Hailey is 18 Months and I Now Have Answers!

Dear Hailey, 

After a simple blood test, it is confirmed that you don't have Celiacs. And on top of that, I don't even think you have a gluten sensitivity, because after 3 days of gluten free foods along with only pears and bananas for fruit, things started to look normal. You even started to sleep through the night!!! And then one day we went to a birthday party and you ate a bunch of goldfish. For dinner that night, you basically ate ketchup. That evening you were fine. 

(After the fact, I probably could've figured this out without a blood test, but when you are sleep deprived, your baby is constantly screaming, a mom gets desperate! A blood test was simple enough to either confirm or rule out gluten, so I decided to go for it.) 

The next day, you eat a couple of cherries, you wake up at 12:00, crying, but I could get you back to sleep and then at 4 you wake up with a yucky diaper. I check and I see cherry chunks... that's all the details I'll go into here. But we won't be eating cherries for awhile. 

In the end, I think your tummy is just still sensitive to most fruits. Pears, melons, and bananas are safe for now. You ate a handful of dried cranberries and things seem to be going ok for now. We'll see how things progress with fruit. I'm just soooo glad that it's not a gluten sensitivity! Praise the Lord! 

We just had your 18 month check up yesterday so here are your current stats: You are 22 pounds and 32 inches tall, which makes you hanging out at the 50%ile for both weight and height! You do not know what a relief this brings. I can now finally be a little more lax about what you are eating (except for fruit). I'm going to continue to offer you healthy options and just let you eat what you feel like eating. I've done the same (for the most part) for all three of you and the big kids, you all are fairly good eaters. 

Ok, so last time I updated was during spring break and we had gone to the wildflower center and Thinkery. Well, on Wednesday, we took the beautiful drive to Johnson City and checked out the Science Mill. I think it's a really cool place, and while there's plenty for everyone to do, it's really best for older kids, which is good, because it seems like most of the children's museums around us are geared for little kids...which is good now, but not so much in 5 years or so. 

 We checked out their hydroponics green house to get some inspiration for our little garden.

 You guys got a chance to drive a few bots around an obstacle course.

 And the girls really enjoyed digging for dinosaur bones.

 There was even a place where you can play a banana piano! Hailey, I bet you can imagine what you did to the next banana you saw...nope it didn't play music.

 And then there was a cool simulation where you had to balance out power usage in a grid. This was kind of cool because we are in the process of getting solar panels and so I could use this to teach Nathan how and where our electricity comes from.

 The next morning we relaxed at home and made sparkly calm down jars. We used lots of glitter!

 And then in the afternoon, we attended a birthday party and you guys played real putt putt for the first time. 

 Hailey, you even wanted to give it a shot !

 But most of the time, you were just excited about walking around on the uneven surface of the courses.

 Hannah, you loved the princess castle, of course, so we had to take a picture in front of it.

 There were lots of cute things to climb and see.

 That evening we went to martial arts and because it was spring break, you two, along with another girl were the only ones in class. You both got a chance to really work on your combination 10s and both earned stripes for that.

 Teddy is getting to be old. He doesn't run away from you guys anymore, except when he wants you to chase him, but he just will lay there and let you guys (even Hailey) pet him.

 On Friday we cashed in our groupon and went to epic fun to play. Hailey, now that you are able to walk, this place is much more fun for you. You can climb all the things...

 and push all the buttons...

You big kids had fun in the play structure until I told you about .....

 LASER TAG!!! You guys played once, and then again, and again and again. At some point I lost count, but I'm estimating that you played close to 10 rounds of laser tag! According to you guys, it's probably the most fun thing you have ever done!

 A few more (not as exciting) things that we did at Epic Fun!

 We had a play date that afternoon and you all shot arrows in the yard. That was fun, but sometimes risky.

That evening one of my old teaching friends came over for dinner. Since he is a language arts teacher, he agreed to look over the book that you are writing and gave you some input. He also played games with you guys which you both and you all were very sad when he had to go home.

 On Saturday, we were invited over to one of my and Hannah's best friends house to check out their new tree-house that their dad built. We went on a walk and you all took turns pushing each other on the swings.

 Hailey played it safe on the bench swing.

 That evening Hannah and I had a date to go explore the Asia Eats night market. You really are my mini-me! I am so glad that you and I both share the love for food and that we got to do this together.

