Cephalexin, Baking Powder, and Crickets

It's been awhile since we've had a food trial update. So here's the latest news:

We stopped the grapes on August 5th. Two days after we stopped the grapes, Asher was back to his old self. I think this change in his personality was further proof that grapes did Asher's body no good.

On August 12th, right at the point where we could trial something else, Asher came down with a fever. Since it was four days after Simi was diagnosed with strep throat, we took him to the pediatrician immediately, who prescribed Cephalexin, an antibiotic. So, we had to trial Cephalexin. Now we know that Asher can tolerate that medication.

Next up was baking powder. But here's where it gets tricky, because now we have to look at the ingredients of the ingredients. Some baking powders contain corn starch. Since Asher is allergic to corn, eating corn starch is bad too. Some baking powders contain aluminum, which have its own issues. So we had to buy special baking powder which contains potato starch instead of corn starch and is aluminum free.

Did I hear you ask, "Why baking powder?" and "How in the world do you trial baking powder?". One word: COOKIES. OK, here's another word: MUFFINS. Raj is doing an amazing job mixing rice flour, millet flour, sugar and baking powder to make cookies, muffins, and fried foods. He fries cauliflower and pork (think chicken nuggets) and all sorts of stuff to give Asher the crunchy salty treats he loves.

If you're wondering why we chose baking powder, Asher's birthday is coming up and we're trying to get enough ingredients for a cake. Or cupcake.

So the other day Asher asks if he could trial crickets. Asher wants to eat crickets. "Sure thing, Asher", I reply, much to Raj's surprise. You can trial crickets if you want. Raj made a batch of just fried dough blobs and we call them crickets. Here are your crickets Asher, we say. Some are small fried dough strings and we call those the cricket legs or cricket antennae. Some are big blobs - and those are the cricket bodies. Other's are small round blobs - those are the cricket heads. Nice and crunchy. It's no surprise that our bug catcher absolutely loves eating crickets.

If you're wondering, all those things: Cephalexin, baking powder, and Asher crickets seem safe to eat.

Reader Asher

Just like his big brother, Asher is reading at age three. Truthfully, he is in the beginning stages of reading - putting the sounds of the letters together to form words. Then, once he has a word completed, he moves onto the next word in the sentence and continues along until he has read the entire sentence. Then we talk about the sentence, so that he understands it. Then he continues along until he's read everything on the page. And we talk about the page. Then, everything on all the pages until he has read the entire book. And then we talk about the book. So, I guess that means he's reading, right?

We have been reading the BOB books, but then a neighbor told us about this amazing Web site. It's free and fun and we all love it. Asher BEGS to read from the Starfall site.


And here's another post where we're talking about Asher and not ee! Gotta love it!

Confession Time

OK, it's confession time: Leila and Asher are Jerry Garcia fans.

To be fair, they're also David Grisman fans. And fans of They Might be Giants. And also fans of Antonio Vivaldi, along with G F Handel. Not to mention anything which even remotely sounds like a song for children. I guess you might say they have eclectic musical tastes.

Our current favorite is "Not for Kids Only", by Jerry Garcia and David Grisman. Leila rocks to "Jenny Jenkins" while Asher's current favorite (and mine too) is "There Ain't No Bugs On Me". We all like "Hot Corn Cold Corn". I can almost envision these two chaps sitting in front of each other, one with a guitar and the other with a mandolin, jamming away. I can even envision it being a regular event. Gosh, what a treat it would have been to be present at one of those events! Raffi who?

So if the next time you see Leila and she has flowers in her hair and singing "Sugar Magnolia", you'll understand why.

Feisty Girl

There's no doubt who rules the roost here: Leila. This little half-pint is FEISTY and she makes sure that she gets what she wants. Heaven help you if you try to change her nappy when she doesn't want to be taken away from her brothers or if you try to take a toy away from her. If you make her mad, she'll HIT you!

She's also tremendously funny - especially considering that she's a mere 19 months old. It definitely seems like she's heading into a successful career as a comedienne.

