Over the past couple of months, the Pookie has discovered Gravity! It's fun to play with! It's dangerous when you are still wobbly! It can make the dog your best friend, or make the dog run from you!
The Pookie's been crawling since just before he turned 9 months old. Soon after he turned 9 months, he figured out how to stand up on his own. Last month (when he was 10 months old), he actually let go of the couch with both hands for the first time in order to clutch one of the Pumpkin's toys to his chest in glee. He has since stood for a few wobbly seconds a handful of times. It's very cute to watch, but also a bit worrisome, since he sometimes ends these moments by falling over and clunking his head instead of carefully reaching back out for the couch or something else to steady himself.
But even more fun for him and the dog, though not for me and Londo, he has realized that when he lets go of something (like food) while holding it from up above (like his highchair), it will fall! All the way to the ground! Woo hoo, such fun this Gravity is! He likes to do it over and over. And try it from other places, like toys in his crib or playpen or exersaucer. Unfortunately, this game leaves his highchair tray, crib, playpen and exersaucer empty of things to stick in his mouth and play with.
And that's when the squeeling begins. Perfectly entertained one minute, screaming from frustration and boredom the next minute. Ah, the life of a baby!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Mother's Day Moments
The Pookie did not have the best night's sleep the night before Mother's Day. Londo helped ease the difficulty of getting him back to sleep at least once. But when the Pookie woke up at 6:00, I was just too tired to get right out of bed. Luckily, he usually entertains himself for about a half hour after waking up for the day, so I went back to sleep.
About 30 minutes later, I woke up and jumped out of bed. The monitor was off, which isn't unusual in the mornings, since I turn it off if he's playing happily in his crib. But the door to our bedroom was shut! With the monitor off, I need the door open so I can hear him when he is really crying and upset and hungry and ready to GET UP. We always leave the door open during the night, but the Pumpkin often shuts it when she comes into bed with us during the night.
And sure enough, as I jumped out of bed, I noticed that the Pumpkin was in our bed. But... Londo wasn't! Oh, Happy Mother's Day to me! Londo got the baby so that I could sleep in. I climbed back in bed, cuddled up with a very snuggly Pumpkin, and went back to sleep.
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Around 7:00, the Pumpkin started stirring. I opened my eyes, and she was smiling at me.
caramama: Did you know it's Mother's Day?
Pumpkin: Oh, it is?
caramama: Yes, it is. Can you tell me "Happy Mother's Day"?
Pumpkin: Happy Mother's Day!
caramama: Oh, thank you!
Pumpkin (after contemplative a moment): Where's Daddy?
caramama: He's downstairs with [the Pookie's real name]. Do you want to go down with them?
Pumpkin: No, I just want to snuggle with you.
caramama (heart melting): Okay.
After a minute or less...
Pumpkin: I want to go downstairs. Do you want to come with me?
caramama (not surprised by this not-unusual turn of events): No, I'm going to sleep in a little bit. You can go downstairs with daddy and [the Pookie's real name].
Pumpkin: Okay. You sleep in a little. I'll rub your back.
Then, she rubbed my back a little bit. I closed my eyes, acting like I was going to sleep and trying so hard to not smile. And then? She leaned over and kissed my cheek! Next, she got up, off the bed, opened the bedroom door, closed it behind her and called out to her Daddy to tell him she wanted to go downstairs (there is a babygate at the top of the stairs that she hasn't completely figured out yet).
Although I wasn't able to fall back asleep, I did lie in bed reading for like an hour or more, while Londo dealt with breakfast, tantrums and general whiny-ness. And when I did go downstairs for breakfast, Londo made me sweet rolls and cheesy eggs, as I requested. Londo gave me cards from him and the kids, and he gave me a gold baby booty charm for the charm bracelet I will eventually have, but for now looks lovely on a necklace chain. It was wonderful morning.
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The Pumpkin's swim class is now on Sundays (which we go to with one of my BFFs and her son). We get in our swim suits before we leave, and take off our outer clothes in the locker room. This week, the Pumpkin wanted to put her flipflops on by herself, but I told her that the ground was dirty and I didn't want her to sit on the floor in the locker room. I told her to sit on the bench. She promptly, without a word, slide off the bench and leaned down, looking like she was going to sit on the floor. I got frustrated at this very common experience of her ignoring what we are telling her to do/not do and trying to do what she wants anyway. I firmly reminded her that I didn't want her sitting on the floor, and I put her back on the bench. She slide off, and as I started to get mad, she finally explained that she wasn't going to sit on the floor. She "just wanted to stand up to put them on." Well, that's a fine compromise, and I told her so and explained why it was a compromise (not sitting on the floor, not sitting on the bench).
