So, the good news is no peanut allergy but yes to wheat. Do you realize how many things contain wheat? Yes. So, i am back to the beginning where now one child can have wheat the other can’t plus i am going to cut wheat from my diet as well as am breastfeeding him.  

I am going to have to buy other flours in bulk now as i still want to keep up my baking. Julian and my husband can have wheat products, but Eli is at the stage where he wants and  cries for anything Julian is eating. Julian on the other hand  loves sharing his food with the baby.

Talking about Julian, his allergy lab results came back as well and milk is still 100 points, eggs is 86 points, peanut declined from 33 points to 11, and we found out he can have Cod fish and Tuna, but still no Tilapia and also just found out he can’t have catfish either.

Yes, my two  little boys confirmed this research African-American boys at highest risk for food allergies  is very true.

We can manage it.

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Buying bread for anyone with milk, soy, egg, gluten allergies  can be a pain in the neck! You can spend time in the stores going through the ingredients on the back of the bread, hoping that they are safe before you buy, and  yes not fun!  Oh, and don’t always assume because last week that particular bread that you finally scored to be  safe, that it would be safe again this week, uh-ah- Always doublecheck the  ingredients as they do change!

Before i had my children, grocery shopping was  a breeze- i would get in a store and  grab  the bread or what i needed and get out. I never thought of  what ingredients were on what, let alone what the allergy warnings meant. I have to admit, i never really paid any attention of what was in anything.  Heck, i thought people from Africa never had food allergies! I mean, we ate everything.  While in Africa, i  never  met ANYONE that couldn’t eat a certain dish because they would have an allergic reaction to something in it. I knew people who were on  very strict diets due to other health issue like  high blood pressure or so, but food allergies? Nope.

My mother is still convinced my children are only allergic to the foods because they are abroad, and that if i take them to Kilimanjaro she can feed them all the things they can’t have and they would be ok.   I won’t let her do that though.

So on the bread issue, … Sara Lee  used to make breads that were milk free last year or beginning of this year… Yeah. She no longer does. There is a big bold warning now  on the breads saying contains Milk.  We switched back to  Oroweat they make  a really good potato bread and whole wheat bread that is milk free. You know not many bread makers make milk-free bread. Those that do make allergen free, some are not too tasty, so  i have decided enough of  searching for the perfect bread!  

I bought a bread maker today- The Breadman from Target.

I am going to start making my own bread in my own home.  A co-worker of mine has been making some really tasty homemade bread, and since i am  already good around the kitchen i may as well do this myself.  This is the perfect way to go , as i can definitely control pretty much what goes in that bread , and the greatest thing of all is  i will not have to worry about allergens.

So, if you are a mom out there dealing with food allergies in your home, try to learn how to cook, bake and pretty much make your own foods, it is less headache to deal with.

I will share any recipes that i try and  will definitely post a picture of  my first  loaf.

I have a feeling,  my breadmaker will definitely be worth every penny i spent on it!

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I know the holidays are here and  for the family living with egg allergy it can be stressful. Stress no more, here are substitutes for the egg that actually work and could  definitely work for you.  For every 1 egg use one of the following substitutes  

• 2 Tbs. flour, 1/2 tsp. oil, 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 2 Tbs. liquid
• 1 tsp. baking powder, 1 Tbs. liquid, 1 Tbs Vinegar
• 2 Tbs. water, 1 Tbs. oil, 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. yeast dissolve  in 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 Tbs.  ground flaxseed, 3 Tbs. warm water
• 1 1/2 Tbs. water, 1 1/2 Tbs. oil, 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 Tbs. gelatin, 3 Tbs. warm water -Do not mix until ready to use.
• 1  small mashed banana
• 1/4 cup of applesauce
• 1/4 cup of fruit puree, 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 Tbs.  Cornstarch, 2 Tbs.  water
• 1/4 cup silken tofu
• 1 Tbs.  Soy flour, 1 Tbs.  water
• 2 Tbs. vinegar dissolve in 1/2 cup water
• 2 Tbs. potato starch or arrowroot powder

 Note that all the above are good for baking cakes, muffins and cupcakes. If  you are wanting to bake  a casserole or meat loaf,  use mashed vegetables or soy nut butter.

From my family to yours, here’s to baking for your loved one that has an egg allergy!

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What is halloween? Apparently it is an annual holliday celebrated October 31 where people get to dress up in all sorts of costumes, kids go trick-or-treating, others go on haunted mansions, or stay home and watch scary movies.  people carve or decorate with pumkins, and black and orange are primarily the colors associated with the celebrations. Black for the night, and orange for fire…I really don’t care much about halloween. The outfits i ever bought were mainly for Julian and it was because everyone else at his daycare was getting dressed up for their little parade. Since this year Julian is not in daycare, i chose not to buy any costumes and him and Eli will not participate in any festivities.

We didn’t buy any candy for trick-or-treaters, there are no kids on my block, plus i really don’t like giving even Julian candy.  He already have several food allergies, imagine having to go trick-or-treating and having to turn around and confisicate all that candy given to him! I know parents try to make sure that their children don’t eat all the candy till they get home and get to sort it all out, but… That is one chore i will gladly avoid.

Most candy given to kids has milk, of course lots of sugar and fat, and the no-no for us, nuts.  Let me see,  fun or crying child, and or sick child…mmmh, we will stay home and make fun of our own. We will watch some movies, Julian can have some milk and crackers, then we will save the kettle popcorn for tomorrow.

