Gluten & Dairy Free

These past 9 months have been a series of experiments for us as we tried to figure out what is best for Mr. B.  Over the last few years he has developed a bit of a “belly” which I couldn’t fully understand due to our organic whole food diet that makes up the majority of our meals.  For a long time I just chalked it up to “that’s his body type” but in the back of my mind it always sort of confounded me.  Then this past summer Mr. B expressed embarrassment over his belly because kids were asking him why he was fat.  I knew then that it was time for me to really dig in and see what was going on.  I had suspected that the problem may have been created by his ADHD medication, Guanfacine, but after taking him off the medication for 6 months there was no change in his body shape or weight.  That ruled out Guanfacine as the culprit, which I am very happy about since he really needs his medicine and it is the only one that works for helping him control his ADHD without making him manic. 

Next AH gathered a list of nutritionist that are part of our insurance network.  Let me just say right now that I really truly believe that God does answer prayers and I have personally had many specific prayers answered, especially when they are about the welfare of my children.  As I sat down with the list from AH I reluctantly called the first number on the list.  Thankfully the person was not at that number because it just didn’t feel right to me.  Then I took a good long look at the list and felt guided to call Susan Gins.  Susan actually answered her phone and proceeded to spend about 30 minutes talking with me about Mr. B, my concerns and how best to help him.  She was warm, listened really well, had great ideas and made me feel really comfortable.  A few days later we went to see her and she was even better in person.  We talked about Mr. B’s ADHD, his diet, body shape and how all these things tie together.  She recommended a temporary gluten and dairy free diet for Mr. B to see if he had sensitivities that would not show up on an allergy test (though we did blood-work as well).  She recommended great foods that he could eat, had actual packaging of brands (so helpful) and recipes for us to try.  I met with her again three weeks later and she walked me through how to start adding foods back in, what to look for that would indicate sensitivity and so forth.  She has been wonderful, not overwhelming, held my hand, called to check in, emailed to check in again and just a pleasure to have help guide me through this process. 

This past week I took AH back in to talk with Susan about the elimination results.  We didn’t notice any sensitivities (behaviorally or physically) as we tested the wheat (gluten) and dairy food items with Mr. B.  I was feeling a bit discouraged because I didn’t know what the next step would be (it seems like we’ve tried everything under the sun) but then we decided to see where Mr. B was at on the scale because Susan said she thought he looked very different to her.  Well to my amazement Mr. B was 13 pounds lighter than he was just two months (nearly to the day) prior.  I never ever expected this because Mr. B has been eating gluten/dairy free macaroni & cheese, pizza, chips, vanilla soy milk, chocolate soy milk, cupcakes, bagels, cream cheese, sour cream . . . stuff we did not eat before!  She and I talked about why this works for his body and she recommended keeping him on a mostly gluten/dairy free diet (he can have a little of one or the other every 3^rd day).  Now that I know this is going to be his “normal” diet I can start getting the gluten free “wheats, etc.” and cooking more from scratch instead of buying premade meals for him.

Through it all Mr. B has been quite the trouper.  He LOVES the soy milk and said that even if he can have regular milk again he wanted to continue with the soy instead.  He understands that in order for his body to be healthy he has to make healthy choices and that for him that means limiting wheat and dairy.  Thankfully we live in an age and an area where I can go into many stores or restaurants and easily find items that fit that bill and taste delicious!

Blake Island

This weekend we did a quick overnight camping trip with most of AH's family to Blake Island.  AH's brother ferried everyone over to the island (about 3 trips) with all our gear and then we let the kids run wild for a solid 24 hours.  It's the ideal camping destination - no one can get lost.

I didn't take too many photos but I did capture an evening football game between the dad's and the cousins.  Mr. B and Beeb were in the thick of it and loving every moment. 

Did I mention that this was tackle football?

 

After our fun time on the island we headed over to Tips house where we enjoyed steak and fresh caught crab for dinner - yum!  The kids played some more, swam in the pool and were completely worn out by the time we left.  As a matter of fact they are both still so exhausted today (and cranky!) that I sent them to bed at 6:45pm - Mr. B is already asleep and Beeb is soon to follow.

Let's Go Run 200 Miles in 24 Hours. . .

In July I joined a team of women in running a 200 mile relay race called RAGNAR.  The 12 team members are divided into two vans with 6 runners in each van.  The runners in the van would each run one leg (varying in lengths from 2.9 miles to 10.9 miles) of the race and then hand the baton off to the second team van of runners.  The runners in the first van would then take a 4-5 hour break/rest while the other half of the team was running their legs.  Once they were done they would hand the baton back to us and it would start all over again.  We repeated this routine three times over a 29 hour period.  Some people call this fun. . .  I would be one of them.