Today we went to the swimming pool. I was shocked when Leila plunged into the cold water, lay on her back and even let her ears get wet (unheard of for a baby her age). And she even did some kicking when I encouraged her to kick.

That's a smart girl!

School of Choice

When I was a child, there was no doubt which school I was going to attend. I went to the public school which was located closest to my house. End of discussion.

Here in North Carolina, we have choices. There is the base school option, which is the school closest to one's house which operates on the traditional calendar year (September to June). Then there are the year-round schools. Those schools have sessions which last for nine weeks, then everyone gets a three week break. Next are the magnet schools. Those are generally schools in "low performing" areas. The magnet schools are generally renovated VERY nicely and pumped full of resources and given a theme to entice folks to send their children to that school. For example, here in Durham, we have a gifted and talented magnet school, an arts and humanities magnet school, one for languages, and several more which I can't think of right now. And then there are the charter schools. They are free for all residents of North Carolina but operate like a private school. And, of course, there are private schools, but students' families have to pay for those.

So last year was the start of the search for the proper elementary school for our children in preparation for Simi's transition to Kindergarten. After a lot of research and attending each school's open house sessions, I narrowed down the choices to five and applied to those. Simi was accepted to the second choice school and wait listed for the first choice school.

As you know, he started the year at the second choice school. It's an excellent school and we all love his teachers, his fellow students, and are very satisfied with the education he's getting there.

And then we get the call from the first choice school: we have a spot there if we're interested. Of course, we have to let them know in 24 hours otherwise they will offer the spot to the next child on the list.

Raj and I went to visit the school. It's absolutely a phenomenal school. It has Spanish instruction, amazing art program, excellent music program, a Montessori approach to learning, and very close to our offices. One of his best friends from pre-school is also in Kindergarten there. Plus, it goes through middle school. Most of the children there are learning two or three grade levels above their age. But, we like where he's at too. So...which do we choose?

This decision is one which will affect all three of our children's elementary and middle school education. It's one which will influence their education, friends and environment for nine years of their lives. It doesn't get more important that this.

Durham public schools generally have a bad reputation. Can it be possible that we would choose a Durham public school over one of the most coveted public schools in the area?

It was an agonizing decision, but we chose to keep Simi at the school he is currently in. While we'll never know the impact of the decision, I just hope we made the right choice.

Asher's Frog

Here in North Carolina, it's been a sweltering 100+ degrees Fahrenheit this week. Today, it's a relatively temperate 94. Asher was extremely disappointed to hear that he couldn't go outside today to look for bugs. Although I suggested he go look for bugs inside the house, he didn't seem to want to do that.

So imagine the surprise when Asher managed to catch a frog in the dining room. It was alive and covered completely in lint (I do clean the house - promise!). It was a good size for a frog, between 2-3 inches. We're still trying to figure out how he managed to get in the house!

Raj speculates that Asher has magical powers and willed the frog to come into the house. Truth is, only Asher could find a frog inside the house.

And here is one post where Asher is mentioned and NOT EE!

Farewell, Moss Randolph

My great-uncle, step-grandfather passed away yesterday. While I've been expecting the news for quite sometime, I was quite unprepared for his actual death. He died alone, much like he's spent his entire life.

Before I knew him, Moss was my grandmother's brother-in-law. He was my grandfather's brother. Except my real grandfather died well before I was born (when my mum was 17) so I never knew him. And since my father's father also died well before I was born, Moss was really the only grandfather I ever knew.

Some 20+ years after the death of his brother, Moss and my grandmother met at some family function and sparks flew. Moss confessed that he had always been in love with her and they started some long-distance courting. Moss lived in Los Angeles, CA while my grandmother lived in New York City. It wasn't too long before they married and my grandmother moved out to Los Angeles to be with Moss. As a young teen, I spent school holidays and summer vacations in Los Angeles with them.

