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I can’t believe we managed to squeeze in five visits this year. I’m pretty sure I’ve flown more this year than I have in my entire life combined. Leading up to each trip is incredibly stressful. There’s so much riding on these visits—the expense, time off work, travel logistics, and the constant fear that something Read more

The stress leading up to this trip was overbearing. Between hand, foot, and mouth running through the house, back-to-school germs everywhere, Benjamin (big brother) having surgery, and a required seven-day antihistamine restriction, I was stretched thin. But we made it through. We made it through school with no reactions. We stayed healthy the week of Read more

The moment I’ve been dreading and nervous about for years has finally come. When we first realized how serious Theo’s allergies were—especially after his anaphylactic reaction—I became so fearful. When our trusted daycare closed, I interviewed many nannies trying to find someone I could trust. In the end, I did something I never thought was Read more

We had Visit 3 back in July, but honestly—with the overwhelm that comes after a visit, getting back into routines, and preparing to start school—I only partially wrote out my blog update. So as I sit here preparing for our next visit, I’m finally finishing up my Visit 3 summary: Extra Time for Fun The Read more

We had Visit 3 back in July, but honestly—with the overwhelm that comes after a visit, getting back into routines, and preparing to start school—I only partially wrote out my blog update. So as I sit here preparing for our next visit, I’m finally finishing up my Visit 3 summary: Extra Time for Fun The Read more

We made it through another big milestone in Theodore’s journey to food freedom — and this visit came with big wins, small hiccups, and sweet moments we’ll never forget. But before we get to the fun here are all the details of his appointment! A Quick Recap of Visit 1 At our first visit, we Read more

In January, we officially launched Cycle #1 of Theodore’s treatment through the TIP (Tolerance Induction Program). We walked out of those four initial appointments filled with information—and honestly, I was completely overwhelmed. In those first days back I was beyond grateful to have the support from fellow TIP families who were so quick to help Read more

We had a few hesitations when considering treatment for food allergies. TIP treatment was briefly mentioned in the comments of a food allergy support group, and I remember the moment I saw it—I immediately thought, We have to do this. Like many parents, I took a deep dive into researching it. If I could have, Read more

We just spent the whole week in California at the Food allergy Institute.  They call this our Launch Visit to officially kick off his treatment. We had four separate appointments, which included another type of skin test, receiving our official treatment plan, going over all the details of his specific plan, and starting the introduction Read more

The holidays can be a very stressful time. All the get-togethers, school parties, and family celebrations can be overwhelming for anyone. The hardest part for food allergy parents is that all these events revolve around food—whether it’s gingerbread houses, potlucks, hot chocolate, special treats, or crafts. Food allergy parents handle this in many ways. I Read more

In less than three days, we flew all the way from Illinois to California and back. It was as exhausting as it sounds, but we made it. We officially began Theo’s journey to food freedom and had a little fun along the way. Leading up to this trip, I had a lot of anxiety, especially Read more

When our children are diagnosed with food allergies, we are told many things by different doctors, and all the advice seems to contradict one another. One doctor says it can’t be food allergies and refuses to run tests. The next doctor tests for over 30 foods and informs me he is highly allergic to some Read more

As healing as it is to share our experience with Theodore, writing about it made me relive all these moments. Reliving them brought back all the emotions and feelings in full force. From the hopelessness of not knowing what was wrong with him, to the constant worry about what to feed him, and then the Read more

Let’s fast forward to May 2021. Theo was 18 months old, and I had just had baby #3. I was in a full postpartum fog, just weeks into my maternity leave. Our daycare had unexpectedly closed, and I was home with three kids: a 3-year-old, an 18-month-old, and a 4-week-old. As life goes with a Read more

Finding the right formula was tricky, but the real challenges began when we started introducing solid foods. With our oldest, it was fun and exciting to let him eat solid foods, but with Theodore, it was scary and brought a lot of anxiety. After his blood work, we were told to avoid peanuts, milk, wheat, Read more

Welcome to Theodore’s Path to Food Freedom This may be the first step In our path to freedom of food allergies but it has been quite a long road that led us to this. So to begin this blog I think it’s important to start from the beginning. Shorty after Theodore was born we knew Read more