800 oz of Milk On The Truck

When Little Man was diagnosed with food allergies, my first reaction was to be happy that we knew what was causing his problems and could easily fix them. My second was what the heck am I going to do with all the milk in my freezer that he can't have. Well, it took me about two months to find somewhere to donate it, get the blood test, and get all the other approvals like doctor's signatures, phone interviews, and more but I finally shipped all the milk down to the Mother's Milk Bank in Austin, TX. They were fabulous to deal with and it's a good feeling knowing that all that milk will go to help premature and/or sick babies. Milk donation is really something that should get more attention. I couldn't help but post a picture of all that milk on it's way out the door. With the dry ice, it was a total of about 70 pounds! And there's another 250 ounces in the freezer already that are safe for Little Man. I may find myself donating even more...

Betty Crocker Gluten Free Yellow Cake

The last of the Betty Crocker Gluten Free mixes. This one is the yellow cake and we made cupcakes. Like the chocolate ones, they are fantastic. I used the rest of the Betty Crocker Milk Chocolate frosting. I still don't know what happened to the Brownies. I must have measured something wrong. My husband things I used the wrong powder to water ratio for the egg replacer. He might be right so we'll have to try them again. Other than that, I highly recommend the Betty Crocker mizes. The cookie and cake mixes were delicious even with the egg replacer and I have a feeling we'll be making them often. You could bring all of these to an event with non-GF/allergy people and they wouldn't even know they're gluten free.

Betty Crocker Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

Amazing. Simply amazing. Betty Crocker's gluten free devil's food cake actually tastes like cake. We used egg replacer and put Betty Crocker's milk chocolate frosting on top. They were really moist and had a normal cake texture which is so unusual for gluten free cake. I was a little concerned since the brownies didn't come out so well but we didn't have any issues with these. I will definitely make them again and can't wait to try the yellow cake which we already have in the house. Now I'll be able to make Little Man a birthday cake when the time comes that's safe for our family and really good.

Rethinking Pumping as the Ultimate Weight Loss Plan (Weekly Tally)

I posted before about how I've lost more weight than I gained when I was pregnant. This is supposed to be a good thing. But, after losing another pound this week, I seem to be losing about an ounce a day for each pound I lose. My all time high was 44 ounces a day and now I'm down to a little over 39. Little Man drinks about 36 oz a day. I'm still ahead of him but this doesn't leave me with much of a cushion. I'm still pumping on the same schedule that I've been on for the past two months and I even increased how long I pump lately since I'm not getting as much but that hasn't really made a difference. So, my husband and I decided that I may just need to stay a little plump to maintain my production. Ah, the things we do for our kids.
Part of why I've been losing weight is because of the foods we can't have. Before we found out about Little Man's allergies I would eat trail mix with nuts or hard boiled eggs or gluten free cookies as sources of protein and fat but I can't do that anymore and I don't think I replaced those snacks with anything except fruit. Great plan for losing weight, not so great for milk production. We bought me whole milk (I usually use skim) and cheese to see if that makes a difference. I'll keep you posted if this week's tally goes up. Here's the stats for last week:

7/12/09-7/18/09
Total Pumped: 278.75
Total Used: 252
Surplus: 26.75
Average Per Day: 39.82

Our Week of Doctor's Appointments and Starting Solid Food

Yesterday we went for our follow up at the allergist. He was thrilled with how Little Man looks. His skin is perfectly clear and he spent the appointment checking out the doctor. He's a very curious little thing. We go back in a year and will do blood testing to see how severe the allergy is. The doctor was optimistic that Little Man would grow out of his egg allergy at least because apparently babies that whose main reaction is their skin are more likely to grow out of it. So that's good news.

We also started solid food this week since he's officially 6 months old and we got the all clear from the pediatrician. We've given him rice cereal twice now. He did really well with the spoon and seemed to like it. But, last night he woke up around 4:30am when he usually sleeps straight through to 7am (and has for a good two months). We're not sure if he had a stomach ache from the cereal or if he's teething. I think teething is more likely and I do feel some bumps on his gums. Now, at 6am, he's back in the crib asleep. Of course, we're visiting the in-laws today so it's a great day for all of us to be exhausted!

