7 months

Sometime during our conversion to this new gluten-free lifestyle, Ava turned 7 months-old. I can't tell you how much I love having a sweet baby girl around. Even if she does prefer to be held, entertained, or nursed for 99 % of the day. I am happy to oblige.
I am very happy to report that she is sleeping in her crib ON HER BACK for the first time in her life. She has had reflux since the second she was born, and has spent every night in the swing. I have tried several times to move her to the crib, but the whole waking-up-every-10-minutes-all-night-long didn't work for me and back to the swing she went. She is even sleeping until 4:30 and then nursing and sleeping until 6:30. Which is nothing short of a miracle.
In the past week she has also decided to stay on her stomach for more than a millisecond. I was worried she would never crawl because every time I put her on her stomach she would flip over before I could even set her down. Now she is even scooting, mostly backward and in circles...but still. It's progress. I only wish I would have gotten my act together on this food elimination thing sooner.
In other news: still no sign of teeth. She is also overdue for her third haircut (a record at chez scoville). She has taken well to solids, and will eat anything as long as she is hungry.
And she loves her mama better than ANYONE else. The other two didn't have much trouble with separation anxiety. She gets her feelings hurt if I try to pass her off to her dad when she's sad. And by "feelings hurt" I mean complete and total hysteria. Which resolves to peaceful silence the moment she is back in my arms. Oh how I love her. Drama and all.

a couple more things...

As far as shopping goes, the best resource is trader joe's. They have the only affordable prices on things like rice milk (we also buy it at costco), coconut milk, and gluten-free food. Their brown rice pasta (we like the penne) is the only rice pasta that doesn't taste like cardboard. Trader Joe's also has wheat-free cheerios and dairy-free chocolate chips. You can buy dark belgium chocolate at TJ's and use it to make flourless brownies.

The only chicken bouillon I have found that is dairy-free is organic "better than bouillon" that comes in a jar. I use it in everything, especially beans/rice. Sprouts (for the locals) has fantastic gluten-free, nitrate-free sausages that are made out of chicken instead of pork. We like chicken apple and spicy italian.

There are tons of gluten-free things at our walmart. They even have betty crocker cake and brownie mixes that are gluten-free. I am sure we will be seeing more and more mainstream gluten-free products due to the explosion of food allergies, autism, and celiac disease.

Our dinner tonight: Penne (brown rice) with garlic, tomatoes, spinach, chicken italian sausage (sauteed together) and watermelon smoothies. For the smoothie I fill the blender up 3/4 of the way with watermelon, then the rest of the way with frozen strawberries and add the juice of one lime. You have to try it, it's divine.

Oh, and if Max wasn't allergic to peanuts and eggs, I would make pad thai every other day. My mouth waters just thinking about it.

what we eat

First, I will admit that the gf/cf diet isn't as daunting to me because I quit buying dairy products three years ago.

What we eat: fruit, vegetables, corn, rice, potatoes, quinoa, oats*, beans, meat (mostly fish) and eggs. We also go through a lot of rice milk and coconut milk. Some sample meals below...
*most people on a gluten-free diet don't eat oats because of cross-contamination with wheat.

BREAKFAST: Steel cut oats or oatmeal with rice milk and honey/brown sugar. We often put in raisins while it's cooking and add a little cinnamon. I try to cut up fruit or make a fruit smoothie. We also eat potatoes and eggs (not max), or corn chex/rice crispies (generic corn chex have gluten) with rice milk and a banana when we are in a hurry. Rice milk does not taste bad in cereal.

SNACK: Smoothies, fruit, chips and salsa, hummus, bean dip, guacamole, popcorn, dried fruit, kid's cliff bars (cheapest at sam's club, target), applesauce (no sugar added)

LUNCH: Lots of soups and stews (chili, chicken with rice/vegetables, italian sausage with potato, black bean, chicken tortilla, lentil...), "tacos" with (soft) corn tortillas--we do many varieties, beans and rice, leftovers from the night before, salads...

DINNER: Thai chicken curry (coconut milk and veggies) with rice, pot roast, salmon with asparagus + rice, turkey meatloaf with mashed potatoes, sushi rolls (with cooked salmon), salmon cakes, rotisserie chicken with roasted potatoes/vegetables, polenta with tomato sauce, beans and rice with avocados + tomatoes, salads, etc. I try to get inspiration from countries that don't eat wheat or dairy. I use a LOT of garlic.

DESSERT: Rice crispie treats, Belguim dark Chocolate, Kettle corn, "Ice Cream", pina coladas, gluten-free cookies on occasion, etc.

I use Rice milk (we stay away from unfermented soy products) and a butter substitute (smart balance light is dairy-free, and earth balance is great...we stay away from toxic things like crisco and margarine) in things like mashed potatoes, rice crispie treats, etc. and can't tell much of a difference. We eat smoothies with almost every meal. I have a vitamix (a blender with magical powers) that does many tricks. I use it to make the kids ice cream out of Rice milk and frozen fruit. I also freeze coconut milk and make chocolate coconut ice cream.

