dreycin toting along on my hand. We were lucky enough to score some Meet & Greet passes through the promoter. Dreycin and Kaige had a blase meeting Cookie Monster & Elmo! Dreycin wouldnt go near them at first, but you could see the excitement on his face with his BIG smile, and pointing at the monsters. There was only 2 other children in the meet & greet so they had the monsters to just them for a good 20min! So Dreycin had time to warm up, and eventually sat on cookie & elmo's lap. Then we proceeded to the show, we had floor tickets but the best part about that is the show was totally empty. I mean maybe 100people so the kids that were there didnt have to necessarily stay in their seats! Dreycin loved the show, was interested in it the entire time. I amost wish there wouldnt have been a 15min intermission, because after that he got a little antsy but that could have been because the monsters were coming out to the audience saying hi.....and then Dreycin would get upset they were leaving! We had a blast, and Bronson slept until almost the intermission and then I got him out and I really do think he was watching the show too! After intermission the lights went out and I fed Bronson and then he went back to sleep! Total angel so that I could enjoy the show with Dreycin!

But today's moment is this: My child telling me "NO!" I told him to sit all the way down in his high chair, and he yelled "NOOOO" I guess the two's are in full effect. Dreycin is a great listener though, normally. Today we were also in the grocery store, and he kept saying "Go home now mommy!" He is talking so much, I love it. Sometimes in the AM when I ask him what he wants to eat he says, "How about candy?" Yesterday he gave Daddy a run for his money when I went to yoga class, then quick run to the commissary. I guess he has some separation anxiety, and its been a while since I have left him at home but I didnt think he would have a hard time with it :( but Im making it a priority to at least go to 3 classes a week. Tuesdays yoga, wednesday aerobics, and thursdays spin. I love spin, its been a while since ive done it but im excited! I knew there were classes, but now that weve been doing the shred i want a little more. Plus with all the shiaat going on, i need some time for myself and working out at the gym means just that!

You again.....

Well it's Monday and I have the greatest explanation of my joint pains and unexpected mood swings.....well considering my lil B man being sick, but drumroll please....Aunt Flo has come to visit! Maybe my hormones are completely out of whack, but when it's that time of the month my lupus always acts up. This time it was worse and I'm wondering if it's because this maybe my body's way of trying to regulate my cycles since birth? Oh well either way at least I'm pretty sure the pains will subside as soon as she leaves. I did at one point think that aunt Flo had come to visit but it wasn't nearly what I use to have.

In other news, my sweet lil B slept from 11-6 last night! He ate, went right back to sleep until 8! Dreycin also woke up at 630, I gave him some milk and we all went back to sleep in my comfy bed until 8! One of the main reasons I think B is sleeping better is because 1. We are on a schedule finally after 3.5months (eat play sleep) during day and he does not fall asleep at boob. I tried with Dreycin but it did not work. Oh and I do rock B to sleep! 2. I've cut all top 8 allergens out of my diet, which for him I've already noticed less gas. He is even napping in his crib during the day & at night he still co sleeps in co sleeper or with us in bed.

The Allergen free menu is bland, I'm not even suppose to be using spices or salt and pepper, but I do. I'm just a label reading obsessor now. I'm seeing a trip to Tallahassee in our future for this weekend :)

I don't know if I mentioned this in a post before, but this is kind of an update anyways. When we moved onto base Precision Movers scraped my pink kitchenaid standing mixer,dented our deep freezer bad, scraped a leather couch, and bent our latex king bed in half which has made our "3rd person" look kind of creepy in our bed! Basically I have had to do my own research and call BS because they were not willing to take blame for mattress or my kitchenaid. After calling Sealy and a local mattress company we were told our bed is not repairable. And now we took our kitchenaid to a paint & body shop for a "origin of damage" and quote to fix it, these movers had it coming. They should have known that a low ball offer wasn't gonna keep me from doing my homework and own research! They tried to offer us $200 for a $1100+ mattress?
We are waiting to hear what they say about my findings.....

Here is a pic of the wonderful boys in my life :)

Some "FAUX" Mac n cheese

Yum yum this may be the closest I ever come to eating Mac n cheese again! I had for lunch, dinner and lunch again today.....needed some comfort after my pity party yesterday! I added some bacon bits yesterday, but today added some shredded chicken from the crockpot :) I guess rice everything isn't do bad?? Yesterday I also had KOYO rice chips(they sea salt and garlic) with guacamole. I also made a pumpkin bread with Ener G sweet rice flour and Ener g egg replacer this morning. So as of today I'm officially dairy, soy, nut, wheat, and corn free. What the F is what I was thinking yesterday but I may be able to figure B man's allergies and my own. In the last two days I have broke out in hives right after I eat, mostly on my calves or face. They say the cleaner your body is the more susceptible you are to your own allergens! Guess all my childhood allergens were just masked by the JunK SHIT I was eating?

