Week 5

Nothing huge to report this week. Tyler remains very dilligent to talk about what things have milk and what he can and can't have. Last week we also had son #2 tested for Celiacs disease. While I hope that it comes back negative I have no idea how to explain some of his physical differences otherwise.

This week add 100mg of B complex in with everything else. Many parents have reported great improvements with their children when they are on high doses of B vitamins. One reason why this could be true is because B vitamins help build the serotonin in the brain.

My mom found an old home movie this past week. As she was watching she was very surprised to see that one of my brothers (a different one than I usually think of in regards to Tyler) had very similar mannerisms to Tyler. I'm anxious to see it now but unfortunately it's on an old tape so we're not quite sure how to get if off to preserve it before the tape self-destructs even more.

I'm anxious to see how everything goes this weekend with the fireworks show! In years past Tyler couldn't handle the noise so he hid his face to block it all out. I'm going to have the ear protection with us but I'm really hoping that I don't have to pull it out. Hopefully I'll remember to get some pictures to show you all how it goes!

Dining Out

Today is DH's birthday so we celebrated by experiencing our first dining out experience with food challenges! We went to Longhorn Steakhouse, which has a gluten free menu, but other than that did not list any other allergens.

I let the waiter know right off the bat that we would be difficult people when he brought the bread and I asked if it had milk in it. He was very nice and even brought me the label off the box so that I could be sure. He also checked with the manager about the chicken tenders (they had breaded and grilled on the kids menu). Tyler ended up with a hamburger without a bun (he wasn't sure and couldn't find out) and fries. The meal also came with a couple slices of an orange. When Tyler saw that he immediately asked, "Does orange have milk in it?" I smiled and told him no. I heard the waiter chuckle a bit, so I don't think he was too put out by all the extra work we were putting through. We did give him a bit extra on tip since he really was quite helpful :-) Overall, I was glad that we were at a place like Longhorn Steakhouse instead of Applebees since I didn't think that those servers would have as much time or patience to answer all of my questions!

After that we came home and had a cookie cake and ice cream!

Week 4

There have DEFINITELY been changes in Tyler. His conversations have improved by leaps and bounds, although I know that we are still just getting a tip of the ice burg. Tonight he said something that made me want to a) Leap for joy, b) Laugh at him (it was funny!), c) Cry, d) All of the above.

This week we'll add Mineral Rich by Maximum Living. I've been anticipating this one since this one tends to help with several different SI behaviors. Dianne Craft says, "Mineral Rich helps tremendously for children with 'SI' symptoms, Sensory Processing problems (loud noises bother them, transitions are hard, picky eater, tags bother them, chewing on clothes, socks have to be just right, etc)." This supplement is high in magnesium, which is nature's tranquilizer. It should also help with his constipation problem.

I'm also encouraged that he is understanding that he can't have milk. Tonight we were talking about my husband's upcoming birthday. Tyler asked if ice cream has milk in it! I told him that this was a very good question, and that while most ice cream does have milk, I had bought some ice cream with no milk just for him. We then went on to have a conversation (two-sided conversation!!!) about what to do if someone offers him food and what he needs to say to be sure that it's OK to eat! This time last year this type of conversation would NOT have been happening. I might have tried to tell him such things, but it would have been far from a two-sided conversation.

Week 3

Tomorrow marks the beginning of week 3. So far I can tell that there has been a change in Tyler...I just can't put my finger on it. I was talking to DH about it today and we came to the conclusion that Tyler is communicating more about things that are more than just "nonsense" talking. What I mean is that his usual mode of communication involves things like, "Mommy, green light means go, red light means stop", or "Lady (our dog) is black. She's a girl". Those kinds of things. But in the last week or so it does seem like he has been having more meaningful conversations. Like I mentioned before, I think it is harder for me to pick up on the changes right now because of the 2 extra boys that I'm watching during the week. I'm trying to come up with ways to spend more time with him so I can observe him more.

This week we are reducing carbs and sugar. I also bought an acidophiles that I know was transported refrigerated, so we'll see if that makes a difference from what we were giving to him.

