Multiple Food Allergies in Children

Multiple food allergies in children pose a unique challenge to parents, caregivers, daycare centers and schools. Parents of children with life-threatening food allergies are often looked at as neurotic or some how unglued, and may view such a parent as being too “over protective.” I fall into that category with my grand baby Simone (Simmi). Simmi is highly allergic to peanuts, milk, soy, wheat and eggs. We need to get her tested for other foods as well. My hope is that she will outgrow these allergies, but if she doesn’t where does that leave her in her young life? She is at the point where she is curious about other children and she has actually made progress in approaching little ones while we were shopping last week. Simmi is starting to seek other children out and is now making eye contact and smiling at them if we see them while we are out and about. My heart breaks just a little right now because she needs to have that social interaction with other children her age and yet I can’t bring myself to set up a play date for her. Why? Well, I would turn into some sort of neurotic freak and that isn’t the way to build good relationships with other mothers. No matter where we go, we are always bombarded with food. I couldn’t take her to Chucky Cheese or Peter Piper Pizza because she can’t eat a single thing there, and god forbid I did take her there just to play and she picked up a piece of bread or pizza and decided to eat it…disastrous! Then there are those fun play groups where moms get together and have their kids play. They bring all their children’s nutritious snacks of Cheerios, Kix, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, tuna sandwiches, nutter butters, cookies, Gold Fish, crackers, cheese bites, nuts and fruit, yogurt, macaroni and cheese…Simmi can’t eat any of these things. You would think that wouldn’t be a problem, but what if I turn around and some cute little kid decides to offer such things to Simmi and she gladly accepts it and eats it? And we know that little ones aren’t the most careful when it comes to eating, meaning that a lot of food ends up on the ground. Can you see me walking around like some sort of food police and janitor making sure that the perimeter is safe for my little girl? It isn’t other peoples responsibility to keep my girl safe and to put such unrealistic expectations on them would be wrong.

Simmi has never tasted a cookie, pasta, regular bread (she has tried rice bread), cake, candy, kids cereals other than Rice Chex, milk or cheese. There are lots of books on gluten free cooking but they end up containing eggs or milk in the ingredients. It is a daunting task at best.

So what should I do about this road block in our lives? We don’t ever bring peanuts or eggs into the house, and if we do eat something that she is allergic to, we do so when she is napping or in another room, making sure that afterwards we clean up our area well so that not even a crumb can be found that could cause a reaction in her. Is that too extreme of us? Not if you consider that if we are not careful we could cause her extreme pain or even death. So I ask the question again…is that too extreme? For the first time in Simmi’s young life she has been eczema free for two weeks. Ripping out the carpets to cut down on her allergy to dust mites has helped her to be more comfortable. Over the last three or four days she has also started to eat regularly for the first time in her life. To see her sitting at the table in her little booster chair eating blueberries, pears and Rice Chex in the morning brings tears to my eyes. Watching her eat carrots and asparagus and potatoes in the afternoon is a major accomplishment and witnessing her eat broccoli, cauliflower and sweet potatoes at dinner fills my heart with pride. Every few days we are adding new foods to her diet and she is finally interested in eating again. For the first time on Saturday she drank grape juice from a sippy cup. After 13 months of struggling to get her to eat anything at all, and with the trouble she had swallowing and even forgetting how to chew, it is a celebration every time she takes a bite to eat.

Where do I go from here? I have been considering taking on the task of being a specialized child care provider. I know there are other parents out there that need to work and have similar problems with their little ones. I want Simmi to have some playmates and build good social interaction skills and I think this could be the solution to our dilemma. I know that she would enjoy having children in our home everyday to play with and it would make me feel good knowing that I am providing an environment that is safe for other children like her to grow and flourish.

My husband and I are seriously considering this option and as we look at how to structure our home to make it suitable for more little children to be here during the day, we are finding ourselves getting more and more excited about all the possibilities.

A Song for Gaza

Our Nation is Obamafied!

On Tuesday January 20, 2009 at 12:00pm I tuned in to watch a most amazing day in American history. Even before I turned on the TV, my eyes were watering and I could feel this deep reservoir of feeling rise from within me. What was it that made me so emotional? Where did this come from and why was I so deeply affected by this event unfolding before my very eyes? It’s true that Barack Obama is the first African American to reach the highest office in the land…but that wasn’t it. Yes, he is bright, articulate, charismatic, attractive and smart as hell…but that wasn’t it either.