You know, I remember Moss telling me stories of when he grew up, but now I can't remember them. I'd give anything to hear one of those stories again. But one thing I do remember is how much he idolized his big brother, my grandfather, and followed him to McGill University and became an engineer. See, they grew up in Canada. He found his way down to the United States and took a job here, took a job there - more interested in the adventure than in settling down and starting a family. He spent some time in Mexico. Then he spent some time in southwest US before settling down in sunny California. Even after he married my grandmother, he would take her on adventures. They went to live in Chile for awhile and traveled to lots of other places. I think he and I are a lot alike.

I loved to listen to his stories. Sometimes, he'd tell me the same story over and over again. It's been so long since I've heard him tell me a story that I can barely remember them. I'd give anything to hear one of his stories again.

When I was a kid and would visit him in Los Angeles, he and I would go for a run every day. Then, after dinner, we'd go play billiards in the apartment building where he and my grandmother lived. One day he came home after stopping at the public library. He had a bunch of books on how to play pool. He poured over those books in his typical engineer-style. I wasn't interested in reading about angles or strategy. He got to be a really good pool player; I still stink at the game.

The 1984 Olympics were in Los Angeles. I managed to get some tickets and Moss and I went to see Mary Decker, my idol, run. Actually, we saw her fall, but that's a different story for another time. We watched the men's steeplechase and a lot of other events. I'll never forget that day. We asked a stranger to take our photo. I still treasure that photo.

Another time, after he and my grandmother retired and moved to Florida, I visited them there. I had a watch where you could enter some metrics and it would calculate the distance you ran. In his true engineer style, he measured my stride by measuring distance ran by number of strides between two light posts so that we could enter the accurate stride length into the watch. His calculation was perfect.

Then, my grandmother got sick. She was dying. He was the one who took care of her. He did everything for her. He got one hour off each day when a nurse came in to watch over her while he took a break. He never complained. He just stayed there with her until the very end. I was in graduate school at the time.

A year later, I flew down to Florida to visit him during the one year anniversary of my grandmother's death. Her clothes and stuff were just where she left them. It almost seemed like she was going to walk in the door any minute. I helped him get rid of her stuff. I bawled my eyes out but he didn't cry at all. He loved her more than anything, but to him, it was just stuff. And he didn't really have much emotional attachment to stuff.

I loved our time together. Moss came to visit me once when I lived in Takoma Park, MD. I remember eating turkey burgers on our screened in back porch and he was telling me and my roommates stories. They were mesmerized by his stories and would ask questions. He'd tell story after story. After he left, my roommates begged for him to come back to visit.

He came to visit me one year at the farm I lived on in Durham, NC. I remember him washing my truck. He had a particular brand of soap he loved to use and a particular cloth - just perfect for washing cars. He did a great job on my truck - better than I had ever done.

At the farm, we sat on my front porch and watched the cows in the field. He was an old man by then and we no longer ran together. Instead, I'd go for a run and he'd wait for me to come back. He met my friends; they'd always ask me when he was returning for a visit. Everyone loved Moss. I'd ask him why he never married before he married my grandmother. He'd shrug his shoulders and not say much. I guess he was too much of a free spirit to really settle down much. Everyone loved him, but he spent a lot of time alone.

One time he came to visit me right after I bought my first house. He helped me prune the trees in the yard. He picked up the pitch fork and said he wanted to turn the soil so that I could have a garden. " Tarheel soil is clay, Moss.", I said. "It's hard to turn. You're going to hurt yourself." But he insisted. "OK. I'm going to go for a run, then", I said. "I'll be back after a few miles. " He picked up the pitch fork and stuck it in the ground. I trotted across the street to begin my run. I didn't get even 1/4 mile before I turned around, terrified that he was going to hurt himself while turning the soil. When I returned, he looked relieved. I asked him if he wanted a glass of ice tea. He put down the pitch fork and gratefully followed me inside the house for a glass of cold ice tea. We never talked about the garden again.

About a year after that visit, he suffered a stroke and he never recovered. I wanted him to come live with me, but my uncle insisted he stay in a nursing home in Connecticut near my uncle. I'm grateful to my uncle because I probably wouldn't have met the man I married, nor would I have had my three wonderful children if I had to take care of Moss after his stroke. However, having Moss in such a horrible place was painful. It was a horrible place - the kind of place where one can easily lose their mind. It pained me just to think of him there. Here was a man so full of life stuck in a place so full of insanity. Just that thought made me crazy. He deserved so much better.

