A nutty tale

When John-Paul was about 13 months old, I gave him some peanut butter on bread, and put him down for a nap. When he awoke, he had hives on his body and swollen knees. We brought him to the emergency room where they gave him a shot of Benedryl and the swelling and hives went away. They suggested we get him tested for a peanut allergy.

I made the appointment, and we had him tested for peanuts and penicillin since he had just finished a dose of that for an ear infection. The test came back showing a peanut allergy. The allergist told us to keep him away from all nuts because most people with a peanut allergy have a nut allergy as well. You can read more about peanut allergies here.

So for the past 5 years, we have been extremely careful about keeping John-Paul away from nuts. However, lately I have just had this mother's intuition that he has outgrown the allergy (even though statistics show only about 20% of kids do). So when he went to his 6-year-old checkup, I asked for him to be retested.

We went to the allergist yesterday, and he tested John-Paul for peanuts and a variety of other nuts. The skin test was negative!! Meaning that he did not have an allergic reaction to the nuts or peanuts. The doctor said that because peanut allergies are so dangerous, he wants to confirm the negative result with a blood test.

So the next step is to get his blood drawn, have that tested, and if that comes back negative as well, we can bring him back to the allergist's office and give him some peanut butter to see how he reacts. If his system can handle a little, we will give him more and monitor him for about an hour.

It's a long process, but definitely worth it. Hopefully all will go smoothly, and John-Paul will be eating nuts and PB & J sandwiches in no time!

Gratituesday: May 5th

Today I am thankful for the weather. Well, it's raining here today, but I'm thankful for the spring temperatures we've been having for a while now.

It's just so nice to have a period of time where you don't need to turn on the heat or the air conditioners. What an energy and money saver!

And there's nothing like being able to air out the house after a long, cold, snowy winter. It just makes the house feel so fresh and clean. The cotton scented candle I have burning doesn't hurt either. I never knew cotton had a smell, it should be called Clean Laundry...but I like it!

So thanks Big Guy for all the Seasons, but especially Spring :)

What are you thankful for today?

Quips and Quotes

Sweet Stuff

Eamon, after discussing the difference between boys, girls, men, and ladies:

"Maggie's my girl. And Daddy, you the man!"

John-Paul, after receiving ten coins from the tooth fairy (who must have been out of dollar bills that night!):

"Here, Andrew you can have five of my 'moneys' for the snack counter."

Funny Stuff

Andrew, upon entering the bathroom I just cleaned:

"Why does it look so new in here?"

Eamon, looking on as I changed Maggie's diaper:

"Maggie has no wee-wee but I do have a wee-wee."

(I was wondering when this discovery was going to be made!)

Hi Lo: May 1st

HI's:

1) Weight loss this (first) week is 4.5 pounds! I know that's water weight, but at least I'm moving in the right direction.

2) I got to go out last night with my friend Laura, we went and had an appetizer and then to the Catholic High School to see Seussical the Musical. It was fun, and we definitely wanted to support our friends Jess and Sean who directed and designed the set, respectively.

3) We have had beautiful weather this week which makes finding cheap, fun, family activities so easy. Repeat after me: PLAYGROUNDS!

LO's:

1) Maggie needs ear tubes. Her ear infection won't go away after 2 rounds of antibiotics and she has lots of fluid in there. We are going to see the ENT (the same one who put tubes in Andrew and Eamon's ears) on May 12th for the consultation. Poor girl has to remain on antibiotics until the surgery, so I hope it gets scheduled soon!

2) The kids have been fighting constantly. Not a lot of physical stuff, more verbal. I feel like I should be wearing a referee shirt all day. I think it could be due to the fact they are falling asleep later because it's still light out when they go to bed.

3) Phil lost 10 pounds this first week. That is not a typo - TEN pounds. What the heck? I'm listing this as a low because it is just so not fair ;)

That's it for this week - what are your highs and lows?

My Mini-Me

Eamon calls this Buzz Lightyear backpack-on-wheels his vaccuum, and takes it out to help me clean the house.

Can't wait until he can handle the real thing :)

Gratituesday

I'm glad I waited to post this after the kids are in bed, because although I have PLENTY to be thankful for today, at the top of the list is what has been happening at bedtime lately.

After we say prayers and the boys get in their beds (the three boys share a room), Maggie goes around to each one and gives them a goodnight kiss. It is so sweet to watch her get up on her tiptoes to reach their lips, and equally as beautiful to see how they let her do it!

There is such a precious bond between siblings, and for this I am grateful!!