Landin's GI Appointment

At the beginning of August we finally got to see a GI specialist for his Acid Reflux Disease! The doctor we saw had a long waiting list on top of the time it took to get the referral. The doctor discovered that Landin has a milk allergy (different than Lactose Intolerance). So basically that has been causing his acid reflux, frequent colds and infections and sleepless nights. I never knew this but 70% of your immune system is in your GI track. The doctor said that Landin most likely has this due to my horrible pregnancy with him, specifically my inability to keep down dairy while I'm pregnant. Landin is now on two new medicatons, one is an antihistamine and the other is for his acid reflux. We also have taken all dairy out of his diet. We have been very strict on reading labels and making sure there is no milk products in his food. We have had to change the bread we eat and I have had to come up with new dinners and be creative with snacks. Thankfully Landin has enjoyed soy milk, soy and coconut yogurt, homemade coconut icecream, and veggie cheese (yuck). If there is a meal that calls for cheese or dairy in it I will usually omit that or remove a portion for Landin before I add the dairy. The major downfall with all of this is our grocery budget is having to be increased. I bought 4 things at WholeFoods the other day and the total was $23. That is a quarter of our weekly budget. Another reason why we have to increase our budget it because one of the side effects of his medications is increased appetite. Lets just say that he eats just as much as me at each meal. There are many times where I just have to stop him from eating because I know he is going to get a belly ache from all the food he is putting in there. Aside from the downfalls, I have to give HUGE praise that we finally have a little boy that is sleeping through the night and is much more happier at times that he would normally be very uncomfortable!!!!! I recently saw a saying that said, 'NO RAIN, NO RAINBOW'.  It has honestly been one the hardest years for me but I can honestly say that we are having more good nights than bad and God has really been there through it all!
 

A little piece of heaven! This coconut ice cream was SOOO good! Not to mention it has way less fat and calories than normal ice cream and NO DAIRY!. We are making it again this week!