He couldn't make it to my wedding. And he never met my daughter. I wanted so badly to name one of my children after him, but couldn't. And now he's dead and all I have are these fading memories.

Goodbye, sweet Moss. I love you more than anything. If there is a heaven, you, more than anyone deserve to be there. I miss you.

Post Grapes

OK, we pulled grapes out of Asher's diet and now he's like a different kid. It's like someone flipped a switch and we got a new Asher. He's happier, goofier, and more energetic. He isn't so hard to get out of bed in the morning.

I guess it was the right thing to do.

End of the grapes (for now)

On day 10 of the grape trial, we finally pulled the plug on the grapes. Asher's tummy ache, which began as soon as he started eating grapes, never went away and his food intake has taken a nose dive. Thing is, when Asher has a reaction to a food, it's different from this reaction, so we're not convinced that this is a food failure. At any rate, we did decide to remove it from Asher's diet.

As soon as we made the decision, Asher began to ask for grape juice. Then he said that his tummy ache disappeared. He's really sad that he can't have grapes or grape juice for awhile. Truthfully, so am I.

Today I went to Whole Foods to get some things for Asher. While there, I was looking around at the breads and cheeses and cakes and pastries and I just started to cry. I literally burst into tears while looking at the cheeses. Here was this huge store fool of delicious food and Asher will never get to eat any of it. It made me really sad for him. So, there I was, bawling my eyes out and I walked over to the check-out counter, saw a really nice nutcracker on-sale for half price and I bought it - all the while thinking, "this is a really wasteful purchase; when are we ever going to be cracking nuts in this house?" Which got me even more sad and crying more. So, then it was my turn to check out and I looked up at the cashier, who was of Indian descent and on her name tag was the name, "Laila". Good golly, a woman of Indian descent with a Hebrew name? What a coincidence! So, we talked for a bit, all the while I had tears in my eyes and the cashier didn't say a word about my tears. And then I come home to a tearful Asher who wants to drink grape juice but can't.

Tiddley Toddler

Leila wants to do EVERYTHING her big brothers do. She follows them everywhere, even when they're in time-out, she toddlers over to them and plays with them. So it's not surprising that when she sees them pee in the potty, she wants to do the same thing. So one day I said, "OK, Leila, do you want to make a pee-pee in the potty too?" Leila responded with a "pee-pee too", and proceeded to pull off her nappy, walk over to the toilet, and stand in front of it just like her big brothers.

So we pulled out the plastic potty and now she knows to sit on it, although she doesn't know that she's supposed to do something other than sit while she's there. But, heck, she's only 18 months old. She'll figure it out in due time.

Grapes, Day Eight

By now you would think we'd have an idea of how well grapes are treating Asher. Truthfully, the jury is still out. It's probably okay, but this food trial has not been the "slam dunk" that the other trials have been. We'll give it another week and see how it goes.

My last blog entry, on day four of the grape trial, Asher had a really bad stomach ache and gastrointestinal distress. Raj rightly pointed out that grapes are quite acidic and Asher hasn't had something like that in his system for a very long time. Raj had tried to prepare me for potential gastrointestinal distress with the bacon trial - something that could cause a shock to Asher's system but wasn't an allergic reaction. However, with bacon, that reaction didn't happen (and the kid eats A LOT of bacon!). Perhaps grapes are just a shock to Asher's adorable little body and that it's not an allergic reaction. We'll give it another week.

Asher hasn't eaten any grapes in two days. In fact, today he ate very little. Yes, it's quite concerning. But he doesn't have some of the other symptoms of ee - tiredness, achyness, queasy stomach, vomiting. So, we'll see. And that's why the jury is still out.

Grapes, Day Four

I recently bought a new book in order to better understand these food allergies. In it, the author writes about how children are specifically susceptible to certain groups of foods. For example, her son had lots of physical symptoms when eating meat, specifically beef and pork.

