Catching Up on Life

Wow, almost a year has passed since my last post. Where does time go? I suppose I keep pretty busy with work, the dining club and the playgroup. One friend asked me how I keep up with everything...well now you know...sometimes things just slip through my fingers.

Celiac Disease
I suppose the "big news" since I last posted is that AR has been diagnosed celiac which has forced us to rethink our eating habits. Celiac, for those unfamiliar with the disease, is an intolerance to gluten, a protein found in wheat and other main grains...specifically: rye, barley, and oats. "Safe" grains for AR are rice and corn among a few other lesser known grains.

Initially we thought the transition to gluten free was going to be difficult. However, with just a few minor adjustments and the help of the ACM (Asociación de Celiacos de Madrid) food guide we develop our weekly shopping list around the brands that have certified their products gluten-free. What also helps is that we don't have the habit of buying many prepared foods. Most everything we eat is prepared from scratch which means less preservatives and other gluten-containing ingredients. I have learned to make gluten-free muffins which have become AR's favorite. As soon as he sees the cookie jar filled with them he doesn't want to eat anything else for breakfast.

The road to his diagnosis was a long one and started when he was just 8 months old and demonstrated serious digestive problems. More serious, however, was the plateau he hit in his growth chart. He literally stopped growing for a few months. All of this occurred around the time that we started him on cereal. After various blood tests and on other investigations, a test for intolerance to gluten came back positive and our pediatrician sent us to a specialist who then recommended the biopsy of the small intestine. This was the defining proof that AR is intolerant to gluten. However, it doesn't end here. Around 6 years old we will have to re-introduce gluten in his diet and then run tests again and check his tolerance.

Bilingual Babbling
AR's vocabulary and verbal skills continue to grow. He has begun to produce 2-3 word sentences, primarily in Spanish but a couple in English as well. His English is a bit weaker, but that is to be expected. Eventually he will get better. I continue with his bedtime routine of reading him 3-4 books. He also has the chorus of Row Row Row your boat down pat and loves to sing it with both Mommy and Papá.

The Northern Stars English Playgroup has also been a big help to his linguistic development. At least that is what I think...and perhaps I am a bit biased since I started the group. We are now about 50 families strong who get together on a monthly basis to "play" in English. There is a nice core group of families who participate regularly and it has been wonderful developing friendships with others going through the same challenge of raising a bilingual child. Most of the families are following the OPOL method so that makes it even easier to compare notes.

Future Plans
The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades.... isn't that a blast from the 80's past! We are trying to be optimistic and plan ahead. There will be big changes for one of us in terms of employment so with that in mind we have decided to look into other entrepreneurial ventures. Do keep tuned as we move ahead with our development and share details here!

Wishing everyone a wonderul Easter!