More Gastro Fun!

I've been meaning to update about this for more than a week now, but as all of you bloggin' mommies know, finding the time to write everything down in a somewhat cohesive manner is not always easy.

On March 13, I got the call from the girls' GI doctor. If you recall, Grace was cleared of Celiac Disease as well as any sort of food allergies. She was given the title of "Underweight" and will be seen every few months to check her progress.

Faith's diagnosis was up in the air, though, so we went and had blood work done. The doctor told us that if she tested positive for Celiac, we'd get a call. Otherwise, we'd discuss the results at our appointment on the 10th of April.

When Dr. Elizondo's number came up on Caller ID, my heart skipped a beat. This was it. The call that would tell me that Faith had Celiac Disease, that she'd have to be on a strict diet for her entire life and that our entire family would need nutritional counseling to manage this.

I almost let it go to voicemail. I just didn't want to hear it.

But I picked up and talked to the receptionist, knowing full-well what she would say.

To say I was shocked by what she said is an understatement.

Faith does not have Celiac Disease. She does, however, have an allergy to a protein in cow's milk.

Praise God! I just couldn't believe it!

I was so elated that I barely had time to think about what this woman was saying. Faith would need a special formula, they had samples for us, etc, etc.

Since I wasn't talking with the doctor, I wasn't able to get many questions answered. I guess I'll have to wait until the 10th to do that. But I was able to go pick up some of samples of formula from Dr. E's office in order to "test out" and decide which flavor our little Roo likes the best.

So we are adjusting to this new part of our lives. It seems relatively small -- just mix eight ounces of formula every time you would serve her milk. Simple, right?

Wrong.

Faith hates the stuff. It's not anything like cow's milk, as it's 150% of the vitamins and minerals she should get daily. It's also almost completely broken down, so her body doesn't have to work to process it. These things alter any yumminess that might have been present in the thick liquid.

And to top it off, it's very high in fat and calories -- 250 calories in six ounces! So it's got a sort of greasy quality to it and little globules of oil can be seen floating in it. Ewwwwww... I wouldn't want to drink it either.

Faith's no dummy. She knows that Gracie is getting regular milk while she is getting, "special Faith milk." Calling it "special" has not helped out one little bit, either.

So when Grace gets a cup of milk, Faith just howls for some. I hand her the formula and she hurls the cup across the room. I've tried all of the flavors -- vanilla, strawberry, chocolate and tropical -- and have even added extra chocolate syrup to them. No dice. It's just not going to happen, I fear.

So I don't know what to do. Has anyone else had their kids on Neocate Jr or something of the like? Did they hate it like my kid hates it? What did you do?

I'm anxious to get to Dr. E's office, as well, and ask all of my questions. Will she grow out of this? Do we need to do a completely dairy- or milk-free diet? What if she won't drink the formula? The list goes on and on...

Until then, though, I'll have to beware of projectile sippy cups.

Moving on...

Easter was a great holiday around here. My dad got here on Friday and on Saturday Todd took the girls to Yoakum to pick up Devin from his parents' house. I calculated that it was the first time I was alone in the house in 17 months. It was sheer bliss.

I took a little bit of time for myself to read and watch some chick TV (You-know-what and the City episodes!), but I also got a lot done around the. Very invigorating.

We had dinner here at my house that night and made it to 9:30 Mass on Easter morning. It was a fantastic celebration of the resurrection and it truly helped me get into the spirit of the day. I love Easter...it just makes me happy and thankful to be a Christian.

After Mass was an egg hunt at ZZ's house and then some unbridled candy-eating by all seven kids. It was a sugar-rush massacre and we finally got home to get the kids down for a nap. Faith and Grace snoozed well, but Devin managed to keep Todd and I up. No rest for the weary.

Afterwards was back to ZZ's house for a big Easter meal and playtime. By the time the day was done, though, we were exhausted. We all tumbled into bed pretty early and the week began on Monday. Ho hum...

I wish I had more exciting news, but the thrill of the moment is finding new and innovative ways to get Faith to drink her formula. Any suggestions are welcome. :)