I'm posting from my phone but here is the link to the Mac n cheese!

http://www.badmamagenny.com/2009/05/28/dairy-free-and-soy-free-and-vegan-and-sooooo-easy-macaroni-and-cheese/#axzz1g9T0Jfdc

Feeling discouraged

Nothing ever gets in my way, im a conquering diva. But this whole blood in the stool thing because of allergic colitis (unofficial official diagnosis) has got me down in the dumps. Today was the worst day yet, more blood than yesterday. I decided a few days ago I would cut out eggs too since for the last 1wk 2days the blood has come back. Now im also considering wheat and corn. I love food, but im not willing to give up breastfeeding, i love it. I was never certain why I was so abundantly blessed with breasts, but now as a mother I know. All the teasing I endured from a young age, is left behind as I succeed in motherhood. But again right now I feel defeated, what is best for my child is being questioned and I want answers like yesterday. the only upside to this is I finally lost 3lbs in like 2 days, since cutting out eggs....or so i thought and ate some tapoica bread last night and it had egg whites. thats when we had the bad bloody diaper, about quarter in size and very mucousy. There is an elimination diet Dr Sears has on his website, im going to take his advice and eat barely anything, but here is the problem. Me. I have lupus, there are many foods like potatoes???? that Im not supposed to eat because they are listed as a nightshade produce which is said to cause flare ups. Well if im not already having a flare up, then I sure dont need to get any worse. My other problem, my food is not properly digested because of my lack of enzymes, due to the lupus. Way back when about 5 years ago, I was on a slew of medications/supplements/herbs to help me. But about 3 years ago I got pregnant with dreycin, and after the pregnancy I was categorized as in remission. Well post pregnancy this time, i feel awful. I wake up everyday in pain, go all day with pain, and go to sleep in pain. Stress is one of the things Im suppose to avoid, with two kids each with their own issues these last few months is IMPOSSIBLE to do. Add in cooking, cleaning, working out, laundry that NEVER ends, breastfeeding, and grocery shopping every few days because organic fresh foods only last so long. Dont forget about the financial cost this has taken on either, organic fresh fruits veggies and grassfed meats without dairy soy eggs in them COST WAY MORE than crap foods. Dont ask me why? they overall have fewer ingredients, but are priced through the roof. My mom, bless her heart sent me a box of stuff from Texas with dairy soy gluten free stuff. Im running low, so im gonna have to send her a new list. Its not like Elecare, the formula they recommended for Bronson would be any cheaper....Thats my other problem, locality of these type of items/all natural food stores in the rural area im in is almost impossible too. We drive to Tallahassee or stop when we go to Pedi gastro for Bronson's appointments. There is one store called Publix, that has on each isle a small 6X8 foot shelves of special diet foods, organic, meats etc. but because the foods are organic they dont look that great when they are put on the shelves because they have no preservatives. I could go on and on. Im going to contact a La leche league leader in Tallahassee. It may be good for me to have some more support.

Overall in the literature I find it says this...
Mothers of breast fed infant may need to remove some proteins from their diet (cow’s milk, soy, egg, fish, and wheat.) A dietitian can recommend a diet appropriate for the mother. Alternatively, breast-fed infants may continue to breast feed if the condition isn’t severe. That is, the symptoms are tolerable and the infant continues to thrive and gain weight despite an occasional blood streaked stool.

And this is the article my friend, a lactation nurse in Kentucky I use to work with sent me.

Basically this says that some mothers were given enzymes to help digest proteins better, and this got me thinking about my lupus and how it is already difficult for my body to digest certain foods. So recently I have gotten back on plant based enzymes and probiotics to held aid my digestion, and therefore breakdown the breastmilk better for B man.
All this got me back into researching about my lupus, which honestly I hadnt done in years, unless it was about lupus and pregnancy. Article after article I read states that I should already be living a life free of dairy, and red meats relying primarily on fresh fruits and vegetables while on enzymes and probiotics. So more $ to spend on things my health insurance doesnt cover, great.

I just needed to vent tonight, I already did all the crying for the day.

Dreycin 2y/o update

We have the most verbal, talkative, communicating little boy ever. He is talking all the time and I love it! lately it "im taking pictures mommy" and "I got some moneys" (its actually cake and pizza toppings to his melissa and doug toys) He is so smart :)))) We went for his two year old checkup this last week, a little late but we have had so much going on. He is in 65% for weight 29 1/4lbs and 43% for height 34inches. They kept asking me Is he in daycare, what do you do with him? And the answer is I work with him, i talk to him ALL DAY everything im doing I tell him, and I love on him all day long. Writing that makes me want to cry, because I just love that little boy so much....even when he tests me. Like today I told him to stop doing something and he hit the couch? Or the other day when he tried to climb his christmas tree. But he still is one of the best behaved toddlers i know. At the doc appt we also had B with us, and suprisingly we got through it. I also had just run to the post office before the appt which im still amazed I was able to just "run" somewhere. Its still hard for me to handle it all some days, especially when I am not feeling 100% because of my lupus which has been acting up. But Dreycin is such a big boy, and if I give him an activity to do I can sit down, nurse, etc.

Where does the time go.....

3 months since I have had little Bronson, where has the time gone. I swear it goes by so much faster the second time around. B is weighing in at around Speaking of time....Derek and I got totally out of workout routine around the beginning of November and I have been stuck at 175 forever. We were into the second week of The Shred with Jillian M. and so last week we started it over again. Its crazy how life can throw you off balance. We had Dreycin's bday, Dreycin's surgery, appointments, Bronson had a growth spurt where he wanted to eat every 1hr which had me WORN OUT, we had visitors, and then thanksgiving. That weekend we started our workouts again. This week Im going to re-incorporate my 30min elliptical workout when Derek comes home for lunch. I have noticed a huge difference with my lupus in the last month of not working out, ive had more joint pain its harder for me to get out of bed, and alot more fatigued relying HEAVILY on lots of coffeee!

