Hi everyone! I seriously cannot believe it is March tomorrow?! Doesn't it just feel like months are flying by?? We had a pretty busy, yet nothing special February. Daily life with two young children is extremely busy - filled with mostly their activities and commitments. We are coming to a point in the kids lives where we have to decide on one activity per kid at a time. Cameron loves to try everything (especially sports) and Natalie tends to hang back and do independent things. We want both kids to be able to experience things equally, so this will be the best plan.
Both kids are just finishing up swimming this month. Cameron was cruising along and has been doing AMAZING!! He is still working out his stamina and endurance but his form and drive is on point! He is by far the smallest kid in his class but keeps up with little to no problem. He looks forward to swim every Sunday and always tries his best - which is why our decision to take a break with swim for him is hard. Cameron has baseball starting up in March (which is a 3 day a week commitment) and it would be at the same time as swimming lessons. We did make the decision to continue swimming lessons for Natalie because SHE IS ROCKING IT!! While Cameron is at baseball practice Saturday mornings, one of us will be at swimming lessons with Miss. Natalie is finally using her goggles ("Look mom, did you know you can see the bottom of the pool with goggles??") She is all smiles during her lesson and tries everything without hesitation. This is a big deal for her as she is extremely cautious and rarely likes to try new things. Lately, she has been doing amazing with new experiences.
Cameron is still doing indoor soccer on Sunday mornings at Starfire. HE ABSOLUTELY LOVES SOCCER!! He takes after his mama on that one! It turns out that indoor at Starfire are more like a soccer clinic than games. The kids scrimmage and learn different techniques and skills - everyone is doing so well! Cameron has picked up a bunch of new skills and can't wait to to them to use during fall soccer. Soccer continues until the end of March, so next month will be CRAZY!! Natalie is so patient and goes to all the clinics without whining. She packs a little bag full of her favorite snacks and dresses in her favorite clothes (to grab attention!) I'm so happy she is easy going like that - not sure if it is because she has always been around a brother playing sports or because she is sweet. BOTH.
School is going really well for both kids. They both just went back to school from midwinter break this week. We didn't go anywhere but man did we have a great time! I told myself that I would spend as much time and attention on the kids every day of break, and I did! We played over 17 games (multiple times), did science experiments, played in the SNOW, read a ton of books, watched movies, colored, did playdoh and more. They did let me work out a few times during the day too - HOW SWEET! On Thursday, the kids went to my mom's house for the night and had such a great time!! By the end of the week, I was dreading them going back to school. Having all that personal time (especially with Cam) was wonderful and I missed having him back at home with us. The kids got along so well and even wanted to sleep in each others' rooms together. Monday morning was hard. I'm still missing them when they leave me... I honestly cannot wait for summer break. It is going to be amazing to have them home and relaxing activities.
Ryan and I are doing well too. Ryan have been busy at work and still loves his company and job. The commute is still a plus for him and its so nice having him home by 4:45 every night. When he gets home, Natalie runs from the kitchen to the door into Daddy's arms - its adorable. I'm still focusing on working out and discovering new recipes and tricks in the kitchen. Unfortunately, I thought I hurt my hip again (Tore my Left labrum inside my hip in 2015 and had to have surgery). It has been hurting for most of the month - I had an appointment with my ortho surgeon yesterday and good news! It is not even my hip, it is my hip flexor that is "injuried." I have to attend Physical Therapy for a couple months until it repairs itself (HOPEFULLY). Until then, no heavy lifting at the gym, upper body workouts only and cardio. I won't be able to do yoga for 2-4 weeks until I get cleared from my PT : ( It will all work out and now is a good time to switch up my workouts. GOOD VIBES PLEASE!!
To finish up the blog this month, I wanted to share some extremely personal news that we received this 5 weeks ago. I have debated whether or not to share this information with the outside world, but I feel that it is right to do in case others need help. Cameron has been struggling with his growth and physical development over the last year and has had a constant tummy ache and other health issues. I knew in my "mommy gut" that something was wrong with him. In January, I took him into his 6 year well child check and explained to his doctor I felt that something was off. After grabbing his stats (height and weight) and evaluating his symptoms, his doctor agreed that something was going on. He was labeled "Failure to Thrive." The next step was a blood draw and stool sample to get a full panel, which was one of the worse experiences of my life!! I had to hold poor Cameron down while he got several blood tubes taken - while screaming, kicking, sobbing "WHY???" While we waited for the results, his doctor told me to put him on a gluten free diet and to give him lactaid (lactose intolerance prevention). I had put him on that diet in December because I felt that glutenous foods were bothering him. 2 weeks before the appointment, I started giving him crackers because he caught the stomach flu!
A week later, the test came back positive for Celiac Disease. I was both happy for the diagnosis and sadden - happy because he was tested for Crohn's Disease and that was negative!! Happy because I had him back on gluten because of the sickness - he would have tested negative for Celiac and we wouldn't have figured it out. I'm already on a gluten free diet and know a lot of recipes and tricks for living a pretty normal life without gluten. I am sad though that he has to miss out of classic childhood things (birthday party foods, lunch at school and friends houses, etc) There will be a lot of planning and research he will have to do in his life that I wish he didn't have to do. On the positive side, I'm extremely thankful we are in a position where we can afford gluten free food options and there are so many different options for us. I'm also thankful that we figured this out so early in his life.
Flash forward to today. He has gained 3 solid pounds, grown in height and has gotten a ton of color back in his skin. He no longer has dark circles under his eyes and has a lot more energy. He is falling asleep faster and is sleeping better at night. And my favorite victory - he is happy. Cameron is genuinely happy. He is belly laughing, giggling, smiling. I have never seen him like this before in his life. I am one thrilled mama. I can't wait to see the changes that will continue to happen over the next few months. I am going to continue to heal his gut with probiotics, broth and gluten free, whole foods. Thank you to everyone who has been supportive and understanding during this difficult time. It means the world to us.
In the future, Cameron will have to go through an endoscopy to "Officially" confirm the diagnosis of Celiac Disease (With Celiac Disease, the villi in your small intestine lay flat and do not absorb nutrients). Cameron's doctor was 100% positive that this was Celiac because of his lab results (off the charts) and his "Drastic improvement" with his diet. He did not recommend putting a 6 year old through an invasive procedure that put him under sedation and I am completely fine with it!! There is no cure for Celiac Disease nor any medication that can help the symptoms. The only way to treat it is a gluten free diet. I will continue to update on Cam Bam's amazing progress!!
HUGS!!
