How You Know You or Someone You Love Has Celiac

Somehow Celiac Awareness Month scooted by in May, and I didn't post anything Celiac related.  That's a good thing; Celiac doesn't dominate our lives the way it did right after D and Wren were diagnosed.  Of course, we still have to be just as diligent, but that diligence is now second nature, habit.  It feels less like a nuisance and more like just living our lives.

Still, there are moments when you know what you're experiencing is Celiac specific.  I'd like to share a few:

You Know You or Someone You Love Has Celiac When:

1.  You are hungry for toast, but by the time you defrost your bread, broil it so it's not soggy and let it cool so you don't burn your tongue, you don't remember why the bread sounded good in the first place.

2.  You dread people cooking food and bringing it to your house because you have to politely smile and then find another family without 26 food allergies or sensitivies to eat it.

3.  Your grocery budget rivals your mortgage payment.

4.  No matter where you go, you bring your own cooler.

5.  When someone says "animal crackers" or "goldfish crackers", you immediately go on alert as if someone screamed "shark" or "zombie attack."

6.  Your pantry is full of essential oils, homeopathic remedies and vitamins because if the person with Celiac gets sick and needs an antibiotic, that means you have to call the companies who make antibiotics and experience red rage because they have no idea what is in their products.

7.  Everyone in your house is way too comfortable talking about farts.

8.  The people at the very few restaurants you can eat at scream, "Celiac on the floor" and start changing gloves before you even put in your order.

9.  Most restaurant managers in the area hate you because of all the questions you call and ask before you eat at their place.  They really hate that you call back four times using different accents to make sure you get the same answers from each person who touches the food.

10.  When someone who has just had their hands on Wonder Bread attempts to touch your gluten-free food, you slap them, explain basic food manners, then explain Celiac food etiquette including the words, "Your crumbs kill people." 

Happy Celiac Awareness month two months late!

One Year, Four Kids

The twins turned one on June 19th. I really imagined on that day I would cry and reflect and just be overwhelmed by my youngest kids turning one. It’s true that the days are long but the years are short, and this year flew by. However, I was saved weeping for 24 hours by hand, foot, and mouth disease. Actually, I still wept but it was delayed for five days and then mainly because I hadn’t slept in a week, couldn’t remember the last time I showered, and felt like the personal Jersey cow for two breastmilk-crazed zombie babies. And I had watched my sweet girls suffer for days. That was the worst.

Here are some tidbits I want to remember about the first year now that I have time to remember:

Asher and Eowyn are both standing on their own. Neither is walking yet (update:  Asher took her first steps on June 27th.) They just like to balance on their chubby little legs and prepare to lung. I’m not sure if they are preparing to walk or fly.

Both say “da-da” and “mama” and Asher says her own name. Eowyn says “hi there.”

They weigh 16 pounds each, which puts them both in the less than 1 percentile for weight. Whatever. That’s 32 pounds worth of baby for me to carry, so I think God knew what he was doing when he made them tiny. They are healthy!

What We’ve Learned During the First Year of Twins

 

Eowyn, Mommy, and Asher

 

People think we are super parents because we have twins and a large family. We're not. On a daily basis D and I have a lot more opportunities to do it right or screw it up, and having tons of people in close proximity all the time teaches the true definition of grace.

They can fight, which I've read is good because it means they aren't too dependent on each other and see themselves as worthy individuals. They also are okay with being together or in different rooms.

They can love. They still cuddle and hold hands. They twin chatter every morning. They crack each other up.

They are hugely attached to me. I know, aren't all kids attached to mom? But I do have to admit that when I was pregnant, I wondered if they would need me as much or attach to me as thoroughly as Wren and Sam did because they have each other. They attached. They are securely attached!

They are very identical and very much their own people. It's weird because they are generally described as "the most identical twins" anyone has ever seen. Appearance aside, they have some commonalities, some differences, and I view them as distinctly themselves, even though it's hard to tell them apart.

Wren and Sammy were born to be older siblings. I'm not exaggerating when I say I do not know how I would have survived without the older two through this transition. They've retrieved diapers, entertained babies so I could shower, made me laugh when I was sleep deprived, and taken care of each other. Daily I wonder if I'm homeschooling them or if they are schooling me. I think I'm probably learning more, healthier habits from them.

People are still fascinated with twins/big families. I think after this year, I know what it must be like to be tailed by paparazzi. We can't go many places that people don't comment on the size of our family and that we have twins. Most comments are very kind. Some folks take offense to us trying to be fruitful.  But seriously, when you look at all this preciousness, how can you not understand why we have a herd?

 

Asher, Eowyn, Wren, and Sammy