Allergist Take Two

The kids and I left the house at 10:20am. Our first stop was a McDonald's where I dropped Nadia off with Paul's parents at 10:45am. She played in the playland there, had lunch, took a short nap in their car, went to Hooplas (playland plus she bowled half a game of mini bowling), etc. She had a very fun day! Ian was in the car a total of 5 hours, and during that time he slept for 55 minutes and watched VeggieTales for the rest of the time. What would we do without a portable DVD player? Actually our first one broke on Mother's Day, and I just bought this replacement last Monday a few hours before we drove to MD. It's worth every dime that is for sure! We made one other stop en route to the Allergist (for lunch and a diaper change).

It turns out that the allergy group Ian first saw in March (it's a group of 13 pediatric allergists) doesn't follow the same protocol for treating EE as the CHOP allergists do. He said that if we follow the protocol of the CHOP Allergists/GI doctors, Ian will undergo many endoscopies (possibly as many as 15) and a lot of patch testing and a very restrictive diet. Over the years he has treated 30-40 other infants/toddlers who had EE. He has found success with a very different protocol. He gave us a prescription for Pulmicort (taken orally twice a day with Splenda rather than the usual medium via a nebulizer), Singulair (once daily mixed in his EleCare), and said that we need to eliminate milk, egg, and peanut from his diet. I am to call him in one week with a report. He said most parents report an improvement within 2 days. He said the improvements we should notice would include: increased weight gain, less vomiting, and less crying when we try to feed him solid foods. He also wrote a Rx for the EleCare in case our insurance would need that. He said that medical food is in a different category than medications, and that our insurance might cover it even if we don't have Rx coverage. He also gave me 4 cans of EleCare (and I paid $21 a can on eBay for the 6 cans I bought last week so even at eBay's prices that was worth $84), and he gave me a coupon I can mail in to receive one more free can of EleCare from the manufacturer. He also gave me 24 days worth of free samples of Singulair. I told him we didn't have any Rx drug coverage. Once he feels that Ian's esophagus has healed (maybe a month or two) then he'll give us the okay to go back to the GI for another endoscopy. If that one comes back clear, then we'll gradually start reintroducing some of the foods we've eliminated to determine exactly which one Ian is allergic to. Then Ian will have one last endoscopy to prove that even with reintroducing some or all of the foods that his esophagus is still clear. He said his protocol only involes usually 3 endoscopies, far fewer than CHOP's protocol. I was grateful he gave us all the free samples because otherwise I was wondering why we drove all the way there to recieve an Rx he had already determined Ian should be on last Friday after he read the endoscopy lab report. However, it turns out it was good Ian went in person because he has a double ear infection. We started the antibiotic tonight. Thankfully the generic only cost $21. Whew.

I have time to research where to buy the Singulair since he gave us 24 days worth of samples. CVS said one month's supply will cost $150, and the doctor is expecting Ian might be on it for 5 months. I intended to fill the Pulmicort Rx because when I called them (before I went) they said it would cost $200 (compared to $350 that Walmart quoted me). However when I went there they said it would cost $400. I decided to do a bit of research before I placed that order. If I went to CVS for his Prevacid, Pulmacort, and Singulair (using generics for the first two), the bill would come to a little more than $700 a month. If I purchased EleCare at a pharmacy, I am guessing I would probably need at least 8 cans a month (I'll get a better idea how quickly we go through a can over the next few days). If I needed 8 cans that would be another $400/month if I bought it at a pharmacy (thankfully it's cheaper on Amazon and eBay). I called the insurance company, and if the doctor faxes them a predetermination letter they might cover the EleCare. That would be a blessing although we now have 10 cans on hand and I'll send in the coupon for the 11th can so we won't need that for several weeks. The Allergist said that every time we go to his office he can give us free samples of EleCare.  I wish there was a way to just get Prescription Drug insurance. I asked my HR dept if that would be possible in the fall, and they said no. Someone on facebook recommended that I contact the companies who make the drugs. I'm going to contact AstraZeneca tomorrow. They make the Pulmicort. From the research I did online I could get it for about $120 a month (vs. $400 at CVS) from Canada or about $200 a month from Costco (I think I can make that purchase without having a Costco membership). Costco has a 2 day shipping option (for an extra $14) so I am thinking that if I can't get it through the company, I'll order at least the first month's supply through Costco as the shipping from Canada is slooooow. This situation is ironic in two ways: #1 during the past 10 years of marriage we've hardly been on any Rx aside from fertility meds. We had Rx drug coverage and hardly used it. Now that we don't have any, we're using lots of medications! #2 The insurance would pay for all these endoscopies and allergy testing. That would be FAR more expensive. We are going a route that is far cheaper for the insurance company and yet we're getting hit with a much higher bill because we've made that choice.

