The tales of a tree nut allergy...

Two weeks ago at Costco, we had one of our biggest parenting scares to date.  It ranks high up there with waking up and hearing Evan wheezing so loudly at night while sick with an upper respiratory infection and deciding on making the voyage to the emergency room at 6am in the winter with slippery roads.  There's no chapter in the parenting manual on those kind of decision-making skills and it seems they always seem to happen in the middle of the night.

Anyway, we took the boys to Costco after their swim lessons to do our monthly stock-up.  To the boys it's all about the "snack ladies".  We were making the rounds, munching here and there as we approached the last snack stop before the registers.  I went to grab a bouquet of flowers for my nieces' dance recital later that afternoon while Scott grabbed two huge chocolate covered walnuts for the boys.

Five minutes later, while checking out in line, Sean was in tears about us not buying him the Lego book he saw aisles ago.  Tragic, I know.  Suddenly, his crying turned into all-out hysterics.  His tune changed from the book to his mouth hurting.  I checked the roof of his mouth assuming he cut it on the nut or that maybe a piece was stuck in his throat.  Of course, a four year old can't quite articulate what the problem is more than his mouth hurt.  I couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.  We tried our best to calm him down, gave him water, but nothing helped.

He was coughing, making sounds like he was trying to hack something up (rather loudly, I'll add), sobbing, and causing a huge scene all while trying to maneuver the check-out at noon on a Saturday at Costco.  Scott insisted we grab lunch at the food counter and that maybe eating something would help.  There were no open picnic tables, so luckily a woman let us sit with her.  Although, I'm sure she regretted that once she witnessed Sean's continued meltdown.

I'm going to be honest.  We had no clue what was going with him.  We were concerned, but figured he was tired, ready for lunch, and would get over whatever was upsetting him.  We didn't make the connection that what he was experiencing was an allergic reaction to the walnut he ate.  At 4.5, there had been maybe one other incident (now that we think about it and analyze it that was a reaction as well that included coughing and vomiting after eating a pistachio in the middle of a wedding reception that Scott and I were standing up in), but we assumed we avoided the food allergies with Sean.  We were very wrong.

And we were very wrong to attempt to eat lunch and stay at Costco.  He was so upset and continued to make unusual sounds so we quickly wrapped up our food to go and hit the road to go home.  I called the on-call pediatrician as we drove, texted a friend with a son who has a food allergy, and hoped that this would subside.  The nurse told us to give him benadryl and take him to the ER.  By the time we got home and gave him the benadryl, he had stopped coughing and "hacking".  He had moved on to the sneezing and runny nose phase.  We couldn't tell how much the congestion had to do with him crying for so long, so we played the waiting game.  If the benadryl didn't improve his condition in 20 minutes, we'd head for St. Joe's in Ann Arbor.

He insisted he wanted a nap.  Poor guy was so worn out from the whole situation.  We let him lay down and we checked on him every 15 minutes.  By the time he woke up, he was back to normal.  Congestion was gone, coughing was gone, and he was perky and back to himself.  That following Monday, I made a call first thing to the allergist to schedule a scratch test.  After all, Mama knows best.  Scott assumed he swallowed the nut down the "wrong pipe".  But, I knew better.  This was so out of the ordinary for him.

We were relieved at how soon the allergist could schedule him in.  This past Wednesday, I took a half day, picked up Sean and made an afternoon out of it.  We grabbed his favorite (Panera!) and stopped at Target for a few things before the appointment.  I explained what would happen so he was totally prepared.  I figured Panera lunch and a Target shopping trip (another favorite of his) would butter him up...

Clearly I'm a sucker.  He also managed to get a Lego package out of our Target trip.  In my defense, we were warned that the appointment could take 1-3 hours.  I needed some entertainment.  And it was a great idea!  He built the set while we waited to see the doctor and it kept him occupied while I spoke with the doctor about his health history.

The doctor declared he has a tree nut allergy before we even did the test.  He said he would be shocked if it didn't turn out that way.  There's two misconceptions with allergies in kids:
1.  We assume they will get hives or visible swelling.
2.  We assume they are struggling to breathe only if they are gasping for air or panting.

Apparently, Sean's reaction in Costco was a pretty serious reaction.  One that should have merited a call to 911.  Parent of the year award right here.

We did the test anyway and also tested him on a few environmental ones too.  Environmental was on the right, nuts were on the left and the bottom 2 were the controls.  It's very clear, after only a minute, that nuts were an issue.

After 5 minutes, he could sit up.  The hardest part at this point was keeping his hands occupied so he wouldn't itch the spots.  He was completely freaking out.  I don't blame him.

The doctor came in and confirmed what we already knew.  Tree nuts are a no-no.  His worst reactions were to cashews and pistachios.  In fact, he tested negative to walnuts - the thing he ate at Costco.  He also tested a slight positive to peanuts, even though he can eat peanut butter.  We are going to do some blood work in a few weeks since we were told that since his reaction was only two weeks ago it can cause false negatives.  For now, our plan is to avoid all tree nuts and raw peanuts.  He can continue on with peanut butter, but we will be very cautious with reading labels on things like cereals and granola bars (two of his favorite foods).