As far as the dairy goes, I found out that Tyler does like Almond Milk much better than Rice Milk. He was quite excited today when I let him get the Chocolate Almond Milk. I also got some ice cream that he can have next week for DH's birthday party. Oops....did I say that we are reducing sugar?

Week 2

This week Tyler is taking acidophiles and grapefruit see extract 3 times a day. He was sick over the weekend but seems to be doing better now. We're out of Rice Milk so we'll see how he does with the Almond Milk.

Next week we will be reducing carbs so this week I get to brainstorm on meals. I have found that lunches for everyone seem to be the most difficult. Cutting out mac & cheese and all the cream soups really cut back on our lunch menu! I've been considering making mac & cheese for the other kids and just giving Tyler something different. For the most part I've been trying to make the change without making a big deal about it. But maybe for my sanity I need to do something different. What do you think?

Fast Food

I just wanted to share a blog that I found this week! I was looking for information on fast food items that have casein in them and I found this! I has been very helpful in looking at what things Tyler can and can't have. One thing she doesn't mention is that if you are only casein free you can opt to keep the cheese off on many items. But it was nice to know that all the chicken nuggets out there contain casein in their breading. I also found the ingredient list for all of Taco Bell's items. Since we can order things without the cheese this may be the easiest place to eat at, especially when we go gluten free too!

Pizza Night

Pizza night was a success! I made a casein free crust, then pulled off a little from the main pizza to make a personal pizza for Tyler. I was pretty skeptical of the Vegan Gourmet cheese, but hubby said it did taste like mozzarella. We cooked Tyler's pizza in the toaster oven so we could keep an eye on it.

I had to switch it to broil to melt the cheese, but it did melt!

After a couple of bites I asked Tyler if he liked it and he said yes! He ate the whole pizza, so I assuming that he did!

Day 5

Tonight I get to try making pizza with Vegan Gourmet cheese. I'll be sure to add extra toppings so it may not be too bad. The cheese is so expensive that I'll only be making one for Tyler, then I'll do a regular pizza for the rest of us.

This week has been a bit challenging. The casein free meals haven't been that difficult, but I'm having a hard time knowing if anything is helping. I'm watching 2 extra boys this summer so the added craziness means that I'm not spending as much time with Tyler (or the others) as I would like. I'm hoping that I'll be able to spend some time with the kids tomorrow and that I will (hopefully) see something that has changed. We'll see. Some people don't see the difference by removing casein until it gets added back into the diet.

I have been wondering something though. For those of you that have a child on a special diet, how do you handle visiting family/friends? How about sending your child to something like VBS where they get snacks?

New Plan: Day 2

We made it through the first day! Last night I did our "big" shopping trip and it took a bit longer than normal since I was reading labels and such. I did manage to find a cheaper butter than I had found at the organic store, but the commissary still didn't have any Vegan cheese. They had Veggie Slices, but those still have casein in them. I did come home in time to catch hubby giving Tyler a cookie that had milk in it, but since it had been promised for cleaning his room I let it slide. I figured that since we were on the first day it probably wouldn't make that big of a difference.

Tyler hasn't complained about having to use rice milk on his cereal, but he didn't care for it this morning when I gave him a little to take with his acidophiles. I don't know if he'll get use to the flavor or if he just won't care to drink it straight. I also bought almond milk the other day so we'll see if he favors one over the other. The commissary does have rice milk for about $.30 cheaper than the organic store, so if he doesn't care for either one then I'll just buy the rice milk at the commissary. I might try soy but I'm a little hesitant of it. I've read a few things about soy that makes me shy away from using it in large quantities but now I don't remember what it was exactly that the article said. Does anyone know?

New Plan: Day 1

My goal is to record at least once a week with what we're doing and any progress that I see. Today is simple. This week he'll take 3 acidophiles capsules a day and he is going casein free. I went to an organic store yesterday and found some milk, butter and cheese for him. I won't let him use a lot of the cheese since it was quite pricey, but I'm hoping to at least be able to make him a personal pizza every week on pizza night. Today's menu is:

• Breakfast-Oatmeal w/ Rice Milk
• Snack-Applesauce
• Lunch-PB&J (I made casein free bread last week)
• Dinner-Sausage and Rice Casserole