LOL, ok... so *I* find it really funny - and very true.

YOU KNOW YOU ARE A CELIAC IF…

…you’ve ever had to give a doctor a crash course in Celiac 101.
…you weep at picnics, parties, receptions, and breakfast, lunch, dinner.
…you’ve “brown bagged it” to an elegant dinner
…a 7 course meal is a 1 course meal for you -Lettuce.
…you’ve installed bookcases in your bathroom.
…you’ve driven more than 40 miles to buy a cookie.
…it takes you 4 hours to grocery shop and your eyesight is ruined.
…you hold your breath through the bakery section.
…you feel like you need a loan to pay the grocery bill.
…your bread weighs more than a moon rock and just happens to resemble one as well.
…you’ve disinherited loved ones for putting their knife in your mayo.
…you’ve brought a suitcase full of food with you on an over night trip
…your family thinks you’re crazy for not tasting their new chocolate chip cookie recipe, because surely a little nibble couldn’t hurt right?
…you can spell transglutaminase and dermatitis herpetiformis.
…you show up at the annual church pancake breakfast with a mask and lettuce roll-ups
…having solid poop is the highlight of your day.
…you have actually doodled a new cartoon dog on your notes named “Sprue”
…you have actually considered using a gluten-free bagel for a hockey puck
…you’ve mastered saying “I actually enjoy MY food” (without your face twitching)
… you hide the gluten-free cookies when guests come over, so they don't eat them.
…you read the ingredient label on green tea - plain green tea.
…you pay relatives back east exorbitant shipping rates to send you a $12 six pack of gluten-free beer.
…you cried when you saw your usually careful significant other or family member brushing the crumbs off their hands (from making a gluten-containing sandwich) RIGHT OVER the open utensil drawer
…you hear of a new health food store opening in a city close by and get ridiculously excited only to drive there, spend 2 hours walking around, reading labels, only to leave empty handed
…you take a list of safe drinks to the bar with you, and actually consult the bartender before you order a drink.
…it drives you crazy when someone says they completely understand your diet, they did Atkins.
…people roll their eyes at you when you say “no thank you” to someone’s gluten filled dessert
…..your friend invites you over for your birthday and want to make you a gluten free birthday cake , but you plead with them not to, because although you’re trying to seem like you don’t want to put them through the hassle, you’re secretly terrified of cross contamination.
…your ‘favorites’ sites are mostly celiac sites
…you’ve mastered the art of lying when other people ask you if you’re hungry.
…you go to a potluck at a friends place and your dish is gluten-free -you dive into it first so that you get something to eat before others contaminate it.
…you long to look at the contents of other people’s fridges and pantries just to see if you can eat anything

Gluten Free and Dirty Mommy Talk

Readers beware... if you are not a parent, this might just be way over the TMI quota!
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Well, for as long as I remember Jack's poop has been green. Spinach green to be exact. Honestly I don't remember how it was in the beginning, but I THINK it was green. And while nursing wasn't a huge problem, there were things that drove me nuts. Like the way he would pop off and struggle with me when I knew he was starving and arch his back. He also had some very nasty crusties behind his ears, I thought it was dried milk at first, but apparently it wasn't My Lactation Consultant told me as much when we went in at I think it might have been 4 months? Anyway, she said the likely cause was a food intolerance, wheat or dairy in my diet. She followed that by saying they usually out grow it by 6 months, so it was up to me if I went through elimination diets. I chose to wait it out since it can take nearly that long to cycle through anyway. As long as it takes to clear my body, it takes that same time to clear his... back to back.

So, while we were waiting it out, it just continued to get worse. His ears especially. One day when I looked at it I almost thought it had started to rip off... but it only took a split second to realize that was wrong... it was just gooey and his ears do not stick out but lie flat (lucky kid) so I was looking up under the flap and it was all yucky. *sigh*

I was starting to be torn and his poop was getting darker green by the day. At 6 months, we were worse and not any better. So... I knew it was time to try. I tried convincing myself it didn't hurt him to have green poop, but seriously... it's his little body's way of saying something is wrong. As much as I do everything else under the sun to try to make sure the kids are healthy it didn't make sense for me to ignore this any longer. So, the day Of Max's Bar Mitzvah/ Ankle Sprain, I went gluten free. The day before I gluttoned on all the gluten I could; cookies, crackers, bread... you name it, I tried to eat it. By the end of the day I felt so sick. Sluggish, vile, icky... so much so I could not even eat the last 2 organic oreos. I was heartbroken. But, I knew I was doing the right thing.