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The activities in the swim class are hit or miss with my girl. Some activities she generally likes, some she doesn't. Sometimes she doesn't like the same activity she loved the week before, or vise versa. She never likes to put her head, ears or eyes under the water, and although we've been working on it, I'm not going to push it especially on Mother's Day. Not worth the fight, when I know she'll get there in her own time.
This week, she LOVED jumping off the bench/ledge that's in the water. She puts her arms up "like Supergirl" and jumps to me. She loved this activity so much, that she would jump as soon as I had put her down on the ledge, way before I was ready. I explained that she had to wait until I was ready, and that she should ask me if I'm ready before she jumps. She started doing just that on the very next jump. Which was nice, because through most of the class she didn't listen to what I or the teacher told her to do. She didn't follow any instructions really, and kept hanging on and pulling me.
Near the end of class, she begged to go down the clam slide. She loves slides. The teacher accommodated her request by hurrying through the last activity. Then, we told her she could go down once. She got to the top of the slide, and freaked out. The previous week, she went down it twice, but you land in water at the bottom, and she did NOT like that. So there she was at the top, and she started getting all upset. At the teacher's suggestion, I got her to come around the side of the slide and just put her on halfway and hold her as she went down, making sure she didn't dunk at the bottom. That was a success.
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After swim class, the Pumpkin thinks it's really fun to take a shower in the locker room. I got her shampoo and soap for the shower, and she started taking off her flipflops. I explained that she needed to leave them on in the shower. She tried to take them off anyway. I insisted that if she wanted to shower here, she had to leave them on. She did, and we headed to the shower. Where she promptly turned up the volume on defying, ignoring and arguing with me.
We were maybe in the shower for a minute--two tops!--and I had already told her twice that if she wanted to take a shower there, she had to listen and follow my instructions. I told her that she had one more chance, and if she didn't listen we were going to go home without finishing the shower. Literally, 10 seconds later, she continued arguing/whining, sitting bare-bottomed on the gross floor. She insisted that she didn't want her hair washed. The hair that already had some shampoo in it. The hair that I didn't even finish rinsing off, as I grabbed her off the floor, sobbing and whining. I bundled her in a towel and out of the shower. I explained firm, and angrily, that I was putting her clothes on and my clothes on and then we were leaving. She'd have to shower at home. She kept crying that she wanted a shower there in the locker room. And I basically (and probably verbatim) said too bad.
Do you know how the sound in locker rooms carry and echo? Yeah, that was fun.
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Over the past year, we've tried numerous times to get the Pookie to nap at my parents' house when we are there for family gatherings. But it's like he knows there is all sorts of fun going on elsewhere, and he refuses to sleep! So on Mother's Day I realized that we needed to get that boy a nap at our own house before going to my mom's for a cookout. This was really a good idea.
While he was napping, the Pumpkin and I made pudding, and we got ready to go over. We got over there about 4:30, had some early dinner and played with everyone. It was a good time, made so much better by having a well-rested baby. The Pumpkin is now old enough to go off and play with her cousins, which she did at one point, but she still likes to stay around the adults.
For dessert, my mom had ice cream and toppings available. I had brought the pudding with blackberries to go on top. My husband started dishing out the ice cream, and called out, "Who wants ice cream?" Of course all the kids came running. My girl was one of them, and she was especially interested in the sprinkles/jimmies to go on top. Although this was prior to the Pumpkin's allergy appointment, we had been careful all year long since we first suspected the peanut allergy. So before Londo gave any to her, I reminded him, "Be sure to check the label." My dad said, "There are no nuts in it. It's vanilla!" I responded, "But we have to check to see if there are any nuts in the facility where it was made and packaged." Sure enough, Londo read out loud, "Made in a facility that also contains peanuts, treenuts..."
So no ice cream for the Pumpkin. Luckily, I did have the pudding, and I quickly dished her a bowl and Londo put sprinkles on top, and she was as happy as could be! (Although later I realized that we didn't check the sprinkles' label! Doh!)
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We got home right at bedtime. Londo and I swept the kids straight upstairs and started their bedtime routines. As part of the bedtime routines, the Pumpkin (and now the Pookie) has always given us a hug and kiss goodnight. But lately, the Pumpkin has not wanted to give me one before I go to put the Pookie to bed. In fact, probably every night the week leading up to Mother's Day was without a kiss. I don't believe in forcing them, but I do want it to be part of the bedtime routine.