I wonder if Asher may have difficulties with fruit.

On Thursday night and Friday, Asher gobbled down grapes like crazy. He just couldn't get enough of them. Saturday, he said they were yucky and wouldn't touch them. Yucky? Is that a three-year old way of saying that he doesn't feel well when he eats them? Because they certainly aren't yucky in the true sense of the word.

Sunday, today, we went to Whole Foods and bought some pure grape juice. He drank it down happily. Then, about a half-hour later, he complained of a tummy ache, doubled over on the floor in pain, and spent the next few hours on the toilet with gastric distress. Yes, that's yucky.

Millet and Grapes

Asher is making these food trials seem easy. We've declared millet a success.

Asher chose grapes for his next food trial and he started eating them tonight. Both boys gobbled up a lot of grapes before bedtime.

Beginning a food trial always makes me nervous. Before we started on this food trialing journey, we knew that there was something in Asher's diet to which he was allergic. We just didn't know what it was. So every time we add a new food back, I wonder, is this the food? And with each food trial success, I breathe a sigh of relief, but then the list of potential foods which caused the reaction gets narrower. It makes me wonder when we will hit the allergen. Hopefully it won't be grapes.

School Bus Ride

On Friday, Simi rode the bus to school. He loved it and enjoyed the ride. I managed not to cry as I walked off the bus and left him there. It sounds like he did great, too. He said that when he got off the bus, he walked into the school but felt lost (I think they enter the school from a different location when getting off the school bus), so he asked a teacher. The teacher guided him the right way. Phew!

Simi was enjoying his time in after-school care when I arrived to pick him up. He wanted to stay for a bit to play on the playground and excitedly showed me what he earned from the treasure box for not having his fish moved this week (your fish gets moved if you behave poorly).

I think we're all getting the hang of this elementary school thing.

Kindergarten - Day One

Wednesday was Simi's first day of kindergarten. We didn't let him ride the school bus. Instead, I drove him to school and walked him to his classroom, with video camera in hand. We joined the many other parents and grand-parents who were walking their own first-day kindergarteners to their classrooms with their video cameras in hand.

Simi knew the way to his classroom - found it with no problem. His teacher was at the door with a big smile on her face, greeting all the new students and their parents. Simi found his desk, met the only new child he hasn't yet met, but was more engrossed in the two pieces of paper lying on the desk. One was a connect the dots (a-z-A-Z) and the other was a "find the hidden words in the big block of letters on the page". Both of these things are some of Simi's favourite things to do and he was thrilled. In fact, he was so engrossed in the work that he barely even said good-bye to me. I don't think he even looked at me as I said good-bye and just kinda waved me away. OK then.

So, I walked back toward the door, said good-bye to his teacher, and just started bawling my eyes out. I was totally unprepared for the wave of emotion that hit so hard. Simi didn't see; he was still too engrossed in his work. The teacher gave me a big hug and suggested I stay as long as I want, but I left. Simi was fine and it was better that he didn't see me crying.

All of us went to pick him up at the end of the day. Simi was in after-school care. He was in the art room with his fellow kindergarteners and first-graders doing an art project. It seemed like good care and he seemed to be having a good time. And then, instead of going to swim class, we all came home, had dinner together and had a low-key evening. He told us all about his first day and admitted that he, too, was a little scared. Phew, he's normal!

Simi really wants to ride the school bus. Raj says, "OK, you can ride the school bus. And I'll be driving behind it." I think he's not kidding. We both tell Simi that he needs to be able to carry his own book bag, and until that happens, we'll be driving him to school. So, we'll see when he actually does ride the school bus.

School Open House

Simi's new school held an open house so that Simi can meet his new teachers and fellow students. Simi was absolutely thrilled. I wish I captured the look on his face when he walked toward the building and then into it - he had a huge smile and a spring in his step. He's so ready to take this next step.

All of us love his new teachers. Simi formed an instant friendship with a boy in his same "desk grouping". They hugged each other and ran around exploring the room together. Then we walked down the hall to show the two new friends the location of the library, cafeteria, office, and how to get to his room from the front door.

