Aunt Nene helps with Nathan's food

Aunt Nene has been so nice to help with Nathan's food. She has graciously baked brownies, oatmeal bars, apple muffins bean and rice enchiladas dishes. She is a wonderful cook and baker and it is all safe allergy free food. It has helped us out so much since I am not a baker - other than box mixes.

Thanks to Aunt Nene!!

Photo: Aunt Nene holding Nathan when he was 4 months.

Pumpkin Farm

Today we visited a pumpkin farm, it was really fun. Nathan loves pumpkins!! We went on a hayride and while we were on the hayride, I started to think about him having a reaction to hay, he didn't at that time.

There were two petting zoo's with goats and sheep and I did everything I could to keep him away from those animals, I kept having flashbacks about the reaction he got from the animals at the zoo on his first birthday. He listened and was fine with not touching them. He was more interested in riding "the train" it was a tractor pulling a bunch of barrels with the kids in them. He loved that!

They had a picnic dinner and Nathan could eat the hot dog (with no bun), fruit and chips. No salads or their cookies, I gave him one of his own cookies.

Tonight I noticed his eyelid was red and looked like eczema, probably got a reaction from something at the farm.

Bland diet and food allergies

Nathan woke up in the middle of the night and threw up. We cleaned him up, changed his clothes, gave him some 7up.

The next day he is hungry and wants to eat. Usually when I was sick the best thing was Saltine crackers. Nathan can't have those, they have Wheat. It is a challenge to try to find foods that comfort a tummy but that are also safe and allergy free.

I did have some glueten free pretzels and gave him those, they are bland. At least he can have rice, potatos, bananas, applesauce, jello, guten free toast, chicken broth and chicken.

Just another thing to think about.

MILK - A Four Letter Word

We were at a restaurant today and we ordered a kids meal, I asked the lady at the counter what was included in the kids meal and she said a cookie and MILK or juice. When I heard her say MILK, I must have given her the strangest, kind of dirty look. I thought to myself, MILK is like a four letter word to me, we don't use that word......it can kill my child.

Making Lunches for Nathan

Packing lunch for Nathan can be so hard, I usually just give him the leftovers from the night before, poor kid eats the same thing all the time.

I found this great article on Parents.com about lunch ideas and most of them Nathan can eat or I can subsitute a few items.

What I feed Nathan? A Look Into Our Pantry

I took some pictures of my pantry, I actually have separate shelves for Nathan's food. This way it is easy for me or anyone else who is here watching him to to know where his "safe food" is.

Most foods I shop at the health food stores for (he eats a lot of natural and organic) and some foods I can get at the local grocery store.

The foods I keep stocked in the pantry are: Soy Milk, Rice Milk, Nana's cookies, De Boles Gluten Free Noodles, Gluten Free Bread, Dairy-Free Chocolate Chips, Gluten Free Pretzels and Pizza Breadsticks; Gluten Free Breakfast Bars, Canned Vegetables, Beans and Fruit Cups; Jell-o Cups, Egg Replacer, Rice, Gluten Free Cereals and more.

Cookbook

I received a cookbook today that I ordered. It list more than 250 allergy-free recipes, but I really wasn't too impressed with the cookbook. A lot of the recipes called for unusual ingredients that I don't even know where to purchase.

Why is it so hard to find a cookbook that just has recipes that are allergy-free? I don't want to substitute to many ingredients, substituting milk or something like that is ok.

Maybe I need to write a cookbook, one that lists recipes for dinner meals that the whole family would like and that is normal, just doesn't call for dairy, eggs, wheat or peanuts.

Stuffed Peppers and Sloppy Joes are 2 meals that I can think of off the top of my head that you really don't have to substitute ingredients.

BAD Resturant for Peanut Allergies

My husband and I were out and we decided to try a new restaurant for dinner, since we needed something quick before we picked up Nathan from Grandma and Grandpa's house.

We stopped at this new burger place called Five Guys Burger and Fries. There were 2 signs on one of the doors - that I didn't see, because we went into the other door.

We Serve Bulk Peanuts in Open Containers

and

Due to the possibility of

servere allergic reaction

in some neighborhood children,

please DO NOT take

peanuts or peanut shells

outside of Five Guys.

Thank you, Five Guys Enterprises, LLC

Now that is great that they have signs, if you see them, like I didn't. I am so thankful we didn't have Nathan there with us. A child with peanut allergies could die just walking into that place.

They also had signs hanging up inside saying:

Fries Cooked in 100% peanut oil.

Nathan will never eat there. It's sad because the burgers and fries were good.

It's September Already

I can't believe the Summer is over and kids are back to school.

We had planned to send Nathan to a new daycare and he was to start today. The new daycare had a Nurse and Chef. They would be able to prepare him meals and I wouldn't need to pack breakfast, lunches and snacks everyday. I was really excited about this new daycare but when I met the teachers, I wasn't pleased. I just didn't get a comfortable feeling.......so, I decided to keep him at the daycare he is at and pack his meals everyday. After I thought about it more it really seems like the best for Nathan - then I know what he is eating because I packed it.

Labor Day Swimming

Today is Labor day, it is very hot out and the last day the public pool is open, so we decided to go swimming.

They had an announcement that all their snacks and drinks are $.5o due to being the last day they are open. I told Steve to get in line and get something for Nathan. I told him Nathan could have a Slushie, Skittles, etc. - just something he isn't allergic too. Well, there was nothing left that Nathan could have. They had ice cream bars and chocolate - the 2 things Nathan couldn't have. I felt bad for Nathan when Steve came back empty handed. At least Nathan didn't quite understand and I am always prepared with "Safe Snacks".

This is just the beginning of the challenges we are going to face in the future.