Wow...I haven't posted in awhile...

So now that we know she definitely does have Celiac Disease our lives have gotten harder and easier at the same time.  Harder because she has to be gluten-free and easier because since I know what food do and do not contain gluten.  Also, her allergies and asthma seem to be getting better since she has been completely gluten-free.  It makes me think that she has a weak immune system since Celiac Disease is an auto-immune disorder which would make since that she gets sick very easily and has several environmental allergies.

I called Dr. Semancik's office last week to give them her 3-month update and they were very pleased she was doing so well.  The very next day she became sick with a  cold & ear infection that has now turned into bronchitis and has been out of school for about 7 days.  She is currently on breathing treatments and just finished up her antibiotics yesterday.  The weather has gotten much colder here recently and she always seems to get very ill this time of year.

Now that we have Celiacs under control; it's just the normal day to day routine of dealing with a child who has medical issues...story of my life...

Well...she has Celiac Disease

Grace had her endoscopy on July 11th in Anchorage and Dr, Semancik said everything looked very good while he was performing the procedure, but I would have to call his office towards the end of that same week.

I talked to Dr. Semancik on July 14th and he confirmed that her biopsy was positive for Celiac Disease and she probably has Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) from the damage caused by Celiac's.

Grace and I both took the news pretty ahrd at first, but I decided to put my "big-girl panties" on and try to make this situation positive.  Therefore, I am attempting to start a support group here in Kodiak for other parents of Celiac kids.  I've decided to call it "Celiac Kids of Kodiak"  and I've started a Facebook page with the same name.  I'm planning on putting up flyers around my area and going from there.  I've spoken with the Celiac Disease Foundation (CDF) and they are also sending me some information on how to foster this support group.  Hopefully the support group will be able to meet at least once a month and offer discussions, gluten-free product/recipe ideas, guest speakers and gluten-free "parties" for the kids.

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Called Dr.'s Office Today...

So I reached Dr. Semancik's nurse and told her how well the new meds have been working and they obviously told us to continue taking them.  I confirmed that she is scheduled to have an endoscopy procedure on July 11th, but first she will have an appointment with the doctor on July 7th.  Also, she does not need to be off the meds prior to the procedure.  After the confirmation of the procedure on the 11th, I now had to make arrangements for Grace and I to stay longer in Anchorage since the rest of our family (Dad, brother and in-laws) will be leaving for Kodiak at 6:45am on that same morning.  Since we booked our tickets using our airline miles, it still cost $75 + 10,000 miles each to change out flights and with miles transfers and purchases it cost u ad extra $250 for us to stay in Anchorage for an extra 4-5 hours, but it is so worth it for her to have this procedure and get to the bottom of what her actual diagnosis.  Another good thing I learned while on the phone with Alaska Airlines several times is that now kids (minors) are allowed transfer miles to others...AWESOME!!!  So glad things are starting to look better!!!

New Miracle Medication!!!

Since my last post, Grace has been very regular with her digestion and feeling much better.  But she was still getting severe stomach pains and gas, so I called and talked with Dr. Semancik's nurse and instead of us having to come to Anchorage before her appointment in July they called in a prescription to our pharmacy here in Kodiak and started her on Bentyl (aka Dicyclomine) that treats stomach spasms; it's a common medication for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).  She is to take this medication prior to eating up to 4x per day.  This is our "miracle medication" and she has taking it, she has been able to eat anything as long as she takes her "little blue pill" before.  At our local Fair Celebration otherwise known as the Kodiak Crab Festival she was able to enjoy herself and eat any of the "fair food" she desired.  I am scheduled to call back to Dr. Semacik's this Wednesday to give them an update of how this medication is working and I am actually very excited to call because her symptoms and the meds to treat it may be narrowing the scope of the diagnosis she may have.  She is still scheduled to have an endoscopy in July so we will know for sure what she has or does not have.  Also, we are all but convinced that she doe not have Celiac's Disease because it's symptoms are not known to be treated with any medication. Once I have reached Dr. Semancik's office I will post and update.

