Hello third trimester

I'm starting my third trimester this week! Kinda pumped that we will meet lil miss in less than 88 days! I am moving into my 7 month this week too! Pretty crazy how time flies.. I feel like I have said that a lot this pregnancy. There are days I forget I'm pregnant because we are so busy with Charlotte and George. But then I cannot get up as fast and I make the "ugh" noise when I get out of bed or switch sides in the middle of the night because this lil bump is not little anymore. She still seems a little low to me but I know the only way she can grow is up into the rib cage and out so I can't see my toes!


Little miss is between the size of a Chinese cabbage and an eggplant weighing 2.2lbs and stretching 15 inches  from head to toes. We have another ultrasound this week to see how she is growing.. Im excited to see her bounce around! I will post a couple of pictures :)

We are getting more and more ready for her entrance! Her room is being painted and put together this week so we can start preparing for her. I started getting out the burp cloths and pink blankets and bedding so as soon as the paint is dry I will be putting the little pink touches in her room!

Mother daughter manicures and pedicures

She sat patiently getting her first manicure and pedicure but she kept asking what her " lady" and my "lady" were saying to each other :) my answer.. "I have no idea" I wish I knew sometimes. Ha!

Barely reaching the water

Pretty sparkly nails

cute lil piggies :) She picked out the polish all by hearself

all done! When we got in the car she asked if  we could go back again... oh Charlotte, you have no idea :)

Georgies first haircut

Bye bye long hair

Taking it like a champ

the tears started so the sucker came out

starting to look like a little boy and not a baby

this is getting painful

Finished product.. a little boy! Such a stud!

Our itchy little world

We had Charlotte tested for her food allergies this past week and the results have scared us :( We were praying that they would have gone down enough to at least introduce some in a clinical trial but she is just too allergic.

I will try my best to explain her allergies and our plan of action. 

A RAST test (short for radioallergosorbent test) is a blood test used to determine to what substances a person is allergic. This is different from a skin allergy test, which determines allergy by the reaction of a person's skin to different substances
RAST are often used to test for allergies when:
• a physician advises against the discontinuation of medications that can interfere with test results or cause medical complications;
• a patient suffers from severe skin conditions such as widespread eczema or psoriasis; or
• a patient has such a high sensitivity level to suspected allergens that any administration of those allergens might result in potentially serious side effects.

The RAST test is scored on a scale from 0 to 6:

RAST rating	IgE level (IU/ml)	comment
0	< 0.35	ABSENT OR UNDETECTABLE ALLERGEN SPECIFIC IgE
1	0.35 - 0.69	LOW LEVEL OF ALLERGEN SPECIFIC IgE
2	0.70 - 3.49	MODERATE LEVEL OF ALLERGEN SPECIFIC IgE
3	3.50 - 17.49	HIGH LEVEL OF ALLERGEN SPECIFIC IgE
4	17.50 - 49.99	VERY HIGH LEVEL OF ALLERGEN SPECIFIC IgE
5	50.0 - 100.00	VERY HIGH LEVEL OF ALLERGEN SPECIFIC IgE
6	> 100.00	EXTREMELY HIGH LEVEL OF ALLERGEN SPECIFIC IgE

Now for Charlotte's score for March 2013 all of which can significantly gone up since October 2012
Pistachio  14.7 Level 3
Coconut   0.92 level 2
Walnut     20.7 level 4
Peanut     >100 level 6- they said it was so high it was off the charts
Pecan      6.28  level 3
Almond    4.11 level 3
Egg White 72.2 level 5
cashew     12.1 level 3

So what to do what to do:
There has always been the possibility of desensitizing her to certain allergies one by one but a new doctor has come out with desensitizing children to their own specific food allergies all at the same time rather one by one. In this case this sounds great to us but there are lots of pros and lots of cons so we are in the stages of figuring out what is best for Charlotte and her future.

here is the article that the today show put out last week. We are hoping and praying it will soon come to surrounding areas to make this more convenient but if California is where we need to go then California is were we need to go.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/10/magazine/can-a-radical-new-treatment-save-children-with-severe-allergies.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

main cons

• the doctor is in California 
• entire process would take a year at the least in and out of the hospital 5 days a week
• following up with a serving of each allergen a day for the rest of her life to keep the allergy away. For example she would need to eat a serving size of peanuts everyday at the exact same time for the rest of her life. 

main pros

• he will hopefully be food allergy free which is our goal!

So we are in the process of figuring out the next step for Charlotte and which one it will be we don't know but at least we are working towards a allergy free goal by kindergarten/elementary time frame. Whether we hit that or not at least we are moving forwards.