His children are gorgeous with a captivating purity, innocence and charm all their own and his wife Michelle…wow…extraordinary! But those things didn’t make me faklempt. It was the people! The well of emotion I felt even before turning on the TV was quickened to me as I recalled to memory election day. It was remembering the joy and pride in the faces of so many that had championed Barack Obama’s cause. The sheer numbers of people coming out to support and raise their voices together showing their solidarity and determination to help bring change to this great nation of ours. President Obama could never have done it without the people. No matter how charismatic, smart, good looking or charming, it is the Voice and Will of the People that makes it happen.

My emotions ran high as I watched 2,000,000 people crowd in to show their support and be a witness to history in the making. I was inspired by his speech and felt pride in our country for the first time. As I listened to President Obama address our Nation, I cringed a little to hear the rebuff and biting words thrown at the Bush Administration as Mr. Bush sat there listening to his new President speak. What a profound shift that must be for George Bush…knowing that Barack Obama is now his President.

As I pondered what George must have been feeling, I couldn’t help but wonder if he just wanted to cry as well. Not because he was leaving office, nor because he lost the respect of many Americans as well as people around the world…no, I wondered if as an American and as a man he felt pride to see democracy in action! Real democracy, not his version of it. In candid videos and photos I have seen George W. Bush’s sense of humor, caring spirit, sensitivity and loving nature. Obviously he didn’t allow his personality shine through when it came to foreign or domestic policy, but I am interested in what Mr. Bush will do in the coming years. I read a strange article in the Huffington Post about Bush pardoning Osama Bin Laden, and I am not sure whether it is the truth or some sort of snark, but what a strange and alarming turn of events if it’s true. It made me wonder if Mr. Bush was bitter that he had such a low approval rating and decided to be spiteful and pardon Osama Bin Laden…almost as though he was spitting in the faces of Americans as well as the Armed Forces not only here but also abroad. If he did pardon Osama Bin Laden does that mean that those who have died, died in vain? How about the people who died on 9/11 or the incredible loss to their family members? Were millions of Iraqi’s and Afghani’s killed or displaced and homeless for nothing? How about our Armed Forces giving the best of themselves and at times their very lives because their Commander and Chief said Osama Bin Laden was “Wanted Dead or Alive.” What does this all mean?

May our new President keep his promises to the people and be the agent of change we need. He is just one man, but we are a great Nation. “We the People” are the ones that can make it all happen. Our Nation may be “Obamafied” but it is the choices that we make each day that make our country what it is. At one point in President Obama’s speech he was addressing the Muslim world and said that they wouldn’t be remembered for what they destroy, but for what they build…the same holds true for us. Whether you are a Democrat, Republican, Independent, Green Party or Libertarian it will be what we build together that shall be remembered, not what we destroy because of ideologies. I hope that we all find common ground and that we remember that it is the unity of our Nation that makes us a strong and enduring people.