So for the families that have children with food allergies and  will trick-or-treat , please be careful, and of course make sure they don’t eat anything that can cause a reaction.

Stay safe and Happy Halloween.

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Dr Michael Roizen recommends:

You should consume any of the three at the moment you start feeling symptoms. Your options:

• take 500 milligrams of vitamin C four times each day with plenty of water immediately at the start of cold symptoms and for the next two or three days, or
• take one zinc lozenge every 6 hours, beginning at the start of cold symptoms and for the next two or three days, or
• eat a cup of chicken soup four times a day at the onset of symptoms.

I’d be damned…Who knew chicken soup actually does work!

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I know am not the only one worried sick every time you hear a co-worker has the swine flu! The question left  unaswered is,  Does it mean i will get it too?

I have followed Dr. Oz on How to prevent Swine Flu… tips to the T. I am loading my family on Vitamin D, drinking lots of water, washing hands like crazy…Every time i touch a door handle, i wash my hands or use my good ol’  sanitizer. So with all the prevention, how can i avoid getting  this swine flu from someone else? I mean i may not be able to stay 6ft away all the time!

So, it may not kill me, but still i don’t want to expose it to my baby, man i can’t wait till this swine flu outbreak clears!

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The symptoms of swine flu are similar to the symptoms of other seasonal types of influenza virus, including:

• Runny nose
• Sore throat
• Body aches
• Headache
• Chills
• Fever
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Sometimes, pneumonia or respiratory failure
• Worsening of existing physical conditions

People with swine flu might be slightly more likely to experience the gastrointestinal symptoms (vomiting, etc.) than people with the usual forms of the flu.

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So i took Eli for his 4 month checkup today. Children Mercy is having a checking point on the hall way, so people  who either have the flu symptoms or want to protect themselves grab the face masks to put on  before going into the waiting room.

I stopped and asked that receptionist if  the well babies were in the same room as the sick patients and she stated yes. I looked at Eli and thought to myself  i wish you luck baby, hope you won’t bring home  the flu.  We went into the room and it was almost full, children coughing some just playing around, and when I heard an adult cough really bad , i headed over to the dispenser on the wall  and grabbed  2 masks. I put one on and tried to fit another on Eli.  The one for Eli, lets say.. try putting a mask on a teething child, he just chewed on it. So i took it off and kept mine on.

What i didn’t expect is everyone else in the room looking at me as if i was  the one sick. The nurse that checked us in asked me whether i was coughing and i said no, am just trying to take precaution. 

The wait for us to see our Dr was a full  0ne and half hours. So if there was anyone in the room with the swine flu, that may be bad news for my baby. I understand our Dr was probably caring for other sick children, but i have to admit, i hated waiting today, especially knowing that we weren’t sick, just going for our immunizations.

Mask part II- I still had it on our way to the elevators…  I run into  other parents wantiong a ride down, they stayed out , and Eli and I rode alone. I was smiling inside Who really wants to share elevators in a hospital at this time of the year.  So, the next time we walk in a hospital, for as long as we haven’t had that swine flu vaccine yet, me and my family shall wear those masks!

When we reached home, i undressed Eli, gave him a bath right away, threw his clothes and his blankies into the washer. I gave him his Trivisol for the Vitamin D  boost and some Tylenol since he got the same group  of vaccines as Eli’s 2 Month Checkup and Immunizations

Swine flu, this too shall pass!

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I am so scared of taking my baby out right now, especially with the flu season. I talk to pharmacy staff all day at my work , and  so i have a reason or two to be nervous, man they are getting swamped with orders for the swine flu antibiotics!  I was talking to a pharmacist  from  WV today and she stated they were out of the  swine flu vaccine in the area and there was a school that was closed. I mean it felt like an outbreak.

Eli is 4 months old and his well baby checkup is on Thursday. I am freaking out about taking him to the Dr’s office. I like going there first thing in the morning when the waiting room isn’t that packed, but this appointment is in the afternoon. If it was my older one, i won’t be so paranoid, but this is the baby, his immune system is still not quite developed yet.

I walk past people in the stores, and they sneeze or cough and i get nervous… This swine flue is making me go crazy. Yeah, i know it isn’t really that different from the regular seasonal flu, but it is the buzz it is getting from all over the place .  The other day i read on yahoo,  CDC reported about 79 deaths on children.  We haven’t had the swine flu vaccine yet, and I am not sure if they still have some left here in Missouri.

I plan on calling Children Mercy to find out if they still have it, so Julian can get it. 

So far we have been taking our vitamins, Julian is taking Vitamin D daily, Eli is on the Trivisol. We are washing our hands religiously as well. So we are just doing what we can, but just like any disease,  if we do get sick, we will just have to deal with it. Hopefully, they won’t run out of the Tummy Flu either.

Stay safe!

Dr. Oz on How to prevent Swine Flu…

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Flu viruses change from year to year, which means two things. First, you can get the flu more than once during your lifetime. The immunity (natural protection that develops against a disease after a person has had that disease) that is built up from having the flu caused by one flu virus strain doesn’t always provide protection against newer strains of the flu. Second, a seasonal flu vaccine made against flu viruses going around last year may not protect against the newer viruses. That is why the flu vaccine is updated to include current viruses every year.

Because of these reasons, a new seasonal flu vaccine is needed each year.

People who should get vaccinated each year are:

1. Children aged 6 months up to their 19th birthday
2. Pregnant women
3. People 50 years of age and older
4. People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions
5. People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
6. People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu, including:
   1. Health care workers
   2. Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
   3. Household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated)

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