As a mama this is very hard for me because I only want my child to have a normal childhood and not have any restraints when it comes to certain things. I worry about her getting bullied at school ( kids are so mean these days) and not being invited to play dates, parties, sleep overs, school functions, school dances, etc., because her allergies. I don't want her to be known for her allergies.

Still lots to figure out and learn but we continue to pray that we choose the right path for her future. This blog was to share our moments and journey of having and raising our kiddos and this is just part of our journey  and we are taking you all along with us :)

Easter is in 2 weeks!!

With Easter fast approaching us I try to get ready for all of the activities ahead of time so I'm not running around with my head cut off for last minute little treats and gifts. This year I bought all the treats in advance so all I have to do is stuff the eggs the night before.

It is looking like Easter around our house!

I wanted to share a new products I found out about. Because Charlotte's egg allergy is severe we cannot decorate so I found of a healthy fun alternative for her to still enjoy dying Easter eggs! I'm actually kind of pumped about these since they can become more of a house decoration instead of sitting in my fridge making it smell like rotten eggs for a month :)

Happy Dying :)

(Sounds funny but you get it)

They are called Eggnots.com They are dyeable ceramic eggs for both food allergies and for vegans. We are not vegans in this house since we are already so limited to what we can eat but I thought I would throw that in there. 

They dye just like regular eggs and you can keep them for next year! 

Since Pilsbury cinnamon rolls are egg free/treenut free/peanut free we will prob make little cinnamon roll bunnies for the kids for Easter! Aren't they cute( Minus the almond slivers)

I wanted to give a safe life of candy for kiddos with peanut/treenut/eggs allergies. They are safe for the eggs and for the baskets!

Airheads www.airheads.com  Multi-colored and flavored taffy strips.

Bottlecaps www.wonka.com  Soda flavored candy. (Root beer, orange etc.)  

Divvies  www.divvies.com  Chocolate ghosts, Halloween jelly beans, caramel and kettle corn, all made to share!    

Dots  www.tootsie.com  Candy corn dots are safe for many too!

Dum Dums  www.dumdumpops.com These, (along with Smarties) are food allergy family favorites as they are safe for a variety of allergies.

Enjoy Life Chocolate Bars  www.enjoylifefoods.com  Three varieties. My kids love the crispy rice milk chocolate.

Frito Lay  www.fritolay.com  Regular Lay's potato chips, Ruffles, Tostitos, and Fritos are safe for many allergies.  

 .

Fun Dip www.wonka.com  Candy stick + candy dip = Fun!

Gimbals Jelly Beans www.gimbalscandy.com  Very allergy aware company.

Hot Tamales www.hottamales.com   Similar to Mike & Ikes with cinnamon flavor.

Hubba Bubba Bubble Gum www.wrigley.com  My kids love the bubble tape version.

Jolly Ranchers www.hersheys.com/jolly-rancher  Sticks and hard candy.

Jujubes (and Jujyfruits) http://www.farleysandsathers.com  Great for decorating cakes and cookies too.

Life Savers (hard candies & gummies) www.life-savers.com  My kids love the gummy variety.

Mike & Ike www.mikeandike.com  Popular movie candy.

Necco Wafers www.necco.com  Oldie but goodie shows up a lot at Halloween.

Nerds www.wonka.com  My son and his friends love these sugary nuggets.

Nik-L-Lip  www.tootsie.com  Those cute little wax bottles with colored sugar water inside.

Pez www.pez.com  Fun, convenient and safe for most allergies. A clever Pez dispenser is good for trading unsafe candy.

Pixy Stix www.wonka.com  Messy but fun. Teens like the larger size.

Pure Fun www.organiccandy.com  Tasty way to avoid dyes and gmo's.

Razzles www.tootsie.com  First it's a candy, then it's a gum!

Saf-T-Pops http://www.spanglercandy.com/ Fun first lollipop from an allergy-aware company.

Skittles www.skittles.com  A "safe" candy that is a Halloween favorite.

Smarties (US version)  www.smarties.com  These are a favorite for many allergy moms. Safe for many allergies.  Smarties pops are good too!

Sour Patch Kids  www.sourpatch.com  Tangy, sweet-sour gummy candy.

Spree (regular only) www.wonka.com Chewy variety contains egg.

Starburst www.starburst.com Another allergy mom favorite.

Surf Sweets  http://www.surfsweets.com   Organic gummy bears, worms and jelly beans free of dyes and all common allergens.

Swedish fish www.swedishfish.com  These little red fish are another Halloween favorite.

SweeTarts www.wonka.com  Regular only as chewy sweetarts contain egg.