Leaving the appointment I felt rather conflicted because the GI is telling me get patch testing done ASAP and the Allergist is saying he doesn't find patch testing to be beneficial. He wants Ian to be eating a wider not more restrictive diet. He wants us to start using the Magic Bullet so Ian is getting meat, etc. I of course do not know which is the better route although fewer surgeries is certainly appealing to me as it's nerve wracking every time he goes under anesthesia. So I called Dr. Williams as although he's a psychologist (PhD) he works in the GI dept at Hershey. He called me right back and said he's had many patients with EE and has seen both protocols used. He said the other one definitely involves far more endoscopies. His suggestion was that we give Dr. Anolik's protocol a try with the exception that he said we should also eliminate soy (along with milk, egg, and peanut). He said that if the next scope doesn't come back clean (the one we'll do after Dr. Anolik gives the okay), then he suggests we switch to a CHOP allergist and switch to their protocol. Dr. Anolik said that CHOP is known as the most aggressive group for treating EE in the entire country, and they have received criticisms in journals over their protocol. He said he has seen many of their patients have NG tubes for 1-2 years because of EE. I am very grateful that Ian likes the vanilla EleCare so we don't need to contemplate an NG tube. Dr. Anolik thinks they go the NG tube route too hastily.

Well it's past my bedtime so I need to sign off. Had I known I'd be heading to CVS tonight, I wouldn't have taken the kids there yesterday. Yesterday I was buying grocery items to take advantage of their deal where if you spend $30 on certain products (like Doritos) then you got a $10 gift card for Exxon/Mobil. The items that were included in the promotion were on sale (such as a 2 liter of Coke for 99 cents) so I was very happy to buy $30 worth as with all these trips to the Philly area I can make good use of the gas cards. I think CVS will be running this program for a few weeks so hopefully I'll get several $10 gas gift cards from CVS. If anyone has input on which allergy protocol I should follow OR how to get medications for reasonable prices when you don't have drug coverage, I am ALL ears!

35 Months Old!

I can't believe Nadia will be turning 3 years old next month. She's VERY excited about her birthday. This is the first one she's eagerly anticipated. It seems that balloons and cake (with Sweetpea on it) are what she is looking forward to the most. She can tell you that her birthday is on June 24th, but she still doesn't answer the question correctly when you ask her how old she'll be after her birthday. She still says "two." We'll keep working on that!

1. One of her most sommon responses to a question this past month has been "of course." Sometimes that reply has really cracked me up!

2. Her prayers used to be very short. She always thanked God for 2 things (i.e. Abbey and Kohen). This past month her prayers got reaaalllyyy long. She thanks God for a very long list of things and people. I admit sometimes I feel like saying "enough," but I certainly don't want to squelch her desire to pray or show gratitude. We can always reheat the food, if necessary. :-)

3. I meant to mention this in th 34 month post, but I forgot. Last month she started pronouncing her name correctly. A year ago she called herself "Naia." Then a few months ago it became "NaTia." Now it's "Nadia."

4. She's very sociable with everyone at the park. She'll go sit on the bench and start talking to another adult (i.e. a mom or grandma of another child), and she'll play with just about any kid, even those who are much older than her. Recently she was playing with 2 girls that I'd estimate were at least 10 years old. They explained a game to her, and she followed their instructions. I was impressed!

5. She doesn't always sleep with Larry and Sweetpea (her two most favorite stuffed animals) any more. It's very random whether she wants to sleep with them or not. One thing that remains constant is her love for her little pillow that Paul got her in Poland last August. She always sleeps with that although if Ian is crying she puts it over her ear instead of under her head, lol.

