The first few weeks of our January have been pretty busy. The girls requested more field trips so we have been on two already this month and potentially another one next week, although this momma is pretty worn out, so we might skip that one.
Our oldest hasn't been enjoying her once-a-week day with the extra curricular activities as much...it is public school based and she has realized for the first time in her life that the world isn't "mostly Christian" as her life has previously been blessed to be. She's been witnessing to a boy who is atheist in her class and has chosen to continue to attend classes so she can continue to be a light to him. It's inspiring and something special to be a part of as her mom through this life challenge.
Our younger daughter surprised us by cutting her own bangs. She hid it for two days by wearing a winter hat saying she was cold...I thought she did a pretty good job on her bangs, just a little bit on the short side. So I helped her even them out and finish the edges. I can see her getting into the salon business when she is older. Then her sister, whose bangs have finally grown out, begged to have bangs again so I did hers too.
Our little guy is nearing 18 months old and has finally hit the vocabulary explosion that is typical of toddlers his age. It is so much fun because it has only been the past week and a half or so that he has suddenly started chatter-boxing like crazy! He has a few phrases that he says and several single words, but he is trying new ones all the time and has learned that when he calls us by name, he can get our attention. I often wake up to him calling "momma" from his crib in the mornings.
He has been having a reaction to something in his diet the past week or so and I wasn't sure if it was just a virus or an allergy. He'd have random spots on his body that seemed to fade away and return. Some would make him itch. Last night we learned what was going on -at least I hope we've found the only source.
For dinner I made him oatmeal and as usual I used his nut-milk to mix in and help cool it down for him. He's into feeding himself now, so he had that oatmeal everywhere...his shirt, his hands, his ears, his eyebrows, and even the back of his head mixed into his hair. I gave him a bath afterwards and noticed that he was beginning to break out. He had red blotches on his cheeks, one eyebrow, some spots on his nose and several behind his ears and on his neckline above his shirt collar. He started itching by rubbing his hand and scratching his ears and neck constantly.
The milk I had used for his oatmeal was a new one. The week before, the store was out of his normal milk, so I bought the same brand with a new formula that included "prebiotics". The only unusual ingredient in that milk was chicory root inulin. So I did a quick google search of chicory root side effects and not just one, but several websites had warnings about checking with a doctor before using chicory root because it is known to cause severe dermatitis and is part of the family of plants that include ragweed, marigold and other seasonal allergies. My hubby has consistent hay-fever every year due to those specific allergies. That was enough to convince me that it was the chicory root.
His rash and itching was so bad that we decided to call the after-hours line to see if we could give him some sort of antihistamine cream or medication to help him through the night. The nurse I talked to quickly discarded my chicory root idea saying that it was just a tuber and not likely at all. She was more concerned with the almond/cashew mix of the milk even though I explained to her that he drinks almond/cashew milk every day, and has for the past 7-8 months without incident. She gave us permission to give the antihistamine meds and also recommended we not give him any more tree nuts without getting an allergy scratch test done and explained to me everything I already knew about allergies. I thanked her and hung up.
Never before this past year have I ever questioned those in the medical profession like I do now that I have a child with food sensitivities. Doctors seem to know very little about how food interacts with the body. I know my child best and I know that it was not the tree nuts that bothered him. Bananas are also exacerbating his rash, and I know that bananas can cause reactions to those with seasonal allergies like ragweed, it only confirms in my mind that it was most likely the chicory root inulin that his body is reacting to.
As of tonight, his rash had faded to more of a pinpoint rash on his neck and ears. The blotches on his cheeks remain. His body is still working through it because the rash fades with the topical cream, but returns red and itchy when the effects start to wear off.
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