So that night, I said to her that I would like my hug and kiss while she was on bed. She rolled away from me, as usual. I kneeled down and looked her in the eye and said, "Pumpkin, I've had a really wonderful Mother's Day. You have made it so special for me! What would really be special is if you gave me a hug and kiss goodnight right now. That would make me so happy!" She thought about it for a minute, and then she sat up and gave me a wonderful hug and kiss! A beautiful end to a (mostly) lovely day.
About 30 minutes later, I woke up and jumped out of bed. The monitor was off, which isn't unusual in the mornings, since I turn it off if he's playing happily in his crib. But the door to our bedroom was shut! With the monitor off, I need the door open so I can hear him when he is really crying and upset and hungry and ready to GET UP. We always leave the door open during the night, but the Pumpkin often shuts it when she comes into bed with us during the night.
And sure enough, as I jumped out of bed, I noticed that the Pumpkin was in our bed. But... Londo wasn't! Oh, Happy Mother's Day to me! Londo got the baby so that I could sleep in. I climbed back in bed, cuddled up with a very snuggly Pumpkin, and went back to sleep.
-----------------------
Around 7:00, the Pumpkin started stirring. I opened my eyes, and she was smiling at me.
caramama: Did you know it's Mother's Day?
Pumpkin: Oh, it is?
caramama: Yes, it is. Can you tell me "Happy Mother's Day"?
Pumpkin: Happy Mother's Day!
caramama: Oh, thank you!
Pumpkin (after contemplative a moment): Where's Daddy?
caramama: He's downstairs with [the Pookie's real name]. Do you want to go down with them?
Pumpkin: No, I just want to snuggle with you.
caramama (heart melting): Okay.
After a minute or less...
Pumpkin: I want to go downstairs. Do you want to come with me?
caramama (not surprised by this not-unusual turn of events): No, I'm going to sleep in a little bit. You can go downstairs with daddy and [the Pookie's real name].
Pumpkin: Okay. You sleep in a little. I'll rub your back.
Then, she rubbed my back a little bit. I closed my eyes, acting like I was going to sleep and trying so hard to not smile. And then? She leaned over and kissed my cheek! Next, she got up, off the bed, opened the bedroom door, closed it behind her and called out to her Daddy to tell him she wanted to go downstairs (there is a babygate at the top of the stairs that she hasn't completely figured out yet).
Although I wasn't able to fall back asleep, I did lie in bed reading for like an hour or more, while Londo dealt with breakfast, tantrums and general whiny-ness. And when I did go downstairs for breakfast, Londo made me sweet rolls and cheesy eggs, as I requested. Londo gave me cards from him and the kids, and he gave me a gold baby booty charm for the charm bracelet I will eventually have, but for now looks lovely on a necklace chain. It was wonderful morning.
-----------------------
The Pumpkin's swim class is now on Sundays (which we go to with one of my BFFs and her son). We get in our swim suits before we leave, and take off our outer clothes in the locker room. This week, the Pumpkin wanted to put her flipflops on by herself, but I told her that the ground was dirty and I didn't want her to sit on the floor in the locker room. I told her to sit on the bench. She promptly, without a word, slide off the bench and leaned down, looking like she was going to sit on the floor. I got frustrated at this very common experience of her ignoring what we are telling her to do/not do and trying to do what she wants anyway. I firmly reminded her that I didn't want her sitting on the floor, and I put her back on the bench. She slide off, and as I started to get mad, she finally explained that she wasn't going to sit on the floor. She "just wanted to stand up to put them on." Well, that's a fine compromise, and I told her so and explained why it was a compromise (not sitting on the floor, not sitting on the bench).
-----------------------
The activities in the swim class are hit or miss with my girl. Some activities she generally likes, some she doesn't. Sometimes she doesn't like the same activity she loved the week before, or vise versa. She never likes to put her head, ears or eyes under the water, and although we've been working on it, I'm not going to push it especially on Mother's Day. Not worth the fight, when I know she'll get there in her own time.
This week, she LOVED jumping off the bench/ledge that's in the water. She puts her arms up "like Supergirl" and jumps to me. She loved this activity so much, that she would jump as soon as I had put her down on the ledge, way before I was ready. I explained that she had to wait until I was ready, and that she should ask me if I'm ready before she jumps. She started doing just that on the very next jump. Which was nice, because through most of the class she didn't listen to what I or the teacher told her to do. She didn't follow any instructions really, and kept hanging on and pulling me.