6. She began insisting on wiping herself after she goes to the bathroom a few weeks ago. The only thing she hasn't mastered is pulling her underwear back up. Once she learns how to do that she'll be completely independent in terms of going to the bathroom. The downside of her being more independent is that now she sometimes exits the bathroom with no clothes on from the waist down. OOPS! I am trying to teach her how to pull her underwear and shorts/skirt back up.

7. If she says she's sorry for something and I don't promptly respond with stating that I've forgiven her, she starts saying "I forgive you" over and over until I utter those words. She also will say that if I do say I've forgiven her but then keep talking about what she did wrong. It's a good reminder that if we say we've forgive someone then we shouldn't keep bringing it up (even when Daddy comes home later).

8. She talks a lot more about God and Jesus lately. One day when we were walking to the park she told me she loved Jesus. That thrilled me, but then she said she wanted to go to Heaven to be with Jesus (as in right now). You'd think that would also thrill me, but honestly my emotional reaction was "no, not yet!" Isn't that pathetic of me! That's the attitude that we all should have. I know heaven will be such a wonderful place, and yet I find myself thinking - no not yet - I want to experience more years of being a mom, maybe a grandma some day, etc. Out of the mouth of babes. Thankfullly I didn't tell Nadia what I was thinking.

9. She loves her Disney princess nightgown. It's the first nightgown she's ever had, and she thinks it's a dress. I can see why it's confusing. She wants to wear it out of the house. She never asked to wear her footed pjs out of the house, but she'd love to wear this nightgown all over the place.

10. I've learned that the most effective way to get her to eat her vegetables (or chicken or whatever it is that she doesn't want to eat for dinner) is to leave her alone at the kitchen table. Having to sit by herself is the best motivator by far. I'm glad we found this out as it sure beats having her sit at the table for hours and hours and hours on end. I can't wait until she's out of this really picky stage.

11. Her biggest fears in life are of worms, snakes, and whales. She becomes brave when I remind her that God is bigger than a worm (or snake or whale), and that He'll keep her safe. She still wants nothing to do with me reading a book that has any of those three animals anywhere in the book.

12. Her favorite books right now include Nursery Rhymes, Olivia books, Clifford books, Fancy Nancy books, Curious George books, and Berenstain Bear books. She has an excellent auditory memory. She memorizes the words very easily, even library books that I've only read to her a few times.

13. She is really into shoes. For many months she's had fun walking around in my shoes, but now she also loves to put on shoes that I've bought for her at yard sales that don't fit her yet. She's often seen wearing the left shoe on her right foot and right shoe on her left foot.

14. For a few months she's been putting a Sunday hat on her bedpost. She notices if I put the hat away in her closet. She's very quick to retrieve it and put it back on her bedpost. She often puts one on the bedpost on Paul's side of our bed also. It cracks me up to see a pink hat hanging near Paul's head while he's sleeping.

15. One of her teeth turned gray last week. I don't like to wish for her childhood to go more quickly than it is already, but I must say I am looking forward to when this tooth falls out.

Six Random Updates and Observations

I realize a blog post is supposed to be about only one topic. This post would receive a failing grade by that standard. You've been warned.

1. Last Monday I took Ian with me (Nadia was napping while Paul was working on installing the sump pump) to the Toyota dealership so that I could have an oil change, tire rotation, etc. for my car. Ian had a blast walking around the show room. What fun to go from vehicle to vehicle! It was very different from our usual trip to the park, but I still did walk for an hour.

2. The EleCare arrived today. The good news is that Ian likes it! No NG tube for him! PTL! The bad news is that this stuff is more expensive than I thought it was. These cans are SMALL even though they cost a fortune. I'm hoping after we determine what he's allergic to there will be something else we can give him to drink. We'll see a nutritionist after we get the results from the Allergist. Every time I feed him solid foods he's getting fruit + veggies + baby cereal, but he still lost 6 more ounces in the past 7 days, which means he lost exactly one pound in the past 13 days. He woke up at 5:45 today, and I really think it was because he was hungry since he hadn't kept anything down since his 12pm meal on Sunday. I'm hoping he doesn't wake up as early tomorrow. If he does, I'm thinking we need to make his room darker. We put a bedsheet over his blinds a couple of months ago. Jennifer, how was the food protein allergy diagnosed? I'll ask the Allergist about that tomorrow. Thanks for sharing! What did your daughter drink after she had that diagnosis?

