Reese: The Irony

After a scary encounter with peanut butter (her fourth interaction with it I might add) Reese has been diagnosed by an allergist via skin test with a peanut and cashew allergy.

On a scale of 0-4, she scored the worst or most likely to have a reaction to peanuts, a 4. Consequently, the other "bad" nut to have an allergy to just so happens to be cashews; She scored a 2 to these. We have been advised to stay away from all nuts because one can never be too careful. Packages will often say, "Manufactured in a plant with nuts," or some will say, "May contain nuts." You never know what nuts they are talking about.

To say this has turned our lives upside down is an understatement. I scrutinize labels, I become panicked that something as simple as barbecue sauce will make her have a reaction (it did). Or, I'm scared that this is just the beginning in a long line of food allergies. Just tonight, after eating a pineapple, she started to hive up - I gave her Benadryl and my Mom washed her off which seemed to stem off the reaction.

In cases where Benadryl won't cut it, such as wheezing, swelling of the tongue, lips, vomiting, etc., we have been instructed to use the EpiPen. The allergist showed me how to jab it into her little thigh and how to "not rush" to the emergency room.

While the EpiPen gives me a sense of comfort that I will be able to handle any emergency situation, it still is a daunting idea. The idea that one slip, how one insignificant granola bar could land my baby into the emergency room is downright sickening. Some people have been great. My parents have cleared their pantry. While others don't get. "Just don't feed her peanuts." It's not that simple.

It's a learning process. There will be a change in our lifestyle. Reese will never have a Reese's Cup. Dan reminds me, "It's a nut allergy, not cancer."

In my pretend world...

In my pretend world, my girls color together without fighting over crayons or paper. In my pretend world, no one eats crayons or play doh either.

In my pretend world, I have my mini-Picassos cranking out works of art while I seamlessly and effortlessly switch out said works of art, careful not to do any coloring of my own to finish said masterpiece.



In my pretend world, Riley will practice her letters at this new desk/chair that I scored at a consignment store while I cook a gourmet meal. Little sister will sit on the floor playing quietly by herself, singing a soft tune. The candle burns a sweet, soy-based, environmentally friendly, woodsy scent and no one dares to touch the candle. The flower will never die in this pretend world and miraculously waters itself. It wins prizes for best-growing indoor plant. The picture on the desk is always up to date, and shows my children laughing and smiling, both looking at the camera.
Who am I kidding? I'm just glad that I got a shower yesterday.

Ball!

We knew this word was coming. Reese had been making the "B" sound for a while but couldn't quite spit out the "all" sound. Yesterday that all changed when I took the girls out to play in the ball pit. I filled it with water so they could cool off in the meantime because frankly, taking both girls to the pool scares the beegeezus out of me. Reese loved playing in the balls and when she spotted the ball pit this morning through the window (because I am a slacker and did not pick it up yesterday) she was extremely excited...and so was I.

When I grow up.

Riley keeps a running list of all of the things she wants to do when she grows up. She repeats them, usually in the same order when asked. She will also add to this list, should the need arise. For example, she saw a tow truck, I explained what the man does, Bam! On her list. She also loves the car wash. Bam! Added. Old favorites include of course, a Mommy and a dancer.

Pay no mind to the one year old jumping ship.

Doctors

Within a week of each other, we had two very important doctor visits in our house.

First up, Reese's one year wellness visit. The skinny on the skinny - our girl is gaining inches but not enough pounds. "Fatten her up" with whipping cream, ice cream, peanut butter, butter, and more butter were the Doc's orders. You may find Dan and I on the Biggest Loser at some point soon.

As far as milestones, Reese is doing it all. While she doesn't say much besides a few names, she is still on track. With two shots and a needle prick to check her blood levels for anemia (she still is, by the way) we were on our way.

Bad picture take on my Iphone below.

The end of the week left me sweating just imagining it - Riley's first dentist appointment. But, I have to report our big girl proved once again that she is really maturing. I held her on my lap while they inspected, cleaned, and fluoride-treated her twenty teeth and reported that they were spaced beautifully. With a promise of a surprise and a Mommy and Riley breakfast date, we left our appointment and headed to the dollar store. For her special prize, she chose a bubble blower, Cheetos, and a loofah. This was followed by, ironically enough, chocolate chip pancakes. What better way to celebrate proper dental hygiene, right?

Family Trip 2011

Here is a slide show of the pictures from our recent trip to Ohio and Kentucky. We certainly jam packed so much into a small amount of time. I got to see cousins, some of whom I hadn't seen in ten years...and their kids! We witnessed the serene, and breathtaking wedding of my cousin Natalie to one funny, and lucky guy, Ian. We visited with my Big Grandma and then celebrated the Fourth of July in our coordinated ensembles at my Aunt Debbie and Uncle Jeff's house. We attended my Grandpa's funeral service, visited with more family, and got to meet the newest member of the Wilson family -- Berkley (Mike and Sarah's baby girl). Whew!
Throw into the mix lots of good food, ice cream, hotel fun, and plane adventures, and you have all of the necessary ingredients to an excellent adventure.

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