Near the end of class, she begged to go down the clam slide. She loves slides. The teacher accommodated her request by hurrying through the last activity. Then, we told her she could go down once. She got to the top of the slide, and freaked out. The previous week, she went down it twice, but you land in water at the bottom, and she did NOT like that. So there she was at the top, and she started getting all upset. At the teacher's suggestion, I got her to come around the side of the slide and just put her on halfway and hold her as she went down, making sure she didn't dunk at the bottom. That was a success.
-----------------------
After swim class, the Pumpkin thinks it's really fun to take a shower in the locker room. I got her shampoo and soap for the shower, and she started taking off her flipflops. I explained that she needed to leave them on in the shower. She tried to take them off anyway. I insisted that if she wanted to shower here, she had to leave them on. She did, and we headed to the shower. Where she promptly turned up the volume on defying, ignoring and arguing with me.
We were maybe in the shower for a minute--two tops!--and I had already told her twice that if she wanted to take a shower there, she had to listen and follow my instructions. I told her that she had one more chance, and if she didn't listen we were going to go home without finishing the shower. Literally, 10 seconds later, she continued arguing/whining, sitting bare-bottomed on the gross floor. She insisted that she didn't want her hair washed. The hair that already had some shampoo in it. The hair that I didn't even finish rinsing off, as I grabbed her off the floor, sobbing and whining. I bundled her in a towel and out of the shower. I explained firm, and angrily, that I was putting her clothes on and my clothes on and then we were leaving. She'd have to shower at home. She kept crying that she wanted a shower there in the locker room. And I basically (and probably verbatim) said too bad.
Do you know how the sound in locker rooms carry and echo? Yeah, that was fun.
-----------------------
Over the past year, we've tried numerous times to get the Pookie to nap at my parents' house when we are there for family gatherings. But it's like he knows there is all sorts of fun going on elsewhere, and he refuses to sleep! So on Mother's Day I realized that we needed to get that boy a nap at our own house before going to my mom's for a cookout. This was really a good idea.
While he was napping, the Pumpkin and I made pudding, and we got ready to go over. We got over there about 4:30, had some early dinner and played with everyone. It was a good time, made so much better by having a well-rested baby. The Pumpkin is now old enough to go off and play with her cousins, which she did at one point, but she still likes to stay around the adults.
For dessert, my mom had ice cream and toppings available. I had brought the pudding with blackberries to go on top. My husband started dishing out the ice cream, and called out, "Who wants ice cream?" Of course all the kids came running. My girl was one of them, and she was especially interested in the sprinkles/jimmies to go on top. Although this was prior to the Pumpkin's allergy appointment, we had been careful all year long since we first suspected the peanut allergy. So before Londo gave any to her, I reminded him, "Be sure to check the label." My dad said, "There are no nuts in it. It's vanilla!" I responded, "But we have to check to see if there are any nuts in the facility where it was made and packaged." Sure enough, Londo read out loud, "Made in a facility that also contains peanuts, treenuts..."
So no ice cream for the Pumpkin. Luckily, I did have the pudding, and I quickly dished her a bowl and Londo put sprinkles on top, and she was as happy as could be! (Although later I realized that we didn't check the sprinkles' label! Doh!)
-----------------------
We got home right at bedtime. Londo and I swept the kids straight upstairs and started their bedtime routines. As part of the bedtime routines, the Pumpkin (and now the Pookie) has always given us a hug and kiss goodnight. But lately, the Pumpkin has not wanted to give me one before I go to put the Pookie to bed. In fact, probably every night the week leading up to Mother's Day was without a kiss. I don't believe in forcing them, but I do want it to be part of the bedtime routine.
So that night, I said to her that I would like my hug and kiss while she was on bed. She rolled away from me, as usual. I kneeled down and looked her in the eye and said, "Pumpkin, I've had a really wonderful Mother's Day. You have made it so special for me! What would really be special is if you gave me a hug and kiss goodnight right now. That would make me so happy!" She thought about it for a minute, and then she sat up and gave me a wonderful hug and kiss! A beautiful end to a (mostly) lovely day.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Question of the Week - Other Languages
I totally had a different question of the week which I haven't had time to post, but then I read Ask Moxie's site today and remembered a different question I've been meaning to ask.
Do you use any words or phrases from different languages in your house as part of your normal lingo? If so, what?
I know there are a few of you who live in other countries and/or have spouses who speak other languages, so I'll bet you guys have a bunch.
