Uh-Oh Allergies

Chloe has had eczema since she was about 3 mo old. Unfortunetly, as Chloe's allergist and pediatrician said eczema can cause allergies and that's what we are dealing with right now. I knew Chloe was allergic to egg whites and then found out she was allergic to peanut butter. So, at Chloe's 18 mo well-child checkup I had them test her. So, they took her blood (which was not at all fun, but that's another story), and got a call a few days later. Her pediatrician confirmed that she was allergic to peanut butter and eggs, but could also be allergic to milk, wheat and oats. WHOA...what in the world was I gonna be able to feed her???? I went to Wal-Mart that night and got rice milk and chex mix for breakfast, but was at a loss when it came to what to make for lunch and dinner. I set up an appointment with an allergist and she did a scratch test. We found out that Chloe was EXTREMELY allergic to egg whites...I guess 0.35 is normal level for foods and Chloe test at a 8.86. She told us to eliminate of course eggs and peanuts, but also tree nuts and milk. She didn't test high for milk, but Chloe has refused to drink milk ever since she switched from a bottle to a sippy cup. The allergist said she was afraid that milk was making her tummy not feel to well, but couldn't communicate that to us. So, that means no cheese, yogurt, chocolate chips and anything that says natural flavorings or Carmel coloring and well a few other scientific names that could mean milk.

 I've had a few misconceptions about how to tell if something contains an allergen. I thought that all I would have to do is look at the very end of ingredients and I would see "contains: such and such allergen" in BIG BOLD LETTERS. Nope, not so true...there are some companies who do that out of the kindness of their hearts, but that is not the standard for food companies. So, I've been reading a whole lot of nutrition facts and I have to admit I;m sick of it...so, I just try to cook from scratch. Reading nutrition facts just make me REALLY frustrated and sad because most things I pick up I realize she can't have and I feel deprived for her. It makes me sad that she can't enjoy food I know would taste good to her and that she would love. However, I realize there are blessings. Chloe will be eating healthier and because we are catching this at such a young age she will be able to start habits that will help her to eat the way she needs.

So, cooking things from scratch not so bad so far with http://www.foodallergykitchen.com/pages/recipes.php. I've been making sure that I save a little extra dinner so I can feed it to her for lunch, which makes meals a little more simply than they would otherwise be. I've been thinking about either making a new blog about foods I make that work for Chloe or just talking about them on here...will see. I don't know why but I think I've gotten a little bored with writing on my blog...sad but true...maybe I can find some new motivation somewhere to keep writing. Funny thing is I think my new hobby is reading other people's blogs. Well at least  these two family blogs...Nie Nie's Dialoges and the Sullengers. Their stories just suck me right in and I can't help but wonder what they are going to write next. They make me realize that my trials are REALLY not so bad and to treasure my little girl even more.