Going back to B, he weighs 15.14lbs as of Wednesday at his Gastro f/u. He is wearing 6-12mos clothing. Bad news is that we are still seeing the blood in his stool, its very minimal and I am so glad that the gastro we are going to is agreeable that Breast is best even in this situation. We have agreed to do allergy testing at his 5month f/u appt because in addition to the blood we are also seeing eczema on his body. The doc knows that I am trying very hard on this diet, but sometimes I have to admit its easy to mess up. I make everything at home, and never fill full. I would be fine dairy free, but soy free too sucks.But its only temporary is what I have to keep telling myself. The only thing I splurge on is chickfila fries because they do not use vegetable oil, which is usually made of mixture of soybean oils. I thought for sure I would be losing weight but to contrary belief, and research people who eat more fruits and veggies, are gluten dairy and soy free are more susceptible to gaining weight because the bad stuff sticks to them. If that makes any sense. Ugh, i look forward to answers in January to know what not to eat, or not to feed Bronson when he starts eating solids. Ive been going to a breastfeeding support group for additional support/education/knowledge which has helped. Plus Dreycin gets to play with other kids. I have also decided to not vaccinate Bronson until we find out the true allergies. I hate to give his little weakened immune system something else to fight off, especially if we find out he is allergic to eggs. I as a child was allergic to everything under the sun, meats fruits vegetables.....but thankfully grew out of them by my teenage years.

With all that we have been going through, we are looking forward to christmas. We are done shopping, have decorated the house inside and out, and all we have left is to come up with a christmas menu!

Turkey & black Friday

So we had a wonderful thanksgiving! Derek and I made our first turkey together and it was delicious! We also made pumpkin cornbread, sweet potato souffle, tapioca bread stuffing, bacon wrapped asparagus! Derek was wondering how it would all turn out considering I had to make everything dairy and soy free, and he saidhe wants to keep all the recipes for next year!!!!!!! Everything was so good! We cheated with the cranberry sauce and white gravy(which I couldn't eat) and got those from can/package. I've included a pic if my plate and warm apple cider!

Black Friday, well Derek was the one who got out and ironically my boys were up anyways! Dreycin woke up an would not go back to sleep until like 3 or 4 am? We think he is getting 2yr old molars? And B, well he has had a growth spurt and has been waking up at night for the last week.

We got out this morning with the boys at 8am, went to the mall shopped at sears, gap, toys r us, target, and old navy. Derek had originally gotten out at midnight to go to old navy but then he found out they didn't open until 4am here in Albany! So out we went, and got some really good Xmas presents, mostly for us, saving at least $50 or more on everything! And black Friday is totally worth it here in Albany because the crowds were easy peasy! This year we also stopped by tRu and it was totally lame, nothing found for the boys that we wanted. We dont plan our trips just look around! We came home around 1pm and Dreycin and I slept for almost 3hrs!!!! Nice to come home and nap after last nights fiasco!
I'm looking forward to cyber Monday to see what else we can score.

5 years 11-22-06

Wow hard to believe 6years ago, friends begged me to go to Duke's after I had been flying all day long back from Panama........and I met my husband. Then 5 years ago I married Derek in NC at justice of the peace, just us and a couple we knew. Afterwards we spent a weekend in Wilmington at a bed & breakfast, it was wonderful. Then a month later I had my fairytale wedding in downtown Dallas with family and close friends. It was beautiful, feels like yesterday but at the same time long ago. We have both been through so much together, grown as individuals and as a couple. It's been quite an amazing adventure. Our two baby boys are what I am most thankful for, we are truly blessed in all aspects of our life. Our family is complete, and our love for one another continues to grow.

As for where we stand today, I'm content being a stay at home mom something I didn't get to experience with Dreycin the first year. Derek is about 30credits away from his BA in criminal justice, and has decided to re-enlist for another two years in Marine Corps. After that hopefully the economy will be better and we can make our way back home to Texas.

I am lucky to have Derek as a husband, after all who makes their wife dairy and soy free doughnuts with chocolate glaze and lets me sleep in on the weekends ;) MY MAN!!!!

Post op week 1

Well I would have to say that pain meds may make D a little more outgoing??!! We started off Thursday morning with a movie but it quickly turned to him wanting to play in his playroom, jump around, run. I was glad he was feeling better but didn't want him to get hurt during healing process. We were told no ride on toys, no sitting on hard surfaces, at least for 2wks until our F/U appt. Well that is way to hard with an overactive toddler on codeine! We had played with playdoh, but I could tell he was needing to move to another activity. My mom kept him entertained with shaving cream, which he really seems to enjoy! He loves to drive his cars thru it, and then my mom ties in a second activity.....car wash at the kitchen sink! Derek was home too, which helped to keep Dreycin from running around! I forgot to mention in the other post that Dreycin has started saying "Cindeeee" when he really wants my attention, I also think it's bc my mom has been here saying it alot. So this is what I've been hearing since surgery, and mommy :( yesterday Derek tried to do something, I can't recall but he said "No daddy" and came to me. It's been much easier than the first day, but his appetite was still very low.

Well the weekend went well too, appetite still low we took a few walks just to get out....BTW still loving my Joovy! Dreycin has taken this with such stride, a few bumps in the road but overall better than i thought the first day home.....and we now have two favorite movies! Peter pan and Pinocchio! We got out today, ran a few errands and he did pretty good! We have f/u appt next Wednesday.

Surgery Day

This was one of the most traumatizing days ever for me as a parent. Compared to the ear tube surgery, that was a cake walk. Just from 7months ago D understands so much more, and knew something was different that morning we walked into the hospital.