 You really wanted to get a tattoo, and normally I would try to convince you not to get one, but this time we did it and it turned out to be the highlight of your evening!

 While we waited for your henna tattoo to dry, we shared some spring rolls, a beef roll,

 and of course bubble tea!

 We then stood in line and got some Filipino meat skewers and then to escape the crowd, we walked over to snow monster and got some shaved coconut ice with mangos. Yum yum yum! 

 On our way to the car, we saw that there was a dancing demonstration, so even though we were nearing bedtime, I let you watch a few dances. You were completely mesmerized. You really love dance. (But when asked which one you like better: mixed martial arts or dance, you pick martial arts).

 We left just as it got dark and the lights turned on. It actually started to look like a street market, so I tried to take a picture....which ended up looking like a daytime pic.

 Oh and Hannah, you were so proud of the mini-mango that the Filipino food stand gave you. We sliced it open the next morning and it was the best tasting mango I have ever had!

 Monday came around and we got back to the swing of things. On Wednesday the girls and I visited Daddy at work. We had lunch and then went downstairs to play some games.

 Again, this is a whole new world for Hailey now that you can walk!

 Well, grandma and grandpa will be coming soon and so I'm sure we will have lots of fun with them. Until next time,
Love,
Mommy

It's Been a Rough Rodeo Kind of Week

Dear Hailey, 

This week has been a rough week. I finally realized that there may be something medically going on with you and I threw in the towel. You've been having pale and loose stools on and off for quite some time. A nurse friend told me about an poop app developed by John's Hopkins and after a quick diagnosis, I learned that you may be sensitive to gluten. I'm really afraid to use the C word because if you are diagnosed with that, you won't ever be able to really enjoy things like doughnuts and soft, buttery rolls from Bush's. (With a sensitivity, there is a slight chance that you will grow out of it.) The past week, you've been waking up in the middle of the night, screaming in pain. And since you are also on a nursing strike, it's been a rough few nights. I finally figured out that giving you a small dose of ibuprofen will help you sleep longer, but doing so, so you can sleep better just goes against every mommy instinct that I have. 

So we tried cutting out gluten and we were successful for about 3 days. You slept through the night on the second and third night and your poops started to look pretty normal. I didn't think I would see results that quickly, so in the back of my mind, there's still a part of me that thinks that you've just been exposed to lots of bugs this season and you are just constantly sick. 

So then on the third day, you grabbed a piece of Nathan's cornbread at his cowboy breakfast at school and chowed down on it. You seemed to devour it and asked for more. I let you have a few more bites and then that evening, you started to have diarrhea again. 

Another culprit is fruit. We always have lots of fruit in the house and you always see Nathan and Hannah eating fruit. You even know the signs for strawberries, blueberries, apple and grapes...with the exception of apples (which you usually spit out) all of these fruits cause you to have extreme diaper rash. So, I've been standing firm on saying no to the above fruits and basically giving you pears and bananas for now. 

We went to the doctor yesterday and we got some blood work done to see if you have...Celiacs disease. We will find out in a couple of days. In the meantime, I'm sticking with avoiding gluten and we are on the search for Hailey approved snacks. 

It's been exactly 1 week since the last time I nursed you. For awhile you still preferred my breast milk over cow milk, but last night, it seemed like you now prefer cow's milk. So this is how it ends. The almost 18 months of me providing nourishment for your little body is about to be over. I'm still pumping about 3 ounces, twice a day for you, but at this point, I'm just waiting for me to be emotionally ready to stop. 

 Ok, so enough with all this emotional stuff. Let's get to the exciting stuff!

Dear Kids,
Let's start with where we left off. Nathan woke up the next morning feeling completely better. Hannah was still sick, so only Nathan went on to compete in the martial arts tournament. Nathan, you earned 1st place in performing your elements and 1st place in sparring! We got doughnuts afterwards and brought some back to Hannah, which was all it took for her to be ok with sitting out from the action.

 The next morning we went to a birthday party in the neighborhood. It's so cool to know that there is a community for us to preserve our Chinese heritage right in our neighborhood. You guys spoke Chinese, ate Chinese food, and most importantly listened to other people (besides me) speak Chinese.

