Levi {5 Months}

Size: Switched to size 2 diapers a few weeks ago. Wearing size 6 month clothes. At his 10/22/15 well visit he weighed 14.4 lbs and was 25 inches long. 

Eating: Nurses 5 times a day every 3.5 or so hours (or takes 5 oz of breast milk in a bottle) and we are now dairy, soy and GLUTEN free. He had a reaction to (what we know now) was gluten a couple of weeks ago. I made (and enjoyed!!) this amazing, dairy and soy free, from scratch, chocolate chip cookie recipe that called for 2+ cups of flour and he reacted to it a few days later. We know it was gluten because I basically eat the same things every day and the only thing new to my diet was the cookies. While I had been eating small doses of gluten in my diet (like pita bread) since I've been dairy and soy free, I haven't had baked goods or that much flour since he was born. His reaction came on strong and consisted of a red rash on his face/cheeks, diaper rash, vomitting, rough eczema patches on arms and tummy, diarrhea, and trouble napping. Doctor confirmed our suspicions on 10/22 and advised me to now cut out gluten. This time took a little bit longer to clear his system-- about 2 weeks. It's another challenge to work through but still more than worth the sacrifice to breastfeed. By God's grace, we can do this! 

We are planning to follow the AAP suggestion and begin solids at 6 months. I am also planning to make our own baby food and I'm pretty excited about it! My friend Sara Lynn referred me to this website for help with introducing solids and making your own baby food. Check it out!

Sleeping: Still sleeping great at night (usually 10 or 11 hours) and we've dropped a nap so he has more awake time during the day. He takes 3 naps a day: 2+ hr morning, 1.5 hr afternoon, 1 hr evening. The goal is to put him to bed no later than 8:30 p.m. 

Milestones:  

~Puts paci and bottle in and out of his mouth

~Rolls side to side and working on rolling from back to tummy (UPDATE! Rolled from back to tummy on 10/30!)

~Sits up with support (but would rather stand)

~Very curious about everything! I love watching him learn and take in his surroundings

Likes: He LOVESSSSS his "precious planet" jumper/exercauser-- he could jump for days, petting Finley, things that light up- toys, phone, TV, vaccuum, blowing bubbles with his mouth, playing peekaboo, really taking interest in his loveys (and it melts my heart), singing Wheels on the Bus and Old McDonald and hearing all the animal "noises" with mommy, touching faces, shaking his rattle, when he hears/sees Daddy, feeling new textures (loves to scratch the couch and other surfaces)

Dislikes: Still the same here... this child is happiest when he can see or touch people :)

((Psalm 139:5))

You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.

Precious lil Pumpkin

That face!!

No Bake Energy Bites

Here's a yummy and easy snack that is dairy and soy free! And as an added bonus, the oats and flaxseed are great for nursing moms and will help boost milk supply. Enjoy! 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (dry) oatmeal (I use old-fashioned oats)
• 2/3 cup toasted coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (use Skippy Natural d and s free)
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (use Enjoy Life d and s free)
• 1/3 cup honey 
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

• Mix ingredients together in bowl 
• Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes (will be easier to work with if chilled/hardened a little)
• Roll into balls (depending on size, you could make one or two dozen)
• Refrigerate in air tight container for up to a week

Dairy & Soy free for Levi and me

*Updated on Oct. 11 to include recipes!*

Almost as soon as I published Levi's 3 month post we started noticing the symptoms from the dairy intolerance reappear: Dark green, mucousy stools, screaming, vomiting during, after, and in between every feeding. I had a hunch that it might be a soy problem because his symptoms flared up a few days after eating Chinese food, drinking (Advocare vegan) protein shakes, and eating our beloved Publix bourbon salmon- all packed with soy. I also remembered what our doctor told us about most babies with a dairy intolerance also having a problem with soy. 

So I took him to the doctor on August 31 and they tested his diaper and found blood in his stool, meaning an allergen was present. Doctor diagnosed him with a milk soy protein intolerance (MSPI) and instructed me to eliminate soy (including soybean oil) from my diet in addition to the dairy. We also added another feeding to his schedule for a few days because he had been vomitting so much and therefore not gaining like he should. 

I have now been dairy free since Levi was about 5 weeks old and dairy+soy free for the last 5 weeks and Levi is doing exponentially better! He is a different baby without all that dairy and soy in his system! We are back to normal baby spit-up and no more vomitting, crying only when he has a need (diaper change, hungry, tired), and stools are getting back to a normal color and consistency. 

Being dairy and soy free takes some work but it is MORE than worth the sacrifice to breastfeed sweet Levi. Wouldn't trade that time with him or the opportunity to give him breastmilk for all the dairy and soy in the world :) It's actually been a really positive experience for me and I'm thankful that the Lord has helped me every step of the way. It has it's challenges but I love that I'm only eating good, clean, wholesome food and Levi is getting the best nutrients he can from me. It really makes you stop and think about how you treat your body, the temporary temple that God has given you, and examine every thing you eat. I can't just mindlessly snack on things or reach for whatever I want. I have to really think about it- which has been a great parallel for me spiritually and a great lesson in self control. 

