Skin Prick Test

Layla had her three-month allergist visit yesterday.  We had been mentally preparing for this appointment since the spring, because we knew that Layla's pediatric allergist wanted to conduct a skin prick test for cow's milk and egg, as she has been exhibiting signs of outgrowing those allergies.  For the past year, Layla has been able to eat baked milk and egg products without incident, which usually signals that the body may be able to outgrow the allergy.  Layla was not able to take any kind of antihistamine for five days prior to the testing, which was why were were extra vigilant with cross-contamination during our Outer Banks vacation.  She also skipped her nightly Zyrtec for seasonal allergies.

I cannot speak for Monte, but I was very surprised when Dr. M told us that he would also be testing for peanuts and treenuts.  Layla's nut allergies have only been diagnosed through blood tests, although she did have some skin reactions to peanut butter as a baby (she never injested it).  When the doctor told me his plan, my heart stopped beating for a few seconds, but I swallowed my emotions to keep it together for Layla's sake.  I fully trust her doctor and I know he would never put Layla in jeopardy, but it hard to know that your child is going to be subjected to not only the pain of the skin prick, but also the very substances that you've been avoiding like the plague for over two years!

All together, Layla was tested for almonds, cashews, egg whites, milk, peanuts, walnuts and histamines.  Let me just say that Layla is the BRAVEST little girl I have ever met! Braver than her mom, that's for sure.  Besides for saying that she was nervous before the visit, she was SUCH a trooper and didn't even flinch when she was pricked.  She was very itchy and couldn't scratch, but was happy when mommy and daddy blew on her back.  She past the time waiting for the results (20 long minutes!) by watching Jake and the Neverland Pirates on dad's phone.

Unfortunately, Layla has not outgrown any of the allergens that she was tested for.  Monte and I were a bit numb when we left the doctor's office because we had such hopes that she was doing well with milk and egg products, but we have hope that this will change in the next few years.  I hope that maybe by Layla's fifth (or eighth, or tenth....) birthday we can celebrate with pizza and ice cream! If not, that's how the nut-free cookie crumbles, I guess. 

The Outer Banks

Before our family trip to the Outer Banks, I was having some reservations.  Serious reservations that went something like this: "An eight and a half hour road trip with an infant and a toddler, to a destination that we've never traveled to before, without any help? What are we CRAZY?"  I am happy to report, though, that we had a wonderful time, thanks to a lot of preplanning and team work! 

Sometimes it really takes a vacation to bring to mind just what great partners Monte and I are.  Monte did all of the researching on the best area to stay and the best hotels in the Outer Banks.  My job was packing, scheduling and covering the basics (I swear, my family would go on vacation without clothes or food were it not for my crazy organizing and planning skills!)

Most of my energy in the week before vacation went to ensuring that the kids were occupied during the long ride.  Let me just say, thank goodness for Pinterest! I found a wealth of ideas for keeping kids entertained on long car rides.  There was one amazing blog that I would like to credit for many of the ideas that I found, but I can't find it at the moment. 

Layla and Dylan each had a bin of toys within arm's reach.  I made Layla a binder of cloth pencil cases, each with individual activities (crayons and coloring books, dry erase board and markers, car Bingo, wiki sticks, pipe cleaners, little people, stickers, etc.)  She also had Leapfrog audio books and chapter audio books, which she didn't get around to using.  I also hung a ribbon with a picture of a car on it, which we moved every hour as a visual of how much further we had to travel. 

We had a beautiful ride down along the coast, a welcomed change to our usual route of I-95. Coastal Delaware and Virginia were absolutely beautiful, and we all enjoyed driving by farmland, beaches and crossing the Chesapeake Bay during a thunderstorm!

We arrived at the Hampton Inn in Corolla, NC on Wednesday afternoon.  The last hour was a rough ride, as there is only one main road into Corolla.  Needless to say, the kids were happy to have a large hotel room to run around! We soon found out that dining out would not be part of our vacation experience, as the majority of the restaurants in the Outer Banks served seafood and we could not find a place that could safely make Layla a meal.  I cannot speak for the entire OBX community, but from my personal experience, the restaurants that we made inquiries in were not able to avoid cross-contamination issues and ran the gamut from apologetic to rude.  We were very lucky to have a kitchenette and grocery store nearby!

We spent Thursday morning playing pirates in the lazy river pool.  After a much needed nap and lunch, we ventured into the town of Duck to the Scarborough Faire shopping area where we did some window shopping and explored their toy store. 

