Anybody else with food allergies?

So we have discovered that Kaylin has several food allergies. We knew about her milk allergy awhile ago because she would get a rash every time after she ate yogurt. We accidentally fed her food with the whey protein in it the other night and a bit later she broke out in a rash all over her body and has had lots of runny poops since (sorry for the description). Well tonight we also learned that Kaylin is allergic to sesame; after eating some of Tim's sesame pasta dinner, she broke out in a rash on her face and kept sneezing, with her eyes and nose constantly running. All total, she seems to be allergic to milk, egg whites, soy, and sesame. We're not really sure where these allergies come from because both Tim and I don't have any food allergies. I'm hoping that she'll outgrow the allergies once she's a bit older, because it's already been so hard dealing with them. I feel like we feed her the same foods repeatedly, and we're concerned she's not going to get all the nutrients she needs, especially at such a vital time of growth.

We're going to go in and get some blood tests to see if she's allergic to anything else (especially nuts), and hopefully learn just how allergic she is. Hopefully that'll give us a bit more information. So I was just wondering if anyone out there has also dealt with food allergies and maybe has some tips and advice for us. I'm also hoping to get some good recipes so she can have some variety in her meals. Poor thing, always wants to eat off our plates, and it would be so much easier if we could just cook one meal. I'm wondering if it might be worth it to meet with a nutritionist who deals with food allergies. Although, maybe that's being a bit extreme?

Anyway, I know I shouldn't complain, because there's much worse things we could be dealing with. I should be thankful for her overall health, and I am, but this is so foreign to me; it's still a bit scary. So anyone with similar experiences, I'd love to hear some thoughts. Thanks!

Lead hazards

I have recently been reading up on lead dangers (especially in young children) and thought I'd post about a little known area (at least it was for me) that can possibly contain lead. Vinyl mini blinds that are imported from Asia and Mexico have been known to contain lead, and if chewed on or touched (the dust can contain lead) then there is a potential for exposure. If the blinds experience prolonged exposure to direct sunlight, the blinds can deteriorate and the lead is released (leeches out) in tiny particles, which if touched, can be internalized. So if you get a chance, read up on the article so that you can get some important information about lead and it's dangers. Here is a link to the article: http://parenting.ivillage.com/baby/bsafety/0,,429c,00.html.

A monumental thing...

...has happened in the Brown household! For all of those who know me (and know me well) I have had a certain piece of furniture since my first year in college. I was just starting out on my own, and of course, didn't want to spend too much of my own money, so I decided to purchase the perfect college equivalent to furniture: the papasan chair. Well, eight years and a new family later, the papasan has moved into the garage, and a brand new chair has moved into it's place. I decided it was about time, and with Tim's blessing, I finally purchased a real chair! Yay for new beginnings!

Decorating tips

I added a page element on my sidebar that I would like to mention so that it is not overlooked. I decided to post cheap decorating tips to help all of you out there who want to make your home beautiful, but may not have a lot of money to spend. I am not an expert by any means, and many of you may already incorporate the tips in your home, but I thought I'd share the information just for fun. (I watch way too much HGTV, but I get some great suggestions from them, too.) So I hope this gives you some good ideas and some inspiration...

Daddy's girl

Happy Father's day to my daddy! I love you so much and am so thankful that God chose you to be my Dad! I have lots of fun playing with you, getting piggy back rides, flying around the house and getting chased! You make me laugh and keep me entertained with your silly songs and funny faces. I love when you give me baths, and you know just how to change my diaper fast so that I don't have to be on that tall table for too long! You keep me busy when Mom needs a break, and you know just how to get me to sleep when I'm in need of a nap! I love how you love to hold and cuddle me, especially when I fall asleep on your shoulder. I can't wait to grow up everyday as your little girl. I love you and hope you had a wonderful Father's Day!

Some good poems...

Here are a few poems that were sent to me that really touched me...they seem to capture the emotions and struggles of a mother and wife very well. I hope they speak to you too.

Untitled

What shall I do
with this new day
I'll watch my daughter grow
For these days and years
will not always last
as the magic slips quickly
into the past.

She's swinging and playing
the wind in her hair...
if I wait too long
I'll embrace only air.

For now I can hold her
to caress her dear face
And now is the time
I can be in this place.

The words that are written
on this page of her life
must be carefully read
or become a dim light.

So all other work
can wait I say
as I watch my daughter grow today.


Knowing You Best

I always thought I'd know You best,
by sharing with people on a lonely quest,
Your love, Your realness, Your plan for their life,
and becoming great in Your service.
But I never knew that real knowledge of life,
would come to me as a Mother and Wife.

The clothes in the wash, new wax on the floor,
a small child coming through my front door,
dishes to wash and tears to dry,
sleepless nights and my, oh my...
The frustration, the anger, of not being known,
being stuck in a house everybody calls home.
To not be a STAR or a leader out there,
changing more diapers...what am I doing here?