Treating the Current Symptoms

Upon meeting Dr. Semancik, Grace's new Pediatric Gastroenterologist, I think I expected him to be more kid-friendly since he specializes with children; but he was extremely helpful and informative.  Once we met with the doctor we spent about 45 minutes with him explaining Grace's many symptoms since birth, but more importantly her current symptoms of cycles of diarrhea and constipation.  He ended up giving Grace a rectal exam to check the muscles that allow her to go to the bathroom and he could tell that she was extremely backed up.  Also, MAJOR UPDATE, she may or may not have Celiac Disease, we will find out for sure in July when she has an endoscopy and they take a biopsy to make an official diagnosis.  Although, her blood levels indicated she may have Celiac's, these levels could also indicate other issues; such as allergies or insensitives to certain foods.  So to treat the current symptoms her prescribed, Mirolax, a stool softener that she takes in a dissolvable powder form mixed in liquid every day.  He said she she has had these issues for so long she will probably have to be on this medication for at least 2 years to be completely regular.  Since being on these new meds she has been feeling soooo much better.  The first week was hot or miss, but now she is consistently going 1-2 times daily and hardly getting any stomach aches. Dr. Semacik also said to keep her on a gluten-free and limited dairy diet.  So now we have to follow up with the doctor in mid-May to update his office and possibly decide how we are going to move forward for the appointment in July.  In order to determine if she has Celiac's she has to be back on gluten for at least 2 weeks prior to having the endoscopy, so we have decided to gradually start reintroducing gluten once school gets out at the end of May.  We are thinking it is more of a digestion/food insensitivity issue rather than Celiac's because of how well this new medicine is working.  So now it's another waiting game...

Off to Anchorage...

So Grace has still been having a lot of issues with constipation and/or diarrhea accompanied with severe stomach cramps.  I decided I would try to contact a nurse at the Pediatric Gastrointerology Clinic where she has an appointment in July to see if they had any suggestions and they said they would have to see he first.  Long story short, we have an appointment with Dr. Semancik on Tuesday, April 19th.

My mom was gracious enough to let me transfer some of her air miles so we could try to fly for "free", but I was only able to book 1-way on miles and we have to pay full fare to get back.   guess that's what we get for relocating to an island in Alaska...lol.   Grace and I are definitely going to make the most of the day aka "Our Girls Day" in Anchorage.  We are leaving at 8:30am and won't be back to Kodiak until 7pm.

I am just really hoping to get some answers or even some kind of meds or vitamins to help regulate her system.  She seems to be in agony and nothing I can do seems to help. 

Hoping to Get More Answers...

When Grace last visited Dr. Demain here in Kodiak he referred her to see a Pediatric Gastrointernologist in Anchorage.  I called the office of Dr. Semancik at Providence in Anchorage and got an appointment the week in July that we will be visiting Anchorage.  It actually worked out perfect...we (Chad, Zach, Grace & I) fly into Anchorage on the evening of July 6th, then the very next day Grace has her appointment at 8:30am and then Zach has an appointment with Dr. Neeno (an allergist at Dr. Demain's office) right down the street, then my in-laws arrive at 12:15pm later that same day.  We then have another 3 1/2 days on the Mainland to have some fun.  We've rented a condo with a full kitchen in order to be able to make our own meals since we cannot eat in most restaurants with the possibility of gluten cross-contamination. We also have plans to visit the zoo, the waterpark and take the train to Seward.  We've been here in Alaska for 4 years and my kids still have not been to Anchorage or the Mainland for a visit, so e decided this was the year!

At the visit with the gastrointerologist they will determine if Grace needs to have an endoscopy.  I have a feeling that this will need to happen because she has been gluten-free for more than 6 months and she has bouts of stomach pains, diarrhea and/or constipation.  If she does have to get the endoscopy, her and I will have to reschedule our return flights and stay a few extra hours.

I guess I'm still a little irritated that it took us moving to Alaska to find out what was ultimately her diagnosis.  She was constantly sick (at least once per month) and no one ever thought to run any extra tests/blood work for her.  I have come to the realization that mother's intuition and being your own child's doctor is the only way to really get to the bottom of what is going on.  Although, I am so very thankful for Dr. Jennifer Webster (Family Practice) for initially referring Grace to Dr. Jeffrey Demain (Pediatric Allergist/Immunologist) and ultimately getting her diagnosis.  I am also very hopeful to meet Dr. Semancik and finding out if there is anything else we can do to help Grace.

