A mini-CutiePie?

Wow, it has been over a year since I updated CutiePie's blog!  Hard to believe.  The older she gets, the faster time goes.  Life with a toddler sure is busy.  But life is about to get even MORE busy because.....


Wait for it....

CutiePie is going to be a big sister!!  That's right - I am pregnant with baby #3 and due with a boy in the beginning of June.  Adding another member to our family was a very carefully calculated risk.  We always wanted a big family (when my husband and I first started dating he claimed he wanted EIGHT kids!!)  BUT our history of having kids with food issues is scary.  CutiePie is in a really good place right now with her FPIES and has grown out of almost all her triggers - even an accidental exposure to rice "only" led to increased reflux, some discomfort, and some pretty gross diapers.  But i'll take reflux and stinky diapers over uncontrollable vomiting any day!  And I think our comfort level in managing CutiePie's care made the decision to go ahead and try to add to our family an easier decision, but it doesn't make the prospect of having another FPIES kiddo any easier to swallow. 

I.  Am.  Terrified. 

Terrified of reactions.  Terrified of having to go through an elimination diet while breastfeeding again.  Terrified of how much FPIES ends up restricting our social lives.  Terrified of the doctor visits and bills and tests.  Right now I'm kinda at the point of if I don't think about it, it won't happen.  BUT the reality is in three short months I am going to be on high alert for those tell-tale mucus filled diapers that smell like buttery popcorn.  That's how it all started with CutiePie. 

With all that fear and the unknown approaching, we are taking some extra precautions with this new little one.  I will be starting an abbreviated elimination diet several weeks before the baby arrives.  I haven't decided exactly what I will be cutting, but rice and probably oats will be a definite.  I am still debating on milk and soy - although they are big FPIES triggers and BOTH my kids have had issues with dairy, it is completely selfish reasoning that I don't want to give it up unless I HAVE to.  Giving up dairy is HARD. 

We've also decided not to vaccinate this baby at all.  We stopped vaccinations with CutiePie at a year old, and honestly I credit that as the biggest factor in her recovery.  It has been amazing watching her body heal itself.  Not saying that vaccines CAUSED her FPIES, but there is no doubt in my mind that at the very least it aggravated/worsened it.  And the more research I've done on vaccines, the less belief I have in them, so this baby will be unvaccinated for AT LEAST his first two years of life. 

We will also delay the introduction of solids as long as possible - probably until at least 7 or 8 months old.  And when we do decide, we will be leaving grains off the menu for a while.  Right now I say I would like to wait until around 18 months old before introducing any type of grain, but we will wait and see how it goes.  (I'd love for at least ONE of my kids to have a normal first birthday cake from a real bakery!!).  And of course, this little one will be breastfed as long as possible.  I made it exclusively pumping for CutiePie for 19 months.  I am just praying as hard as I can that this little one will nurse well and we can have a "normal" breastfeeding relationship for at least that long.  Ideally I would love to make it until he turns two.  Again, we'll just see how it goes!  If I've learned one thing from my children is that plans almost never go as you expect! 

But for now, this little man is just rockin and rollin in my tummy.  Hard to believe only three short months and he will be in our arms and life will get a whole lot more interesting!  And CutiePie is going to be a fun big sister.  She is the goofy one in this house, and she is one of the funniest kids I know.  She keeps us laughing all day long!  She is almost 100% potty trained, knows all her letters, can count to 10, and is FINALLY growing out of her 18 month clothes.  She is still a little peanut, but what she lacks in size she makes up for in spunk.  We have her 2 1/2 year check-up later this week so we will see where she stands on the growth charts, but developmentally she is right on track!  And she gets more and more beautiful by the day.   This girl is going to have the boys following her around like crazy one day (although not if her daddy has anything to do with that!!).