January 2009- toddlers turning 15mths and all that jazz (really just a new thread so DOG can fit it on her poncey iphone!)

[PatTheHammer]

Good enough for ya dog .

And sorry I do realise some are only turning 14 mths and some are nearly 16mths etc,etc......apologies!

All officially toddlers now though i think (well 120's H and HKZ's J are pulling up/taking steps now I think, think mostly everyone walking of some sort!) Scary thought!

[moosemama]

Harrumph, just posted on the other thread - I knew that would happen!

Dog - just had a lovely veggie roast dinner, with roast carrots, parsnips, beetroot, swede and carrot mash, peas, broccoli, mange tout, loads of roastie taters, yorkshire puddings and a stack of stuffing. Followed by apple and blackberry strudel and custard. Yum. Tasted great (even moreso cos dh cooked it all) despite my sore mouth.

Am now watching back to back Ace of Cakes on the good food channel. Oooo I wish I could make cakes like that!

A sounds like my ds2, I swear that boy can trip over thin air!

[PatTheHammer]

Dog- chickpeas/apricots/onions/butternut squash/ginger/coriander/squeeze of lemon and small amount of dried chilli form the base. You could just add more veggies and use veg stock rather than beef.

What's wrong with cous-cous??? My DC's love it but it is a bloody mess!

Moose- does not sound like much of a fun easter and sorry about probs with DS again. My DD can hurt herself without anything or anyone being within 10 yards of her, that 'air' is dangerous y'know. That dinner sounds lovely though, what is your strudel recipe?

[PatTheHammer]

Sand- he-he You let it steam/soak enough and add nice glug of olive oil and it shouldn't be 'sandy'

Risotto- yummy-yum-yum, I bet 120 could give you some great veggie risotto recipes. Its another of my DC's faves so i make it a lot. In fact, making it on weds to use up rest of butternut squash!

[moosemama]

Strudel recipe: go to Tesco, buy strudel, return home, remove packaging, place in oven and cook for half an hour!

I read somewhere that they are more inclined to trip and fall regularly when they are going through a growth spurt. By that, I reckon ds2 should be at least 8ft tall by now. I once had three phonecalls in one day from the school for him hitting his head, followed by the teacher telling me about another one just before I went to fetch him!

Whenever I want something really tasty and filling, but can't be bothered to cook I do an oven baked omelette/tortilla. Just boil up some spuds, chuck in an oven dish with whatever veg you have, some herbs eggs and milk and you are away. Mmmmm.

Pat, its ok, Easter wasn't a total washout. We've had some fun as well. The boys helped dh wax the van yesterday while dd 'helped' from her lofty back-carrier viewpoint and they all went the park with the dog to fly a kite this afternoon. Dh has also played endless games of chess with ds1 as that seems to be the only thing that engages and calms him at the moment.

Its just so frustrating that we'd got him sorted, settled and chugging along nicely after we discovered it was inadvertent gluten that was causing all the problems last time, only for us to have to effectively poison him just to get a definitive test result. As he went to bed last night he said "Daddy I am just hopeless aren't I, I just can't get anything right at the moment." I'm going to call the paediatrician this week and ask if we can bypass the test and get reffered for some help from a dietician instead.

[PatTheHammer]

Lol moose, that's my kina recipe

Tortilla thing sounds yummy, it was good kite-flying weather today wasn't it. DD announced loudly 'I don't like the wind' whilst attempting to eat her venison sausage at the castle today, cue loads of titters from onlookers and a 'there's not much I can do about that!' from me. We have had, 'I don't like clouds','I don't like the sky' and 'I don't like grass' before too, shes a real bundle of joy sometimes!

at 'hopeless aren't i'. I think you are wise to consult the dietician, you seem to describe such an obvious difference that it must be at least a very contributory factor to his behaviour even if not the cause?

[moosemama]

Thanks guys. I have been doing some research and it seems that mood and behaviour problems are common in people (particularly children) who have coeliacs.

I was on a coeliacs discussion board earlier and there were several people discussing exactly the same type of reactions in their diagnosed coeliac children when they are inadvertently exposed to gluten in their diet.

In fact, having read what I have recently and seen the violent reaction ds has had to having it reintroduced, I am starting to question whether he actually has asd or if the whole thing is gluten related. I suppose we won't know without him being tested, which is the frustrating thing. I just can't bear the thought of putting him or us through this for another three months until his test on 6 July.