We left with a prescription for EpiPens (scary...), a folder on food allergies, a script for blood work, and a script for Evan to have an allergy test sometime this summer to rule things out for him.  And just like that, Sean's life has changed.  We are to take the EpiPen with us everywhere.  We need an allergy action plan for daycare/school.  And we need to train his Nana and Grandma and anyone else that will be a caregiver to Sean on how to administer an EpiPen (worse case-scenario).

I'm confident that as we adapt our routines slightly with this news, that we can keep Sean safe and healthy as he has been for the most part.  It doesn't hurt to educate ourselves on food allergies and to create an emergency plan.  My biggest fear, as I'm sure it is for most parents of kids with food allergies is not right now in our life, but for when he's old enough to make his own decisions with food.  I pray that he'll be knowledgeable enough on reading labels and his limitations so that he can make the best choices.  I pray that we'll/he'll (as he gets older) not become lazy about bringing the EpiPen with him.  I pray that we never have to be in a situation like we were in Costco where we have to decide on how to react.  Knowing what we now know, I will not take his symptoms lightly.

In two short weeks, I've learned.  I've grown.  I've changed as a parent.  Parenting is the hardest, most challenging, most rewarding thing I've ever done.  Just when things seem like they're getting easier, we get a quick reminder that this is a life-long journey.  One that will not always be peachy.  But, one that will challenge us to become the best we can be as mothers and fathers, with whatever comes our way.

Good thing he's not allergic to chocolate...

Memorial Weekend Getaway

We play this weekend by ear every year.  What will the weather be like?  How are the kids feeling?  Is anyone sick or getting run down?  What activities do we have going on that we can cancel?  You look at a picture like this and the answers are suddenly very clear.  The weather will be fine.  The kids will be fine.  The plans can be cancelled.  Up north it is.

Packing has gotten easier now that the kids are out of diapers and bottles.  We don't need a baby monitor, toys, etc.  Just clothes, their Puddle Jumpers, and some DVD's for the car ride.  Even the 2.5 hour car trip is relaxing.  I thank the minivan for that.

We arrived after stop and go traffic in spurts and the kids went right for the sand.

It's pretty hard keeping the kids out of the water in their regular clothes, but they tested their limits and we managed to stay dry.  The weather was a bit chilly.

We took a boat ride around the lake as the sun set and the boys were off to bed later than usual.  Hey, it's vacation!  Me, Scott, his parents, and his sister, Mindy sat around the fireplace watching a movie and catching up.

The next morning the kids were ready to rock and roll!  The temps had gotten down into freezing over night, but the sun was so warm that it we managed to make it outside and playing by 9:30am.  By 11am, it was downright warm.  The boys spent the morning fishing with Pops, throwing crackers into the lake to attract the fish, throwing sand toys into the lake and having to retrieve them while squealing that the water was cold, and building moats in the sand.

Ahhh the sight of the boys bonding with their Pops over a fishing line.  It didn't quite capture their attention until Pops yelled that they caught something.  Then, they'd race back to the pole and reel the fish in.  I was shocked at how willing they were to take the fish off the line and throw it back in!  It's amazing how much they change in a year.

By mid-morning it was time to ditch the sweatshirts and pants, put on our suits, and soak up the sun.  We all took a spin on the Jet-skis, the boys went for a paddle boat ride with Pops, and we rode in the Pontoon over to a playground and beach on the other side of the lake.  I may have indulged in the sun a bit too much.  Let's just say my stomach hasn't seen the sun in roughly four years...so it was a little burnt in my new bikini.

Having a front row seat to watching your kids make friends and bargain over toys is an unique experience.  I wanted to step in so many times as I watched the dynamics, but it's time for them to figure it all out.

That evening we had a bonfire and made s'mores.  Sean got a sliver in his foot from the dock so bribing with s'mores while Scott worked on getting the sliver out was our best chance at removing it.  We weren't lucky, but a band-aid and some Vaseline did the trick overnight.

That evening we put the kids to bed early and played two games of Euchre.  Pops and I were victorious, finally!!

Sunday morning started with clouds.  Warm, but cloudy.  A perfect morning for Pops and Scott to golf.  As they finished their golf game, Nana and I brought the boys up to the course to "trade" so we could go hit up the Outlet Mall and sales!  The boys got to take a spin in the golf cart.  Surely a highlight.

After naps and after some damage was done spending money at the Outlets, the boys woke up and we were ready for round 2 of fishing and playing indoors.

After dinner that evening, we took the kids over to the Activities Building on the lake for an ice cream social.  Face painting, ice cream, bubbles, and the local fire truck - the boys were in heaven!  And just in time for us to drive back home to beat the Monday traffic and storms!

Driving home late Sunday evening in the rain was the best decision we could have possibly made.  No traffic, smooth sailing, kids in PJ's coming down from their ice cream sugar buzz watching movies until they fell asleep, you couldn't ask for a better end to our little getaway.