For me and my husband, we speak American English and live in the US. BORING! But I used to be pretty fluent in Italian and lived over there for a semester in college. My goal when having kids was to start speak Italian again and get books and music in Italian so that I could teach them Italian. Italian is not super common here in the States, which is part of why it is appealing to me. I want to be able to say things to my kids that they will understand but no one else will. You know, like, "Stop your crying or I'll give you something to cry about!" (You all know I'm kidding with that, right?)
Although I do have some board books and a CD with music, I've not had the time to brush up on my own Italian language skills enough to use regularly with the kids. But there are some words that I have used and continue to use, as well as ones that I hope to use more (please excuse--or better yet, correct--any typos or misuses, as it's been many many years since I spoke the language regularly):
-Basta - means "enough" and I've used this with the dog for years. I'm planning to use it with the kids more, as needed.
-La bocca - means "the mouth" and I used it this with the Pumpkin when referring to her mouth as in open it or close it. I have a feeling I'll be using the phrase "Ferma la bocca" when I want her to shut her mouth in the teenage years! Ha!
-Aperto/Chiuso - ("open/close") I use this when playfully trying to get the Pumpkin to open (and close) her mouth to brush her teeth.
-Ciao - ("hello" and "goodbye" informally) I say this pretty often, especially with the accompanying "bella" (beautiful)
-Di mi - means "tell me" and though I used to say it all the time when living in Italy, I don't now. I plan to use this more.
How about you? Do you tell your child that he/she has that certain je ne sais quoi? When they keep begging for something, do you say nein? Do you greet your child with ni hao in the morning? Do you remind them to say por favor? Di mi!
Do you use any words or phrases from different languages in your house as part of your normal lingo? If so, what?
I know there are a few of you who live in other countries and/or have spouses who speak other languages, so I'll bet you guys have a bunch.
For me and my husband, we speak American English and live in the US. BORING! But I used to be pretty fluent in Italian and lived over there for a semester in college. My goal when having kids was to start speak Italian again and get books and music in Italian so that I could teach them Italian. Italian is not super common here in the States, which is part of why it is appealing to me. I want to be able to say things to my kids that they will understand but no one else will. You know, like, "Stop your crying or I'll give you something to cry about!" (You all know I'm kidding with that, right?)
Although I do have some board books and a CD with music, I've not had the time to brush up on my own Italian language skills enough to use regularly with the kids. But there are some words that I have used and continue to use, as well as ones that I hope to use more (please excuse--or better yet, correct--any typos or misuses, as it's been many many years since I spoke the language regularly):
-Basta - means "enough" and I've used this with the dog for years. I'm planning to use it with the kids more, as needed.
-La bocca - means "the mouth" and I used it this with the Pumpkin when referring to her mouth as in open it or close it. I have a feeling I'll be using the phrase "Ferma la bocca" when I want her to shut her mouth in the teenage years! Ha!
-Aperto/Chiuso - ("open/close") I use this when playfully trying to get the Pumpkin to open (and close) her mouth to brush her teeth.
-Ciao - ("hello" and "goodbye" informally) I say this pretty often, especially with the accompanying "bella" (beautiful)
-Di mi - means "tell me" and though I used to say it all the time when living in Italy, I don't now. I plan to use this more.
How about you? Do you tell your child that he/she has that certain je ne sais quoi? When they keep begging for something, do you say nein? Do you greet your child with ni hao in the morning? Do you remind them to say por favor? Di mi!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Confirmed: Peanut Allergy
I find it very fitting that this week is Food Allergy Awareness Week, since our follow-up appointment with the allergist was yesterday. This was to be the appointment at which we'd find out for sure if the Pumpkin was allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. And the verdict is indeed in: She is allergic to peanuts, but does not appear to be allergic to any tree nuts.
A year ago when the Pumpkin had just turned two (and had enough verbal skills to tell us if something was feeling funny), we let the Pumpkin try her first bit of peanut butter on a cracker. Although Londo and I had some difference of opinion on whether or not there even was a reaction, we figured better safe than sorry. We reported a possible reaction to our pediatrician's office, got a referral to see an allergist, and made an appointment with the allergist. Although the nurse and the appointment were very frustrating, I did like the doctor and appreciated what he had to say.
He recommended that we get the Pumpkin a blood test to check for allergies to peanuts and tree nuts. Although he noted that the blood test wasn't as accurate as the skin test, the skin test would require that the Pumpkin lie on her stomach for at least 15 minutes. Holding still for 15 minutes even in front of movie or show? Impossible for my 2 year old! Thus the blood draw and negative results that the doctor said could likely be a false negative. He recommended coming back into the office after she turned 3 and could possibly hold still for the skin test.