Now, with an allergy/intollerance to wheat it is usually the protein in it that carries a problem. It is also for all intents and purposes identical to the protein in Barley and Rye, so none of those either. Oats are super close, but may or may not react. Milk/dairy is also extremely close, not the lactose(the sugar) that we know I have issues with but the casein, the protein. Well, so far I am only eliminating the gluten, not dairy. So far there has been improvement. His ears have healed completely and his 'mustard seed' is looking more like it.

So there you have it.... that is Jack's largest new development.

Gluten Free Girl

http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/2005/08/what-heck-is-gluten-anyway.html

I have found a new blog to read and have truly enjoyed perusing it. I post this link since some will have no clue what gluten is or why it could be harmful to Jack, (or possibly me - I'm not ruling it out but I don't have severe reactions, that I know of).
Anyway, her blog is really well written and I have been enjoying it immensely. She has some WONDERFUL looking recipes as well.

There is a first for everything

And today it was the church nursery for Jack. 10 months old and he finally gets to go. Sadly, he is 2 weeks shy of being in Ba's class in the 1yr old hallway. And the class for his exact age has a danger for cross contamination of gluten from an earlier class so we are bumping him DOWN to the next younger group. He is with babies born in December and January rather than October and November... making him the big boy by a landslide at this age. None the less, I am overall fairly happy since they will vacuum the room before he arrives, know to watch out for crumbs and will be looking into providing gluten free snacks for the whole class so there is not a potential for a stray cheerio or graham cracker over the next year. Yes, I was nervous... for all the normal Mommy reasons, but also for the gluten issues. It went well, when I got back he was sitting on the mat chewing a toy phone with the other boys.

Dory went for her first time to the 3yr old class. She had a blast. :)

Thanksgiving Day

On the menu:
the wonderful Turkey that John cooks outside on his Dad's grill
NC Blue Potatoes, mashed
Carrots Vichy
Supersweet Corn done simple with butter
Cranberry Chutney
Gluten Free 'Stuffing' cooked in the oven
Lentil Artichoke Soup
Fresh, homemade Butter

For desert:
Gluten Free Bread...  since John forgot to bake it and let it rise for an hour too long.
Apple 'Crisp' with Vanilla Ice Cream



Jack just ate an apple slice, he was very pleased.



This is what John had to say for himself about forgetting the bread.

Andy didn't make it, we missed you... John and Patty seemed to have a great time and my family held off until tomorrow. We get to have Thanksgiving twice this year; because, of course, we are doubly thankful.

I have also learned from Sitemeter...

That my gluten free post that also talked about poor Jack's poo is an international beacon for google searches for "Dirty Mommy". LMAO. Wow. Seriously.

And someone has me subscribed to via Bloglines, I think.

Fascinating, absolutely fascinating.

ADD 5/6 3:15:
And someone just made a google image search for 'first blood' and looked at Jack's bloody nose.... anything can be dirty I guess. Good grief guys!

2007 Puckett Palooza aka My Family Reunion

We were out of town last week for my family reunion. We had a blast at Dave Hollow Lake, in Kentucky. The little girls all fell in thick as thieves. One morning as Dory and I were walking back from the 'Grand Cabin' we saw the other girls walking up to Kristine's cabin. Dory looked at me and said, "Bye, Mom! See you later!" and took off over the grass and across a tiny stream to the other dirt road where they were walking. It melted my heart, she was free to be a kid without concern. I didn't have to worry about her. The water was wonderful and our ritual pontoons had slides. I never did go down then, mainly because I was holding Jack, but everyone really seemed to enjoy them! For the first part of the boa ride, Jack fel asleep and we made a makeshift cradle of the hamper Tricia had brought towels in. It worked perfectly and we had plenty of notice when he woke up grabbing him before he wandered off. We had a surprise wedding reception for Greg and Judy since they got hitched without us in their overalls... That was fun! Tricia did the greatest little skit. Greg and Jen regaled us with 'Sha Boom' again... we really should just learn the words! And, it turns out that Judy is a Celiac like Jack is. So, there was communal food for me too. :) Of course, I did gluten the poor kid going up. I didn't think about the Laura's Junk Food Cookies having flour, but of course they did. I ate half the tub before I thought about it. I felt so bad. He certainly reacted to them. He's still recovering and it has ben a week and a half almost now. :( Poor Tricia and a few other family members too, they got some tummy bug, maybe food poisoning... no one actually knows. But Tricia had it worst.
All of these pictures are from Greg and Gail. ;) More pics and videos coming from me super soon!