I included this picture (at right) because it cracked me up that Nadia put on her rain boots and Sunday hat with that short outfit. The colors actually did all go together, lol!

3. My mom was suprised when someone asked me at Kohl's last week if Nadia and Ian were twins. When I said "no they're 17 months apart:," the woman said, "you must get that all the time." My mom was even more surprised to hear me say "yes." I wasn't being polite. To prove that point, it happened again today when I went to an Amish market to buy some flowers. I wonder at what age this will stop happening? As a side note, I let Nadia pick out some of the flowers we bought today. She favors yellow and orange ones, whereas I favor pink, purple, and white ones. We had fun planting a few of them together. That was a first for Miss Nadia!

4. My camera arrived today! Thanks for the recommendation, Sheila! I bought a Canon T2i. I read lots of positive reviews of Canon Rebels, and my sister helped me decide which model to get. Unfortunately I didn't learn my lesson in handling camera companies. You'd think after my last experience I would have learned to just say NO, NO, NO if they call me the next day. I thought I agreed to an increase of about $40 for an additional (longer lasting) battery, but somehow the bill went up $200 from what the original email had said. I was livid! I called them and they came down $54, which is better than nothing, but I have learned my lesson. I am not sure if this happens with any other types of purchases. I've only had it happen with cameras. Hopefully I won't be buying a camera for many more years so I won't need to put my lesson learned to practice any time soon. I am excited about learning to use my camera, and I still got a better deal than if I had bought it on Amazon. I'm trying to remind myself of that when I get frustrated that I agreed to anything more than what I had originally paid for.

5. It can take a very long time to mow our lawn. Normally if I mow the entire lawn it takes me 75 minutes including the time it takes to get the lawn mower out, fill it with gas, and put it back in the shed. Because we've been getting SO much rain lately I've been mowing every 5 days. I heard on the radio this morning that from March 1 to yesterday we had received 12 inches more than we usually do during that time period which is causing problems for the farmers around here. Due to our trip to MD, it had been 7 days since I had mowed. Yesterday Paul used the weed whacker for the first time this year so that created more stuff to mow. He also removed all the extra hoses (which we used with the extra pumps in our basement), and I hadn't been able to mow around them over the past month. Put all that together and it took me more than twice as long to mow. I mowed last night until it was so dark I couldn't see, and I mowed again this evening. Normally I can mow the whole lawn with one tank of gas, but it took 2.5 tanks of gas this time. I don't think I'll let it get that long again any time soon!

6. Nadia's first dentist appointment was supposed to be tomorrow, but I had to call to reschedule in light of Ian's allergist appointment that's now scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. Her appointment is now scheduled for Thursday. I told them I am concerned about one of her top front teeth (right in the middle) as a few days ago I noticed it had turned grey in color. They said that probably she fell or ran into something and the nerve died in that tooth. They said it won't cause any problems for the permanent tooth. I wish I had her 3 year old pictures taken before this happened. I'm going to ask them on Thursday if there's anything I can do to restore the color of that tooth. Anyone else have experience with this?

Playgrounds Galore

While we were in Maryland the kids spent time at 5 different playgrounds. We walked to one in my parent's neighborhood twice. The first time we went our trip was cut short by rain. The second time (yesterday) it was very warm and sunny. Paul joined us for that trip, which meant I wasn't pushing the stroller as I usually do when we go to the park. Another time we went to a playground that's a couple minute drive from my parent's house.  Because it rained so often throughout the week, we took the kids to two playlands as well. We went to Chick-Fil-A for dinner on Tuesday night and spent a little time at a McDonald's playland (we didn't eat there) another day. Yesterday afternoon we drove to Allen's Pond park (where my sister had taken our last family photo in October) to meet my friend, Joanne, who lives in Annapolis. Unfortunately the park was really crowded, and she didn't think she'd be able to find us so she didn't get out of her car although we were waiting near the entrance for an hour. Bummer. One perk of Paul being with us on Saturday morning was that he could take some pics of Nadia and I swinging together.

