Changes all around...

Well, we have certainly been undergoing some changes around here. Wellspring changed locations and we are back at the movie theaters at Broadway at the Beach. We are excited about this move and what God is going to do at this location... pictures & stories to come soon.

More diet changes are underway as well. Jon is currently being further tested for a number of things related to his diet and tummy problems. He lives with bumps on his face (after he eats anything processed) and still has horrible diapers. His energy level is fine, however Trey and I are ready to know what is safe for him to eat and not eat. We are looking at the costs of going completely organic and cutting out all gluten, wheat, dairy, eggs, peanuts, and as many preservatives as possible. Our most recent scare happened this week when he seemed to have a reaction to a McDonald's hashbrown (contained milk):

(taken with my cell phone)

This was more than an hour after the reaction, trip to the doctor and medicine had been administered. In other words, he looked much worse when it first happened. Thankfully, his tongue didn't swell and his breathing was fine, but it is apparent he is not outgrowing his milk allergy. I am in full planning mode to figure out a diet he can enjoy and we can all eat. Next on my list of things to try is this...

Mark Engelberg’s Gluten-Free, Vegan Bread

Recipe for 2 loaves—it is okay to halve the recipe if you want to make just one

Note: If you are using a mixer that doesn’t have a great engine, you may want to mix it by hand at the end to ensure it’s all mixed. Since there’s no gluten to get tough from overmixing, you can mix until you’re confident.

In a large mixing bowl combine:

1 1/2 cups millet flour
1/2 cup teff flour
1 cup sorghum flour
1 cup cornstarch (or double the potato starch if you can’t eat corn)
1 cup potato starch
1 cup tapioca flour
4 tsp xanthan gum
1 Tbsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp active dry yeast (not rapid rise)

Add:

4 tsp olive oil
3 1/4 cup warm water (not hot)

Mix with electric mixer–using paddle attachment, NOT regular beaters or bread hook–for two minutes. The bread dough will be more like cake batter than traditional bread dough.

Two options for the rising:

For the best rising: While mixing the bread, create a proofing box from your microwave. Microwave a small mug or ramekin with water until the water boils. Leave the water in the microwave. Pour the bread dough into two nonstick or well-greased pans. Tuck the loaves into the microwave with the water—the container of water should not be touching the pans. (I have to remove the turntable in my microwave to do this.) Allow to rise until batter extends a bit over the top of the pans–generally 30-50 minutes.

Standard method: Pour into two nonstick or well-greased loaf pans, place on a warm surface (such as on top of the pre-heated oven), and cover with a towel. Allow to rise until batter extends a bit over the top of the pan–generally 50-70 minutes. (Batter should take up about half the loaf pan before rising.)

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove loaf pans from oven and cover with aluminum foil. Return to oven and bake for an additional 35-45 minutes, depending on your oven. (Insert a toothpick or knife into the center to see if it comes out clean or doughy, if you aren’t sure when you pull out the bread.)

As with most breads, it is easiest to slice if you allow it to fully cool. But who can wait that long? I usually let it cool for a little bit, and then remove the loaves from the pans and place them on a rack to cool more while I slice it up. The bread tastes delicious warm, dipped in olive oil and herbs or spread with honey and ghee. It also works well for sandwiches after it has cooled. If you won’t be eating it within 2 days, after it’s cooled, slice it, wrap it in a couple of layers of plastic wrap, and freeze it. Never refrigerate this or other bread—it will get dry and hard if you do. If you leave the bread on the counter (wrapped), it will be good for all purposes for a couple of days. After that, it will be best used for bread pudding, French toast, croutons, etc.

We'll see how it goes... Jon is quickly checking off more allergens he is not tolerating. He also can not wear "normal" diapers anymore. He seems to react to the chemicals and we are now purchasing Seventh Gener@tion brand and "simple" wipes.

We are up for the challenge and pray for Jon to be as healthy as possible very soon!