I will say that going off gluten and dairy is PAINFUL. I almost died on day three of this diet. My cravings were so bad I had the shakes. I ate SO much, yet I was never satisfied and always hungry. Over a week later I'm fine and actually craving vegetables instead of cinnamon rolls. I have already noticed a difference in Ava (she no longer screams her lungs out in the car, willingly stays on her tummy, and does a lot more babbling), so I'm motivated to keep going.

The theory is that when one does not produce sufficient enzymes to digest gluten (wheat protein) and casein (dairy protein), the partially digested proteins form peptide opiates (think heroin, morphine) that create a euphoria, yet are toxic and harm the brain. They also disrupt digestion and the absorption of other nutrients. These peptides have been found in the urine of people with schizophrenia, autism, and celiac disease. Anyway, children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, food allergies, ADD/ADHD are notoriously picky eaters. Many are addicted (as are many people in general) to wheat/dairy combos (because of the euphoric feeling) like cereal, mac n cheese, pizza, quesadillas, cookies and milk, grilled cheese sandwiches, bread with butter or cheese, goldfish crackers, cake and ice cream, etc. It is theorized that alcoholics suffer from celiac/gluten intolerance as there is gluten in beer.

Read THIS. And more explanation Here.

p.s. This is my favorite lunch lately: I sautee crushed garlic in olive oil for a minute then add chopped tomatoes (vine ripened) and spinach. I sautee that for a while and then dump a can or two of white (great northern) beans and cook a little longer. Add a dash of salt and a dash of cayenne. I brush oil on a stack of corn tortillas and stick them in the micro for a minute. Then we have "tacos". Sometimes I add mushrooms or spicy chicken italian sausage. I make up different "taco" recipes all the time. The kids love them.

eliminating gluten + dairy

We are now a gluten-free + dairy-free family. A lot of people have been asking me questions, and I decided the easiest way to provide people with an explanation would be to put it here.

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When Max started smiling at three weeks-old and belly laughing at six weeks, I happily checked "autism" off my list of worries. He was a very healthy baby, and was always off the charts for both height and weight. When I mentioned to my pediatrician that Max was very gassy and a little on the colicky side, he immediately told me to take dairy out of my diet. I thought he was crazy. Max had no visible signs of a dairy allergy (I had no idea eczema was a sign), and I was addicted to cereal, yogurt, ice cream, and cheese and unwilling to make dietary adjustments.

When Max turned 12 months-old, I weaned him. Not long after, he started to have allergic reactions to mac n cheese (which he had been happily eating for 3 months with no problem). Allergy tests showed possible allergies to wheat, dairy, eggs, and nuts. We eradicated them from his diet. His eczema disappeared overnight and he started gaining weight again. I read every book available from the library about food allergies, and quickly noticed that most books claimed there was a link between autism spectrum disorders (including ADD/ADHD and asthma) and food allergies/sensitivities. I considered myself lucky that I only had to deal with allergies.

When Max turned three, we took him in for his annual allergist appt. Testing showed that he was no longer allergic to wheat. I almost exploded with joy. I dusted off my wheat grinder and resumed baking. I added pasta back into our diet. Eating was suddenly much more enjoyable. Bread became Max's favorite food. And his nemesis. I only wish I would have made the connection before now.

Max has always had a touch of anxiety/OCD, but his symptoms started becoming more pronounced. He started biting his nails until they bled, and grinding his teeth. He started having frequent meltdowns and tantrums. He started to growl and scowl. He became very irritable. He was suddenly less empathetic and more defiant. He started to obsess over dinosaurs. He would go crazy if his clothes/shoes weren't perfectly adjusted, or if he didn't get his way. Potty training was an impossible nightmare. I could go on...

I did some research. I didn't think his problems were autism related because he was very smart, very verbal, and did fine socially. I read this article from the new york times, and started giving him fish oil and inositol (vitamin B-8). He stopped biting his nails and his anxiety resolved, but the other problems remained. My mom (a teacher) went to an asperger's conference and called me as soon as it was over to tell me that Max was definitely somewhere on the spectrum. After talking to her, I knew she was right.

Not sure what to do or where to start, I bought this book. I also did a lot of research and decided to put our whole family on the popular gluten-free/casein-free diet, and put max on probiotics and digestive enzymes. It supposedly takes1-6 months for your intestines to heal and nutrient absorption to resume, but we saw drastic results in just two days. And i mean DRASTIC. Instead of pouting and scowling, he was smiling and happy. Instead of pulling away when I hugged him, he wanted to snuggle with me for the first time since BIRTH. Instead of crying for 20 minutes at the dinner table because he didn't get the color plate he wanted, he quietly ate his dinner and said "this is my favorite dinner mommy, thank you...I love you mommy". He was suddenly easy-going and affectionate. I was so happy I cried.