We went to Sunday School and church with my parents, came back to their house for lunch, and then started our trek back home. Unfortunately today wasn't a good day for Ian as far as keeping food down. He kept his first meal down (6:30am), but he threw up all over the place while eating at 8:00am. He got my skirt, and I didn't bring a spare one so I had to just clean it the best I could. He was still in his pjs so his Sunday outfit was spared. He kept down his third meal (12:15). The kids stayed awake for the first about 90 minutes of our trip (watching VeggieTales) and then slept for about an hour before watching more VeggieTales for the last 90 minutes of our trip. Ian started to get really fussy so I stopped to buy him some milk. That was a bad idea. He threw up (projectile style) all over the place creating a huge mess in my car. Then when we got home an hour later I tried feeding him solids. That meal didn't stay down either. I am not expecting good news when I weigh him tomorrow. Fruits and veggies don't have as many calories as yogurt and pudding so he's definitely been taking in fewer calories since I started eliminating dairy from his diet. Hopefully the EleCare will arrive tomorrow and we can stop giving him milk in his sippy cup. He was rather fussy today, which was to be expected given he had to be rather hungry since he couldn't keep much down.

I can tell it will be an adjustment for Nadia to go back to just being with Mommy and Ian most of the time. She's my social butterfly! She enjoyed giving hugs and kisses to several people before bed each night. Tonight when I tucked her in, she said "I want to hug my uncles!" She only saw one uncle this week, but I think she was missing hugging my parents and brother good night. Grandma will be coming up in 2 weeks for Ian's surgery.

Maryland Zoo

Nadia's first pair of rainboots!

After spending time on the phone with a couple of allergist offices this morning, the kids and I left to pick Paul up at the hotel he's been at this week. The allergist who has already seen Ian at first said the soonest we could come back was June 18th. I said we'd be calling other allergists as we couldn't wait that long. She said this is their busiest time of year. I made an appointment for May 31 with a CHOP allergist. I picked that date because Ian will be seeing an ENT that same day. The offices were about 30  minutes apart from each other, but they're about 2.5 hours from home so I was grateful to think I could do them on one trip. While we were driving to Baltimore my mom called me to tell me that the allergist Ian had already seen called back and said we could have a 1pm appt today (obviously wouldn't work) or Tuesday afternoon. I have to say it was a tough decision for me. If we waited until May 31st that would save me 5 hours of driving. Paul said I shouldn't let that be the decision maker. The two advantages to going on May 24th are #1 we start the testing process a week sooner and #2 he can be seen by an allergist who has already seen him before rather than switching to a different allergist. So I'll be driving to the Philadelphia area once a week the next 3 weeks -allergist, ENT, and then urological surgery. I need to reschedule Nadia's dentist appointment which is currently scheduled for Tuesday morning. You'd think there wouldn't be any conflict between a 10:00am dentist appointment and a 1:20pm allergist appointment, but it would be cutting it too close since there is a 2.5 hour drive involved.

I was worried about it raining while we were at the zoo as it's been raining on and off every single day this week, but the rain held off while we were there. We spent about 2.5 hours exploring the zoo in Baltimore. You could spend a fortune there if you wanted if you paid to ride the train, carousel, camel, etc. If the kids were older I would have paid for them to ride the camel ($5) and feed the giraffe ($2), but it didn't seem to make sense at this stage. Ian was free, and we received a 50% discount for Nadia, Paul, and I because of our Philadelphia Zoo membership. I think Ian's favorite animals were the giraffes and penguins. He didn't get as excited as he did at the Philly zoo. I think part of that was because some animals (such as the lions) came up right close to the glass at that zoo, which he loved. We had a good time, and I look forward to taking the kids to zoos for many years to come. One thing that Nadia said which cracked me up was while we were looking at the elephants she asked me if we were going to see Goliath. LOL! I tried to explain to her that Goliath (as in the giant who fought David) wouldn't be in a zoo. You never know what a 2 year old will say, ha ha! Nadia loved the tram ride back to the parking lot. That was a highlight for her. Ian was slept through the polar bear exhibit and the tram ride. One disadvantage of going to a zoo on a Friday in May is that the zoo was absolutely swamped with kids there on a field trip. It would have been a little easier for the kids to see the animals if the place wasn't so crowded. We'll have to keep that in mind in the future.