Cliff Notes

So, here is the Cliff Notes version of our summer... we have been so busy with Wellspring, family, friends, some travel, birthdays, sickness, and surprises that updating the blog just hasn't happened. I know, I know... if anyone actually still checks this blog, it shouldn't come as a shock. The biggest news thus far is that Wellspring Church launches weekly preview services this Sunday and our official launch is September 13th!!! I honestly had no idea getting to this point would be so much work, but we are thrilled and can't wait to see what God is going to do in Myrtle Beach this fall! If you don't read my husbands blog or check our website often... I have to share that our location is absolutely incredible. We are at The Palace Theater in the heart of Myrtle Beach! God has shown us so much favor and we are thrilled to have such an incredible location to have services. I will post pictures of what our set up looks like when I remember to take my camera on a Sunday, ha. Now, for a glimpse of our family's fun summer:

We went to the zoo...





and had lots of beach time...


enjoyed sweet friends visiting from TX...
(Jake and Anne)


(Mary, Will, and Baby Coker on the way!!!)

turned the big FOUR!!!


did lots of swimming...





helped Aunt B and Uncle Matt get ready for baby Oliver...


played lots of baseball...


had sleepovers with cousins...


shared hugs...


our summer gave us lots to smile about!!!


*More birthday, beach, and family pictures to come!!!

We're expecting...kind of...

Didn't want to fool you guys again :)! My friend Beth had an awesome idea for gathering some stuff we need for our children's area for Wellspring. We currently have just a few things we unpack for the kids each week, but are excited to step it up soon. She said it better than I could, so I will let you read her post to get the details...


We are opening our doors and launching on September 13th! There are a LOT of things that we will need before the BIG DAY and we need items for our nursery and childrens' ministry! So we thought we would register and that it would be a great way to get the word out and let everyone know of our needs.

We know times are hard for everyone financially so if you have not been able to donate to Wellspring maybe this would be a way that you can. Even if you want to get 4 of your friends to go in together to buy a gift that would be great! Anything you can give will help us provide a fun place to minister to the children that attend Wellspring Church!

Also, please don't feel like you are limited to these lists. If you find something at a discount store or a yard sale that is in good shape please know that would be wonderful too! If you live out of state and need to mail the items, email Beth at bethgoff@ymail.com for the shipping address.

We desire to have a very child friendly, home-like feel to our childrens' area and want it to the a place babies, toddler, and kids will want to come back to week after week... YOU can make that happen!!

I really hope that you will take a look at our Target or Babies R Us registry and choose and item or two that you can donate to Wellspring Church! Gift cards to Target and Babies R Us would be wonderful too if you don't want to pay for shipping of an item.


**When searching the LAST NAME and FIRST NAME are "Wellspring".**

Also, TELL YOUR FRIENDS!!

Tell those close to you about our church and what we are doing and see if they might want to donate as well! I cannot tell you how many times we have received support from people we don't even know BUT someone told them about us and God led them to give. So PLEASE tell those you know!!! You could send them a link to this blog by email, on twitter, post it on Facebook or do a blog post on YOUR BLOG.

We hope to have all items gathered by August 28th if possible.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support!

We are very busy and have been working hard to minister to our community. Thanks again for all of your prayers and I hope to begin blogging again soon... we've had an amazing summer and I can't wait to share pictures!

Thanks!

Thank you all so much for your encouragement and suggestions! I am happy to report that eliminating soy and greatly limiting wheat/gluten has made for some better days around here. I am going to follow up with a new pediatric allergist and push for some blood tests to see exactly what we are dealing with as far as diet is concerned. Also, I plan to start posting some recipes to share on here with all of you fellow allergy mamas. I am getting some great ideas from my new friend, Gwen. For now, we are just happy that these two...


are back together and we are enjoying lots of time with visiting friends and family! Summers in MB are so much fun!!!

Food Allergies

So, as most of you know Jonathan has been tested for and declared allergic to dairy, eggs, and peanuts. This allergy road is not exactly fun and can be lonely at times. After recent email chats with Head Lima Bean and her son's latest symptoms, I thought I'd give a little back ground on how we ended up here and what is next...

How did we know Jon had food allergies?
Jon had eczema from the beginning (or at least after a week or two of age). I knew it was possible that he would have some kind of intolerance to diary due to the degree that his eczema persisted. At the age of 4 months, I tried cereal with a touch of milk based formula mixed in. Jon's entire mouth was covered in red splotches and bumps. I knew then that I had to cut out all dairy from my diet and we switched him over to soy formula if we supplemented. His eczema lessened greatly and we moved forward with eliminating all dairy from his diet. At the age of 10 months he accidently ate egg off the floor (don't ask!) and he was covered in hives within minutes. So we added eggs to the list, but were advised by my pediatrician to wait until one year of age to do any testing. At one, Jon was skin tested and we added peanuts to the list. We are armed with an epi-pen and benadryl at all times. However, Jon does not seem to have a deathly reaction to any of the above items. He does not break out if he touches the products, nor has he ever had an episode where he stopped breathing.