Valentine's Day 2011

I found a great Sugar Cookie Recipe in a cookbook that my mom gave me for Christmas.  I decided to cut them into heart shapes and then pipe a pink frosting heart with sprinles on the top for the kid's class parties.

Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies
from the 1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes cookbook by Carol Fenster

Makes 24 servings

1/2 c. (1 stick) butter
1 c. granulated sugar
1 T. packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
2 t. vanilla extract
2 c. gluten-free flour blend (I used a Sorghum blend from this cookbook)
1 t. xanthan gum
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt

1. Place a rack in the lowe-middle position and another in the upper-middle position of the oven.  Preheat oven to 375.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar fro 1 minute or until smooth.  Beat in egg and vanilla.  Gradually add flour blend, xanthan gum, baking powder & salt and beat on low speed until well blended. 

3. Roll out 1/4 of daough on lightly dusted cutting surface. Cut out into desired shapes.

4.  Once you have 2 cookie sheets prepared, bake 12-15 minutes, roatating sheets between racks halfway through baking.  Cool 2-3 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. 

Creamy White Frosting
from Better Homes & Garden New Cookbook

1 c. shortening
2 t. vanilla
1 lb. powdered sugar (about 4 cups)
3-4 T. milk (I use lactose-free)
food coloring (optional)

In a large mixing bowl beat shortening and vanilla on medium for 30 seconds.  Slowly add about half of the powdered sugar, beating well.  add 2 T. of the milk.  Gradually beat in the remaining powdered sugar and enough milk to reach desired consistency.  Add drops of food coloring to get desired color.  Add to prepared piping bag.

Pipe in heart-shape to cooled cookies.  Add sprinkles.

Grace's 7th Birthday - 1.26.2011

Grace always gets super excited about birthdays in general, but most expecially hers.  This year there was 3 birthdays in her class during the week of her birthday.  We decided to make some gluten free cupcakes with frosting from a Pamela's Products.  She had a fun time sharing the cupcakes with her friends and singing Happy Birthday!

On Sunday, January 30th she had her party at the Kodiak Community Pool and invited her whole class.  We had about 14 kids attend.  The kids swam for about 1 1/2 hours and then had cupcakes & ice cream while she opened presents.  I rented the cupcake stand for $5 from Ton of Fun (a local party supply store)



Gluten Free Holiday Favorites

So I know that this time of year would be difficult for our family, especially Grace, but since I was going to have 2 weeks off from work I figured I would have the time to experiment and tweak our favorite Christmas/Holiday recipes for year's to come.


I started by baking my regular goodies with wheat flour, which turned out to be a good thing because I was able to use up all the flour and not throw it out.  I made these goodies for friends & co-workers.


The kid's classroom parties were fast approaching, therefore, the first recipe I experimented with was iced pumpkin cookies from allrecipes.com, all I  did was substitute the wheat flour with a flour blend recipe I found in a Living Without magazine and I substituted milk for lactose-free milk.  Both kids said their classmates really enjoyed the cookies.


PUMPKIN COOKIES V (allrecipes.com)
2 c. shortening
2 c. white sugar
2 c. canned pumpkin
2 eggs
2 t. baking soda
1 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. salt
4 c. all-purpose flour (substitute-gluten-free flour blend - recipe below)
1 t. xanthan gum


Icing
6 T. butter
8 T. milk (I used lactose-free milk)
2 c. confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
1 c. packed brown sugar


Makes 4-5 dozen.  Preheat oven to 350.  Cream shortening, white sugar & pumpkin.  Add eggs and mix well.  Sift together baking soda, ground cinnamon, salt and flour.  Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well.  Drop onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.


To make icing:  Cook butter, milk and brown sugar until dissolved.  Cool and add confectioners' sugar and vanilla.  Pour over warm cookies. (I liked my counter with wax paper and set my wire cooling racks on top of the wax paper.  I then poured the icing over the cookies and let harden.  Finally I sprinkled confectioners' sugar over top.)




Next, I wanted to make an apple pie, because our family's Christmas tradition is to have a slice of apple pie for breakfast on Christmas morning.  I had found a gluten-fee pie crust product at our local health food store, I had to several ingredients, but it made 4 single-layer crusts, which could be refrigerated or frozen for later use.

