2 by 2

Today, Wednesday, we had our follow-up appointment with Will's Celiac Doc. It has been six months since his biopsy confirming his diagnosis. We've noticed that he has outgrown most of his pants, by length, so we were hopeful that he was on the up & up. Or up and out in terms of height and weight.

We got great news! In the last six months Will has gained almost 2 lbs (1.7 to be exact) and grown almost 2 inches!!! He moved from the 5th percentile to the 10th percentile in weight, and 5th percentile in height to 25th!

This means all the changes in our eating habits have paid off. Those peanut butter rice cakes, brown rice quesadillas, GF pancakes, quinoa lasagna, and all the other good food we've been eating has made a difference.

Doctor Berry expects that Will will always be thin given his stature, but he thinks he'll put on some more good weight over the next couple of years.

Will was grateful for the good news - which for him was that he did not have to have a shot!

A high horse...

How would you feel if you heard that everyone in your parents bought each of your siblings a new car...but not you?

What if you walked into a room where everyone was laughing, only to stop when you arrived, and everyone refusing to say what the laughter was about?

What if you found out that everyone, but your child, in preschool was given a gift?

No one likes the 'everyone but you' scenario. Unless you are part of the everyone. And even then it is still a little uncomfy. No one likes being excluded. I would also venture to guess most people don't like to purposefully exclude people.


I got a call while at the gym from Will's preschool teacher, Mrs. W. One of the other students in class had brought Rice Krispy Treats for the class. Mrs. W wanted to make sure he could have one. Rice Krispy treats sound guileless but they are made with malt flavoring, which is made from barely, which means it is a big fat NO for Will.

While I was thrilled that the teacher called to ask permission, I found myself focused on the frustration that I felt. The frustration seems to stem from two places:

(a) that my child has a world of necessary 'nos'. I am not against saying no (I'm actually quite fond of boundary setting) but rather that these 'nos' are not everyone's. Not every parent has to say no to Rice Kripsy treats while most say an adamant no to a child's suggestion of putting a fork in a socket. You get the drift...

(b) that even though I provided a note to each parent, asking them to call me if they were bringing a treat to class, this somehow slipped through the cracks. Situations like this do not need to happen. Had I known I could have easily whipped up some GF Rice Krispy treats so that Will could have one too. So he wouldn't be left out...

Even I type I realize that I am not making considerations for the other parent. Maybe they never got my note, maybe they forgot my number, or maybe they looked on the box, saw that it didn't list wheat, and figured it was safe!

I guess, in the end, my frustration really lies with the fact that this exclusion is just the first. It won't really matter whose fault it is, or what the actual exclusion is...rather that just by nature of Will having Celiac it will happen.

Feeling frustrated and out-of-control doesn't really work for me. Let's turn my frown upside down, shall we say! I'm not asking for pity...I'm going to hope that my post today has inspired those of you who read it to put yourself in someone else's shoes. Make yourself more aware of food allergies and intolerances that surround you. Don't judge (what's to judge!) or ignore...but figure out how you can work with them. Most parents don't expect you to work harder (i.e. making gluten-free food) but rather to just give them a heads-up.

Even if it is not with food allergies - there are lots of ways that we exclude others, without even realizing it. Take a second look at something you think you saw right the first time.

(I'm stepping off my high horse now...at least for the time being!)

Martha Stewart & Gluten-Free?

**UPDATE: As of February 7th the voting is now over! Thanks for your support!**


Many of you know I have a secret obsession with Martha Stewart. Or with anything and anyone organized for that matter.

Our friends over at Celiac Chicks and Gluten-Free Goddess both blogged about a project competition that Martha is having in choosing a new venture. And we can vote for what it is!

She had her staff submit proposals and out of the 40 she chose 7. One of the seven Big Ideas is a new Martha Stewart publication that focuses on food allergies and will include recipes! The project creator, Alexis, is a staff member for Martha Stewart and has Celiac Disease.

There are a few food allergy magazines out there - and even some gluten-free ones. I love our subscription to Gluten-Free Living. Having a Martha Stewart empire magazine would be an added bonus! Getting her kitchen team behind recipe creating would mean delicious recipes! Added to that would be the readable, clear format that all of her magazines are styled in. It would just be delicious!