So yesterday morning, we went in for the skin test. We prepped her as best as we could. I was ready for a long wait, considering how long the previous visits took us (over an hour one time and about 2 hours another time). We brought toys and movies, plus special prizes if she held still and did what the doctor asked*. Even though our appointment was at 9:15 and the office opened at 9, we still waited an hour to see the doctor. After a brief refresher with the doctor, including giving him the spoonful of peanut butter we brought in with us, we had the Pumpkin take off her shirt and lie down across Londo's lap. The nurses put extracts and even a bit of real peanut butter on her back to see if there was a reaction.
Sounds fine, right? WRONG!
Forget about what the reaction was on her back for a moment. Instead, let me explain to you the reaction of my highly sensitive, active, emotional and spirited girl was. Do I need to even explain? I think this says it all: She freaked the EFF OUT! For the entire 15 minutes we forced her to lie as still as possible!
The first 5 minutes of that was wailing and shrieking such that she was unable to even realize what was going on. Londo had to hold her down across his lap, and I had to crouch by her face and hold her arms/hands to keep her from reaching her back while trying to soothe and distract her. Although the sobbing and wailing continued, we were able to distract a little with Cinderella on the TV and her new book I put under her nose.
So that sucked. It also sucked to watch the red marks appear and the two welts for the peanut extract and peanut butter grow. And then? The nurse had to outline the marks with a marker on her back. Her sensitive, itchy, don't-touch-it! back. Sigh. But that was over relatively quickly.
But it was worth it. We now know as sure as we can know that she is allergic to peanuts. She does not appear to be allergic to tree nuts, but we will be careful introducing them. The doctor said that we should still just tell people that she is allergic to nuts, because it's easier for people to just remove nuts and keep all nuts away from her. Also, I know that many nuts are processed and packaged in the same facility as peanuts. The doctor said there is a 10% contamination rate in facilities that also have peanuts and peanut products, so we still have to check every label for that as well as the ingredients. But we don't have to be quite as careful as we've been over the past year, now that she is very likely fine with other nuts. We do know that the allergy test could appear negative and she still could have a reaction (even a severe one) to any nuts, so we will be watchful and careful with all of them. The doctor also said that she has a 20% chance of outgrowing the allergy, so we will retest her when she's 6 and have annual checkups with him until then.
I've spent time over the last year reading blogs by parents who have kids with food allergies. I've found lists of "safe" foods and "safe" manufacturers**. We've been reading packages carefully, on everything since it can surprisingly be in things you don't expect or processed in the same facility or even on the same machine! I've found websites that sell candies and foods made in nut-free facilities, where I ordered the Pumpkin chocolates from a couple places for Christmas and Easter, as well as a cake mix for her birthday and chocolate chips for us to make cookies. I plan to list links to these things in another blog post, both for those who are interested and to make it easy for me to find all the information I have gathered at a glance. We don't bring her to Five Guys or Chick-Fil-A (two of my fav restaurants!) because they cook in peanut oil. We are figuring out other restaurants and places to avoid as well.
We have learned how to use the epi-pen, and we have a box at our house and one at school. Londo has been great about bringing one shot with us when we go out places (something I am working on remembering). I'm now looking into medical alert bracelets. The Pumpkin's current pre-school is a nut-free school, and as we look into new schools and daycares, we will be sure to find one that is nut free.
At this age, she still doesn't truly get why she can't have something that other kids/people have. So it will continue to be important to not have anything with peanuts around her at all. That means continuing to ask friends and family not to have or even offer their own kids PB&J sandwiches, because she inevitably says, "I want peanut butter!" She just does not understand the consequences at this age.
Our lives are not going to be exactly as we envisioned, with PB&J sandwiches at the beach (one of my fav beach eats) or sharing my love of Tagalongs with her. But it also shouldn't be as hard as this past year was, considering we can loosen restrictions about the tree nuts and considering that she will understand more and more as she gets older. This is just something else to live with, figuring it out as we go along.
But boy, I'm exhausted just writing about it all, let alone living it! Let the constant vigilance continue!
*When I told her about the special prize I had for her, she said, "I don't want a special prize! I want a book!" Ah, the contrariness of Three. BUT! I said to her, "Well, guess what your special prize is?" She looked at me and said questioningly, "A book?" And I responded, "YES! It's a book!" Her face lit up, and we laughed! I also added, "You can even get two books if you hold still the WHOLE time they are doing the test!" I doubted that would truly happen, but was totally planning to give her both books anyway.
**Did you know that not all manufacturers will include that the food is processed in a facility that also processes nuts? I find that highly irresponsible in this day and age!
