Why, hello!

Holy, cow. It's been a long time.

My kids are growing up at an alarming rate. I mean, Brady's gonna be FIVE in 23 days. How is that even possible? Here are a few updates!

Benny officially has congenital hypothyroidism. They were thinking he may be able to wean off meds at 3 since his levels were not very high but more and more it's not looking promising. Right now, he takes half the dose that I do. I'm bummed, I've had my moments but I know it's all good. He's smart, he's hilarious and he's on track developmentally so that's all that matters.

Brady. Oh, my sweet kid. I find myself growing more and more proud of him everyday. As he got older and more so last winter/spring, I knew something wasn't right. He was very hyper, to the point where he could NOT sit still, for a moment. His eczema and rashes were so bad that he was so miserable. Potty training was delayed because of it, his poor bottom was constantly covered in a rash. The behaviors were more than your typical terrible threes and fours. He has constant belly aches and trouble going potty. He was constantly sick with a cough, stuffy nose and he wasn't sleeping, like at all. Waking up at night, screaming and we thought he was having night terrors or something. It was frustrating and upsetting. Then, we got his school pictures back that Spring and I knew. Under his eyes were such dark circles that he looked very ill. I took him to an allergist who listened to my concerns and low and behold, he is allergic to milk.I was surprised but it all made sense.

 

Taking him off dairy wasn't as hard as I expected and we've had our slip ups, trial and tribulations but I cannot explain to you the difference. He's a new kid. He's happy. He plays happily with his brother or by himself. He's a joy to be around (for the most part!) and he's not sick anymore. He's sleeping and sleeping well. It's so hard to put into words sometimes the difference it has made. He's been so good about it too and knows to ask if there is dairy in it before he eats it. For a former milk addict, it speaks volumes to me about how much it impacted him and has made him feel better. He sometimes gets sad he can't have something but thankfully, I'm able to find substitutes for most things.

I'm learning a lot from my kids about my own health and I won't lie and say it's been an easy year. I've had moments where I've felt so bad, I didn't want to get out of bed. I was tired, I couldn't think straight and I was just cranky. Thankfully, I have found a perfect combo of thyroid meds (synthroid and a t3 cytomel!) and I have a supplement regime that has made the world of a difference (D3, b12, Omega 3, iron and Greens!) Here's my PSA for all you moms' out there. If you feel like crap, constantly tired or feel like something isn't right, get a FULL thyroid panel test. Make sure they are testing more than TSH. If I hadn't done this, I'm not sure where I would be right now. Being a mom is exhausting but you shouldn't feel THAT tired all.the.time. I've read a lot about this, since both my husband and I both have it, along with Benny's CH. You won't believe how many times it goes un-diagnosed and untreated. I'm still loosing weight and I'm down over 50 pounds in two years. THAT changes a lot for someone and I could write a book on that, ha!

Brady is in Pre-K this year and I can't believe he'll be in Kindergarten next year! Oh, boy!
Benny is finally talking up a storm and just a ham. I need to get back to updating this so I can remember things!! I'm hoping to write more about our lives with allergies in case I can help someone else. Feeding our family can be a struggle at times because well, dairy is in SO MUCH.

I just love life right now and I hope to make this more of an ongoing thing. I miss this outlet and I've tried to come back so many times. Hopefully, this is the start.