MILK!

It is the wee hours of the morning on Wednesday. I was sooo tired and went to bed just after we got the kids in bed. Ephraim woke up around 1:30 am for a feeding so now I am doing all my nightly duties before I go back to bed.

Monday after work we had a message from Ephraim's GI specialist that all his blood tests were negative and we could proceed with the reintroduction of milk. So this, well technically yesterday, morning Ephraim had one ounce of milk. Today he will get two ounces.

He did fine, but it usually takes about two days to see an effect. Thursday he has his one year check-up with our pediatrician, so I will get her to check his stool for blood. Keep him in your prayers and I will update when there is something to update. Thanks everyone!

Ephraim is ONE!

Happy Birthday my sweet little boy!







Look how little he was when he was born!

My water broke just after midnight one year ago today. Ephraim Thomas was born at 5:33 p.m. and weighed 7 lb 12 oz and was 21 inches long.

He now is trying to walk, has five teeth, and has a vocabulary of Dada, Mama, uh oh, baby, cat, and bye-bye. He jabbers all the time. He is such a sweet and happy boy - a blessing!

Ephraim's Doctor's Appt.

Thursday Ephraim had his appointment with his pediatric GI specialist about his many food allergies. If you remember, he had some bleeding when we got back from the beach. The doctor said since he'd had a problem so recently that he would do some blood tests that he usually only does if a child fails the challenge test. So, after our appointment we went over to the lab at the hospital and had blood drawn. They will check it for antibodies to the 5 most common allergens - eggs, milk, soy, nuts, and wheat. It should take about a week to get the results.

If we get positive blood test results, then the doctor will refer us to an allergy specialist. If the results are negative, Ephraim may still have allergies (the test has a high percentage of false negatives), but we are to proceed with the challenge test. For the challenge test, I will start giving Ephraim some milk, increasing the amount each day and watching for symptoms and also checking his stool for blood. The process takes almost 2 weeks.

There is something he can drink if he fails the milk challenge test. Either way I am weaning the boy. I think feeding him a year is fair. It is time for me to eat! So, maybe in a month or so I will be able to eat... ANYTHING I WANT!

Many have asked what my first meal will be... Mexican food... and I am going to pour a whole bowl of cheese dip across my plate! Yum!

Inspirational

Back in May I posted about Christian singer songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman and the death of his youngest daughter. ABC News did a wonderful story on them today. You can read and watch the story here... (have Kleenex close by).

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=5519704&page=1

A Miracle is Occuring ...

Yes, it's true. Both of my children are napping at the same time. It is truly a miracle! Ellie doesn't really take naps anymore unless she just happens to fall asleep somewhere - like watching TV today. I came home from work to a quiet house and thought, "what in the world should I do..." I'll update the blog!

The week before this past week we were at the beach all week with my family - my parents, my three sisters, & their families - a total of 17 of us. It is an annual event. (We didn't go last year because I was SOOO pregnant). Anyway, we had a great time this year. The only bad thing was that because of the tropical storm the ocean was closed for four days while we were there. Ellie didn't like that a bit but we kept her plenty busy! We drove down to Seaside one day and went to Gulf World Marine Park one day - both nice alternatives to the ocean. Here are some pictures for your enjoyment...

When we got back from the beach, the next night Ephraim was up all night, obviously miserable. You guessed it, he was bleeding again. Despite my best efforts to safely eat out a few (and only a few) times while we were on vacation, my baby boy has yet to outgrow his "protein intolerance". How frustrating! Less than 2 weeks until our appointment with his GE physician. No problems since then, though. I am back on my normal diet.

This past Thursday, we went to see Coach Mark Richt. He was in Ringgold. We told Ellie he'd sign her football, but his plane was late & then he had to leave on time so he didn't do autographs. She did, however, get her picture made with the cheerleaders. She was happy with that. And she loves Hairy Dawg. So she was especially excited that she got to see him. I didn't get a pic of her with him - maybe next time. Ephraim wore his Georgia shirt, too!

That's probably all of the major events we've experienced these past few weeks. I must mention one last thing... while at the beach I did read a really good book. It's called The Shack by William P. Young. It was highly recommended by several of my friends. I, too, would highly recommend it. For more info check out www.theshackbook.com .

Lazy Days of Winter, Maybe?

So, who in the world coined the phrase, "the lazy days of summer"? They are so wrong. Is anyone out there being lazy this summer? I think not because I just got caught up on my blog reading. I was feeling bad because I haven't posted in so long. Everyone else's blog seems to be suffering as well. I'm thinking winter, now that's a time to be lazy. Being cold makes me want to do nothing. Anyway, what have the McGhee's been up to, you may ask...

Scott's brother, his wife & their three children came for a visit from Ohio over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. We don't get to see them much, so it was a really nice visit. Ellie had so much fun playing with her cousins. Maggie slept on the trundle in Ellie's room. This was Ellie's first sleep-over experience - which she totally loved!

Ephraim has been crawling everywhere and pulling up on everything he can get his hands on. I am still giving him baby food - he seems to not like solids. I'm not pushing it until we get past his "challenge test" on August 14th. Please pray, pray, pray that he will "pass" so that the little fella can have milk and related proteins. I don't want him to have to eat like I've been eating these past 8 months.

Last week we went to the Free Family Fun night at Creative Discovery Museum in Chattanooga. They do it once a month. We are members, so it's not the freeness we care about so much as the extended hours - open until 8pm (instead of the usual 5:30). Ellie had a blast. The book mobile was also there giving away free books. Then we walked up to the 7:15pm Lookouts game and stayed there about an hour. Such a bargain - $8.00. Ellie is such a baseball fan. She actually sat there and watched the game and asked questions. We were also on Channel 3 news - you really couldn't see me, but I'm hiding behind Scott. Check out the link below.

So far a busy month!


Ellie and her cousin, Maggie.

Ephraim - he's pulling up on everything these days!

Take me out to the ballgame