APPLE PIE I (allrecipes.com)

Substituted ingredients to make gluten-free

6 c. thinly sliced apples

3/4 c. white sugar

1 T. butter

1 t. ground cinnamon

1 recipe gluten-free pie crust

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Prepare recipe for two-crust pie.  Wipe, peel, core, quarter and slice apples; measure to 6 cups.  Combine sugar and cinnamon.  The amount of sugar used depends on how tart your apples are.  Arrange apples in layers in pastry lined pie plate.  Sprinkle each layer with sugar and cinnamon.  Dot top layer with small pieces of butter.  Cover with top crust.  Place on lowest rack oven in preheated oven.  Bake 10 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.  Bake for 30-35 minutes longer.
HINT:  When working with this gluten-free crust, you make have to assemble top crust in pieces on top of apple-filled pastry.

I always make Rice Krispie Treats for the holiday season, but most rice cereal are made at factories with gluten cereals.  My mother-in-law, Debi, suggested I make them with the Gluten-Free Rice Chex that I usually have on hand in my house, so I did and they were super yummy.  My son's friend said if he were blind he wouldn't be able to tell the difference between our Chex Bars and the original Rice Krispie Treats.

CHEX BARS

1/4 c. butter

1 pkg. (10oz.) marshmallows (or 3 c. mini marshmallows)

6 c. Gluten-Free Rice Chex cereal



Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat.  Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted.  Meanwhile, prepare baking dish with cooking spray.  Once melted, remove from heat.  Add cereal and stir until well coated.  Using a buttered spatula, press mixture into prepared dish.  Cool; cut into squares.

We also ate a very traditional dinner that included a roasted turkey (which we won in our bowling league - and gluten-free), mashed potatoes (included sour cream & milk), corn, homemade turkey gravy (Grace could not eat) and rolls (which Grace could also not eat).  We were planning on giving her the Lactaid for the mashed potatoes, but we forgot.  About an hour after dinner, we realized that the dairy had not affected her so maybe we can now slowly start to reintroduce dairy products to her....ALL IN ALL AWESOME HOLIDAYS!!!

 

Also, my mother-in-law sent me a Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free cookbook called Cooking for Isaiah, written by Silvana Nardone, the Editor in Chief for the magazine Every Day with Rachael Ray.  i haven't read through it thoroughly yet, but it does have tons of dessert recipes...yum, can't wait to try some out.

 

GLUTEN-FREE FLOUR BLEND

Living Without magazine

1/2 c. rice flour

1/4 c. tapioca starch/flour

1/4 c. cornstarch or potato starch

I tend to quadruple this recipe and store it in an airtight Tupperware container.

I've still been ordering with the online company azurestandard.com to get a lot of my favorite gluten-free products.

Gluten-Free, Lactose-Free Oatmeal Muffins

I took a base recipe from an old cookbook and updated it to fit our family, thought it would be great Grace to take to school when other students have birthday cupcakes:

GLUTEN-FREE, LACTOSE-FREE OATMEAL MUFFINS
Makes 11-12 muffins.

1 3/4 c. rice flour
1/3 c. gluten-free oats (I prefer Bob's Red Mill brand)
1/3 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
3/4 c. Lactose-Free milk
1/4 c. olive oil
1/3 c. gluten-free oats (I prefer Bob's Red Mill brand)

TOPPING:

1/3 c. packed brown sugar

1 tsp. sugar

Preheat oven to 400.  Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper bake cups; set aside.  In a medium bowl, combine rice flour, gluten-free oats, sugar, baking powder & salt; set aside.

In another bowl, combine egg, lactose-free milk & olive oil.  Add egg mixture to the flour mixture.  Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy).

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups; filling each 2/3 full (mine usually only fills 11 cups).  In a small bowl, mix brown sugar and 1 tsp. sugar.  Top each muffin batter with 1 tsp of sugar mixture.

Bake 18-20 minutes or until golden brown and a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Coo on wire rack for at least 5 minutes.

 I plan on freezing several of these for Grace!

Dealing with Birthday Parties & Holidays...ugh!!!

