Monday, July 6, 2009

I love Summer.

We had such a great weekend - I hope you did, too! We spent 2 evenings at our friends' house, and the boys had quite an experience. ALL of them. By that, I mean that Jason helped our friend (along with several others) put on one amazing fireworks display. It seriously was right up there with the ones that an actual town will put on! Of course, I was scared to death. I could just see Jason getting on one of those "I Can't Believe I Survived" shows - you know the kind where they look so bad that you really CAN'T believe they survived?. And then I would be on one of those incontinence commercials. And it would say "This is not an actor...". You get my point. It was a great time, though. Logan and Peyton set off several explosive devices, Addison ate enough cookies to feed an army, and Austin just sat there smiling and drooling all over the place. Oh, and threw in some occasional massive spit-up, of course.

Our family has been having such a great summer. Jason has been super busy with work - mainly constructing an addition on our local dance academy. It looks awesome. If you live around these parts, you need to get your booty up there - it's called Jenks Dance Academy. You can thank me later.

The kids and I have been having a blast. The routine of the school year is good and all, but I so enjoy having them home. We all hang out in the morning while watching either Boomerang cartoons, Thomas, or Barney - depending on who got lucky enough to grab the remote first. Then it's a leisurely breakfast (a definite change from the school year!) and usually a day filled with swimming, swinging, playing in the sandbox, hosting playdates, or taking trips to the library. It's all flying by much too quickly.

On another note, thank you for the numerous e-mails about Peyton. We are so blessed to have many amazing people in our life that care so much about him. He is doing very well - I cannot even describe the difference. I am learning so much, too. Just a quick tidbit: Did you know that food allergies can even cause nighttime problems? Peyton was having nightmares (almost a night terror-type) and pains in his legs quite regularly. Taking him to the chiropractor helped, but as soon as the casein was gone, it all stopped. CRAZY. He's becoming quite educated as well, and it's incredible how quickly kids can figure it all out. Just tonight, I decided to get them kid's meals for dinner. This is a RARE occasion in our house, so it was met with loads of excitement. Logan said he wanted McDonald's, and Peyton replied quite indignantly "Logan (pronounced Wogan) - McDonald's fries have casein in them. We're NOT going there."

Well, I should hit the hay I suppose. Jason's working late again and it's always hard for me to get to sleep. I'm such a pansy. Good night!

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Peyton's Final (hopefully!) Update

I know I haven't posted in a month - I guess I've just not taken the time! Peyton and I went to the specialist today, so I have great news to share!!

First of all, the appointment got moved up by 2 months, which was a complete blessing. I'm telling you what - you have to get just a little bit psycho (well, politely psycho) to get your voice heard! My friend's dad is a doctor, and he really gave me some excellent advice. Thanks Lloyd!

Second of all, there are two of these specialists in the state of Oklahoma, and I was so thrilled to be 15 minutes away from one of them. I love how God works - even in the small things!

Over the past few weeks, we have done an intensive/extensive elimination diet. No soy, gluten, eggs, casein (protein from dairy), or nuts. Let me tell you that I thought we might not have much to eat! Basically, if it came in a box or bag, we didn't eat it. After several days, we began to add in 1 possible allergen at a time. We were to watch for reaction(s) and then re-eliminate the food for 2-3 days, followed by another re-introduction.

I won't bore you with every single detail, but when we got to the casein, things went downhill BIG TIME. Since you probably don't care to know the consistency, color, smell, etc. of my child's poop, I'll spare you the nitty-gritty. I will say that he had a large amount of blood though, and that's definitely a problem.

We pulled casein back out and he did great. We felt like we probably had our answer, but we had to go to the specialist anyway. There was still a chance he had other problems (disease, disorder, etc.) . Jason and I firmly believe that this is where our prayers and the prayers of all our friends and family were answered. Peyton was supposed to have a scope done to find the rest of the problem.

Well, as of today, there is no need for a scope. After much discussion (and the fact that Peyton gained 2 whole pounds!), the doctor diagnosed Peyton with casein allergy. That's it!!! In fact, if he has another flare-up, he'll undergo more extensive allergy testing - nothing very invasive. We are SO thankful. Yes, having a child with a food allergy will involve more diligence and proactive care on our part, but who cares? In the grand scheme of life, it's just so minor.

One more thing - our nutritionist is the BEST. I love her so much. We really hit it off from the beginning, and she is incredibly knowledgeable. If you're in the Tulsa area and need a good one, her name is Amy Puls.

Again, thank you for praying for Peyton. Those prayers were answered today.