Pregnancy, itchy rashes and Celiac's Disease

So, it looks like my hypothesis that Jack cause the rash I had while pregnant, and that it *was* DH was correct. I just found more supporting evidence! It seems like the Ig crossed the placenta and ran through me, like the gluten in my diet passed through to him! I found this very interesting.

Kinda' a Surprise

:) I love my husby. He's so good to me!
Last night was the (overdue) 30(1)st 'surprise' party. I say 'surprise' because I had to bring the ice and keys so he could get into his office and cake knife... lol. Also, Dory knew... and well, she's a great secret keeper, I tell you! All week long it was, "There is NO PARTY, Mom."
However, the scope was a surprise, who was a surprise, etc... and may I say, it was wonderful...
I had the BEST cake I have had since my wedding cake. Period. To boot, it was GLUTEN FREE. AMAZING. I made myself absolutely sick on the sugar. And then had more when we got home.

Anyway, I'm rambling - and a picture is worth a thousand words.

Intro'ing Baby Foods

Jack has had banana a few times over the past few days. He is just munching off a few bites of mine, other thanone night at supper when I gave him about an inch's worth out in chunks for him to play with. He seemed to really like eating with us at the table.
This morning he had his second bites of Sonagold applesauce as I was making Dory's oatmeal. He had his first taste of that a few days ago and didn't seem to like it too much. This morning he seemed thoughtful but pleased over his 3 baby spoonfuls.
I guess we are on our way to a full fledge eating kid. I will however, continue to take it really slow. I know he wants them, but if his gut is damaged from the gluten, I don't want to hurt him any more. We have yellow days and green days, but it is now more yellow than green and that is a very good thing. I never thought I would have a kid with dietary restrictions. *sigh* But, while we still don't have tests and results... it is pretty obvious this is the case. So, we proceed with caution.

Sorry... Savannah continued. Finally.

So, the drive down was nice, that I recall... but Netflix sure came in handy that afternoon! John went in to work for a few hours and left us to unpack and settle in at the hotel - which let me just say is NOT EASY with these two. I finally got them to settle down and watch some Dora and other cartoons on the Mac because while we had a nice large flat screen TV in the room it didn't get a single little kid friendly thing on it. Let's just say I was thankful for bedtime. All week.
On Tuesday we went ahead and headed out of Statesboro, where we were 'stationed' (GSU), and went into Savannah -- to go shopping for WARM CLOTHES. The weatherman had somehow managed to lie to me when I was packing. We had shorts and were expecting the 70's and instead got the 40/50's. BURR! Luckily we found several things and we had brought jackets in case so after buying them each a pair of jeans and socks we were a bit better off. We first hit the health food store just south of Forsyth and got yogurt and carrots. I know, weird lunch, but it worked and was yummy. (And I found a new yogurt I am head over heels about!) I had thought we would head over to the Jepson Center at the Telfair Museum... but it was closed on Tuesdays. GRRR. So, we went for coffee and cake (gluten free cake!) at the Gallery Espresso. We tended to set up shop there everyday at some point. From there we wandered over to Shaver's Bookstore and took up residence in the sweet little indy bookstore. Took home a few bedtime stories while there. I also called my old store and had them order a anniversary present for John. Don't tell him about it though. ;) After that Dory was determined to ride in a horse drawn carriage... but I didn't exactly want to spring for that, so then she decided on a trolley... but I didn't want to spring for that either so we hopped on the free city trolley shuttle. I think it was a wee bit of a mistake this trip. The kids loved it at first, but I heard an earful about a dealer at one corner... thank goodness it wasn't so obvious that I was getting questions from my kids. If I were more naive I might have even missed the conversation myself. Well, by the end of the circuit, the kids were falling apart with hungry and tired. We headed 'home' to the hotel. After, um, more cake.
Wednesday we did finally make it over to the Jepson Center and as I was rounding them up to leave the first part of the kid's area, Dory misunderstood me and wandered all the way to the front door of the gallery by herself. 2 entire floors away. I. was. livid. Wow, I was so mad. Not to mention a wee bit scared since she had, upon getting there, been reprimanded by a docent for touching a statue... that was at the very entrance to the kid's area... who puts a 'do not touch' statue at the entrance of a touch everything area? DUMB.
...to be continued, but the aptop battery is dying.