Well I thought I was beginning to get a handle on this whole gluten-free thing, but apparently not.  Grace had been invited to the birthday party of a little girl from her class and told me that she is getting too old and did not want me to stay at the party (I know the mom and this is Kodiak, so I knew it would be fine).  I told Grace if there was cake and ice cream, she could have the ice cream as long as she took her Lactaid.  Well, when we got to the party they had a huge spread (2 tables full) of delicious food including Pancit (a Filipino noodle dish), which Grace could not have along with many items on the table.  She still insisted that I leave her there, so I did.  They did have steamed white rice so I told her she could eat that if she wanted.  Well, needless to say I did leave a little early to check on her and I was entering the party the birthday girl's mom was calling me to tell me Grace didn't feel well.  It actually turned out that she was severely allergic to something at the party and had an asthma attack when she got home.  During the asthma, with tears in her eyes, she said, "I wish I was just a normal kid", it broke my heart.  I responded, "God made you super special!" 

Another thing I have realized is that even when I make food at home that contains gluten I need to be very aware of cross-contamination with the food we give Grace.  Therefore, whatever we do or wherever we go for the upcoming holidays, I need to make sure that I bring her "special snacks" to avoid the cross-contamination.  I have recently subscribed to, and awaiting my first issue, of "Living Without" magazine, which contains gluten-free and dairy-free recipes and advice.  I can't wait!!!

I have decided that even though she is almost 7 years old (January 26th) I need to stay with her at parties and get-togethers in order for her to stay healthy.  I will say though that she has been feeling much better since being gluten-free and her behavior has also been better, which I assume is because she feels better.

NEW RECIPES/ITEMS THAT I LOVE:
Lundberg Organic Brown Rice Spaghetti Noodles
Gluten-Free Mama's Pancake Mix
Red Mill Bob's Gluten Free Oats
Pamela's Bread Mix
(I have been ordering a lot of these items from azurestandard.com)

Latest Update

Well we had an appointment to see Dr. Demain when he came to Kodiak last Friday, but he was running way behind (the fire alarm that went off at the hospital didn't seem to help either), so we were unable to see him, but we have a standing appointment for his next trip here.  I was really looking forward to seeing him so we could get a better idea of how to cope with Grace's diagnosis.

Grace is taking her diagnosis in stride.  I have noticed a huge change in her behavior, she seems to be feeling better, therefore, she is acting better.  Not as many meltdowns or tantrums and she has said her belly has been feeling better as well.  She gets a little upset when Zach gets cookies or other treats she cannot eat.  Although, we went to a birthday party last week and she was fine with not having any cake because she knew it would make her sick.

We've experimented with several new ways to make our favorite recipes.  For chicken fingers, I dipped the chicken in rice flour (thanks soooo much to my awesome friend, Bronwyn, for grinding up some rice for me), then in egg, and finally in crushed gluten-free Corn Chex cereal and then baked them, both kids loved it.  I had bought some Perfect Blend Flour made by Namaste, I substituted it for the flour in my Oatmeal Cookies recipe and it was disgusting, so we used the rice flour on the next batch and they were very yummy.

All of my friends have been so supportive during this time for our family.  Like I said before my friend, Bronwyn, ground up several pounds of flour for me (she even took apart her grinder and thoroughly cleaned it prior to grinding it).  My friend, Dena, made Grace some special gluten-free pumpkin muffins at a get-together so she would be able to have "snacks" with her friends.  Also, my friend, Patti, found some gluten-free cookie and brownie mixes at the Coast Guard Commissary and bought them for her.

Even though this has been overwhelming, it is good to know what Grace's condition and what we could do to help her.  When we finally meet with Dr. Demain, I think we will have an even better understanding of Celiac's Disease.  I am so very thankful for all the support we have gotten from our friends and family during this time; it's AWESOME!!!

Nutritionist Info

So yesterday we met with a local Nutritionist and received soooo much information regarding both Celiac's Disease and Lactose Intolerance.


Regarding Lactose Intolerance, we learned that she may outgrow this condition, especially with taking her off gluten, and we may be able to slowly reintroduce lactose products to her.  We were advised to wait about 3-4 months before attempting to add any lactose back into her diet.  30% of Celiac's patients develop lactose intolerance because the disease damages the lining of the stomach and breaks down the enzyme that allows us to digest dairy.  We also found out that butter has a very minimal amount of lactose, therefore, she can still have it.