A year ago when the Pumpkin had just turned two (and had enough verbal skills to tell us if something was feeling funny), we let the Pumpkin try her first bit of peanut butter on a cracker. Although Londo and I had some difference of opinion on whether or not there even was a reaction, we figured better safe than sorry. We reported a possible reaction to our pediatrician's office, got a referral to see an allergist, and made an appointment with the allergist. Although the nurse and the appointment were very frustrating, I did like the doctor and appreciated what he had to say.
He recommended that we get the Pumpkin a blood test to check for allergies to peanuts and tree nuts. Although he noted that the blood test wasn't as accurate as the skin test, the skin test would require that the Pumpkin lie on her stomach for at least 15 minutes. Holding still for 15 minutes even in front of movie or show? Impossible for my 2 year old! Thus the blood draw and negative results that the doctor said could likely be a false negative. He recommended coming back into the office after she turned 3 and could possibly hold still for the skin test.
So yesterday morning, we went in for the skin test. We prepped her as best as we could. I was ready for a long wait, considering how long the previous visits took us (over an hour one time and about 2 hours another time). We brought toys and movies, plus special prizes if she held still and did what the doctor asked*. Even though our appointment was at 9:15 and the office opened at 9, we still waited an hour to see the doctor. After a brief refresher with the doctor, including giving him the spoonful of peanut butter we brought in with us, we had the Pumpkin take off her shirt and lie down across Londo's lap. The nurses put extracts and even a bit of real peanut butter on her back to see if there was a reaction.
Sounds fine, right? WRONG!
Forget about what the reaction was on her back for a moment. Instead, let me explain to you the reaction of my highly sensitive, active, emotional and spirited girl was. Do I need to even explain? I think this says it all: She freaked the EFF OUT! For the entire 15 minutes we forced her to lie as still as possible!
The first 5 minutes of that was wailing and shrieking such that she was unable to even realize what was going on. Londo had to hold her down across his lap, and I had to crouch by her face and hold her arms/hands to keep her from reaching her back while trying to soothe and distract her. Although the sobbing and wailing continued, we were able to distract a little with Cinderella on the TV and her new book I put under her nose.
So that sucked. It also sucked to watch the red marks appear and the two welts for the peanut extract and peanut butter grow. And then? The nurse had to outline the marks with a marker on her back. Her sensitive, itchy, don't-touch-it! back. Sigh. But that was over relatively quickly.
But it was worth it. We now know as sure as we can know that she is allergic to peanuts. She does not appear to be allergic to tree nuts, but we will be careful introducing them. The doctor said that we should still just tell people that she is allergic to nuts, because it's easier for people to just remove nuts and keep all nuts away from her. Also, I know that many nuts are processed and packaged in the same facility as peanuts. The doctor said there is a 10% contamination rate in facilities that also have peanuts and peanut products, so we still have to check every label for that as well as the ingredients. But we don't have to be quite as careful as we've been over the past year, now that she is very likely fine with other nuts. We do know that the allergy test could appear negative and she still could have a reaction (even a severe one) to any nuts, so we will be watchful and careful with all of them. The doctor also said that she has a 20% chance of outgrowing the allergy, so we will retest her when she's 6 and have annual checkups with him until then.
I've spent time over the last year reading blogs by parents who have kids with food allergies. I've found lists of "safe" foods and "safe" manufacturers**. We've been reading packages carefully, on everything since it can surprisingly be in things you don't expect or processed in the same facility or even on the same machine! I've found websites that sell candies and foods made in nut-free facilities, where I ordered the Pumpkin chocolates from a couple places for Christmas and Easter, as well as a cake mix for her birthday and chocolate chips for us to make cookies. I plan to list links to these things in another blog post, both for those who are interested and to make it easy for me to find all the information I have gathered at a glance. We don't bring her to Five Guys or Chick-Fil-A (two of my fav restaurants!) because they cook in peanut oil. We are figuring out other restaurants and places to avoid as well.
We have learned how to use the epi-pen, and we have a box at our house and one at school. Londo has been great about bringing one shot with us when we go out places (something I am working on remembering). I'm now looking into medical alert bracelets. The Pumpkin's current pre-school is a nut-free school, and as we look into new schools and daycares, we will be sure to find one that is nut free.
At this age, she still doesn't truly get why she can't have something that other kids/people have. So it will continue to be important to not have anything with peanuts around her at all. That means continuing to ask friends and family not to have or even offer their own kids PB&J sandwiches, because she inevitably says, "I want peanut butter!" She just does not understand the consequences at this age.