My Hair Demons

I have been shaving off my healthy hair for six months now, and the thing that usually happens to me during the time that I shave it is the urge to grow it back. I enjoy being bald because I no longer fret about unhealthy looking balding areas and thin hair, but there will always be a part of me that wants to feel my hair. Other women I know who have shaved their heads have expressed feeling that maybe they don’t have the “peace” about it that I have…but what is peace? I think many believe peace is a warm and fluffy feeling with some sort of permanent smile plastered upon the face. That is not the peace I feel inside. My peace is acceptance that I have permanently lost my hair in many areas of my scalp, knowing full well that I could have another flare that will take even more hair from me and there is nothing that can be medically done about it. I have a peace that everything will be ok as a bald woman and that I look beautiful whether I have hair or not. This is my acceptance and this is my peace. But there is another side of me that will always want to grow my hair back. It doesn’t mean there is a lack of peace or acceptance, because I have also accepted that I still do have hair. I can live in both worlds…although the “bald world” is far less stressful for me emotionally. If I decide to grow my hair back, I know the consequences of such a choice. It’s bitter sweet at best. I can once again feel my hair, but how it will look and the texture of it will sadden me profoundly. It means constantly checking to make sure that my balding areas are covered and using a wide variety of products to make it look more full. Sounds like a lack of peace doesn’t it? It is a double edged sword and this sword cuts both ways. I see so many courageous women on the Womens Hair Loss Project Network who are faithful to do what it takes to keep the hair they have. I’m just plain chicken shit! I find it easier to keep it all shaved off and go out bald, than to stand in front of a mirror and attempt to have “normal looking hair.” I lack peace in that department. When I had hair, I could feel my blood pressure rise in the bathroom as I tried to make my hair look halfway decent. It would take hours of messing with it and then I was still not satisfied with the results. Since I also have non-scarring alopecia, I wondered if being out of the moldy house would cause those areas of my hair to grow back as well…but then I shaved my head again, there are the same areas of missing hair to contend with. I’m not sure what I will do at this point. The urge to grow it back is strong, and I guess by writing this entry I wanted to remind myself of the pain as well as the pleasure of having hair again. I don’t know if it is worth all the heart ache. Would I do myself a huge disservice by allowing it to grow? I know there are so many options for women who are losing their hair, from Derma Match that can be applied to the scalp, to wigs, toppers and hair systems. Yet all these options seem to pale in comparison to being bald. I find it hard to imagine myself applying something to my scalp to make it look like I have more hair and I find it equally difficult to imagine myself getting a hair system which is extremely costly and requires maintenance.

Hair demons are difficult to deal with and yet I continue to give them latitude in my thought life! If I do decide to allow my hair to grow back, I know that I will just end up shaving it off again during the next flare up of follicle death. I never know when the next flare up will come, but it usually comes once a year. Mold is a trigger to my flares, and with the mold problem corrected I wonder if I will have a flare this year. If my hair loss goes into remission it will be even more difficult to fight the urge to let my hair grow. There is only one draw back to being bald…not being able to feel my hair! There are so many drawbacks to letting it grow, yet the only reason for me to grow it is to feel it. I wish I had more resolve or strength to grow it back and accept that my hair is just funky, thin and balding. Instead I take comfort in knowing that I control whether I let it grow or shave it off and I continue to fight my hair demons with the hope that someday the urge to grow it back will be no more.

At Home in the High Desert

We have been in New Mexico for a little more than a month now, and our family is adjusting very well. We found a permanent home in a town called Rio Rancho, and well…I must say that I am pleasantly surprised that I am enjoying the flat desert. I guess when viewing the landscape from far away, everything looks flat until you begin to drive through the terrain. There are many hills and lots of vegetation here. There is beauty here just as there is beauty in seeing the mountains.

I have not had access to the internet for a while now, and I was starting to go nuts! This past Friday the cable guy came and hooked us up. We are now in a small four bedroom house that is in need of a lot of tender loving care. We made the decision to rent this house because the landlord was willing to allow us to do the work necessary to make it safe for Simmi. She is highly sensitive to latex rubber and is allergic to dust mites, so carpet poses a big problem for her skin. The first order of business was to rip all the carpet up, then to clean up the place and paint. It has been a slow process but we are getting a lot done. My kids have been a such a big help and I don’t know if I could have done as much as I have done to this point with out them. They have watched over Simmi as I ran around like a chicken without a head trying to get things done.

It hasn’t been easy for them. They have lost everything they held dear and moved very far away from their dad and friends. When we first got to NM they had a week left of school before the holiday break, but because their school didn’t send their transcripts, we couldn’t register them. It worked out well though, because if we would have been able register them in the school near the temporary house, we would have had to pull them out of there and transfer them to the Rio Rancho school district. We found our new home the end of December but with the landlord going to see relatives in another state, we couldn’t sign the lease for another week. THEN when we signed the lease we had electricity but no water or gas. It’s very hard to work in a house that has no heat or water. We moved in on January 14th with no furniture. I was partially holding my breath half the time wondering if we were going to have to sleep on the concrete. But, as it turns out, I found another very endearing quality about NM…the people here are very generous. People donated beds, a living room set and a table and chairs! All of it in very good condition. Our first night in the house we slept on beds and NOT on concrete. Noah started school this past Thursday and Shoshie started school on Friday. It was an easy adjustment for Noah, but Shoshie found the size of her school a little overwhelming. Simmi is doing wonderful and I am happy to say that she is now eczema free. The lack of carpets cleared up the last of her rashy skin. Unfortunately, because the house is still not finished, the only room that is safe for her to be in right now is the kitchen. I call it “the safe zone.” She definitely doesn’t like being confined to the small kitchen, but it is the only way to keep her clean until the rest of the house is done. Tomorrow I will be finishing the painting and then she will be free to roam our little abode freely.