I was in van #1 (note to self . . . always be in van #1 in the future. 

The running schedule is much easier than van #2)

Our first runner is off in typical Washington rain.  She got to follow a guy running in his underwear for the first few miles . . . until she passed him!

Our second runner had a little reprieve from the rain (note how everyone is always smiling).  Our van would follow each runner and provide rockin music and water as needed along each route/leg.

This lady had the longest run of our first leg (over 8 miles), it was uphill the entire time, and there was no van support available.  (no dance music, no water breaks from her crew = not so much fun)

The last part of my first run was down hill and glorious.  I ran right past my mom (an awesome volunteer at the event) who didn't even recognize me despite my saying, "Hi Mom!" as I went by.  

There's nothing more peaceful than finding your stride along the route.  She rocked each of her runs by knocking several minutes off her estimated pace! 

This lady gets the cheer award - she always had a smile and she always had the water ready . . . even in the dead of night.

A nice exchange in the evening.  I learned to point my headlamp up a bit to keep the bugs out of my face and, after tripping and falling over a non-existent crack in the sidewalk, I learned to pick my feat up a bit more too. Luckily nobody saw me biff it - but I had the bloody knee to prove it later.

Our team captain and one crazy lady (she was the first runner for van #2).  This is her at the exchange when she takes off to run her very last leg (9 miles . . . uphill).  Words cannot express how organized she made us and what an awesome job she did in leading our team.

Our entire team at the finish line.  Overall we took 6th place for the women's division (out of 34 teams . . . not too shabby) and we beat our friendly men's team by 6 minutes.

What impressed me about the whole experience was viewing all the different ages and levels of runners out on the course.  You had the elite teams (I fantasize about being one of them but let's face it, I'm not willing to put in the time to train for it), the middle of the road runners (that's more my style), the lite joggers (this is me when I have to run by myself) and many teams with people who you knew were fairly new to exercise.  I was so happy and proud of them all (especially the "new to exercise" group) because it was hard physically and emotionally (I was so scared of my last leg that I cried right before it started) but it was also very fun and you ain't living life by sitting on the couch.

I can't wait until next year!

European Exchange

In July we had the most amazing adventure when we invited an exchange student from Spain to stay with us for nearly 3 weeks.  Rebeca came into our home, family and our hearts.

 We enjoyed a Mariner's game together (little did we know Ichiro was soon to be traded).

 We braved the new adventure zip line/ropes course at NW Trek.

 We took her to see some big ol' NW trees and a few waterfalls.

We taught her that in Washington we truly are tree huggers and even wrap them in sweaters too.

 What do hurricane force winds feel like?  We found out!

 We made her backpack to Glacier Basin on Mt. Rainier with 6 young children (3.2 miles, uphill the entire way).

She informed us that she got 30 mosquito bites that night . . . I'm so proud.

The kids found a pond full of frogs (I mean FULL OF FROGS) that entertained them for hours.

We wore her out (on more than one occasion).

And we cried, a lot, when it was time for her to go home.

It truly was a wonderful 3 weeks with her; she was a perfect fit for our family.  We miss her a lot already but hope she'll come visit again soon.

Sasquatch

*I* made this all by myself out of fabric! 

I love my Silhouette Cameo digital cutter.

The Boy Scouts will add their personal details (hand prints, names, etc.) to it soon but in the meantime I am basking in the awesomeness of it. 

That is all.

Birthday Island

In June, on my birthday weekend, we went up to San Juan Island to help a good friend of AH move into his new farm house.  I *heart* SJI - it's so beautiful there!  Needless to say it was pure torture for me to spend my birthday in one of my favorite places. 

The kids helped out with the chickens and turkeys .

 

The men assembed the coop.

Mr. B and Beeb made several new friends with the young chickens and turkeys.  The turkeys were named "Thanksgiving" and "Christmas". . .  I'll let you figure out why.

We got to hang out with their darling little girl.

 Mr. B did some target practicing with a BB gun. 

The island has a fox who is quite famous.  He literally just sits along the side of the road and causes traffic jams as cars suddenly stop to photograph him.  We happened to drive by him on our way to a beach - he was still there on our way back.  Thankfully no cars were behind us = no traffic jam caused by my need to get his photo.

 Waiting for the ferry. 

I'll miss you SJI but at least we now have a place to stay when we come to visit.