The clothes that are washed get dirty again,
the shiny clean floor gets messy, and then,
a new problem comes to plague me just when
it seems like the last one was solved.

O LORD, I just thought, in my own naive way,
that working for You, and going Your way,
that time in Your Word, singing songs that You gave
would bring closeness to You,
and it did, in a way...

But when crisis comes, and there's no place to run,
when you feel like you're constantly under the gun,
when life is so turned 'round that down looks up,
when you're tasting some of Christ's own bitter cup...

Then God takes on meaning that never was there,
when I stand stripped and bleeding,
overwhelmed with my care.
When I seem to lose sight of my once glorious goals,
then this is what God says to me...

That He'll always love me whatever I do,
and He'll always be with me wherever I go,
that I must take hold of the truth of His word
even when things are just moving so slow.
That peanut butter and gooey jam
are all part of His perfect plan,
to make what He always wanted to see,
that His Son would be manifested in me.

O help me, my God, when those dishes and pots,
just seem like a waste in my eternal lot,
when wifing and mothering push me so low,
Please help me to see these as tools to help grow
up the person who You want me to be.
O please God, help me see Jesus in me.

Both poems by Jayne Ustick

Kaylin's walking!

I posted these pictures of Kaylin in pigtails and some of her feeding herself spaghetti just because. (Of course I think she's cute!) I mostly wanted to share that Kaylin just started walking today! She has taken a step here and there for the last couple of weeks, but never more than one step before she sat herself back down and crawled. But this time she actually went a little farther. And luckily, Tim was home for lunch and was able to see it and take some video of her. She took four steps, sat down, stood up a few moments later and walked a couple of feet before stopping! She just keeps doing more and more; it's amazing! It will be a while before she's an expert walker, and it'll be lots of fun watching her get better and better at it. I added the video on the side of my page, so make sure to watch it--she's pretty adorable!

Our little family: in sculpture form

Just got back this sculpture I made for Tim in my sculpture class. I'm excited it's finally done--I started it a few months ago, and I'm pleased with the way it turned out. Although, the glazing is a bit patchy because i didn't put on as many coats as I should have. Oops. And the pants weren't supposed to be so dark either, but that's always a gamble. It's fun to be able to create though, and see a finished product out of what was once only an idea. Hope you are all able to 'let go' and get those creative juices flowing every once and awhile!

Party #2

"Here I am: I'm ready for my party in my pretty dress!"

The beautiful cake that Tim worked so hard to make just for Kaylin's big day. It turned out amazing (and tasted really good too!).

How Kaylin feels about all the fuss about this cake and birthday business
"Not sure what I think about that; do I even know what it is?" "I'll examine it from this angle and see if I might want to eat it."
"Nah, I'll eat a strawberry instead."
Wonderful friends came up to celebrate with us. Thanks guys for making the trip to see us, that meant a lot!
You can't really tell from the picture, but her shirt says "I won't remember any of this." I thought it was appropriate for the occasion.
Tim and I finally relaxing as the party winded down. (We look tired because we are!)

Lots of fun; wonderful seeing friends and family! And thanks to my parents for hosting Kaylin's second party. And happy birthday to my precious daughter! You have made this last year a delight and filled your dad and me with so much love. We couldn't have hoped for a more wonderful daughter! God has blessed us beyond measure by bringing you into our lives! Happy first birthday!

Party #1

The weekend of birthday celebration started Saturday at John's Incredible Pizza (like Chuck E. Cheese). Tim's family hosted and we had a fun time sampling all of their unique pizzas (like spicy peanut butter). Kaylin was her usual well-behaved self and was awfully cute in her birthday princess hat! Unfortunately, because of her milk allergy, she wasn't able to eat any pizza, but she liked her spaghetti and has really been enjoying feeding herself and of course, throwing food around. After lunch we went back to Tim's parents and Kaylin opened her gifts (well, Daddy did most of the unwrapping). She got lots of fun toys, but I think her favorite is her walker. She's been getting a lot better at walking (assisted) and loves pushing things around, so Tim and I decided to get her a walker. Since she's gotten it, she's been pushing it around and around, from the living room through the kitchen and back. I'm very impressed how she realizes that she needs to manuever it around corners or if she's heading toward a wall, she'll pivot and change direction so she's heading straight again. Very smart. After presents and practicing with her walker, we gave Kaylin her cake (after singing and blowing out her candle, of course). You can see from the picture below, and the look on her face, how she reacted to it. The minute her fingers touched the gooey texture of the frosting, she pulled her hand back and she refused to touch it. We attempted several times to get her interested, even trying to feed it to her, but she did not want it. Maybe we should be glad that she doesn't like sweets, but it would have been cute seeing her covered in her birthday cake. And after Tim's sister Cori spent all that time baking it special for her (without milk), it went uneaten. Oh well. A fun day overall, and thanks to Tim's family for putting it all together.

Happy Birthday (tomorrow) to my little Kaylin!

Kaylin--a quick look from birth to 1 year







More birthday fun to come...