We were at the pool bright and early Friday morning, but then left on an adventure to Currituck Heritage Park, where Layla and I climbed the Currituck Beach lighthouse.  Daddy and Dylan played in the grass while they waited for us.  We arrived only ten minutes before closing, so we had to hurry! It was a good thing that I was well-rested because I carried Layla most of the way to the top.  It was worth it, though.  What a wonderful view of the park, the sound and the ocean! I was thankful that there was another visitor at the top to take our picture. 

 

Saturday morning was spent on the Northern beach of the Outer Banks.  Driving on the sand was very different from our experiences on the flat sands of Florida!  The sand dunes made for a very bumpy ride.  Although we didn't see any of the wild ponies native to the area (and opted out of the three hour long Jeep tour), we did see crabs, fish and many dolphins playing in the waves.

In the evening, we packed up dinner for the kids, picked up some takeout for the adults, and headed back to Currituck Park for a picnic dinner.  After we ate, we took a relaxing walk on the grounds of the Whalehead Club Historic House and Museum and enjoyed reading the many markers, describing the wildlife found in the surrounding marshes and sound.

 Sunday was our last day on the Outer Banks.  We expended a lot of energy in the pool in the morning in order to tucker out our kids before heading home.  Both Layla and Dylan took nice long naps during the drive north, and fell asleep again after dinner.  We are very thankful to have been granted the opportunity to take not one, but two vacations this summer and really enjoyed the quality time with Dad! I would love to visit the Outer Banks again in the future, probably when the kids are a bit older.

To see the rest of our vacation pictures, click here.

Dylan - 9 months

What an action packed month for our little Dilly boy. If you look closely, you will notice that Dylan got not one, not two, but four of his top teeth.  Gone are the days of the gummy smiles.  Our little boy is getting so big!

 Now that he's had a taste of mobility, Dylan does not want to be contained in a crib, exersaucer or car seat.  In fact, we had to upgrade to a big boy car seat because Dylan's long legs were making for some uncomfortable car rides (and some serious back pain  for mommy from carting him around in the carrier.)  This came just in time for our road trip to North Carolina.

This month, Dylan began pulling himself to standing in his crib.  Nothing quite prepares a mom for that first time when you enter your baby's bedroom and are greeted by your little one upright!  Dylan has just begun to cruise, although his prefered mode of transportation is crawling, which he does in the traditional form.  Bye-bye, inchworm!

Speaking of bye-bye, Dylan learned to wave hello and goodbye and let me tell you, when he waves and says "HA!" with an open smile, it can make your day! He really enjoys when mommy and Layla sign to him, and he sometimes signs "milk" and "all done!" when he's had enough.  Da-da-da and ba-ba-ba are some of his favorite sounds, along with his prolonged "aaaaaaaah" which signals that it's time for a nap.

Dylan self-feeds well, and enjoys gnawing on an ear of corn, a whole piece of fruit (especially plums) or munching on mum-mums.  He has graduated to Stage 3 foods and has been known to polish off some Chef Boyardee that his sister refused to eat. 

Dylan loves remote controls and being chased and is very hesitant when mommy or daddy run the vaccum or Layla plays with her remote control car.  As much as he enjoys being on the go, Dylan is definitely my laidback, go-with-the-flow child.  He's so snuggly!

Layla - 35 months

The theme of the month has definitely been trying new things.  Finally, at almost 3, Layla appears to be outgrowing her food pickiness.  Being picky plus having food allergies makes mealtime especially difficult, so I am happy that she has been trying new foods.  This month, Layla ate stuffed peppers from our garden, string beans, as well as zucchini.  She has been adding sauce to her pizza, and trying new combinations of food, including sausage, olive and pineapple pizza.  I am glad that she is eating more vegetables and hope that she continues to expand her eating repertoire!

Layla, like her mom, really enjoys swimming and is confident in her abilities.  She is learning how to kick while using a kick board, use long strokes with her arms and put her entire face in the water.  She especially loves her "oggles", which let her see underwater. 

Layla got her first haircut at an actual salon (well, ok, it was Supercuts, but at least she wasn't sitting in a minature police car!)  She got a bob and she looks adorable. Layla was a bit nervous when she first climbed into the chair, but once she began talking about her vacation with the lady who was cutting her hair, she forgot all about what was happening, and the next thing she knew, she was done!

Some of Layla's new words this month are terrible ("Oh, no! This is terrible!"), besides ("Besides, I don't want to go to bed!") and "disappointed".

We have checked out a few new playgrounds this month, including the newly renovated playground at Watching Reservation with Daddy and the water playground at Ponderosa Farm in Scotch Plains with friends Sean, Gus and Calina and then again with Poppy and Mimi.  We have also been spending lots of time swimming at the Orange Avenue pool with old friends and making some new pals.  Layla really enjoyed participating in the afternoon arts and crafts program, where she made a lizard door hanger for her bedroom. 