Have Crock Pot, Will Eat

When you have a new baby, are pumping, working, and feeding the family allergy free, the crock pot becomes your new best friend. Thank goodness I discovered the Crock Pot Lady's blog shortly after Little Man was born. She has tons of awesome, easy, gluten free recipes that allow us to put dinner in the crock pot in the morning and have it ready when we're ready. On days like today, I don't know what I would do without it. Today we're taking Little Man for his 6 month check up (6 month's already - I can hardly believe it!) and won't get home until close to his bed time. Plus, just a hunch, but I don't think he'll be his usual happy self after his appointment since he's getting a few shots. (Yes, we vaccinate. We feel the good outweighs the bad especially considering he's in daycare and therefore exposed to more. )

So today we made our very first roast in the crock pot. It's not one of Crock Pot Lady's recipes although she's taught me so much that now I can be a little more creative - not that a roast is creative. We prepped everything last night so all I needed to do in the morning was throw it all in. We added onions, carrots, and potatoes. My husband and I always laugh because people will say to me constantly "it's ashame you can't eat anything." My allergy free food is ten times better than what I used to eat before. If they only knew...

Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownies

Since the Betty Crocker Gluten Free cookies were so good, I was really looking forward to making the GF brownies. They were really easy to put together. I again used the Ener-G egg replacer but the brownies call for two eggs whereas the cookies only needed one so I was replacing even more. I had to press the mix into the pan a little bit since it was really crumbly. We baked them for the time listed on the box but they were pretty much liquified and boiling so we left them in the oven for another 5 minutes. After that, they were still bubbling a lot so we let them cool for a while. Once they were cool, they became more like a cookie consistency. They taste good but they're really hard and not brownie-like. I'm not sure if it's the egg replacer or something else. I'm going to try the cake mixes next once I find a safe frosting. Hopefully those don't get as dried out.

Betty Crocker Gluten Free! About time...

From the time I went gluten free two years ago, my husband has said that mainstream companies should get on board because it would be a good business venture for them. We never understood why most gluten free products were organic, free from preservatives, etc. Don't get me wrong, I like to eat healthy and don't feel at all deprived by not being able to have heavily processed food. But, bread that doesn't have to be frozen or pancake mixes that don't cost a fortune and then ended up tasting like chalk would be nice (btw, stay away from Arrowhead Mills pancake mix).

So today I say a big hooray for General Mills. Not only did they change their Chex recipes to make them gluten free, they now have a line of Betty Crocker gluten free cookie and cake mixes. Since I have a baby and can't go to 10 different stores, I sent my mom on a hunt for these things. Six supermarkets later, she found them at Pathmark. We were very excited. She bought me all four so I have the Yellow Cake, Devil's Food Cake, Brownies, and Chocolate Chip Cookies. All gluten free. I still can't believe it.

I decided to try the cookies first. All you need to add is butter, water, and an egg (or in my case egg replacer), mix it together, and bake. Like a gluten-full cake mix! I was a little concerned while I was combining the ingredients because like most gluten free recipes, it was not turning into dough. I'm sure the egg replacer wasn't helping. I decided the only way it was going to work was if I just used my hands. Worked like a charm. I then used my hands to roll the dough into small balls and put them on the cookie sheet. I think I ended up with about 30 cookies. And man, they are good. Definitely the best gluten free chocolate chip cookies by far. I can't wait to make the rest of the Betty Crocker gluten free mixes. Too bad gluten free doesn't mean calorie free. I wonder how much more breastmilk I would need to pump to burn the calories in a cupcake...?

Yum, Pizza

When I first went gluten free, I mourned the loss of pizza. Then slowly, I discovered I could make decent pizza crust and eventually found a pre-made crust that was really good. We even have an organic pizza place nearby now that makes really good GF pizza. All of these have eggs in them. So, when we found out about Little Man's allergies, I knew I would need to begin another search for good pizza. It didn't take long. I came across Rustic Crust Gluten Free Pizza Crust (check them out at http://www.rusticcrust.com/). It was only $3.99 for two personal pizza size crusts which is really cheap in the GF world so I figured I wasn't investing much if they were terrible. But, they were really good. We used Bertolli Garlic and Olive Oil sauce, Hormel Pepperoni, jarred roasted red peppers, and of course mozzarella cheese. We're also big fans of oregano and garlic powder so we added generous amounts of those. I was really pleased with the outcome and we will definitely be buying more of these crusts. One of the best things about them - unlike most GF products, they don't need to be frozen so they're always ready to bake. (And no, I wasn't put up to this by the company, I'm just excited to find good pizza that's safe for my family.)
Follow Up 6/28 - I sent feedback to Rustic Crust about how great their crust was and they let me know that coupons are available on facebook and twitter or at their website http://www.rusticcrust.com/ if you want to try it out. For those who can eat gluten, they have a full line of "regular" crusts too - no idea what they're like but thought I'd throw it out there.

What do you mean you won't use the EpiPen!?

