Magazines Are Good To Eat

Miles eating a magazine.

You should buy this yarn, Mom!

Why don't we eat this everyday?

All Sorts of Things

Ring of Pillows - protector of bonk'd heads.

Sarah and Miles - waiting for the bus.

This is very comfortable.

Miles has his first avocado!

What? No corn chips?!?

Olive poses elegantly beside a butternut squash.

Miles works on his teething while Olive sneaks up behind him.

Mr. Smiles!

What are eyebrows?

Ok already. Let's go outside. I've got my red socks on!

Miles and Paul - doing nothing.

Ich bin drei Viertel Deutsch (mostly)

Reading "Antons Ganze Welt" (Anton's Whole World)

Aunt Anne-Yvonne gave this book to Miles.

Which is rather tasty, as all books should be.

Hey! This book is in German!

Meanwhile...

Check out my crazy hat!

Spoons and Books

Yar! This be me spoon!

His vest says "Baby Scouts" and this is his cute badge.

There's no food on this spoon...

Oh well.

Fuzzy Bear Bible from Great Grandma Kurth!

So tasty.

Bananas!

Miles has been very interested in our food and drinks lately. Very very interested. I was holding him and eating a banana when he grabbed onto a peel, mushed it into my shirt, then mushed it into his mouth to suck on. I thought for sure he wouldn't like the taste (the peel can be a bit bitter), but he loved it! So I offered him some mushed up banana on my finger. Boy did his eyes light up! He ate a few more fingertips of banana and then when I wasn't fast enough he started crying! Boy knows what he wants. Type A goal-oriented.

Miles had a nice little visit at the Pediatrician's office yesterday morning. We wouldn't normally go in at 5 months but his bowel movements haven't improved much with the elimination diet. Also, I accidentally ate some dark chocolate chips the other day and Miles really suffered the consequences! I just wanted some more definitive answers.

Thankfully, Miles has had no rashes (other than diaper rash), nor eczema, which woud indicate a serious allergy. I had eczema as a child (now I know it was probably cow dairy) and it recently came back in full force in the creases of my elbows. What a flashback! When I mentioned to the nurse that my eczema had flared up again in the Fall but is now nearly healed, she mentioned that people who are allergic to cow milk protein are usually also allergic to soy protein. Oh yay! I hope he outgrows it. What this means for me is that I can't get lattes at Starbucks anymore; their only beverage options are dairy, lactaid (doesn't help with a protein allergy), and soymilk.

So the verdict? We're sticking with the TED, and going to slowly add in more foods. Except chocolate. No chocolate. :(

Miles's Mittens

Cold Winter

Mr. Duck doesn't seem too cold.

This is ridiculous. Can't we just stay inside?

Food is good.

Day 8 of TED. Surprisingly not bored of the food yet! Here's what I've been eating:

Breakfast
Brown rice pudding (cooked in rice milk) with cinnamon
Brown rice farina with maple syrup & cinnamon

Lunch
reheated dinner :)

Dinner
Baked turkey & sweet potatoes
Turkey burger, sauteed delicata squash & zucchini with thyme
Turkey burger, sauteed sweet potatoes & pears with rosemary & rice pasta
Braised lamb with potatoes & millet

Snack
Whole pear
Glass of rice milk
Sliced roast turkey
Mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes

Not super exciting, except that sweet potatoes + pears + rosemary = delicious!

I added spinach today! It's not that I lack iron, since sweet potatoes are very high in iron, but I really needed a veggie that isn't starch or squash, something I could eat fresh and cooked, and I want to be able to throw it into smoothies in the near future (when I add back in a few more ingredients).

All I can think of is which food to add next!

Learning about TED

In an effort to be informed and prepared for the TED (Total Elimination Diet), I've been doing some research online. Forums have been particularly helpful; reading firsthand accounts from fellow breastfeeding moms has been interesting. Here are a few questions to which I found answers:

• What are the most commonly allergenic foods? These 8 foods account for 90% of food allergies:
  Milk & dairy products (from cows)
  Wheat
  Soy & soy products
  Fish
  Shellfish
  Eggs
  Peanuts
  Tree nuts
  
  Most of these are considered "healthy" sources of protein! And those first 3 are heavily subsidized by our government, so they are cheaply produced, processed, and in almost everything. Next time you're at the store, try to find a box or package of food that does not contain cow dairy, wheat, or soy. Unless you look in the produce section, this could be difficult.
  
  Corn & corn products are a swift runner-up, possibly due to its relatively recent subsidization and introduction to most processed foods as additives.

• Why only range-fed/free-range? won't cage-free and/or organic do? Range-fed animals eat a healthy, natural variety of grasses and plants (and bugs). Most animals are fed, or at least finished on, grains like wheat and corn. Wheat and corn are two of the most common allergens. If you are what you eat, then what you eat eats matters, too. Think of the whole food chain. (Note: the USDA has some sketchy requirements for the use of these terms.)

• I can still take my multivitamin supplement and get all the nutrients this diet lack, right Not if it contains any of those top allergens. I checked the label of my Women's One-a-Day vitamin and it contains soy lecithin as well as partially hydrogenated soybean oil (how did I miss those when I bought it??). The best bet is individual vitamin supplements, like a straight calcium or iron pill. Actually, the best bet is to get from food! So my first choices for foods to add back into my diet will be very healthy choices.

I still have a lot of questions, though!