We returned from the open house just in time for Simi's graduation from pre-school. They wore paper motarboards - complete with tassels on them - and received a diploma and a present (a photo of the children who graduated with him - and they signed their names on the wooden frame. It's absolutely beautiful!).

Simi is officially done with pre-school and is moving on to elementary school. I just wish his parents were as ready for this transition as Simi!

Cauliflower and Millet

Oh, and by the way, we're declaring cauliflower a success and have moved on to millet. Millet is a low-allergenic grain which is a good source of iron and potentially a flour we can use in baking.

Swimming Fun

We have been having a manic summer - going from work to swim lessons four evenings a week for the boys. Raj and I got our satisfaction when we saw Simi swimming the width of the pool on his own. What a beautiful sight!

Asher is doing great in his own swim class. He's putting his head under the water regularly now and blowing bubbles in the water and jumping in. They're both loving it.

And we're loving watching them progress with their new skills...

Kindergartener Simi

Simi is starting a new phase in his life. He is leaving pre-school and all the friends he has had for his entire life and starting elementary school. Simi is going to Kindergarten.

Simi couldn't be more ready. He's so incredibly excited to go.

He got his kindergarten medical check-up and vaccines. He got his "ready for school" haircut. He chose some new school clothes. He rode the school bus for practice and learned all about school bus safety. On Friday, he gets to meet his new teacher and his fellow students.

It doesn't even matter to him that he's going somewhere completely new where he knows no one. He's ready. He's so incredibly excited and thrilled.

Simi was chosen for the K/1 combination class. That means that 10 of the students in the class are in kindergarten and the remaining 10 are in 1st grade. They stay in that class for two years. Simi and I had already met and spoke with his new head teacher and we both really like her a lot. I don't think we've met the assistant teacher; we'll meet her on Friday.

Simi is going to a year-round school. He goes to school for nine weeks, then he gets three weeks of vacation. He's used to going to school year-round, and the three week break seems humane to us. It gives us a chance to take family vacations throughout the year (not just once during the summer). We all like that.

And now Simi starts school on July 18th!

Bacon, Cauliflower, and T-ball

With Day Five of the bacon trial safely behind us, and since bacon is so closely related to pork, we decided to take the risk and move forward swiftly with the food trials. We added one of Asher's favorites: cauliflower. Beginning yesterday, Asher has begun to eat one of his favorite dishes: cauliflower and potatoes. Cauliflower is high on the food allergy scale, so I'm a bit nervous.

If he passes the cauliflower food trial, his diet will be very close to what it was before we started this process. Let's hope that apple is the only thing we need to remove from his diet....

Yesterday, we had our second t-ball practice. Raj and I were a little more prepared this time. I had done some Web surfing and found some great information to guide us through coaching t-ball. Raj and I shared the information, talked about a few things, then implemented all this stuff on the field. Some of it worked, some needs tweaking, but we're getting better at this coaching thing. But the most important thing is that the children seemed to have a good time and to be learning how to play t-ball. Phew!

One of the most rewarding moments on Asher's team was with a three-year old named Olivia. This was Olivia's second practice and she couldn't have been more terrified. She arrived sucking on three fingers, her arms wrapped around her and her head down. As her mum pushed her toward the crowd of pre-schoolers, tears dropped from her eyes.

Our first drill was to run around the bases. Since I was the only coach for the team, I asked one of the parents to help. The parent lead the team around the bases while I brought up the rear. There was Olivia, trying desperately to make her way back to her mum. I gently took her arm and with a gentle bit of persuasion, I coaxed her to run the bases with me. And that's how we began the practice.

With each drill, I had to gently coax Olivia further and further. At the end of the practice, I actually saw a smile on Olivia's face; she was enjoying herself! And she even joined the rest of the team as we put our hands together, raised them up and cheered "White Tigers!"

One of the negatives of coaching is that I'm so wrapped up in working with all the children that I don't get to see Asher play. I saw him hit the ball off the tee once, and he can run the bases really well, but that's all I managed to see.

I look forward to next week's t-ball session.