Wack-o-wax (wax lips) www.wonka.com Red lips or the vampire teeth anyone?

Warheads www.warheads.com  Super sour candy not for the faint of heart.

Yummy Earth www.yummyearth.com Organic lollipops, drops and other dye-free candy.  

Little mister is a big boy now!

George is now 1 1/2!! Time flies so fast! He is the sweetest happiest lil man I know! Our love for him grows each day! Sometime I look at him and still see the little baby he used to be then he I see him and he is all boy! Rough and tough but still loves his nightly snuggles with his mama!

We are fast approaching the new big boy room and decided this week to pull the trigger. Here is a sneak peak. More to come soon

We have moved everything in to the middle of the room to start the process of painting. Bye bye beige  

Painting done!

Crib gone, rocking chair gone, changing table gone = Big boy bedroom/playroom. Will show more when we get the finishing touches are in place

Big guy sleeping in his NEW big boy bed! 

Good morning to my little munchkins!! GEORIE IS 1 1/2

Steve smoked a turkey and George loved ever bit of it including sucking on the bones- sick, I know

LOVE YA BIG GUY!

Spring Show

Spring show was this week and Charlotte and George did a great job! Here is Charlotte in that same outfit because she throws a fit if she doesn't wear it! Yes, a diva, I know! But at this far in the game of pregnancy I don't really have the energy to fight it. :)

Charlotte and Carson about to sing

Charlotte and Carson dancing! They are boyfriend/girlfriend. Carson is becoming a big brother  twins very soon! 

George(back left) is not thrilled at all- Maybe because it is passed his bedtime and really not wanting to be strapped down :)

Not even a smile- lil stinker- but doesn't he look adorable!

Twice a year...

Charlotte gets food allergy tested twice a year and it is that time of year for us again. These tests are blood test which makes it less invasive and more accurate than the skin prick test. Early fall we learn that Charlotte had grown out of her shellfish allergy!! Now we are working towards eggs and hoping some tree nuts have gone down off the severe list. We are hoping she will have grown out of eggs by now or at least to the point where she can have baked goods and we would not have to worry about it. Her reaction to eggs is not as severe but still scary. We are saying our prayers and crossing our fingers for good results! We will keep you posted.

Peanuts are monsters at our house

She recently got a new bracelet. We call it her peanut bracelet. She wears it when she is out in public and the best part is that she LOVES showing it off to ANYONE AND EVERYONE! 

Charlotte's allerbling Bracelet! 

We had a plumber over the other day fixing some things (oh the joys of being a home owners! ) and Charlotte felt the need to tell him all about her allergies and luckily he listened and asked questions and was very kind. She even tried to tell the pizza delivery guy the other day! So if you have some ears she will talk them off  about her allergies :) I am just happy that she feels comfortable telling people and making them aware. We have a long road ahead of us with schools, birthday parties, and etc.  to worry about but with her vocal capability I am feeling a little better about preschool :)

Here is some information about the type of reaction Charlotte has to all tree nuts and Peanuts. It is in the forefront of our mind everyday all day. Sometimes we( Steve and I) talk about it a lot with our friends and family but it is good to keep everyone posted and up to date when they are hangin with Charlotte. Thank you for listening to us talk about it ALL THE TIME!

Spring is around the corner and with warmer weather comes  outdoor activities, picnics and Spring break trips. Don't let a  life-threatening allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) spoil the fun.

	1.	Don't save it for a rainy day. Anaphylaxis is a life-threate ning allergic reaction that has many possible triggers,  occurs quickly, without warning and can happen anywhere  and at any time. Get yourself educated about the  signs and symptoms today.
	2.	A reaction may not always be mild. It is important to  realize that someone who has a mild allergic reaction to  an allergic trigger one time may have severe symptoms  the next time.
	3.	Plan ahead. Avoidance of allergic triggers is a critical first  step, but accidental allergen exposure can occur without  warning. Work with your doctor to have an anaphylaxis  action plan in place.
	4.	Antihistamines do not treat anaphylaxis. While  antihistamines can treat mild allergic reactions, they are  not effective in treating life-threatening allergic reactions. Epinephrine is the only first-line therapy indicated for an  anaphylactic reactionaccording to the National Institute  of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) food allergy  guidelines.
	5.	Make sure others are also aware and prepared.  No matter what time of year it is, everyone should be  aware of the signs and symptoms of a potentially  life-threatening allergic reaction and be prepared to  respond if anaphylaxis occurs.

Want to learn more? Visit Anaphylaxis101.com. And  if you believe you or someone you care for may be  at risk for anaphylaxis, talk to your doctor.