What does he eat?
Jon is basically a vegan. He won't eat meat by choice, he can't eat eggs, dairy, or peanuts, therefore we feed him what we can... his daily diet consists of:
wheatberries & honey
cheerios
soy milk
any fruit... he loves fruit!
couscous with added veggies
organic spaghetti with added veggies
applesauce
toast with honey
vegan pancakes
tortillas
yeah... not a great diet.

So we add supplements:
whole food vitamins (2x's a day)
rice protein to his soy milk
flaxseed to his couscous and spaghetti


Does this help Jon and is he completely "allergy free"?
Well, honestly I thought he was... but skin tests are not conclusive so I am afraid we might be adding more to the list of allergens. Jon has been suffering from chronic diarrhea off and on for many months. Yes, his diet is high in fiber, but I cut out a lot of the fiber for weeks at a time, including limiting his sugar even more so and it doesn't subside. I've been told it is everything from simple toddler diarrhea to needing to see a specialist in Charleston. Also, his eczema is starting to flare again. I've done enough research to know that he doesn't take in any probiotics from his diet. We add those in as well with special "non-diary" probiotic supplements. However, they don't seem to be working. We cloth diaper at home to help with the rashes that accompany the diarrhea but I know it is an internal problem, not an external one.

So what is next?
Soy. We are going to see if switching to almond and/or rice milk and eliminating as much soy as possible from his diet will work. I've been doing a lot of research on soy and you can read one great article here. I've found I have to be careful as the internet is full of "articles" that contradict one another. So, we are trying new things and hoping one will work!

I welcome advice or suggestions if any of my readers have children with allergies. I would love recipes that your allergic children enjoy. The hardest part now is that he is a hungry toddler who is picky... that and I MISS cheese desperately :)!!!

Jonathan 18 months

I know parents say it all the time, but where does the time go?!? Jon-Jon is already 18 months old and is quite the wild man :)! I guess most 18 month olds can be described this way, but Jon certainly has a lot of, ahem, PASSION. Like his brother, he knows what he wants and you can't change his mind easily or distract him either. Only, Jon responds with a full fit if you don't understand or the answer is no... we're working on it and he has already gotten better since he can say a few more words. And, while he is passionate about his thoughts he also loves deeply... he cuddles, hugs, kisses, and laughs with abandonment. He reminds me daily that God sent his Son so that we may have life to the fullest. Jon lives that way already. What a joy! Here are some 18 month stats:

Words: mama, dada, david, most other immediate family, crackers, drink, snack, truck, duck, banana, apple, dog, where is it?, no, trash, spiderman, batman, Jesus, help, stuck, potty... I'm sure there are more but I can't think of it all right now.
Favorite foods: bananas, crackers, couscous, apples, pears, spaghetti, vegan pancakes
Favorite books: any Wiggles (ugh.), Goodnight Moon, Colors, Farm Animals, Baseball ABC/123
Favorite movie: any Wiggles (ugh again.)
Favorite activities: whatever David is doing, block, beach (jumping waves/digging in the sand/chasing birds), slides, jump houses.
Potty Training: Yes... he seems to show signs of being ready. He asks to go and points to his diaper when it is dirty. He wants to be just like David so I'm guessing this plus the fact that we do some cloth diapering has helped. Only problem... I don't know how to teach a kid this young!!! Suggestions are welcomed!

A few more...
He only likes to sit on the stools like a big boy.

He loves to play outside, including wagon rides and watching neighbors walk their dogs. He LOVES dogs!

He sleeps like this... his yellow "night, night", a paci, and his feet tucked under. He loves to bring you his blanket and cuddle any time of day!

This was taken on his last day of school. Due to his birthdate he will be in the 1's class again next year... he is excited to not be the baby of the class, but instead one of the oldest!

*I am preparing an allergy post soon... we are still eliminating dairy, eggs, and peanuts from his diet. However, he still has bad issues with diarrhea and his eczema has been flaring up again so it's back to the drawing board. I have a whole list of this part of Jon's world to share!

Just funny...

(This picture was taken a few weeks ago... Jon is laughing, not choking... promise!)


So, last night I was reading a book to Jon-Jon. David is away with family and Jon is enjoying all of his extra reading time, he truly loves books. The book I was reading was a counting book and at the end it reviews all the numbers in order. Well, I started counting "1, 2..." and Jon goes "DAVID!!!" really loud. I guess the poor baby had never heard me count other than to warn his brother he was about to be in big trouble :)! What a funny guy.