I cannot believe that Layla's 3rd birthday is only a month away! We are planning not one, but two pirate parties! I'm really looking forward to celebrating the first three years of my little girl's life.

Funny Layla quotes:

"I'm a good lady!"

L: "What's the matter mommy?"
Me: "I lost my bathing suit top."
L: "You can use your imagination!"

"Perfect! This is EXACTLY what Layla needs!"

"I'm not your babe.  Daddy's your babe!"

Layla's favorite joke:

Q: What did the baby pirate say when it needed a new diaper?

A: "Arrrg, wipe me booty!"

Dylan - 8 months

Crawling was the milestone of the month.  Dylan inchworms his way around the house, trying to get his grubby little hands into everything, especially Layla's puzzle pieces, remote controls and stray crumbs.  Dylan suffered through a bout of thrush this month, but you would never know it based on his continually happy demeanor. 

His newfound motor skills, combined with the desire to put everything and anything into his mouth, has made for some interesting diaper changes.  Sand, grass, wood chips; Dylan has tasted them all.  In addition to the inedible, he has tried beans, zucchini, yogurt, chicken, tomatoes and finger foods such as crackers and waffles.  Dylan also appears to hoard cereal puffs in his diaper for a midnight snack. 

Diaper changes now resemble wrestling matches.  Dylan won't sit still for more than a few seconds before flipping over and attempting to flee the scene.  Nursing sessions are equally difficult, especially if big sister Layla is around. When we are alone and the house is quiet, though, we have some of our best moments together.  Weaning doesn't seem to be in the immediate future, which makes me one happy mommy and closer to my goal of breastfeeding until at least Dylan's 1st birthday.

Happy 8 months, little man!

My 30th Birthday

If I am going to be totally honest, I will tell you that I was really dreading turning 30.  I have never been very focused on age as a number and I truly believe that you are only as old as you feel.  But 30??  Seriously?!  I still feel as if I am getting away with something when I order a drink.  Hell, I hesitate for a moment when the lifeguards blow the whistle for adult swim before realizing that yes, I am an adult and I can stay in the water! I thought that with each new milestone in my life, I would finally feel like a grown-up.  Yet despite having multiple degrees, being married, owning a home, and having two children, I still have a lot of growing to do.      

I am trying to enter my thirties with a positive attitude and some new resolutions.  I want to continue to develop as a mom and wife, two of my newer roles that seem to require constant tweaking and refinement.  I also want to give up the things that are a drain on my energy, namely guilt that I am not doing enough or doing things wrong and anxiety about life events that are out of my control.  I also want to focus on carving out time for myself, which is something that sounds easy but is surprisingly difficult.

Anyway, I had an excellent birthday.  My parents and MaryGrace came over in the morning and showered me with presents and, even better, coffee cake.  Monte took off in the afternoon and we made a last minute decision to take a ride down to the boardwalk.  Before we left, he had the kids give me a card, which said that they found a babysitter so we could go see Once on Broadway on July 18th!  I am so excited and really looking forward to spending the day in the city with Monte and seeing a show that I've been dying to see!  Thanks Mom for agreeing to babysit again!

On Saturday, we celebrated again with some family and friends at Martell's Tiki Bar in Point Pleasant.  We had an enjoyable evening.  Thanks everyone for coming out (and thanks again to my parents and sister for watching the rugrats!!)

Cruising with Food Allergies

At the beginning of June, we took an 8 day cruise from New York to the Caribbean.  We sailed on the Carnival Miracle and traveled with our two kids, my parents and my sister.  Traveling with young children can be challenging, but compound that with food allergies and you have a recipe for some major mommy anxiety!  Luckily, the trip went off without a hitch and we did not have any major problems. 

This was Layla's second cruise, but her first time sailing with Carnival.  We traveled on Royal Caribbean when she was eleven months old and food allergies were totally new to us.  She was drinking Allimentum formula and still eating jarred baby food, which made meal time pretty easy.  The dining staff were very good about bringing her safe finger foods during dinner, such as sliced black olives, fruit salad and grilled chicken and we avoided the buffet completely, opting for jarred food during breakfast and lunch. 

This year, Layla is almost three so I knew that a lot of forethought and planning would be necessary.  In fact, I had an entire suitcase filled with "safe" foods, as well as Dylan's babyfood.  We packed individual servings of rice milk, a jar of soy butter, snickerdoodle cookies (Enjoy Life), Chewy On the Go bars (Enjoy Life) Not Nuts Seed and Fruit trail mix (Enjoy Life), raisins, fruit snacks, Oreos, applesauce, pretzels, and crackers. 