Our lives are not going to be exactly as we envisioned, with PB&J sandwiches at the beach (one of my fav beach eats) or sharing my love of Tagalongs with her. But it also shouldn't be as hard as this past year was, considering we can loosen restrictions about the tree nuts and considering that she will understand more and more as she gets older. This is just something else to live with, figuring it out as we go along.
But boy, I'm exhausted just writing about it all, let alone living it! Let the constant vigilance continue!
*When I told her about the special prize I had for her, she said, "I don't want a special prize! I want a book!" Ah, the contrariness of Three. BUT! I said to her, "Well, guess what your special prize is?" She looked at me and said questioningly, "A book?" And I responded, "YES! It's a book!" Her face lit up, and we laughed! I also added, "You can even get two books if you hold still the WHOLE time they are doing the test!" I doubted that would truly happen, but was totally planning to give her both books anyway.
**Did you know that not all manufacturers will include that the food is processed in a facility that also processes nuts? I find that highly irresponsible in this day and age!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Question of the Week - Oh, The Places You'll Go
I had so much fun at the May Meet Up 2010! Two other lovely women (Raia and eep) made it with their sons, and I brought both of mine with me. As always with the kids along and in a kid-friendly place, we were able to chat only a little. But the ladies were great, the kids adorable and the place was awesome!
We went to the Be With Me Children's Playseum in Bethesda. I have to admit, I'm very confused as to why places like this call themselves "playseums." I don't think they are anything like museums at all. If I could name them, I would call them "play cities," or at least that's what I'd call this one since I've not been to any others.
It wasn't what I was expecting. I thought it would be some big room with lots of areas and lots of gym equipment, like a McD's Playland thingy. It wasn't that at all!
This place had a lot of little rooms, all open without doors (except the bathroom). Each room was like a "store," such as the grocery store filled with pretend food or the pet store with real animals (bunnies! frogs! lizards! hamster!) that they were allowed to pet or the diner with a play kitchen and table off of a bakery where they could take a little "class" and make real pies! Of course, my daughter LOVED the art studio and the construction site with it's sand box.
I could go on and on about how neat it was. I will definitely be going back, and I could plan to spend all day there!
This week's question of the week is:
Where is your favorite place to go with your kid(s)?
I'm sure my husband's answer is our backyard. We have a lot of room, a glider, a little slide and other fun things back there. Our daughter LOVES to go out back and play, as does Londo.
Though I really enjoy going in our backyard, it's not my absolute favorite place to go with the kids. I like the pool and the playseum, but that's not it either. And although the zoo and petting farm are really close to the top, I think my favorite place to go with the kiddos is to a friend's house for a playdate. I like the low-key-ness of being in a house, but I like to get out of my own house. I especially like sitting around and chatting with friends and/or family while the kids play.
How about you? Do you like big adventures with the kids or low-key hanging out? Do you have a favorite place to go, or do you simply like staying home?
We went to the Be With Me Children's Playseum in Bethesda. I have to admit, I'm very confused as to why places like this call themselves "playseums." I don't think they are anything like museums at all. If I could name them, I would call them "play cities," or at least that's what I'd call this one since I've not been to any others.
It wasn't what I was expecting. I thought it would be some big room with lots of areas and lots of gym equipment, like a McD's Playland thingy. It wasn't that at all!
This place had a lot of little rooms, all open without doors (except the bathroom). Each room was like a "store," such as the grocery store filled with pretend food or the pet store with real animals (bunnies! frogs! lizards! hamster!) that they were allowed to pet or the diner with a play kitchen and table off of a bakery where they could take a little "class" and make real pies! Of course, my daughter LOVED the art studio and the construction site with it's sand box.
I could go on and on about how neat it was. I will definitely be going back, and I could plan to spend all day there!
This week's question of the week is:
Where is your favorite place to go with your kid(s)?
I'm sure my husband's answer is our backyard. We have a lot of room, a glider, a little slide and other fun things back there. Our daughter LOVES to go out back and play, as does Londo.
Though I really enjoy going in our backyard, it's not my absolute favorite place to go with the kids. I like the pool and the playseum, but that's not it either. And although the zoo and petting farm are really close to the top, I think my favorite place to go with the kiddos is to a friend's house for a playdate. I like the low-key-ness of being in a house, but I like to get out of my own house. I especially like sitting around and chatting with friends and/or family while the kids play.
How about you? Do you like big adventures with the kids or low-key hanging out? Do you have a favorite place to go, or do you simply like staying home?
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