It's About the FUN not the FOOD!

With our beach vacation wrapped up, I am reflecting on this experience and how I felt throughout our beach weekend.  The trip included 22 people, 12 adults and 10 kids. The kids' ages ranged from six months to eight years old.

The kids enjoying their Maryland beach vacation

Trips like this allow Mehul and I to see how other kids eat. Freely. Wow - what a luxury that most parents take for granted.  One had a hot dog at the boardwalk. Others were allowed to eat anything from anyone without question. And of course no required label reading  The kids on this trip were far less picky than our sweet boy. Their diets seem so diverse.  A part of this is because innately the other children are simply not as picky as Jahan. They would eat foods with color also known as fruit and vegetables!  Their appetites much larger. And then of course, no food allergies, not even one.

It still is a tough pill to swallow to have to tell Jahan he cannot have what his friends are eating and it will make him sick. He cannot have the french fries on the boardwalk that daddy is eating because of the oil it is fried in. He cannot have the chicken that was made for dinner because of ambiguous ingredients.  It hurts my heart that my boy will soon know that he is very different from his friends.

With all of the "nos" and"cannot have those" this past weekend, Jahan was shown some love by one of our dear friends.  She sought out a Jahan-safe recipe separate from the others that would mimic what the others were having.  Jahan loved it!  Moments like this shows us how much Jahan is loved and we cannot express how grateful we are to have such wonderful and understanding people in our lives.

With all of the emotions that come with having a child allergic to many many foods, I have to remind myself, that the life we live is about the fun we are having, not about the food we are eating.

No horseback riding, but this was the next best thing!

Jahan won this lil monkey all on his own!

The Squeaky Wheel Gets the Grease

It's the last weekend of the summer of 2016, well according to the schools anyway.  The Patel's last hurrah and we are super excited to be doing it with five other families, one which we have never met. Vacations used to be the source of a lot stress and anxiety.

• What food will we pack for Jahan? 
• Will we have a kitchen?
• Have we considered all the precautions at the airport and on the airplane?
• What will he be able to eat at the restaurants? 
• Will the restaurants be able to accommodate his multiple allergies?
• Did I research all the restaurants and call ahead to speak with the chef and manager(s)? 
• How and when do we break it to the others in our group that they are important players in the game of keeping Jahan safe and reaction free? 
• Will they have stores nearby to restock should we need more Jahan safe food? 
• How close are the nearest fire stations, hospitals, etc. should he have a reaction?

And the list could go on and on - the squeaky wheel gets all the damn grease! What I mean by this is Jahan usually gets most of my attention in planning for a trip that often I forget something for Emrys - never fails me. 

There is zero margin for error. I, we, none of us can make a mistake.  This is a lot of pressure for people to carry. We are all much more comfortable with this process now because we do it all the time.  We includes not just Mehul and I. Our friends, our family, the school teachers, all are nothing short of amazing.  I am quite vocal, maybe to the point of being annoying, but everyone we associate with knows Jahan has allergies and while he is still young, it's everyone's duty to help keep him safe.  

My mantra for Jahan is that he may have a restricted diet, but he will not have a restricted life. We will actively participate in everything - Jahan goes to a group setting school, has a better social life than most 30-somethings, has stamps in his passport and will be going on his sixth vacation this summer.  Isolation does not work for us. Here is to an amazing reaction free weekend with wonderful people and not forgetting any of Emrys's things! Let the memory making begin!