515am woke up nursed B, got in shower while Derek dressed the boys.
555am I got everyone all the bags in the car to leave for hospital.
630am We arrive at hospital and are taken to private post op room. Nurse and transporter are there getting vitals on D, putting bands on his right ankle. He was not a fan on the bands. we also had to change him into a little gown with whales, penguins, and something else, along with the no slip socks.
715am we were taken to pre-op hallway where there are other kids waiting for surgery. At first Dreycin did ride on stretcher but after less than a minute he started crying for mama. I did manage to snap a picture of this. So i carried him the rest of the way. My mom was carrying B. Now was when D became extra clingy. We were informed the doc would not get to hospital until 8am. That was kind of a bummer because D was antsy, whiny and now would have to lay on a stretcher with mommy. He was entertained by my broken screen iPhone (don't worry it's taped up)!!! We were also told an amazingly inspiring story by D's nurse about her child's rare birth defect and how her strength in God helped her get thru.
720am Anesthesia came and talked to us. They told me he would be given gas thru a mask that smelled like bubble gum, once he was under they would start an IV on him, start surgery, after surgery he would be given fentanyl thru IV and lidocaine to numb surgery area.
805am two female nurses came over and one tried to coerce him to come with her by giving a piggy back ride, but he wasn't buying it. That was when they just had to pick him up and carry him to OR, crying screaming he was calling for me and I was crying too. I had sent him with his blanket and baby boy doll but that did no good, he judgement understand why. We had been telling him for a few days that we would be going to hospital and he would be having surgery, but nothing could have prepared him for that.
My mom an I returned to post op room I nursed B, drank some cold coffee, texted Derek and family updates and worried sick about my baby boy. Sweet little B kept me smiling though, cooing at me. Thank God he was with us, kept my mind from going crazy.
905am the dr comes in tells us that the surgery took longer than he thought and he says he did the best he could. He drew what he did in surgery for us, and says that everything will be fine. He gave me instructions on what to do, appt, etc. Very nice dr, although I dont think he liked me in the beginning because I had so many questions.....
920 D was brought to our post op room in tears, and then screams and then more tears. He was sweating, having a hard time coming down from the anesthesia I believe. He just kept screaming, finally one of the nurses came and shut the lights off I put on some soothing music on pandora and he drank a small cup of apple juice. We changed him out of robe which I think made him feel better. He finally dosed off in my arms, until discharge.
1035 discharged from hospital. I carried D to the car and only put shoulder straps on him, sat between him and B then gave him his 8oz of almond milk. I would have given it to him earlier but the nurse wanted him to start on clear fluids. D was not allowed to eat after midnight the night before surgery. He also ate some crackers, and a piece of banana.
On the way home we stopped at walgreens to get antibiotics and pain medicine. I almost lost it with the pharmacist because she was having a hard time understanding English.....while we were waiting in car for meds, I went ahead and nursed B. Dreycin was talking, pointing out big trucks and drinking some juice.
1115am we got home and went straight to the mattress Derek had put on living room floor. Derek got home for lunch, but Derek tried to say something and he said No daddy. I couldn't move from that mattress or Dreycin would start to cry or get up too and I didn't want him moving around too much. Then the episodes began, where every time he pee'd he would scream and cry. I cried too while I cradled him, like when he was a baby. This day was the most difficult so far as a mother, my heart was aching and breaking inside. I had already given him pain meds as soon as we left walgreens. Around 1pm he started to fall asleep on me. After he was sound asleep I ate, nursed B, went pee and then went down for a nap myself because I was exhausted. I awoke to D saying Abielo(what he calls my mom) and Cindy! I guess I was pretty out of it for him to be calling me Cindy! We finished watching Lion King from earlier and then watched sesame street. He had some applesauce and bread. The afternoon went smoother after nap time, we didn't move from the mattress. due to the attention I was having to give to Dreycin my mom decided to delay her flight from surgery night until Friday morning, she called into work and they were very understanding, thank goodness. She took care of B all day, sure felt like I was neglecting him :( but I know Dreycin needed me more.
Derek got home from work and we decided to get Chilli's(pretty allergen friendly menu for me!) we were under tornado watch but Derek got out anyways. We started to watch Cars 2. Shortly after he left I told my mom I bet the lights are gonna go out, so I called Derek to ask where all the flashlights were. Sure enough 10min after talking to him the lights went out. we played I spy with the flashlights and read a few books. Derek got home with food and we had a flashlight picnic! Dreycin ate really well, corndog fries and broccoli with a chocolate shake....daddy also gave him some red velvet cake! After the meal he wanted to play with his railroad toy his Uncle E got him for his bday, and I swear he played with it until he went to sleep at least 2 hrs. We played a little bit more of the movie and decided I would sleep with D in his room on a mattress. I had pumped milk in freezer and my mom was gonna sleep with B. Dreycin did great thru the night, Derek got up And brought us his pain med every 4 hrs. D would take it and go right back to sleep, ad slept until 715am. When I got up at 6 am I pumped 9ozs! I am very thankful for my mom.

I will write more later about post op day 1.

The pic below was when we were going to pre op hallway.

Bronson 11wks

We had his 2month appt on Tuesday, he weighed in at 14.14lbs 75% percentile and 24inches long 90% percentile. I postponed his 2month checkup due to blood in the stool coming back. Also, I found out pretty much everything on Bronson's labs came back abnormal, on the low side except a few things that were elevated. So I was devastated, we moved up his appointment to Nov 30th to see where to go from here. The blood in stool comes sporadic, and in very small amounts. Yesterday we had two diapers with a few spots, the day before nothing. It's frustrating to say the least. He also has eczema on his tummy, which is another indicationof allergies! But he is sleeping very well, still eating every 3hrs, in size 3 luvs, and wearing mostly 6-12month clothes! A few weeks when we were home Bronson rolled over from tummy to back and since then he I has done it numerous of times. Thefirst time he did it I thought oh he is too young it must be because he was on our bed! Feel bad for not writing down when he first did it.....Bronson has gotten more use to tummy time, has started noticing toys and trying to bat at them! His coos are constant and he can carry on a conversation all day long! He is growing up way to fast for this mama!!