Monday was a day well spent at home working on the house.  Between laundry, grocery shopping, cutting the grass, gardening, and cleaning the garage, we were productive.  The boys even got in a bike ride and puzzles.  It was an amazing weekend spent with family.  We made some pretty great memories up north this weekend.

Three more weeks until Disney and until the summer is ours to go back to the lake and to continue making these memories with the boys.  This is what life is all about, right?!  Getting these opportunities to re-fill our tanks and to re-boot to make us truly appreciative to all that we have.  These memories with my boys, watching them experience these things, fills my heart.  It's honestly better than experiencing things myself.  No one told me about this rewarding part of parenthood. Seeing things through their eyes...it's unbelievable.

Mid-May Happenings

As of yesterday, we are now one month away from Disney!  30 days to be exact.  I am beyond excited.  Planning the past few months have been a blast and I'm already bracing myself for what life will be like when we return and I don't have a big trip in the upcoming months.  How will I spend my evenings without planning?

The boys have been enjoying the planning too.  Sean has cut off a strip from his countdown chain since we were 60 days out.  His scissor skills have improved a ton in the whole process too!  The true mind of a teacher...

The boys started their swim classes again after a little break for gymnastics.  Sean is in guppies class (without a parent) and Evan is in Parent/Tot Advanced.  They both still love being in the water and it's been fun to get back into the routine of swim class and farmer's market on Saturday mornings.  Muffins and the fountain just go together.

With Spring comes the outdoor responsibilites, like mowing the lawn.  Of course none of our lawn equipment would start this year.  Luckily, our friend's dad likes to tinker and was able to fix all of it!  We're so grateful for the help.  Speaking of help...

My little bug has been a handful lately, thanks to the terrible two's.  Whining, screaming, and crying over everything seems to be his M.O. these days.  He loves music.  Listening to songs, dancing, trying to play on the piano, singing, etc.  He loves when I sing Disney songs to him, so we've been jamming to Pandora as much as we can.  He's kind of getting into drawing too - circles, faces, stick people, and more.  Since Sean wasn't very interested in that until recently, I'm jumping on the opportunity to sit around and color.  I think we've finally got colors down and now we're working on identifying letters.  Thank goodness the kid loves the "Endless Alphabet" app on the iPad - it's a life saver when he's in one of his moods.  Still in a pull-up at night, he's about 50% of the time dry in the mornings and 50% of the time dry after naps.  There's no rhyme or reason to why he wakes up wet the other times.  This summer we are cracking down on the nighttime potty training as best as we can.  I'm over pull-ups.  But, it makes for a cute squishy butt sleeping picture.

Sean, on the other hand, is thriving in school.  Really getting a hang of spelling words, sounding out letters, and getting a start on sight words.  We've been working on reading each night (random words throughout books and using Bob's Books on the Kindle).  Since he's going to Young 5's in the fall through the school district, I'm not too worried about him with reading.  He has another full year before regular kindergarten and I'm confident that he's well on his way to reading.  He's still obsessed with Lego's.  He could spend hours just building his own version of "Lego City" in his room.  His most recent conversation at dinner went something like this, "I wish the whole world was made out of Lego's.  There would be a Lego God, a Lego daddy, a Lego mommy, a Lego Evan, a Lego Sean, and a Lego dog.  That would be so cool."

He's really starting to get into imaginary play and fell in love with this adorable Pirate Kit that came in his Citrus Lane box this month.  I'm just glad he's up for playing with something other than his Lego's.

The boys worked really hard on their Mother's Day gifts this year from school!  I was absolutely shocked at how great Sean did on drawing a picture of me on the plate.  Apparently they spent a solid week on it at school.  Well worth the time and effort!

Scott and I have been busy most evenings.  Either brewing homemade beer, Disney Planning, tutoring, or working on the house/yard, it's been hard to find some time to ourselves.  But, we sneak a few moments in here and there.

His beer brewing is quite the production in my kitchen...and basement...but, he enjoys it and so does my dad!  Something they can bond over.

There's few things that get Scott really excited.  A great batch of homemade beer can evoke a huge smile and apparently a new bike can too.  Thanks to my parents for their Mother's Day and Father's Day gifts, Scott and I now have new bikes!  We took a quick spin around the block last Friday to test them out with the kids.  It's going to be so much fun going down Hines Drive with the family or on the trails around here.

Earlier on this particular evening, we were to the boy's school for their Spring Party.  Paws made an appearance from the Detroit Tiger's!  It was so much fun!  We grabbed burgers and beer over at Hermann's and went to Dairy King for our first ice cream treat of the season downtown.  It was a wonderful evening!

With Memorial Day Weekend coming up, we have yet to decide if we're heading up north to the lake or not.  It depends on the weather.  It's looking like it will be cool with a chance of storms, but time will tell.  I'm just excited for a 3-day weekend and time with the family whether we're home or away.  I can't believe it's that time of the year already!  Summer is on it's way!