Monday Feature: Likes and Dislikes

The Boy's likes and dislikes change so frequently and this feature is such proof of that. It is so nice to see that his likes are always more than his dislikes!

Likes: Caterpillars, driving the bus, puzzles, reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar, watching baseball, the farmer's market, Caliou, climbing into cupboards, pushing buttons on the computer, raking and jumping into leaves, singing ABCs, reading books on the LeapFrog LeapPad, animal pajamas, watching the rollercoaster at MOA, taking showers with Mama and rice crackers.

Dislikes: Pumpkin insides, spinach, brushing his teeth, wearing clothes and the scuba diver that talks from the aquarium at the MN Zoo!

The Food List: Updated

Lately, I've been using this blog as a record to keep track of Jackson's food allergies/intollerances. So while some of these posts may be quite boring for you, it's good information for me to have written down somewhere other than on sticky notes on our fridge.

Here is what we know Jackson can eat without reaction:
Oats
Rice
Apples
Pears
Chicken
Hamburger
Gyro Meat
Enjoy life Chocolate Chip Cookies (allergen free)
Rice Krispies
Black Beans
Pinto Beans
Rice noodles
Bananas
Annie's organic fruit bunnies
Peas
Aspagargus
Squash
Sweetpotato
Rice Milk
Potato
Back to Nature Apple Cinnmon granola
Hol Grain Brown Rice crackers
Lima Beans
Spinach
Mashed potatoes (made with rice milk, no butter)
Green beans
Brocolli
Mango juice

Another week of the same...

After 8 days of Jackson being clear from his zero allergen diet, I was super excited to give soy a try this evening. I stopped on my way home for some dairy free margarine that still contained soy, so that I could make Rice Krispie treats for the boy, a reward I thought was well earned after 8 days of an extremely bland diet. But when I picked him up from childcare, he was all broken out. He had gotten a hold of a chunck of an apple cinnamon nutrigrain bar off the floor. I have to admit, I was quite bummed. Now we are back to square one, another week of the very limited diet before we can try soy. If he had gotten a hold of something with just one of the allergens we would have a better idea of what he is allergic to, but nutrigrain bars contain wheat, soy and dairy, so we still do not know the culprit.

Food List

Lately, I've been using this blog as a record to keep track of Jackson's food allergies/intollerances. So while some of these posts may be quite boring for you, it's good information for me to have written down somewhere other than on sticky notes on our fridge.

Here is what we know Jackson can eat without reaction:
Oats
Rice
Apples
Pears
Chicken
Hamburger
Gyro Meat
Enjoy life Chocolate Chip Cookies (allergen free)
Rice Krispies
Black Beans
Pinto Beans
Rice noodles
Bananas
Annie's organic fruit bunnies
Peas
Aspagargus
Squash
Sweetpotato
Rice Milk
Potato
Back to Nature Apple Cinnmon granola
Hol Grain Brown Rice crackers

The Results are In...

The bloodwork has come back for Jackson, which unfortunately doesn't tell us anything. I had a lengthy conversation with the doctor just now and she said it's very common for these food allergies not to show up in blood tests at this age and we just have to start with a trial and error process, being very careful to read labels so he is not exposed to something we are unaware of.

His blood was not tested for tree nuts though, so the blood will go back to the lab for additional testing.

We are to continue the strict diet minus the top allergens -- no wheat, soy, dairy, fish, shellfish, nuts, strawberries, raspberries, tomatoes and eggs -- for the next couple of days while he is at childcare. This weekend we can start with soy and watch him for 5-7 days to see if he has any reaction. We'll do this for a while, trying wheat and dairy last.

She advises not giving him nuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, or egg until he is at least three.

We also talked about his platelets levels being high (404). It's nothing to worry about at this time, but she will check his past platelet levels and see if there is anything to be concerned about.

A Horwath Update:

Jackson's allergies: We have gone back to the basics and removed any potential allergen from Jackson's diet. So this means, no wheat, soy, dairy, fish, shellfish, nuts, strawberries, raspberries, tomatoes and eggs. What CAN he eat? Good question, the diet is a bit trying, he can have meat, vegetables, rice and any of the fruit not mentioned. It doesn't leave a lot of options, but the good news is that Jackson's face has completely cleared. Now we will just wait for the results of the blood test before deciding what to do next.

Jackson's song list: He now has his ABCs down, though still working on the "Next time won't you sing with me" part. And he mumbles a bit through L-M-N. He is also known to belt out Wheels on the Bus, 5 Little Monkeys, Twinkle Twinkle and Ring around the Rosie from the back seat.

Jackson's vocab: Is doubling daily. Ron dropped 100 as the number of words Jackson knows, I knew it was way more than that, so we wandered around the house pointing out objects and Jackson got close to 100 in under 5 minutes and that didn't count any of the objects outside of our home. Here is just a list of my favorite additions lately: Crocodile, Elephant, Obama, Trick or Treat, Stand Up Please, Possum, TV Show, Motorcycle, Bumblebee, Asparagus, Computer and FireMan Sam.

Favorite toys: Jackson doesn't play much with toys. It'd kind of strange but he skips over his toy corner for things like: Ron's wallet, keys, cardboard boxes, toilet paper rolls, bottle coozies, cellphones, radios and such. But when he does play with his toys he likes to color, play catch, work on his toolbench, vacuum, read books, or play with his Bob the Builder digger, Scoop.

Ron: Ron has been working a lot lately, putting in hours for special events and in-services. His favorite new find is the woodworking section of our local library, so every couple of weeks Ron gets a new stack of books and magazines to bring home and peruse. He is also trying out his skills in the home decorating world. He finally talked me into moving our furniture around in the living room and the new layout is a fresh change, and I like it!

Sara: I was accepted into the Accelerated Bachelor's Program at St. Scholastica. It's going to be a lot of work, but I am ready for the challenge, which is good because classes start October 27. I'm still taking a Macroeconomics class at Century, which is proving especially interesting during this time of financial crisis. This weekend I will be attending the Mason Jennings show at The Orpheum with my friends Bob and Libby.

Go Obama!