November already?!!!?

I have really good news, Bronson has had no blood in his stools for 1week and 1 day! I have been somewhat soy free, meaning I have slipped up alot because soy is in EVERYTHING! The whole family is adjusting to mommy's new diet, and i think Derek is benefiting bc he too has issues with dairy! But I truly think it is the dairy that B is sensitive to. Bronson was suppose to have 2month appt but I pushed it out, just felt uneasy about giving him a bunch of shots when he is just getting better :(

On another note I'm frustrated because the past two days Dreycin has developed a runny nose with congestion and Bronson is having an issue with his tear duct and it's constantly watering. It seems never ending with two kids and being sick? Not to mention im scared B will end up sick. I just want everyone to be well and to have fun, because being a stay at home mom with two kids sick is no fun :( and my heart breaks that they dont feel well.

We have alot to look forward to....This weekend Papa Joe is coming to visit then my mom gets here on the 8th for Dreycin's bday, and Uncle E(Derek brother) comes back from Texas thisSunday! My dad will be here too for the weekend. We are so blessed to have had such an influx of family since moving to Georgia, and Bronson's arrival! Then next weekend Derek and I have the USMC ball, and Dreycin's 2nd bday! I just can't believe my baby will be two :( how time flies. I plan to write a blog about him in the coming days but for now I'll write about my lil B man who is now 2 months old.

Bronson weighs around 14lbs(home scale) wearing size 2 disposables...but I'm still cloth diapering during the day while at home. He is a very happy baby, always smiles and coos back at me and Derek! He is still feeding every 3-3.5 hrs, but at night he eats around 1045 and will sleep until 4 or 5! The other morning he slept until 6am! Bronson sleeps with me sometimes or will sleep in his co sleeper connected to my side of the bed. He is wearing mostly 3-6mos clothes, but I can see us being onto the next size very quickly!!! He is not a fan of his car seat, but loves his lil lamb swing and usually naps there in the mornings. He is not really a fan of tummy time but will sometimes sleep on his tummy. He uses a soothie pacifier, but doesn't need it 24/7. He loves to be held :)

Halloween was pretty fun this year, Dreycin got to dress up 3x! He was a monkey, fireman, and dinosaur (recycled from last year). He did get scared a few times especially when it was really dark, I would ask him if he wanted to walk up to the house and he would say "no, scared" I didn't force it, no trauma needed! The actual night of Halloween we went to a big neighborhood and went trick or treating it was a nice way to end October!

Dairy/soy free

Yep it's my new lifestyle and I'm a little depressed but know it's best for my little man. Yesterday during the GI appt I cried, felt very discouraged about this diet and my breastfeeding. Today so far I ate boiled egg, 1slice of bacon, coffee with vanilla coconut milk and lunch jasmine rice with lentil beans and then for snack I made Dreycin and I cookies. I took 1.5 cup of natural (oily) peanut butter, dry apple blueberry granola, and 2 tbsp honey blended it in kitchen aid. I then scooped out balls with ice cream scooper and placed on cookie sheet with wax paper. I added some Santa Cruz liquid chocolate to half of them then stuck them in freezer for an hour.

I wrote that on Wednesday, I'm doing better with it now. I once again have come across excellent lists and recipes on the Internet. And best part is that my baby boy has not had any bleeding since Tuesday :)) today i took Dreycin to daycare for a few hours so i could take B to hospital and get xray and lots of lab work done. I'm not too sad knowing that I can eat candy corn and there are actually foods(maybe not as much in Albany) that aredairy and soy free. A few good finds lately

1. Enjoylife chocolate chips, the other night I melted those with All natural PB and put some crunchy granola in it I swear it tasted almost like a reese's.
2. Bobs red mill products
3. I can still eat my Daiya cheese, but not the sour cream or cream cheese tofutti.
4. So delicious vanilla bean coconut ice cream Which my sweet husband found at walmart tonight for me!
5. Loving wholly guacamole

Anyways, I had 1 day to get my act together and Derek's brother got here safe and sound from Afghanistan on Wednesday morning... so I then realized it could be a lot worse. He cheered me up, made me laugh, entertained Dreycin....funniest part was that I showed up atthe airport bc I was pretty sure he would be arriving on that flight, and sure enough there he was getting ready to call a taxi.....goober! I am a mom and getting out with two kids does not bother me, he thought it would! Dreycin lives his uuuuncle E, and cried when we told him yet again another person was leavingfor Texas! I swear one day he is gonna be like I'm going to Texas FOrEveR!!!

We were looking forward to a relaxing weekend but the douchebags at Derek's work gave him duty AGAIN on Sunday :( so tomorrow will be our only day together, and we are taking Dreycin to a costume bday party!

Yummy :)

Made some spaghetti squash tonight, alot harder than making spaghetti but it was good! Derek was a fan but not Dreycin. We ate it with tomato purée all spiced up with oregano onion garlic a little chilli powder parsley and a dab of red pepper flakes. I also cooked up some yummy REAL sausage (gotta have meat) and it was really good!
The other night I made an eggplant bake same way I made previous sauce, again Derek was a fan but not Dreycin! My little man likes good ole plain spaghetti with some turkey sausage or chicken and marinara!