 Hailey was pretty much just interested in corn and strawberries...which I now regret giving to you.

 Hannah, you are into princesses, crafts, and singing. In the afternoons, all you want to do is make a craft with me. So together, we made these princess sticks.

 The weather has been so nice and the oak levels have been tolerable. So we've been spending as much time outside as possible. One afternoon, you insisted on wearing you skates to pick up Nathan. I suspected that you would give up half way and throw a temper tantrum, but with some encouragement along the way (including me saying things like, show those big kids how well you can skate!) We made it and you ended up skating all around the perimeter of the school.

 You girls both love snacks. If any of you hear any rustling in the pantry, I will immediately hear a pitter pattering of bare feet to the kitchen. And for a brief moment, I obtain rock-star status as you both gaze hungrily towards my direction.

 This past week was a week of rodeos. Hannah, your school kicked it off with your school's rodeo. You missed it last year due to sickness, so you were super excited to be able to participate this year.

 They even had a cool backdrop for photographs!

 You helped design the vest. You told me you wanted lots of long fringe, so I hope I delivered.

 The next day, Nathan's school put on the most adorable cowboy show and we have most of it in video, but here's a snapshot of the cutest little cowpokes in SW Austin.

 Afterwards there was a cowboy breakfast of cornbread and beans. As you can see, Hailey is eyeing the cornbread.

 Then on Saturday, it was the start of the Austin Rodeo, so we continued our family tradition (after a hiatus last year) of attending the Rodeo rumble.

 Nathan you started off so strong, but then around the first turn, you slid and had an epic fall. But I am so proud of you for standing back up and walking to the finish line.

 There was a petting zoo that you all enjoyed a lot. Hailey, you were perfectly fine with observing the animals from far away. You were not excited at all about petting any of them.

 Charged with the task of finding the softest animal, both of you went to town and pet all of the animals.

 except for maybe the camel.

 And clearly, Hailey was NOT a fan of the camel at all.

 There was also a milking demonstration where we learned how cows have 4 stomachs. Nathan got to help out in the demonstration.

 We also saw pic races (not pictured) and then we walked around the livestock pens to look at all the different animals.

 Around lunch time we got hungry and Nathan, now that you can read, you were pretty quick to make a suggestion for what to have for lunch. Jumbo corndogs it is!

 We also splurged and introduced you guys to the deliciousness of funnel cakes. Hailey, you had a few bites too.

 On Sunday, we had an impromptu play date in the afternoon at the wildflower center. The weather has been perfect, so we spent the afternoon swinging, climbing trees, and laughing with friends.

 The bluebonnets were also pretty amazing, so I snapped a shot of Hailey in a patch. You older kids were not as enthusiastic, so I didn't push.

 Now that our house is less cluttered (generally) I've been trying to add touches to make it seem more like a home. I've also been working on our back yard and now that everything is cleaned up and weeded, it's time to add some special touches too. I've always wanted to build a fairy garden, and for my birthday, one of my friends gave me a stash of random crafting items and in there were a few miniature items and so with spring break being this week, we decided to break ground on our fairy garden. So far we have 2 houses and a bridge.

 Today we went to the Thinkery and got there early before it opened. Who knew spring break traffic would be so amazing! Nathan, I really enjoyed watching you come up with things to do, being inventive and creative. Hannah, you were also very independent, going off on your own, exploring all the things and trying everything out. And Hailey, I loved watching you just interact with everything around you, taking it all in. I thought it would've been a very stressful morning, but it wasn't too bad.

I was able to convince you guys to go to Kura sushi for lunch and Hailey, you gifted me with 20 minutes of a peaceful lunch by falling asleep in the car and transferring to the carrier without waking up. We then went to 99 ranch market to pick up a few things and then went home. 

The rest of the week is lined up with more adventures and then next weekend, Grandma and Grandpa will be visiting! 

So Daddy took a picture of this. Apparently you both accidentally released my birthday balloon and it got stuck. I used it as an opportunity to teach how to let go of events that could make us angry. While I was giving Hailey a bath, you two came up with this set-up to retrieve the balloon and guess what? It worked! 

Well, I'm going to bed. I'll keep you all posted on the results of Hailey's blood work. Please keep her in your prayers as we try to figure out this mystery. 

Love, 

Mommy