So I'm hoping that those of you who read this will got and vote. You don't have to vote for Alexis' project...but I won't be your friend anymore if you don't! Just teasing. Read through each proposal and vote!

Go here to read the proposals and vote.

Celiac 101

Many of you have asked me for information about Celiac Disease.

I am working on a letter for friends and family - but until all of the services for my Grandpa are over I am focused on other things.

However, a friend sent me the link for a video on YouTube. Can I just say...I LOVE YouTube! I mean, there are even videos of people cooking gluten-free food! There is a great one for Thanksgiving stuffing! You know what I'll be watching as we near the holidays!

This video is a clip from the TV show The View. One of the hosts, Elizabeth, has Celiac Disease and brought one of the leading Celiac medical professionals, Dr. Peter Green.

If you really want to understand Celiac - watch the entire thing. Otherwise, just watch the first two minutes for a good introduction!

I am SO glad that we caught this with Will so early!!

GF Fried Chicken

We hit the jackpot tonight! The boys have been eating well - but not as fast and furiously as they downed this gluten-free chicken! Even my Dad and I couldn't get enough! (Yes, our whole family is going GF and even my parents eat GF with us at home!)



Simple recipe and the flaxseed adds extra crisp and Omega-3!!

1 cup GF Flour (We used Bob's Red Mill Flour Mixture)
1/2 cup flaxseed meal
1/4 teas. onion powder
1/4 teas. pepper (or to taste)
1/2 lb. chicken breast or tenders
1 large egg (whites only)
1/2 cup milk
oil for frying (You can also bake these for a healthier meal!)

Cut chicken into small, nugget-size pieces and rinse in warm water.
Mix egg white and milk.
Mix flour, flaxseed, onion powder & pepper in shallow bowl or pan.

Dip chicken into milk/egg mixture, then into flour mixture. Place into heated oil in a frying pan (or bake at 350 degrees). Brown each side (3-4 minutes) and remove from heat.

Serve with your favorite sides and enjoy! We sure did!

And we're off!

It's official! Starting today our family is gluten-free (GF)! We, we sort of started yesterday night with our taco night but since the boys had soup for lunch and treats at their church class it kind of blew any effort made at night.

As I type the boys are enjoying their second serving of the GF cinnamon raisin muffins that I made. I am thrilled that these turned out so well, but I think that it helped having a good mix rather than trying to make them from scratch. I used the Whole Foods brand, 365 Everyday Value.
Having products like this, that are 'value' priced is helpful since GF shopping can be quite expensive. To give you an idea, just this muffin mix, which has no flavor, requiring you to add your own, was $3.49. For a similar product (15.5 ounces, yields 12-16 muffins) it would be about $2.99 (or if you are frugal, $.55 for Jiffy).

Eric and I spent Saturday and Sunday with help from Papa Paul & KK, getting our kitchen GF ready. Every book we've read (and we've read lots) has suggested having separate cookware for GF foods vs. gluten-full foods. Since Papa and KK are letting us live with them, we wanted to make it convenient for us without stepping all over their toes.

On Saturday we went through ALL of the cupboards and labeled things with stickers that said 'no' on them if they have gluten in them. We also bought a new mixer, new bowls, new tupperware, and a few other cooking tools all in red to use for only GF cooking.

After we went through everything then we went grocery shopping. Whole Foods is in Pasadena and offers the most GF selection of the stuff we want. Traders Joe's, Vitamin City, and Sprouts are all closer but they offer a smaller selection. They'll be good for quick stops to get more pasta, rice flour, and xanthan gum.

Then I spent all afternoon, while Eric tried wrangling the kids, cooking! I made 64 GF chicken nuggets with flax seed, 15 GF muffins, four one-quart bags of GF noodle & veggie soup, and GF taco meat. I know that this change is going to be hard on me with regards to lunch, since we are used to sandwiches of all sorts. Given that one loaf of sandwich bread is $7.99 that's not going to be an option any more.

