Update

Our son is doing so much better now. He has an allergist. He has a pediatrician. He hasn't needed to go to a dermatologist now.

He does probably have asthma, which I worried about, but I don't know that I could have done anything more or done anything differently.

He takes Qvar and Singular daily. He takes ProAir HVA when he needs it. In the winter and spring, he was getting a lot of ear infections, but then he got ear tubes and that helped.

He still has a prescription for Desonide, and we use that during flareups, mainly in the diaper area. We have to use Pampers Sensitive Diapers. Also, we still cannot use Johnson and Johnson on him. Cerave is a good moisturizer. Except that he sometimes likes to make a mess with it. We can now use baby shampoo, but only for his hair.

For now, things are looking good, better.

A review of Vermont Nut Free Chocolates

I ordered some chocolates from Vermont Nut Free Chocolates. Most chocolates, even chocolates that aren't made with nuts, still contain traces, and I wanted to avoid these because of Ben's allergies. Also, although some people can outgrow food allergies, they usually don't outgrow nut allergies.

I like the Smurtles, which are like the nut free version of turtles, but I've been kind of disappointed with the pure chocolate stuff.

It tastes like Russell Stover's or Hershey's rather than a fine chocolate like Jacques Torres. I haven't yet tried their Skippers, which are a version of nut-free M&Ms, but I do think that though these are cute for kids, they aren't in the same class and some gourmet chocolates.

I see that the Chocolate Box, https://www.bechoctomistic.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=31&osCsid=365ce5b49b2d8810cdaaa7190ef3b9a1, has chocolate for special diets, but it seems to be sorted into categories, and I wonder if they have a lot of gluten-free, nut-free, egg-free stuff.

Kinnerton also has some nut-free stuff.

I'll have to continue the search for gourmet nut-free chocolates.

Gluten free pie crusts and peanut allergies

I've seen a lot of posts about gluten-free pie crusts lately. This is heartening, but has anyone seen any egg-free, wheat free pie crusts?

Also, it seems as if peanut allergies are really increasing. I just read a news article about how Kourtney Kardashian's young son had an reaction to eat peanuts. Experts claim that it's not related to all the vaccines that kids get, but what is it? When I was little, I don't remember anyone having peanut allergies, and now it's like every other kid it seems. Also, why don't most kids outgrow nut allergies as they do with food allergies? It seems like no one has answers.

I still feel bad that Ben might not be able to eat peanut butter, Reese's, peanut butter Sunday topping, etc. If anyone finds a great egg-free, wheat free pie crust recipe, let me know. Sometimes, it seems like such a pain when you have to do more than one substitution.

Allergy Appointment

Ben had a followup appointment at the allergy doctor. I can't even remember when his last appointment was. May maybe?

The allergy doctor said Ben was looking much better, but she didn't think that we needed to retest him for food allergies since his test results would still probably be the same. I think that Jamie was hoping that we could retest him again now. She's very slow and methodical. For example, she suggested circling days on the calendar when his nose runs so that we can see if he is developing seasonal allergies.

She also suggested that I avoid fish and shellfish--in addition to wheat, eggs, and nuts--just in case he might be allergic, even though he hasn't tested positive for a fish allergy. I think Jamie would like for us not to have to watch everything, read every label, and I have to admit that it would be nice to just be able to order a pizza instead of having to plan for every meal.

I've been trying to eat more fruits and vegetables, or at least buy more fruits and vegetables. Sometimes, I don't always end up eating the things I buy.

As for treating sneezing and runny nose, we're going to try Claritin. Zyrtec does not seem to be working. We really hope that he does not develop asthma, but he's high risk because of eczema and food allergies. It's frustrating to think that we may not be able to stop it.

Flareup

Ben had an eczema flareup yesterday. He had red spotchy patches on the bottom of his legs, behind the top of his diaper and on his back. I'm not sure what caused it, but we have some theories.

Theory 1:
The shoes. But I don't think it's that. I hope it's not that. They're the good kind of Stride Rite baby shoes, and that would not explain the flareups on his back.

Theory 2:
The polyester pants. He was wearing polyester pants. We try to dress him in all cotton. How did this happen? Were they a gift? Did I buy them? I'm not sure.

Theory 3:
Nuts. I got caramels on Thursday from a place that also makes and sells nuts. They process the caramels on shared equipment. So, it could have been that. Ben has an allergy appointment later this month, so I might ask if we should get him retested for allergies and when.

The good thing is his flareup has calmed down. We'll be looking to see if we can narrow down the cause. Eczema, allergy suffers, which of these seem most likely to you?

The Hunt for an egg-free, wheat free, nut free Birthday Cake

The quest to find someone to bake Ben a nice looking birthday cake has been long and stressful and is finally at an end.

I looked all over. I locally locally. I looked nationally. I even went to New York City.

Bigger cities like New York and Chicago have more options for gluten-free, egg free diners, but the problem is that they usually won't deliver cakes.

Baby Cakes in New York will deliver some baked goods, but they told me when I visited their store that they don't deliver cakes long-distance though they do ship other baked goods. I thought about just ordering cupcakes. But I wanted Ben to have a cake, and the same cake as everybody else. (Aside: Some of the baked goods at Baby Cakes were very good. I especially liked their brownie bites. I wasn't as into their corn muffins.)

Evanston, Illinois also has its own gluten-free bakery. Rose's Bakery. Unfortunately, they do not deliver their cakes long distances either although they do sell some of their other baked good online. I haven't tried their products yet, but I am interested in doing so.

Pittsburgh, PA, also has a gluten-free bakery, Gluuteny, but apparently they mostly cater to people with Celiac Disease because they won't make birthday cakes without eggs. They told me that if I wanted to, I could buy a mix from them and make it myself. I could also do that with a Betty Crocker mix from the store.

Finally, I tried a new route. Instead of mainly searching for gluten-free, I searched for vegan, and I found a vegan cafe in Pittsburgh, The Quiet Storm. The person I talked with there by email was very nice. He recommended that I contact Deanna at My Goodies Vegan Bakery. She's gonna bake my baby a vegan, wheat free , nut free cake. Yay, finally, the search for a an egg-free, wheat-free cake, nut free cake is done.

Cherrybrook Kitchens--Friendly to people with multiple allergies

One of the companies that's friendly to people with multiple food allergies is Cherrybrook Kitchens.

Jamie found two of their mixes at a local farm market store. We tried the cookies first, and I wasn't a fan, but then we tried the brownies, and I liked the chocolate chips in them. They did have a slight chalky aftertaste, but, overall, they were pretty good.

I also like the story of this company, which you can read here: http://www.cherrybrookkitchen.com/aboutus/patsy_story.php

I don't know if egg-free, wheat-free, nut free products and getting better, or if I'm just getting used to them. I've been pumping for the last few days, and, so, I've been able to eat wheat. But it's not really that great. I think I'll be fine without it again.

Here's a picture of the brownies that we made with the Cherylbrook Kitchens Mix, above.
I would be open to trying their other products, if I can find them. It looks like you can also order their products from their website, but there are shipping fees. I plan to look for these mixes, especially the brownie mix, again. I'm willing to also give the cookie mix another try.