[moosemama]

Hi Books

The best test for coeliacs tests for five different types of antibodies. tTG (anti-tissue tranglutaminase) and EMA (anti-endomysial antibodies) are specific to gluten testing. If you test positive for tTGs it highly probably that you have coeliacs. If you test positive for both types of antibodies its pretty much definite. The other antibodies they test for aren't actually coeliac specific but help to give a clearer picture.

As coeliac disease causes bowel damage (hence the presence of antibodies) once someone has been off gluten for a period of time, the gut has had chance to heal and therefore less antibodies are present. In order to be formally diagnosed coeliac you need to have above a certain level of antibodies plus certain other indicators present at the time you are tested. So, the only way to get a positive test result is to expose the gut/bowel to gluten for a prolonged period before the test. For children, they need to have eaten 'at least' a minimum of two to three slices or wholegrain bread (or the equivalent) every day for a minimum of three months beforehand.

Its horrible, basically you have to undo all the healing that has taken place in the bowel and allow it to be damaged all over again, just so they can make a diagnosis.

Unfortunately, if the blood test does prove positive for coeliacs, they then take a bowel biopsy to assess the level of damage as well.

[moosemama]

Forgot to say. Egg hunt sounds like fun. You are so good. I am a bad, bad Mummy who hasn't done anything with her dcs so far this holiday.

[120]

hello all, too tired to do much.

Just want to send massive > to MissJ. Hope you are looking after yourself very well. We are all here for you.

Can recommend the simple courgette risotto on my blog or doing arrancini (risotto balls with a filling), which are absolutely delicious. I used to absolutely hate risotto as tasteless stodge, but found out that it really was down to bad cooking. They do need a good salad or some crunchy seeds to keep the taste interesting though. Some lovely chunky prawns help too.

Glad everyone had a good Easter. Ours was lovely. Today we went to the National Portrait Gallery, then the playground in St Jame's Park. And it was sunny! Lovely.

Night night.

[moosemama]

Yep, its a horrible thing to put a child through for the sake of a diagnosis, but there's no other way apparently. That's why we are questioning the value of a diagnosis, when the only treatment is a gf diet anyway.

In America they have developed a gene test, but then they do the normal tests as well as not everyone with the gene develops the disease.

Thats almost exactly what I told him last night.

We have been having to get him up to the toilet before we go to bed at night, as he started to wet the bed after about a week and a half of being back on the gluten (caused by bowel inflammation apparently).

So when I went to get him up last night, he looked really despondent and I told him he is absolutely not hopeless, its the horrible, silly gluten that is the problem, not him and that we all love him very much and we know its the gluten and that he can't help it.

[moosemama]

Oooh 120 I have had arrancini on my 'want to make' list for ages, but never seem to get around to actually making it. We are huge risotto fans here as well, with the bonus being that its gluten free of course.

[120]

Moose, lets see if we can perfect a recipe! I also have a lovely Russian stuffed cabbage recipe (blanched cabbage leaves stuffed with rice and mince and then baked). Will hunt through my cookbooks and have a go.

now I really am off to bed!

[moosemama]

I've been asking the same question Books. The problem is that coeliacs is more than just an allergy to gluten as it can have serious long-term health implications, so they really need to know for sure. I think the health implications get more serious the older you are at diagnosis, but if you test positive they then need to monitor you regularly for signs of associated illness and disease.

I bought him some speech bubble post-it notes in bright colours which I use to write little notes on and stick up around the place and in his school bag and diary etc.

[moosemama]

Me too. Night Books.

[teaandcakeplease]

Go off for one afternoon and I can't keep up with you lot

[stripeywoollenhat]

hello eveybody, nice thread title pat - though c is not technically toddling yet. she has been experimenting with standing up, though, so i guess it won't be that long...

missj, hope you are okay

moose, that's so rubbish for poor ds1, but it sounds like it's important to find out. i hope the post-its help him, you are thoughtful

it seems like it has been ages since i posted, i can't possibly manage to catch up... dog, my dp makes a gorgeous mushroom risotto: bad risotto is truly minging, but done properly it's yum. needs a good stock and constant attention. also not a big fan of cous-cous, though i can eat it. it is a bit gritty, though

books - seriously, a fifty minute tantrum? is this what i have to look forward to? c has been getting right shouty about things lately, i sense a toddler in the offing, even if she isn't yet toddling. we had extended howling today, but it was because she had managed somehow to whack her face off either the floor or the hoover (my back was turned) and cut her top lip with her bottom teeth. there was a lot of blood, and i was briefly hysterical too, didn't know what she had done to herself. fortunately, it looked a whole lot worse than it was. poor little girl took ages to get over it, though, she's never really hurt herself before.

am exhausted, so am going to go to bed but hopefully will be back tomorrow