Before our sailing date, I called the Special Needs line and told them that we would be traveling with a food-allergic toddler and to please note her food restrictions.  They noted them on our account and reminded me to meet with the Maitre d' once onboard.  As soon as we boarded, Monte and I went directly to the dining room to inform the dining staff.  They were friendly and reassuring and not only noted her allergies, but also asked what some of her favorite foods were. 

Dinnertime in the Bacchus Dining Room

We ate breakfast and lunch at the buffet on the lido deck.  Layla always ate boxed cereal with her own rice milk, fruit and some bacon from the grill.  Communication with the buffet staff was difficult due to language barriers and, I'll be honest, a lack of trust on my part.  Not knowing how trained the employees upstairs were on food allergies prevented me from allowing Layla to eat much of anything at the buffet.  During lunch, we often made her a sunbutter sandwich (I checked the labels on the bread served at the grill), as well as sliced turkey or a hamburger. 

Trying to find the marshmallows in her box of Lucky Charms

Every evening, there was a bowl of sliced black olives and a fruit salad waiting at Layla's seat.  Each night, she had a grilled chicken breasts served either with french fries (from a dedicated fryer) or plain pasta and Jell-O for dessert.  Layla doesn't often eat Jell-O at home, so this was a real treat for her, but we also brought along her cookies so she wouldn't feel that she was missing out on "dessert".  The rest of us felt confident enough to indulge in seafood dishes and the decadent desserts, but we were mindful to eat far enough away from her plate to avoid any cross-contamination at the table, and we made frequent trips to the bathroom to wash our hands and rinse our mouths.  Our servers were amazing and took great care of Layla and checked in on her often. 

Layla with our awesome server

During port days, we ate a meal before disembarking and brought along tons of snacks.  In Puerto Rico, Layla had a water ice made with crushed ice and Sprite, and then we returned to the ship for dinner.  In Saint Thomas, we went to the beach after breakfast and returned for lunch.  On our third port day in Grand Turk, the kids stayed onboard with my parents while Monte and I had some time to ourselves. 

Sprite Ices make Layla happy

The ship had a child care center called Camp Carnival, where parents could drop their children off for activites and meal times while they explored the ship or ports of call.   I honestly did not even consider bringing Layla to Camp Carnival, but when she got wind of a playroom, she practically dragged us there!  When I registered her, I was given an extremely detailed Food Allergy check list and medical form where I noted all of her allergies and circled menu items that she was allowed to eat.  Although Layla only went to the camp for an hour or two each day and we never sent her during meal times, it was so reassuring to know that the camp staff would have a handle on her needs.   We were also given a cell phone that only worked on the ship, in case there was an emergency and the staff needed to contact us immediately (or we needed to contact them).  Each time we dropped Layla off at camp, we would give them her Epi-pen and Benedryl and they would check the charge on the cell phone.  Honestly, we couldn't have asked for more!

There was only one negative incident during our vacation with regards to food allergies.  On our second to last night, we went upstairs to the buffet before bed to have a cup of tea.  Earlier in the evening, we noticed a few red hives on Layla's cheeks, but they didn't seem to be bothering her or getting worse and we assumed it was nothing.  Layla was overtired at this point, and when she gets too tired, she becomes VERY active and hyper.  As we were drinking our tea, she was laying on the booth that we were sitting on and rolling around.  By the time we went downstairs to our cabin, her forehead and the side of her face were covered in hives.  Her eyes began to water and she started scratching.  Trying not to panic, we washed her thoroughly and administered Benedryl while drilling Layla with questions.  I was trying to figure out if she had injested something or just touched an allergen.  She told me that her mouth wasn't itchy and her stomach didn't hurt and she didn't appear to have any trouble breathing.  Within thirty minutes or so, she was dozing off and the hives were disappearing.  I returned to the buffet to see what they had served for dinner and dessert (we had eaten in the dining room) while Monte stayed with her in the room, but all of the food had been cleared away by the time I got there. Monte and I swore off the buffet for the remainder of the cruise.  My guess is that while rolling around on the cloth booths, her skin came in contact with an allergen (maybe shellfish or nuts).

The booth in question

Overall, I think it was a successful vacation, and I was very happy with Carnival's ability to meet our needs.  Again, to anyone cruising with a food allergy, the dining room seems to be the safest eating environment.  Buffets are too risky  But my family is proof that it is possible to cruise with food allergies!

Afternoon Tea with Mommy