Sitting in a heron's nest

Standing in an oriole's nest

Taken prior to Patches scratching his face. The kids love spinning on this chair!

EleCare

Wednesday night Dr. Williams (psychologist) emailed me back and said that we should go ahead and eliminate dairy from Ian's diet now. He said we should switch to an elemental formula and feed Ian only baby cereal, fruits, and veggies until the allergy testing results are complete. This morning Karen (OT) called back and said basically the same thing although she said if Ian doesn't like the EleCare that we could fade it in (i.e. start out with milk plus EleCare and gradually reduce the amount of milk until it's just EleCare). She said she really didn't think an NG tube would be necessary. She said we can doctor the formula if needed (flavor it in some way). One family she worked with squirted some chocolate syrup in each bottle. She said too much chocolate is better than an NG tube. So today I bought a case (6 cans) of Vanilla EleCare on eBay. Ian seems to like vanilla pudding and yogurt so I hope he'll like vanilla formula. EleCare is much cheaper on Amazon than at the pharmacy if you buy it by the case. However, it's even cheaper on eBay. Even on eBay I paid about twice as much as I've ever paid for a can of formula before. I am not sure how long 6 cans will last. He's not drinking as much milk as he used to, but the directions say 4 scoops for 5 ounces if they're over 12 months old and with formula it was 3 scoops for 6 ounces. I can't believe I'm back to buying formula and my son is 17 months old! This formula is excellent for toddlers like Ian who have EE and GERD and possibly a milk allergy. I tried VERY hard to find a can of EleCare that I could buy here in MD to tie us over until the case arrives at home on Monday. My mom and I called many drug stores (CVS, RiteAid, etc.) plus ones at hospitals - even in Baltimore such as John Hopkins. I also called pediatric GI doctor's offices down here to see if they knew where I could buy some. Paul's mom was also calling pharmacies in PA and doing some research online. She found a website that said there were supposedly two grocery store pharmacies within 5 miles of my parent's house that carried EleCare. They were out of stock. We gave it our best effort that is for sure. A CVS back in PA said they'd order it for us and keep it in stock for us, but it will be much cheaper for me to buy online if I need to keep buying it for Ian. Some insurance companies (all in certain states which have mandated it by law) cover EleCare, but since we don't have any prescription drug coverage I'm not even going to explore that option. I'll stick with eBay if we have to keep buying it for him.

It was really hard to feed Ian today now that I know how painful every bite is for him to swallow. I can't wait until his little esophagus has healed!  I am grateful though that we have finally found the problem although we haven't 100% identified it until the allergy testing is complete. On a happier note, would you believe that Ian slept until 7:55am today! Unbelievable!! It was so hard to get this boy to sleep 10 hours. He seemed programmed to sleep only 9 hours at night, but last night he slept for 12 hours!!! It was so nice to be able to take my shower at 6:30 while both kids were still in bed. I'd be thrilled to have them in bed until 7am as then I'd get up at 6:30 every morning to shower and such before they get up. I usally get Nadia after Ian wakes up, but I went and got her at 7:35 as I figured she had to be awake (I miss the video monitor when we're away from home!). It was probably the first time ever that Nadia was up before Ian. It was certainly the first time ever that Ian slept until almost 8am. What a miracle! I'm praying that he'll keep sleeping in until 7am after we get home. That would be truly wonderful!