I wanted to document some of the staples in my diet so I'll remember for next time should a MSPI appear in future Brannan babies and to hopefully help other mommies who are dealing with the same issues. I will try to post more recipes and food finds as I discover them along the way. 

Here's what's on my menu:

Breakfast: Quaker instant oatmeal with tablespoon of Skippy Natural Peanut Butter and coffee with Silk Vanilla Almond Milk as creamer. I've also done dairy/soy free pancakes made with almond milk and some bacon on the side. 
Snacks: Fruits, Lara Bars, Pretzels, Natural Popcorn, Skinny sweet potato sticks, Cinnamon sugar pita chips, Tostitos thin and crispy tortilla chips and Publix fresh salsa
Lunch: Pita bread (or salad) with Publix deli turkey/ham, cucumbers, tomatoes, and Annie's Natural Balsalmic salad dressing or Brianna's poppyseed or honey mustard dressing. I eat Cape Cod sweet mesquite BBQ or salt and vinegar chips on the side. 
Dinner: We usually have a meat/fish (chicken, shrimp, salmon, tuna, pork chops, steak, hamburger with no bun), a veggie, and a carb. Usually red or sweet potatoes, brown rice, noodles or something else yummy and dairy/soy free. You can stay pretty safe with meats (just make sure it's not injected or marinated in anything) and plain veggies and add butter later. Things that come from the ground are the way to go! We've also done spaghetti with Prego sauce-- just make sure to double check all labels. 
Dessert: Homemade Fruity Pebbles rice crispy treats (Heat marshmellows in microwave and mix in Fruity Pebbles and spread in canola covered pan), So Delicious coconut milk ice cream (The chocolate peanut butter is my favorite!!!!)
Safe Condiments: Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce, A1 steak sauce, Ortega taco seasoning, Earth Balance butter, Mrs. Dash sweet teriyaki marinade, Canola cooking oil and spray (NO vegetable oil!), salad dressings listed above

Rice crispy treats :)

Eating out (these are places we frequent):

Moes: Personal Trainer salad with pinto beans, olives, corn pico, tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, salsa, guac. (The chips, black beans, meats, and southwest vinagrette that I would normally get all contain either dairy or soy.) I add red wine vinegar as dressing at home and eat Tostitos thin and crispy tortilla chips with the guac/salsa.
Panera: Smoked Turkey Sandwich with their plain chips (The bread they use for this specific sand which is safe from what I can tell.) 
Five Guys: Lettuce wrapped burger with grilled mushrooms, grilled onions, ketchup, tomatoes, pickles and A1 steak sauce. And fries!
Mellow Mushroom: Gluten free pizza crust, daiya cheese, red sauce base, pineapples, ham.
Jersey Mikes: Turkey sub in a tub with pickles, tomatoes, banana peppers and oil and vinegar as dressing.
Outback: Steak with no seasoning/marinade, steamed broccoli/veggies with no butter, salad with no cheese or croutons. Bring your own butter and dressing with you-- and sadly, don't eat the bread! :) 

Carrabbas: Tag Pic Pac with shrimp (just ask for no butter on shrimp)
Chick-fil-a: fries are safe 
Jimmy Johns: Turkey Tom "unwhich" (lettuce wrap instead of bread) with no mayo or cheese and add oil and vinegar. Pickle on the side :)

Carrabba's Tag Pic Pac

Mellow Mushroom

Five Guys lettuce burger- better than it looks! 

Recipes that have been shared with my by d&s free friends: 

Taco Soup (make with Ortega taco seasoning)
Salsa Chicken 
Balsalmic Chicken 
Vegan Pancakes (Instead of vegetable oil use canola oil and instead of soy milk use almond milk)
Pumpkin Bread (Grease pan with earth balance butter or coconut oil)
Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies (I've made these and they really are PERFECTLY DELICIOUS! Use earth balance butter and Enjoy Life chocolate chips)  
Chicken Tacos (use Ortega taco seasoning) 
Apricot Glazed Pork Tenderloin 
BBQ Apple Chicken (use Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce)  
Banana Nut Bread (use earth balance butter) 
 
  Other things to note:

• Changed to Nature Made prenatal vitamins due to soy ingredients in One a Day
• Dairy and soy free for MSPI baby means no to the obvious (milk, cheese, yogurt, soy, etc) and also items that contain the dairy and soy proteins (whey, casein, soy lecithin, etc)  
• For more information on MSPI or breastfeeding, click here. 

((Psalm 16:8))

I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.