Hard To Be Sick

February 6, 2013

Our Nani is sick again :(

Sore throat, bad cough, lots of congestion, small temperature...

I think we'll get through it though without and antibiotics.

Nani has been a trooper as we have tried to figure out why she gets sick so often and has chronic headaches, leg pain and stomach aches. Nov. 2011 we did a blood test and found that she had allergies to milk, eggs, all nuts, small reactions to wheat and corn, cats, dogs, all sorts of plants. Before the blood test, she had about 5 ear infections that year, always congested and her congestion would not clear up unless she had an antibiotic. She was on Singular, Flonase, and Zyrtec everyday but it wasn't helping. Sometimes she would get too congested that it would result in a breathing treatment. (Albuterol and the nebulizer)

She had tubes put in her ears and her adenoids removed, Nov 2011, but now we're certain that wasn't necessary. After the initial blood test we took her to an Allergist and did another allergy test, the one where they pricked your back and see how your skin reacts. It was rough for her. The little pricks didn't really bother her, but her skin reacted to just about everything they tested her for. Her skin swelled up, reddened and itched like crazy. She had to wait 15-20 minutes so the skin could react if it was going to and then they came back in and measured the results. She couldn't itch or touch it. She did so good, but it was hard. 

After that test we were given more medication and cream for her skin.

 

About 5 months later we went for a check up with the allergist and came back with more meds and still the same problems, itchy aching legs, headaches, stomach aches, congestion, emotional, and fatigue.

We had taken her off milk, eggs, all nuts and limited her wheat intake. But it still wasn't enough. 

For a few months before her check up, I stopped giving her her medicines everyday because they made her grumpy and didn't help.Then one night when we were in Dallas for a weekend trip, we laid down to go to sleep, and Nani tried to sleep but her legs just kept moving with restlessness and pain. Once I realized she was in pain, after 45min. of us telling her to go to sleep, we got up and we walked the hotel for about 2 hours until the pain subsided and she could fall asleep.

After that, we decided that we needed to figure something out!

 We started reading a lot and talking to others. One day while searching the internet, we read about leaky gut syndrome and candida. Everybody has yeast in their bowels, but when there's an overgrowth of yeast, candida, it cause leaky gut syndrome, where you gut leaks particles from food into your blood stream prematurely and before they are completely broken down. And that leads to all sorts of problems since it's in your bloodstream. For Nani, it was causing respiratory problems, head aches, stomach aches and leg pain.

We read up on what causes the over growth of yeast...Sugar!! Yeast thrives on sugar!! 

(to be continue...)

Maya Girl

It's been awhile since I pulled out the camera and practiced taking pictures. So here are a few.

Maya is now 2 years 4 months old.

She is very talkative, loving and full of smiles.

She can be very demanding, which I hope is a result of being two, and in her mind, still the baby.

She loves watching Caillou and has had to do a lot of it with having a new little sister.

She loves Grandma and Grandpa! When Grandma comes, Maya takes Grandma downstairs right away to play toys.

She loves her sisters. Just about every morning she is happy to see them and gives them a hug.

(pictures after customizing the white balance)

She counts well and loves to sing ABCs.

She likes playing with play dough.

She says her favorite color is purple. She also knows Aleah's and Nani's favorite color.

She is a very good listener and helper when it's just us during the day, but when everyone else comes home, she's a trouble maker. She likes to tease her sisters by taking their toys from them or annoy them with loud noises. 

She has learned how to get our attention quickly by saying, in a very sweet needy voice, 

"Mommy (or whoever), Maya need you."

She likes her hand to be held as she falls asleep.

If there's too many people around or people she doesn't recognize, she closes her eyes and turns and droops her head and does not respond to whoever might be trying to get her attention.

She likes to eat her sisters' left over lunch when they come home from school.

She looks up to her older sisters.

She is very persistent in trying to being heard.

She likes bath time, but did not when she was a baby.

She is a morning girl. 

She thinks she is in charge.

She melts our hearts!

4th of July 2012

The 4th started off with a pancake breakfast and hanging out at church. 

Later, Matthew bar-b-qued for us. 

After our little bar-b-que, we did a water balloon pinata and the slip-n-slide.

And we also joined the Kynastons for some swimming and fireworks. 

may 2012

Herbs from our garden.   

Aleah and Nani watching some cartoons..

A happy Maya girl!

The Puppy Pound

These pictures are from Aleah school program in 1st grade. It was called "The Puppy Pound"

It was so cute and she did such a good job! She loves to sing and learn new songs. She is a happy girl and so easy going. 

(pictures taken March 2012)

Matthew's birthday

This is sort of sad and embarrassing, but the only pictures I have for Matthew's birthday are of his cake, but it was a really really yummy cake! Lemon raspberry. We were blessed to have friends come over on a Monday night and share cake with us and sing Happy Birthday! I guess I didn't run for the camera when he blew out his candle.

Now we have a wonderful 36 year old in the house!

(pictures taken Aug. 26, 2012)

2 Months old

Not much happening here. We're slowly getting on a schedule and finding a new normal.

After coming home from the hospital and her initial exhaustion from being born, she ate every 1.5 hours. At about 6 weeks, she was up to 3 hours between feedings. Now at 9 weeks, there have been a few times where she has gone 4 hours. She is a good sleeper, just hungry. There have been just a few nights where she hasn't slept. One night, at about 7 weeks, I was exhausted and Daddy had to take over. He was so willing. I just woke him up and he took the baby and he rocked her for the next 3 hours, and even took care of Kanani, who woke up with leg pain around 2am. 

Life is a little foggy for awhile, but I feel like we're coming out of the fog. We have moved on from survival mode, but not quite to that thriving mode.

 Yesterday as the day part of the the day was coming to an end, right before it was time to start dinner, I sat holding the baby, rocked her to sleep and then put her down in her crib. Then I headed outside to play a little soccer with the girls. It was a good time, and warm enough to be outside, about 59. Then little Sariah woke up and since, I wanted to spend time with the other girls, she screamed in her crib for a few minutes, and when I picked her up she was so upset. Anyway, the evening goes on....and as Matthew and I are trying to get dinner made, girls bathed, dividing meat for the freezer, taking calls and trying to calm a baby, I thought, 

"Man, 4 kids are kicking our butts!"

Then Matthew and I just laughed.

Life is good! We are blessed and we are happy!