My husband took little man to daycare this morning like he has pretty much everyday for the past two months. We've been really happy with the daycare we chose and the women who care for him in the infant room are really like having three extra grandma's. But, this morning one of them told my husband that they had first aid training last night and there were concerns about epi pens doing damage to a babies heart and so they may be giving it back to us. What!?!? An allergic reaction can do serious damage too!! So we called the owner to get more information and thankfully, the other woman had it wrong. Apparently three kids have been diagnosed with allergies just this week in addition to a few others that they already knew about and they're running into a situation where each family has different expectations. They want to standardize it and plan to administer benedryl first, then call 911 and give the epi pen if absolutely necessary, and also call the parents. We were fine with that but, man, did they have us worried for a few minutes. I'm sure this was just the first of many times that we will need to be his advocate to make sure that he's as safe as possible.

Sunbutter is Squishy

Today I made my first replacement version of PB&J. I used my gluten free bread that I made with egg substitute, sunbutter, and strawberry preserves. When I opened it up at work, it had squished out everywhere and the bread looked a little like soggy dense pound cake. But, it was actually really good. Messy, but good.

Today's Tally

Ounces Pumped: 42.5
Ounces Used: 36
Surplus: 6.5

Biggest day I've had in over a week. I think I wasn't eating enough when I knew Little Man had an allergy but didn't know what it was. Now I know what I can eat. Breastfeeding makes you unbelievably hungry. And thirsty. As soon as I turn that pump on, I want to chug an entire bottle of water. Nice little evolutionary feature there.

Today's Tally

Ounces Pumped: 41.75
Ounces Used: 37
Surplus: 4.75

With today's milk, my freezer stash is up to 21 oz. I did call a Milk Bank in Ohio today to find out about donating my milk but the person I need to speak to is on vacation. I wish there was somewhere local to donate it but unfortunately, there isn't. I'm coming to terms with having to part with all that extra milk since my little man has almost completely clear skin in just a few days of being allergen free and is even happier than before. I don't think I've ever seen a baby who smiles quite this much.

How I Got Here

I'm new to blogging. I've followed a few other blogs for a little while now but I'm new to having one myself. But, the new life I find myself in over the past six months needs to be documented. Let me explain. About two years ago, I finally figured out that living a gluten free lifestyle is the only way for me to feel human. It took my entire life and about 73 different doctors (all of whom missed it) to figure this out. Fortunately, I met a man who put up with me when I sick and likes me even more now that I'm well. We've been married for three and a half years. In January, we had our first child who we like to call Little Man. I planned to breastfeed him so I took the class, read the books, and learned as much as I could. I knew it would be challenging but I also knew it was the best thing for him. Well, I ended up being the woman in the hospital with two lactation consultants on either side of me and a crying hungry baby. I left the hospital with lots of instructions and techniques and most of all, pain. By a week in, I had decided the breastfeeding was more painful than labor and went to see another lactation consultant after I had spent 24 hours pretty much pumping around the clock. The LC recommended pumping a few times a day and nursing the rest. I gave this a try but the result was the same. So, when Little Man was 9 days old, we turned to exclusively pumping. I called the LC and she gave me some terrific advice to get started but beyond that, there isn't a lot of information out there about pumping so I was kind of winging it. Fortunately, it has gone very well and Little Man has still not had anything other than my milk - not even a drop of formula. Of course, women still ask me if I'm going to try nursing again. My answer is no, never. For me, pumping is pain free (most of the time), gives me lots of flexibility despite needing to pump mulitple times a day, allows my husband to enjoy feeding our son, and gives me stock pile of milk in the freezer. Not to mention that I would have been pumping at work anyway. Pumping works very well for us.

Now, about that freezer stash. My little man is a growing machine. By his first doctor appointment, he was supposed to be back to his birth weight and he had gained double what he needed. He's been in the 90th percentile for height and weight ever since. Unfortunately, he also had really bad skin in the form of ezcema and occasional rashes. At his 4 month check up, the doctor suggested he may have a milk allergy and recommended that I eliminate dairy. I did that but also added more nuts to make up the protein and about a week and a half into this no dairy, extra nut diet, he was completely covered in a rash. Since I'm already gluten free and we have a nephew with severe food allergies, we decided to go ahead and get him tested. Well, sure enough, he tested positive for nuts and eggs (but not dairy). We are now three days into me not eating these and his skin is clear and he's spitting up much less (can't even explain how much spit up we were dealing with). This means that I have 700 ounces of breastmilk in my freezers (yes, freezers, we had to buy a second one), that he can't have because it's tainted with nuts and eggs. My goal this week is to find a way to donate it. I'm thrilled that he's healthy now but I'm having trouble accepting that I have to get rid of all that milk! So, long story short, I now find myself as a gluten, nut, and egg free working mom who is exclusively pumping for a very happy little man. Join me as I figure out how to navigate this new world I live in.