In support of Raw Milk

It was an interesting day today... it started with the funeral of a friend's 23 day old infant. Very, very sad... (Previously posted about that)

...and then moved to my normal bi-monthly milk delivery down in SC. As soon as I pulled up and parked I got a tap at the car window with a guy holding a digital video camera pointed at me asking for an interview. Um, ok. Good ting I wasn't frumpy dirty last second out the door Mommy today! I was still pretty dressed up from the morning.

Turns out his name is Max Kline and he is riding across the country in the next 40 days in support of Raw Milk, stopping at deliveries like ours, farms, and other supporter's homes. Very interesting seeing as food myths are of personal interest to me.

I wish him well on his journey and can't wait to see his finished product. I hope he can help make an impact on our crazy backwards culture.

In other milk related musings... it was last month that I noticed, for the first time since I was about 13, I drink milk without thinking about it twice. Seeing as it resulted in such pain for so long - even sometimes with Lactaid - I was naturally hesitant to just up and drink a glass even though with raw I can. Well, I am happy to say... I can now chug it with the best and not think twice. The pain is a pretty distant memory! Bring on the gluten free cookies and a big tall glass of the creamy goodness. :)

Glutened

Well, I have been sick all week. DOG sick.

I was warned against not taking care of cross contamination. :(

Anyway, I have had within the past week:

-migraines (Hx of clusters, but this is my first real migraine)
-light nausea
-painful itchy rashes in no less than 8 places: knees, ankles, elbows...
-brain fog
-painful scalp
-followed my nearly every other hair on my body reacting to touch with pain
-throbbing knee/leg pains
-crushing 'sinus infection' like head pain when I move... but it's a delayed reaction
-fever w/ chills and sweats in rotation

One time it got worse after I know I was glutened by cc.

I thought that in the beginning I had an ear infection so I started treating myself with immune system boosters, like echinacea, fermented garlic, probiotics.... oh, the counter intuitiveness of it all. Apparently when you come off gluten the body's immune system goes into overdrive; I was making something bad even worse. I cut it all out about 3 days ago and I am slowly feeling better.... Shoot for as much pain as I am in I might as well have been doing recreational drug detox! Sheesh!

I thought I WAS detoxing at first, but then it was suggested that I had been glutened in the beginning.... last Sunday when we used a particular porous piece of stoneware to cook that yummo chicken, maybe? *sigh*

Well... I am sure that I am in this for the long haul now. This is HELL. Give me drug free childbirth any day.

Asheville for Auntie's Birthday

We headed to Asheville yesterday to celebrate Tricia's long overdue birthday. We met for lunch at Tupelo Honey Cafe, ate really well - organic, local, gluten free, and the regular ones of our party - they accommodated us all. It was delicious. They make one he11 of a goat cheese omelet, btw. From there we headed over to the nature center for the Hey Day that they had going on. We saw black bears, cougars, bob cats, deer, a draft horse... even a baby ferret. Dory made a necklace of leaves for Auntie. We all wore ourselves out pretty well.
On the way up we turned Jack's car seat around thinking he would really like it... we were so wrong. He squalled. He could SEE Mommy, but could not GET Mommy. We stopped just shy of I-40 and turned him right back around. He was asleep in 5 minutes. Good Grief. As I was turning him around, I saw the incision in his mouth for his new tooth. Overall, it was a wonderful trip. It was short and not everything I would have loved it to be, but you can only do so much with a two kids, no money and a few hours. LOL We all had a great time.
My camera ran out of juice, so I had to resort to my camera phone, but I do not have a way to download those right now. :( So these pics will have to do.

Me and the Bud.


Where is Auntie and Yon?


Dan the Draft Horse


Auntie loves Dory, Dory loves Auntie! Happy Birthday!


That's a really big cat. (A Cougar)