Here are the recipe websites

http://www.dashingdish.com/2011/03/how-to-make-spaghetti-squash/

http://www.tastypalettes.com/2009/02/goodness-stacked-easy-eggplant-bake.html

We had a great weekend, Friday AM I met some ladies from a BF'ing support group. It was nice to hear personal and professional advice :)) Saturday morning Derek had to work, but we ran some errands and later that evening we went to the fall festival on base for hayride, BBQ (I ate burger no bun), and trunk or treating! We had a great time with out little monkey! And Sunday we went up to Cordele, Ga to spend a Day out with Thomas! It was at the Georgia State Veterans Park, really nice actually and we talked about going back up there to go camping! Dreycin loved the train, activities, he was all smiles :) will post a few pics later, but I did snap a pic of my faux spaghetti and my chubby lil B!

Fall has landed in Georgia...

This last week has been a headache. I managed to take both boys to Dreycin's urology appt in which we found out he will be having surgery on Nov 16th. Apparently when I asked my high risk OB to do the circ, I should have asked the resident. My poor boy, first ear tubes this year now this.... My heart breaks. And my other baby is still having blood in his stools :( we have an appointment on Tuesday in Macon with the pediatric gastro dr.

We are back in potty training mode, I have been letting Dreycin run around with just a Tshirt on the past three days and he is doing excellent! I think boys need privacy....because he will go to the bathroom by himself now and even close the door! The only way I known he went Is the potty sings! No poopies in the potty but he has only had 1 accident on the carpet right outside the bathroom door. He has even gone in the big toilet on the Elmo seat! My approach this time....saying Elmo wants you to go pee pee in the potty or saying Gina the talking giraffe wants you to go pee(Gina Is an app on my iPhone) so yes he does get to use my iPhone will on the pot but I don't care! He loves when I brag to Bronson that he went pee pee like a big boy!!!

A few cute things have happened this week, first I have to say no matter how tired I am (which has been alot in the last 8wks) my boys always manage to get a smile or laugh out of me everyday if not every hour! Especially Bronson here lately because all i have to do is make a sound or face and he is smiling so BIG and cooing so loud! I love it, melts my heart. So....a few days ago I went to get Dreycin out of bed (I hear him on the monitor) and it was silent right before I walked in but when I went to turn the knob I hear....siete Ocho nueve diez.....and I start laughing and say to Dreycin are you practicing your numbers...he says Yea! It was so cute that he was showing off to his mama! That was a great start to the day! Later that same day I went to get him from his nap and we come downstairs and he goes right away to get his backpack and his elmo lap top, I ask where are you going? He said "circus" oh really I say, and then he said Texas! I ask who are you going to see in Texas? He replies Abielo(my mom)! Now I don't know if he meant that he was going to the circus in Texas with Abuela, or he was going to the circus and then afterwards to Texas to see Abuela....but either way again he got a smile and little laugh out of me again! Thank goodness Abuela and Pops will be here in just a few weeks for his bday! Today he almost made me cry though, we went to meet some new friends of mine I met through a breasfeeding support group here in town at burger king to let our kids play. Well I attribute it to Dreycin being tired but I yell up to him Dreycin let's go home so we can eat lunch....and I don't ear anything....I say it again and I hear him start to cry, then full on panic mood. He had lost his friends and was stuck at the top of the maze. I wanted to cry, it made me so sad that he felt that feeling of being lost and frustrated. I rushed as fast as I could up the maze, getting lost and running into a few dead ends myself.....and found my baby boy red faced, tears, wrapped his arms around me and would not let go....well that was kind of hard to get through down the maze but I managed! Thank God I wasn't fat and pregnant!

But yes, my original post title is true! It is in 30's or 40's every morning here so no going for walks early. Now we usually go after nap time around 3, and it's in mid 60's...and pick up the mail after a pit stop at the park!

7wks

I totally did not make it to any appts last week because I was sick. I finally made an appt for myself Thursday went got antibiotics. Derek took Dreycin to ear dr, and I ended up movin B's appt to Saturday. Myself & B's pediatrician decided that it is time, & we will be going to a gastroenterologist because Bronson is still pooping blood :( the elimination dairy diet is going well for me, and Bronson has had alot less gas! Most sites advise that the dairy can take up to 1month to completely be out of your body and therefore it can take the baby just as long to stop pooping blood streaks. I really hope this works, and i hope for answers soon too. The specialist will be about 1.5 hr away :( Btw I keep getting pee'd on by Bronson, I guess I should have kept that whiz protector bought for Dreycin! Seriously yesterday like 3x! Afterwards Bronson and I went shopping at hobby lobby to start buying stuff for Dreycin's 2ND bday! I can't believe my lil destroyer will be 2! I can sure tell lately that we are hitting terrible twos, he says NO alot and has started screaming alot....both of these things get very annoying especially if the screaming goes on while B is sleeping! Almost everything I got for the bday was 40% off! I'm very excited about his bday, it wasn't until we moved to Albany that Dreycin became fascinated with bday parties! Today we got out, went to the mall to buy some long sleeve tees for Dreycin and went by the pet store. Afterwards we went to toys r us, to browse the aisles for ideas for Christmas and D's bday. Plus I almost always get everything on amazon for cheaper, with free shipping. My problem with buying more toys is that we have too many already, so I'm gonna somewhat go the educational route?

I had my 6 wk checkup yesterday, weighed myself and finally fell from 180, which I've been stuck at for weeks! 177.6 thats with hardly any workout bc I was sick, we were still doing our walks in the AM. But this week Derek and I have been doing videos at home and it feels so good to be sore!