Biopsy Results

We received Ian's endoscopy results today. His stomach and duodenum are fine, but his esophagus is very inflamed. You're not supposed to have any eosinophils, but Ian had more than 60 eosinophils per high power field (which she said is a LOT). This means he definitely has more food allergies than just eggs, because we've already eliminated eggs from his diet. We have to return to the allergist to have patch testing done. After we've eliminated from his diet whatever he's allergic to for a few weeks, he has to have another endoscopy. Joys unconfined. Her best guess is that he's allergic to milk because he isn't currently eating any of the other foods which often produce this strong of an allergic reaction (wheat, soy, fish, etc.). If he's allergic to milk we have to put him a very expensive formula. She said it doesn't taste good and some toddlers refuse to drink it. If that happens, he'll have to have an NG tube. She wants us to see a Dietician after we get the results from the Allergist. I will be calling the allergist tomorrow and hopefully we can take Ian back there to start the patch testing next week because we want to stop feeding him whatever he's allergic to ASAP. I'm hoping it's not milk because Ian's diet currently consists of drinking milk plus eating yogurt, pudding, applesauce, baby cereal, and baby food fruits and veggies. A huge percentage of his diet has milk in it. She said it's no wonder he doesn't like to eat. It is painful for anything to go down his esophagus. She said how would I like to eat if I received an electric shock every time I took a bite. Poor guy!!! We stopped at Bed, Bath, and Beyond this morning (prior to getting this phone call) and bought Ian a Magic Bullet food processor. I imagine we'll still work on teaching him to eat table food in the coming months even if he has food allergies.

I put in a call with Karen (OT) and Dr. Williams (feeding team psychologist) to see if I should change the feeding regimine at all while we wait for the allergy results. Hopefully I'll get some guidance tomorrow as it's going to be really hard for me emotionally to force him to eat 6 times a day now that I know how physically painful every bite is for him to swallow. To add insult to injury, he must have done something to my mom's cat while I was on the phone with Paul as the cat retaliated by scratching Ian's forehead (more than once). I am ever so grateful she didn't hurt his eye. The scratches stop at the bottom of his eyebrow. Needless to say, I don't think I'll be taking any pictures of Ian the next few days until his scratches heal, and we're going to be extra careful to keep Ian far, far away from Patches!

On a happier note, would you believe that Ian slept until 7:15 this morning. I was in SHOCK! Way to go, Ian!! That's a new record for him! He slept from 7:45pm to 7:15am! He did cry some around 11:30pm, but still that was a great night.

Losing Weight, Gaining Sleep

I knew I wouldn't be able to weigh Ian today so I weighed him yesterday morning. Two weeks ago Karen had asked me to start weighing Ian every Tuesday morning. Last Tuesday after eating his first meal of the day while only wearing a diaper, he weighed exactly 24 pounds. Yesterday morning under the same conditions he weighed 23 lb 6 oz. I wasn't pleased that he had lost 10 ounces in 6 days. His chucking was worse the first couple of days after the endoscopy, and he didn't eat as much as usual the day of surgery. Hopefully when I weigh him next week he'll be back to 24 lbs. According to the scale I haven't lost more weight recently, but I have lost inches! Yesterday I tried on the capri pants which didn't fit the last time I tried them on (in January), and they fit! I haven't worn them since 2007. YAY! Mowing the lawn every 5 days and taking the kids to the park most days has helped I'm sure.

The last few mornings (aside from Saturday when he was awake from 4:15am onward), Ian has been getting up later and later each day. He went from 6:30 to 6:40 to 6:50 to *drum roll please* 7:00am today! WOOHOO! He did cry a couple of times for a few seconds (at 4:30am and 6:15am for example) but immediately went back to sleep. In fact at 6:15am I went downstairs and turned on the light only to discover he was still sleeping, and turning on the light didn't even wake him up! What makes it even more amazing is that he fell asleep in the car at 7:15, which is earlier than we usually put him to bed. He was awake for a couple of minutes when we transitioned him from the car to my parent's pack and play, but he slept at least 11.5 hours last night! Way to go, Ian! I would absolutely love it if both children were in bed from 8pm to 7am most nights. I've been thrilled with Ian staying in bed until 6:30 and honestly didn't think it would ever get better than that. This has been a very pleasant surprise! My mom was amazed at how Ian just crawled up into my lap around 1:30 and within a few seconds fell asleep on my shoulder for his nap today. Nadia didn't sleep at all in the car on our way to Maryland last night. She wasn't in bed until 10pm. I think we'll have to try going back in the afternoon on Sunday to see if she'll take her nap in the car on the way home.

Daddy is Back!