I am getting stronger every day, and it is so wonderful to feel normal again. In one months time all the pain that had been constant for the last year has left me. I wouldn’t be able to do all that I am doing right now if I was still racked with pain. I am bursting with energy and greet each new day like a child on Christmas morn. In the next few weeks I’ll post pictures of our new home with before and after photos.

Thanks for reading!

Israel Makes My Heart Break

My heart is breaking for the people of Palestine. Hold on to your courage, your resolve and your strength dear people of Gaza. I know that you are bleeding right now, and that your children are dying…but hold on just a little longer! Palestine, you have been robbed for 60 years, your land taken over and your dignity crushed and still you exist! You are a people of amazing strength. People from all over the world are appalled at how you have been treated and many have risked their reputations and even their very lives to champion your cause. If I speak on your behalf would I be considered a bad Jew and a traitor to my people? If I cry out for justice, will justice be denied me because I opened my mouth? Israel makes my heart break because they have forgotten how to be generous, hospitable, forgiving and loving to those they share the land with. My heart breaks because Israel is supposed to be the “Apple of Gods eye!” How rotten this apple has become and how irritating to the Eye of the Almighty.

We are family, you and I. You are my sisters and my brothers and we have the same blood pumping through our hearts…the blood of our Father Abraham! I know that you love our father Abraham and it is evidenced by how you hold Hebron as a treasure! Religiously we are different, but I couldn’t hold that against you. If my brother or sister in my immediate family had a different religious view than I, I would still love them.

You are a beautiful people, hospitable, lovely and strong. I understand why the rockets fly over to the other side, and it seems that there has been a lot of revisions to the historical record in the last 70 years. The revision seems to be that you are some how terrorists because you want your land back…land that was taken from you when Israel became a state. Why does that make you a terrorist? How can you be a terrorist if you are being occupied? It doesn’t make sense to me. And now you are being crushed once more. Why is it that Israel can defend itself from bombs, but Palestine can not? If I say such things will I now be thought of as a terrorist too? If I decide to apply for dual citizenship in Israel, will I be denied because of what I am saying today? Would I be spit upon and rejected by my people because I refuse to stand in solidarity with them regardless of your treatment? Will I be snubbed by the Jewish community and Christian community because I refuse to turn a blind eye to those who are being mistreated, abused, starved, killed and maimed? How can I do such a thing? How can they do such a thing? That makes my heart even more sick.

I know that there will be those who will be very offended and become extremely defensive to this blog entry, but, to you I say don’t be like a spoiled child with an ever increasing thirst for more and more! You have the best of the land, the backing of very powerful nations and great military strength. Don’t come crying to me about how you are treated…I think you have made out quite well for yourselves. This has not been a fair fight from the beginning, and while bloodshed on both sides is quite deplorable, nothing in my eyes seems to be able to compare to the evidence of war crimes, unethical and inhumane treatment of the Palestinian people.

The following two tables were taken from “If Americans Knew“:

The Impact of the Conflict

on Children

123 Israeli children have been killed by Palestinians and 1,050 Palestinian children have been killed by Israelis since September 29, 2000.

Click chart to enlarge. Source: Remember These Children.

“The majority of these [Palestinian] children were killed and injured while going about normal daily activities, such as going to school, playing, shopping, or simply being in their homes. Sixty-four percent of children killed during the first six months of 2003 died as a result of Israeli air and ground attacks, or from indiscriminate fire from Israeli soldiers.” - Catherine Cook

Source: These numbers are from Remember These Children, a coalition of groups calling for an end to the killing of children and a fair resolution of the conflict. (View the complete list of the victims, which was last updated on July 17, 2008.)

December 2008 - January 2009 Attack on Gaza

WATCH Related Videos

FLYER: Gaza Massacres

This section contains articles on the December 2008 - January 2009 attack on the people of Gaza.

Palestinians & Israelis Killed in Gaza 12/27/08 - 1/5/09	Palestinians & Israelis Injured in Gaza 12/27/08 - 1/5/09
Source: The Guardian