Did I mention I have the best husband, he made me stuffed French toast this weekend with faux toffutti cream cheese topped with strawberries!
It was a sad day for the USMC today, my husband and I found out that they cut tuition 75% and he only has 30 credits left. I think this time the govt ha gone too far taking our benefits, why not cut those that abuse the system instead of those that protect our country. Yes we have the benefit of using the GI bill, which we were hoping to pass to our boys but now we may have to start using it. And we could apply for grants, loans, but unfortunately I worked in 2010 and we probably don't qualify for grants, and we are already paying back my Master's degree loans.......we have big decisions to make before Derek's contract is up in may 2012.

What I'm loving

My boys most, but I love the panini right now, until I get this down I'm sticking to fast foods. So this week I have ate a lot of grapes,squash, salads, sandwiches on dairy free bread, pita, tortilla chips. I have a few new loves!
1. Daiya alternative cheese that melts and tastes good! Makes me feel like I'm eating cheese!
2. Vegan parmesan spread, made out of herbs and nutritional yeast very good on my pita pizzas and salads!
3. I've loved this for a while, but tofutti has alternatives for sour cream and cream cheese!
4. Spinach and artichoke hummus dip by sabara(?)
5. Almond milk yogurt, I was craving something sweet and don't have Oreos and used my organic chocolate syrup to sweeten the strawberry flavor up....it was a perfect dessert!
6. Raw spinach on everything (gotta get my calcium in)
7. My homemade ckn noodle mash
8. Throat coat tea because I sound like an 80yr old smoker coughing every couple of min
9. My coffee with very vanilla soymilk, but I'm finishing that up and have coconut milk creamer in hazelnut and French vanilla to try next!!

I have somewhat influenced my hubby to go dairy free, the poor guy can't eat hardly any dairy products without spending part of the night in the bathroom.....no wonder my kids can't stomach dairy.

Here's some pics of my boys and food!
BTW totally just discovered tonight that iPhone has an app for blogger so I just posted for the first time from my iPhone! How cool!

Long read.....its been a while!

Where to begin? It's been 6wks today since little Bronson was born. We have had amazing family that has come to visit us and our new addition, plus make us good food! Bronson is growing so fast and already as of Thursday weighs 11lbs 9oz......oink oink!! He is barely still in newborn clothes, mostly wearing 3-6 mos but they are loose and can be worn with the cloth diapers. Which is going well, I'm just using them during the day and at night disposables sz 2 because I can barely keep my eyes open while breastfeeding. Bronson for the most part only wakes up around 3-4am to feed, and then around 7-8am to feed again when Dreycin wakes up. I make sure to feed him around 1030, but lately I've been having a hard time getting him to go back to sleep which annoys the crap outta me when I'm exhausted! And let's be honest, I'm running on low already! Our schedule in the morning starts around 730 or 8, (derek has left Dreycin's sippy cup with milk at the top of the stairs) Dreycin lays in bed with me drinks milk, I get both kids dressed for the day, Dreycin and I brush teeth, I get dressed (my showers are at night right now) and then we head downstairs around 9 to eat breakfast. I can usually count on Bronson napping as soon as we get downstairs which is nice so I can sit with Dreycin while we eat breakfast! He even got waffles the other day (dairy free for both, but I'll get to that later. We usually will have time to play, do a couple of puzzles or read before the baby wakes up. When Bronson wakes up it's time for him to eat, so Dreycin will either play on his own or I'll have to use my iPhone (youtube songs and games)or sesame street to occupy him if he gets whiny. Sometimes i think he is jealous, but i have offered him the boob and he says no very confidently! Lately the mornings have gotten cooler, so either we wait until 10 or 11 or dont go at all depending on weather. After that it gets kind of chaotic, I really can't leave Bronson on the floor to play in his gym because of Dreycin. He doesn't know his strength and a couple of times has squeezed him too hard on foot or hand and Bronson cries. The other day he also took a small foam bat and hit Bronson on the head while doing tummy time. Dreycin did sit in time out for that one, afterward we talked about how we only hug and kiss brother....then he went and did that and had to say sorry. We may sit on back porch while Dreycin plays in the dirt, or on his ride on toys. So around noon Dreycin eats lunch, sometimes Derek is able to come home but lately that has been rare. I try my best to get Dreycin down by one, some days the baby will nap and I get to nap but again lately that has been rare. So I usually eat lunch, it may be time to feed B again, laundry dishes, while occupying Bronson. Dreycin will wake up close to 3, and we will usually hang out upstairs in his playroom playing or come downstairs for a snack. Around 430 Derek comes home, lately it's been nice enough that Dreycin and I will go to park, and walk and get mail. The evening goes by fast, we try to eat dinner between 530-6 Bronson will eat around 7 or 8 & go to sleep in his bassinet downstairs. Dreycin starts bedtime routine at 8 with Daddy& is usually asleep by 845pm. Week 3 I started the elliptical here at home, week 4 got skipped and i was only walking in am and pm with Dreycin. This week I managed to do the elliptical every night (after Dreycin goes down) mon-thurs for at least 30min, if not 40min. This may change because Derek just started a new college course and relies on evening times after Dreycin goes down to do his homework. Scheduling is the hardest thing right now, seems like we can never plan anything! But my workouts are a must, so Wednesday I finally ordered a double stroller. I decided to go with the Joovy Scooter X2 in black. For the price it's amazing, I'm so happy with it! Compared to the city mini jogger I'm so glad I got this one. Its a smooth ride, easy to maneuver, fits both kids, tons of storage, easy toclose and open, both sides fully recline (nice for new baby sleeping all the time!) i did add my summer infant positioner so that B is snug. And it's my way to get out of the house without going stir crazy and get some daily exercise. This last week what I was doing was carrying Bronson in my Beco carrier, but with Dreycin in the stroller and stopping at the park it was hard to keep up. I needed the double stroller. Derek said we needed it anyway, especially if we make trips to Zoo, aquariums, disneyworld, mall etc! Each side holds up to 45lbs and Dreycin is only 28. Anyways Dreycin loves the stroller. I should add that when the mornings are crazy I will put Bronson in either my sleep wrap or Beco to be able to tend to Dreycin or make lunch.