Taken 5/12/11 at the playground

Although he didn't actually travel anywhere (except to PSU a couple of days last week), we hardly saw Paul at all last week. This meant I couldn't go to choir rehearsal on Wednesday night, I had to mow the lawn after putting the kids to bed at 8pm, etc. He did take care of Nadia for a little on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning (fed her and got her dressed and took her to the babysitter), but I really couldn't have sole responsibility for both kids when Ian was in surgery. It was hard enough sitting by myself in the waiting room at the surgery center. Last time my pastor and  husband were with me when Ian was in surgery. That time they had me hand Ian to the nurse, and I burst into tears. This time the nurse came and took him from my arms, and honestly when she did it I didn't realize she was about to escort him to the OR. This was a blessing though. I am not sure why it was easier, but for whatever reason having him taken from my arms was easier than me handing him over. I had prayed that I wouldn't cry this time, and I didn't. I prayed and read to help the time pass.

Well after one full week of almost no interaction with Paul, today he was able to help some with the kids. This meant I didn't have to wait until 8pm to mow, and it meant I had the luxury of taking a shower this morning without any kids in the bathroom with me. His poster has been printed (twice actually as he accidently had it printed the wrong size yesterday and had to go back today to get it printed again), and he purchased a new sump pump as well as a battery backup for the pump if per chance the power goes off when the pump is needed. He also installed the hooks for a pocket chart calendar I purchased a few weeks ago and have been itching to start using with Nadia. I figure with her birthday coming up next month it's the perfect time to start a daily calendar/weather time. I plan to start using it on a daily basis with her once we return from Maryland next week. I will post a few pictures from the past four days in this post. I will also mention (for the Grandmas) that I added a couple more pictures to Thursday's (17 Month Old) post last night.

Photos from Knoebels!

Ian woke up at 4:15 this morning and couldn't go back to sleep. I finally got him at 5:50. After he finished his first meal of the day, he slept in his highchair until 7:00am. Hopefully this morning was a fluke as he's been doing SO much better lately. I am not exactly sure what time he's been waking up in the morning. Most mornings he hasn't been crying at all and is sitting in his crib playing with stuffed animals when I open his bedroom door at 6:30am.

Around 6:30 this morning Paul sent his poster to his advisor for her review. He had slept a little on the couch at some point in the night, but he again he got very little sleep. He worked on the revisions she suggested this afternoon and plans to get it printed at Staples tomorrow and also buy and install a new sump pump. I am breathing a BIG sigh of relief.

The kids and I left the house about 10:30 for Knoebels. We spent about 6 hours there with Paul's parents, brother, sister-in-law, Aunt Marlene, nephew, and one of his nieces with her husband and our great nephew. The 12 of us received our free handstamps and had a nice day even though it was cloudy and the high was about 62 degrees. It only rained for a few minutes (around 2:30pm). I love taking my kids to amusement parks! I'll be taking them back there in 11 days for an Early Intervention social. It probably won't be until next year that Ian will really have a lot of fun riding rides, but Nadia definitely loves them - the Kiddie Whip still being her favorite!

I took lots of pictures, but of course many are blurry. I'll post some of my favorites from today. I want to order my new camera this week so that I'll have it before our next trip to Knoebels. Since I posted a picture of Ian sleeping at the breakfast table, I will post one of Nadia doing the same on two mornings ago while she was refusing to eat her dinner from the night before. Who knew that booster seats and highchairs are comfortable to sleep in? LOL!

I fed Ian 3 times before we left for Knoebels this morning. He then went 7 hours without being fed. I only fed him 4 times compared to the 6 feedings I've been doing lately. The good news is that when I fed him at McDonald's this evening, he ate 9.5 ounces for me. That was the most he ever ate in one sitting. He drank milk with his first three feedings this morning, but then he refused to drink from his sippy cup the rest of the day! At first I thought it was because the milk was not warm enough so I added some hot water to it at Knoebels. Then I thought maybe he continued to turn it down because it was watered down. I made a new sippy cup once we got home at 7pm, and he still refused to drink. I am puzzled as he always loves his milk very much.

Nadia with her Great Aunt Marlene

Walking around the park was a big thrill for Ian!