• Can I use olive oil to cook?
• My rice milk has evaporated cane juice and other stuff in it. Does that mean sugar is ok? How about honey? Brown sugar? Maple syrup?
• Can I use spices other than salt and pepper? I know I can't use stuff like garlic or onion yet, but what about cinnamon or thyme?
• Obviously caffeinated drinks are not allowed, but what about herbal teas? I can get a good amount of vitamins and trace minerals from raspberry leaf, and iron from nettles. Herbs are great supplements! Are there any that aren't ok on the diet?
• What kind of rice cereal is allowed? I've read a lot of forum posts mentioning boxed, processed rice-based cereals. I thought it meant something like this.
• What's the best way to test a food for a threshold issue? For example, if a little bit of egg is ok, how do I go about figuring out the allowable quantity?

I've still got a lot of learning to do! But at least I know I'm on the right track for discovering Miles's food sensitivities.

Total Elimination Diet

I have mentioned to some friends and family that we suspected some food sensitivities with Miles awhile ago, and when I eliminated wheat and soy from my diet in mid-November, Miles went from always fussy to smiling and peaceful. He stopped waking up crying, and started being more content in general. What a change! He was like a new baby!

This decision was based on a cursory glance at the Total Elimination Diet (TED) developed by Dr. William Crook, which is recommended by Dr. Sears and his wife, who is a lactation consultant, for colicky and fussy breastfed babies. I thought, "Ok, wheat and soy, and I already can't eat cow dairy....we're fine. I can work around those." But we're not fine. At 4 1/2 months now, Miles is much better but still has some symptoms of allergies and/or sensitivities, and they're so random that we can't blame any one food for sure.

For example, at Thanksgiving (the vegetarian one which included gluten-, wheat-, and dairy-free options for everyone), I ate a variety of nuts in just about everything, eggs in 2 dishes, and spelt in 2 dishes and cornmeal in one. Miles didn't seem to have any reactions the next day or the following week...that we know of. Then one day I ate a handful of almonds for a snack, and he was extra fussy that evening. I had started drinking almond milk instead of soymilk...but if almonds are an issue, then that's a problem. One day I ate quiche and drank almond milk eggnog (homemade, of course), and he had no reactions, but was fussy several days later. Was it a delayed reaction to the eggs (which I've found is common)? Was it the almond milk? Miles didn't react to the spelt rolls at Thanksgiving, so I started baking with Spelt at Christmas, and he just so happens to have been fussy ever since then. Maybe this more digestible ancient wheat isn't ok for him after all, or maybe only a little every few days is all right. Some foods will bother a baby right away, I discovered, and others take a few days. So was it the curry last night or the eggs a few days ago making him extra fussy today? How can I know for sure?

I've come to the conclusion that in order to really peg those problem foods and free me up to eat healthfully without fear of hurting the baby, I should take my diet (and therefore my baby's), more seriously and begin the TED journey. The TED is very useful for discovering food allergies and sensitivities, as well as giving a damaged digestive system a chance to heal. Allergies and sensitivities are actually quite rare in babies, so it's really a sort of last resort for us.

Yes, this will be difficult and limiting, but it will also be beneficial, useful...and fun. What? Fun?! Yes! If you know me, you know I love food, and love getting creative with it. Some people might find such a diet boring, but I plan to use this opportunity to get creative and focus on being thankful for the food we have. We are so blessed to have within our reach a variety of healthy food. We have so many options and the means to procure them.

To start the TED, here is a list of "safe foods" (nearly hypoallergenic) I can start off with for the first week or so:

Rice (brown rice, rice milk, rice pasta, rice cereal)
Millet
Turkey & lamb (range-fed only)
Potatoes & sweet potatoes (baked or boiled)
Pears (whole, cooked, and diluted juice)
Green & yellow squash

There's something from each food group, and good nutrients so that even a couple months of this diet won't affect milk supply. Once a week or so goes by, long enough for disruptive foods to clear out of the baby's system, I'll be slowly adding foods back in one at a time, starting with the least-allergenic foods.

Let's get started!

Miles Goes To a Wedding

We attended the wedding of our friends Joe and Beyth in downtown Portland on Wednesday

Sarah got a new haircut and Miles still has very little hair

Christmas Cookies!

Sarah and Miles are making cookies!

Are you sure that's enough?

Paul and Miles apply green frosting to the cookies!

Miles Has A Few Things To Say

"I love my sweater that Mommy made me, and I love natural wooden toys! They are so nice to chew on!"

Out for a Christmas Stroll

Sarah and Miles pose with our Bumbleride stroller in front of our apartment.

Miles may not look excited, but he actually is very happy with his stroller.

The Christmas tree at Jamison Square

Hey! We're over here!

Miles Rolls Over!

Miles has been rolling over for a couple of weeks now, but I think this is the first time it has been captured on video. It only takes him a second, but once he's on his tummy he doesn't know what to do and starts crying! Where did the ceiling go! He'll be scooting along in no time!

Floor Time

Dark Eyed Miles

Miles shows he can hold his head up pretty well!

Here Miles shows off his natural wood teething ring, which we prefer he use rather than plastics.

He isn't officially teething yet, but this is fun, no?

New Camera for Baby

Mom! Mom! We got a new camera! I was beginning to forget what I looked like!

Miles loves to play with blankets near his face. He usually licks them.

"I am not amused," said the out-of-focus cat.

"Silly cat," returned Miles. "Soon I'll be mobile and I'll come over there and pet you"

Miles and Paul get ready to go outside for a walk with the front loader.

Make some noise!

Happy November!

 

Miles is holding a rattle

This is my island!