Recently I have been at the dr with Bronson because he has has greenisher poops with streaks and spots of blood in it. We did a culture of the stool and everything was negative, there were no anal fissures that were visible, so the next thing to assume was a dairy intolerance or allergy. In addition to that Bronson has an umbilical hernia at his belly button, apparently his stomach muscles were weak at birth. So now it looks like he has an outie, and we will have to watch it until he is older and it will resolve on its own.....anyways back to dairy talk....Which meant me going dairy free. I'm totally happy to do it, and am glad now that I'm on day 4. Let me just say that I loved cheese, it went on everything and then some. I love sour cream, ranch dressing, ceasar dressing, baybel cheese, string cheese, queso, and cows milk. Along with pretty much everything that has milk in it, which is alot of food. But on the upside I have seen an improvement in Bronson, he sleeps better and longer and does not have his colic fits every night like before. The blood is slowly going away, and his poops are slowly turning back to the yellow seedy mustard breastmilk poops. What a scare, but I'm glad I can fix it. I only wonder now if I could have gone dairy free with Dreycin and gotten sleep. I'm not kidding when i say he cried 16+ hrs a day and never slept longer than 30min. He was like a baby coming off of drugs,and if you have never seen that be glad.....both me and my mom have and it's not a pretty sight. I'm certain he had a dairy intolerance, after all he can't digest whole milk without having runny poops. Plus Derek is sensitive to milk, ice cream, most dairy. We know what happens after eating ice cream......
So on this journey of being dairy free while breastfeeding I have found great sites of people who have been going through this long before me and have done all the research. What I'm eating : lots of salads, pita bread hummus, veggies and fruits, can't get enough of muir glen ckn noodle soup, but today I made my own batch and it was delicious! Soy milk very vanilla, sunflower seeds, pistachios, cashews, spaghetti with red sauce, kettle corn popcorn, like I said I feel like I cheated because there are tons of people that have done this before me and have lists of brands and things you can eat. And get this Oreo, Teddy Grahams, and pop tarts have no dairy....awesome since I have a sweet tooth! You have to pay close attention to ingredients because if Oreos are dairy free in Georgia they may not be in Texas.....weird right it's up to manufacturing company in that specific area. I had dairy withdrawal symptoms yesterday, awful headache lots of congestion, mucus coming out from many different places. Check out this website pretty cool in regards to research about cheese and addicts....

http://johnderrick.com/miscellaneous/unusual-news/shocking-dairy-detox-this-will-blow-your-mind/

All recipes has section of no dairy recipes!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/healthy-recipes/dairy-free/main.aspx

Plus in Kentucky I was eating tofutti a brand of alternative sour cream dips and cheeses, and I loved them. Tomorrow I'm making a trip to Tallahassee to go food shopping at Earth Fare a comparable whole foods. It's only about 1hr 20min, worth it for me right now. They carry tofutti and daiya an alternative shredded vegan cheese that melts, which is rare! I have already gone to a health food store and bought some calcium & magnesium since I completely cut out dairy. While I was there I also bought Dreycin's probiotics, vitamin C for him and us for the winter ( I won't be getting flu shot, neither will Bronson because they have to be at least 6mos old) and I haven't decided on Dreycin yet, and I got some B complex for Derek and I.
I can do this, and even more so I'm determined because I have lupus and research has shown when you cut out dairy symptoms improve. A vegan or veggie diet is recommended for lupus patients. I once tried to do it, started with the master cleanse for 16days felt amazing after, but the whole no meat thing is not for me. Before that to prepare my body for detox I took excess amounts of mucinex to expell mucus build up from my body, and let me tell you neither of those detox's were easy, lots of pain emotionally and physically. Speaking of mucus, Derek and Dreycin are under the weather right now.....me too but I'm alot worse don't know if it's because of my lupus or no dairy though. We all have runny noses, and I am suctioning the crap out of Dreycin's nose....his is clear and the poor little guy has had Loose stools which I think is related to his molars coming in. We have our first dentist appt next month, meanwhile I'm starting to make decorations for his 2nd bday! we are also looking forward to Derek's brother coming home for R&R in just 3 wks from Afghanistan! We haven't seen him since he left for Germany in February. The weekend before he gets here I'm hoping we can take Dreycin to cordele, ga for a visit with a life size Thomas the train at the train station! Derek has duty the next two weeks so we will have to wait before we can purchase tickets bc sometimes the guard duty runs into the weekend.

Today I'm thankful that my husband has a 3 day weekend, and is home with us. I'm hoping this coming week will go by fast, Dreycin has 6month ENT appt for follow up on his ear tubes and he has a pediatric urology appt on thursday, the one on Thursday I will be going alone with both boys....ahhhhh! On Wednesday I have my 6wk follow up appt, Bronson will go with me and Dreycin will go to child care center on base for a few hours. big week aahead, now off to get some rest :)

Here are some of the cutest pics....