I quickly became obsessed with reading about gluten. My curious mind wondered what other problems gluten might be causing for us genetically challenged folk who don't produce the enzymes to digest it (or casein) properly. I was shocked to see that many of the ailments that have been linked to gluten are things that plague both of our extended families.

Here is a list of some things that gluten intolerance has been linked to (although just because you have one or many of these symptoms does not necessarily mean that gluten is the culprit): Schizophrenia, autism/asperger's, OCD, anxiety/depression, reflux/heartburn, migraines, IBS, food allergies, asthma, ADD/ADHD, fibromyalgia, endometriosis, unexplained infertility, irritability, miscarriages, alopecia, eczema, melanoma, cancer predisposition in children, insomnia, fatigue, cold/canker sores, acne, learning disabilities, bipolar disorder, explosive behavior, PMS, ulcers...

I have spent hours on end reading about celiac disease, and the link between gluten and a whole host of neurological/psychiatric disorders. I have googled every health problem that I can think of on both sides of our family, and every single one has been linked to gluten. I'm not kidding. From kidney stones to insomnia, asthma to infertility, acne to ADD. I was racking my brain to make sure I didn't forget anything. I suddenly remembered that my brother stuttered as a child. I started laughing. Surely stuttering is not linked to gluten! Then I googled "gluten and stuttering" and lo and behold...dozens of people claim that going gluten-free resolved their stuttering issues, dozens of websites claim that there is a link between gluten and stuttering. Here is one of the many:

http://ezinearticles.com/?Food-Allergy-and-Stuttering-Link&id=1235725

While I realize you can't believe everything you read, there are two sides to every story, yada yada...I really think my little family needs to give this gf/cf diet a good whirl. Just to see.

tutu cute

My friend gave Ava this super cute pettiskirt. I can wait to see her dance around the house in it.

six sweet months

Sweet little Ava is six months old. We finally made it in for her well-check on Friday. She is as healthy as can be. Her stats:

height: 28 in. (95th percentile)
weight: 18 lbs 13 oz (90th percentile)
head: 17 in. (50th percentile)

We love to kiss her cheeks and make her laugh. She loves: her brothers, her mommy, sitting, the mirror, chewing on her toes, and music. She hates: the car seat, being on her tummy, loud noises, and when her mommy doesn't pay attention to her. Special skills: crawling is a long way off (she refuses to stay on her tummy and does a twist mid-air if I try to lay her down on it), but she did wave at me yesterday. In the mirror. It was the sweetest thing ever.

p.s. ian (the always-vying-for-attention middle child) always interrupts our photo shoots by jumping on the bed/knocking Ava over.
p.p.s. i got way too many "how old is he?", "he's so cute", "what a chubby boy" comments yesterday while ava was wearing a brown floral shirt. today i made a huge bow for her to wear to church since she would be wearing navy blue (didn't want to confuse anyone)...but an 8-year-old boy still asked me how old "he" was. oh well.

mother's day

I always take mother's day into my own hands. Usually I just go get a pedicure, but this year I dragged the whole family to Scottsdale so I could do some shopping at H&M. We had a lovely evening--strolling through the outdoor mall, indulging in high-end window shopping, soaking in the sun, and listening to Zee Avi. We stopped at Whole Foods to pick up Izzes, sushi, and a pan au chocolat (with raspberry). J-P didn't complain once about shopping (his least favorite activity), and watched all three children while I stood in the mile-long line to try on clothes. It was oh-so-nice.

Like I have said before, this stay-at-home mom gig I have rocks. I love, love, love being a mother. Seriously, I love it. I have never been so happy in my entire life.

p.s. this is me without make up...i love my children even if they did give me pink eye again, and forced me to throw away all my eye make-up again. I forgot to get more yesterday.

creative play

Some afternoons I let the boys tear the house apart. When I have things that need to get done (and naps are not going to happen), I debate...turn on the TV or let them play? Keep my house clean + impede their cognitive development, or let creativity reign? Yesterday was a play day.

Overhead:

Max: (as he pulls his shirt over his head) Look Ian! I am a BIG, scary wolf! Rrrrrrr! You're a dinosaur, ok?

Ian: No Max! I'm not a dinosaur, I'm a BIG, scary polar bear! Roooaaaar!

- - - - -

Ian: (as he puts a makeshift sword up to Max) Max, say you're a COD FISH! Say you're a COD FISH! Hahahahahaha!

Max: No Ian, that's not how you play. This is how you play--I'll be the captain, you be the hook, OK?

peach picking

We decided to head to Schnepf farms to pick peaches today. A completely lovely way to spend a Saturday afternoon. The boys sampled about as many peaches as they picked, and ran around looking for rocks and sticks. Ava and I strolled around and sampled peaches (it's allowed) while J-P did most of the picking.

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