Now on to the Celiac's Disease.  We learned that Celiac's Disease is an allergy to gluten.  In addition to be an allergy, Celiac's is also an auto-immune disease that attacks the lining of stomach.  This will be a lifelong affliction for Grace.  Grace cannot ingest any foods that contain wheat, rye, barley, malt, and untested oats.  We have also been advised that she should not eat soy sauce, malt vinegar, some seasonings, marinades, and broth.  I am basically a crazed label reader when visiting the grocery store.  I realized that most sauces contain wheat products as a filler and/or thickening agent.  


Although, this seems to tough to handle it is rally a lifestyle change for our entire family.  We are actually eating much healthier because we are preparing most of our meals from scratch to avoid cross-contamination of gluten products for Grace.  Most processed foods contain some sort of wheat and possibly a preservative, filler or thickening agent.


Grace seems to be taking it in stride.  Thank goodness God has blessed with her with an positive personality and joy for life.  Although, I'm pretty aware she is tired of attending yet another medical appointment.  She sometimes gets upset and irritated when she can't enjoy some of the foods her brother does, but she is old enough to understand that if she eats certain foods she will get sick.  I'm also trying to stay positive for her sake and know our family will get through this.

1st Day of 1st Grade (August 2010)

Lactose & Gluten Free Home

As I stated in my blog info, my daughter has both lactose and gluten intolerances.  In March of 2010 she kept saying she had a stomach ache and it got progressively worse week by week.  I had remember an acquaintance of mine who has children with lactose intolerance say that's how the symptoms started with her kids.  So, we had her testing for lactose intolerance and the test results came back that she was extremely lactose intolerant and probably had been since birth (no wonder why she was so cranky and spit up all the time).  Even after we cut out all dairy products she was still have trouble with her stomach (cramping, nausea, diarrhea), so we (my husband and I) decided to have her food allergy tested.  She was not allergic to any foods, but during the test for gluten she immediately cramped up so her awesome doctor (Dr. Jeffrey Demain), who is an allergy and immunology specialist, had her to blood test for Celiac's Disease (which is a gluten intolerance and much more).  Those results cam back positive and now we are meeting with a Nutritionist to know exactly what she can and cannot ingest.  I just feel terrible and like we have been making her unhealthy all these years.  On top of lactose and gluten free dieting, she also has asthma and seasonal/environmental allergies that we have to monitor with daily medications.

Introduction to our Family

I am Candice Griswold, a 30-year-old wife and mother of 2.  We live in Kodiak, Alaska, which is an island in the Gulf of Alaska, 250 air miles south of Anchorage.  I work as an Aide (para-professional) at my children's school and my husband is employed as a Civilian Firefighter/EMT at the US Coast Guard Base.  We moved to Kodiak from Ridgecrest, CA in February 2007.  

My son, Zachary (Zach), is 10 years old and in 5th grade.  He just went to the Dr.'s office yesterday and weighed 101.8 lbs and measured 49 1/2" (4'-11 1/2").  He is also in the Gifted & Talented Program at his school, he tested high on all three tests (Reading, Writing & Math), especially Math.  He started playing soccer this year and is the team's goalie.  He will be playing his 3rd season of hockey this year and also enjoys playing goalie for his team.  He is also quite the catcher for baseball, this last season he finally got to play in the Player-Pitch division.  He is also quite the "computer whiz", in 3rd & 4th grade he was in a classroom where they were issued Apple laptops for both years.  He now knows more about computers than I do!

My daughter, Grace, is 6 1/2 and in 1st grade.  She just loves school and has made friends with a Special Needs child named Elijah, she says he's her best friend.  She is so good with and says she wants to be a Special Education teacher when she grows up.  Grace reads at 3rd-4th level, we are pretty sure she has a photographic memory and once she learns/sees a word she just remembers it.  She loves sports, especially soccer & basketball.  She is currently playing her 3rd season of soccer and will start basketball in late winter.  Grace has always has both seasonal (trees, grass) & environmental (animals, dust mites) allergies, therefore, she misses a lot of her sporting activities, I make sure to tell the coaches ahead of time that she may miss practices and/or games.  These haven't really affected the teams since she is so young, but it may when she gets older.  She has also been seeing an Occupational Therapist (OT) for her fine motor skills with cutting, writing & pencil grip and seems to be really helping her.

Hopefully, this is a good intro to my family.  I really love being a wife and mother and would do anything necessary to provide a good home for my family!