Here are the fruits of our labor:



Honestly - I had a blast! I'm an organization freak so by the time I was all done organizing I was hyped up and ready for a club.

And the best part, the GF muffins were actually good and the boys devoured them this morning!

Silly Yaks!

It's confirmed! Our eldest child is a Silly Yak! After meeting with Dr. Berry this morning to discuss the results of Will's endoscopy. It was, as he said, 'positively conclusive that William has Celiac Disease'.

As I mentioned to my Mom and Dad when I called them this morning, it felt pretty anti-climatic. See, I did not realize that when our pediatrician in Salt Lake told us that his blood work determined 'celiac' that it wasn't 100% conclusive. Pretty darn close though. Will's blood work showed that he was measuring 13.6 on his tTG/tTA (celiac sprue tests) when 7.0 or LESS was normal for his age. So I immediately went to the library to get books on what Celiac was. Then I bought books, stickers, shirts, more shirts, buttons, magnets - you name it!

So when he confirmed it with me today, I think he was thinking that he would need to give me tons of information. I was pretty clear that the news he gave me was better than learning that Will didn't have celiac. That's not to say that I wouldn't be THRILLED if Will didn't have it. However, with all the symptoms he has I am glad that it is something we can deal with versus something that we don't understand or is harder to live with.

We will be sending more information out to all of our family over the next month or two to better explain Celiac disease and set our expectations. It will be vital that everyone understands what he cannot eat.

Eric and I feel good about moving forward and starting to live gluten-free. We've got lots of resources. And if you're wondering what to get us for Christmas...think GLUTEN FREE!

Cutest Patient EVER!!

Don't make the mistake of calling Will's Tuesday adventure a 'procedure' or a 'surgery'. He'll be the first to correct you and tell you that he had a biopsy. It always reminds me of this scene from My Big Fat Greek Wedding and sometimes he even starts pronouncing like she does.

Will's endoscopy/biopsy went really well yesterday. We got to the hospital at 6:10am with both boys. We were a little bit nervous because Will had woken up in the middle of the night with a bad cough. Dr. Berry had warned us that the anesthesiologist might not allow the procedure (oh, excuse me), BIOPSY, to happen if Will was sick. It was pretty obvious that Will did not feel good but we figured we'd head to the hospital rather than cancel. Still we were hoping not to get sent home!!

After getting checked in Eric and Will went into the back to get changed and check-in. The nurse, Nina, was incredibly nice and helpful. Will looked dang cute in his little hospital get-up, except for the pale face and red eyes from his cold.



The nurse checked his temperature, and there wasn't one, so the anesthesiologist, Dr. Nargaphan came out to talk with Eric and I. She said that she was worried about doing it but that she'd take him back. If he continued to cough in the surgery room they'd suspend the procedure and do it another day. She explained the risks and we agreed to continue.

I went back to sit with Will until they took him back. He wasn't nervous at all, and quite enjoyed banging on his little crib bed. Nurse Nina let him pick out a flavor for them to put in his mask. This would help him keep it on and let the anesthetic in. He chose chocolate - go figure!



I'll admit to being a little nervous as they pulled Will away. Especially with him having a cold I did not want anything to go wrong. Dr. Berry came out to say hi before they went into the room.



Will was out within a half of an hour. Dr. Berry came out first to tell us about the visual results. He said that Will's esophagus, stomach, and intestine look consistan with any three year old. This was what Dr. Berry had expected since damage to the intestine at this age is no visual.

Dr. Nargaphan came out next to tell us about his progress. Will did not cough once they go into the room so she felt comfy to do the procedure. We were just instructed to watch his breathing for the rest of the day. He did not have too bad of a time coming out of the anesthetic, which they had warned us about. He did ask for Eric a few times - which was funny because Eric thought Will would want me to be back there. After about ten minutes he had calmed down - this was helped after they took out his IV which he had been trying to pull out.

He spent most of the day lounging around. This was no doubt caused by his cold and not the biopsy but either way he was happy just to rest.

We will find out the results from the biopsy, as well as some other tests that we've done, on October 8th! We'll keep you all posted for that.

Thanks for all the love and concern!