good news and the not-so-good news

Let's start with the good news, shall we?

I had Hayes' parent-teacher conference this morning. It's always fun to hear someone say your boy is as neat as you think he is. :) He is doing really well and is learning so much. Up until recently, he has pretty much resisted every attempt I have made to get him to color, draw or learn. Now, it's like a switch has been flipped... he is always wanting to draw and he is eager to teach me the things he learns in school.

We were at lunch a couple weeks ago and he was drawing on the place mat. I looked over and he was writing all of his colors! I knew he could spell these words in a song that he sings, but write them down? So cool. It's truly a joy watching this little guy learn to read and write right before my eyes.

And now for the not-so-good news...

Embry's skin testing with the allergist didn't go as I had hoped yesterday. No, more like didn't go as I had prayed and trusted God for it to go. I felt good going into it, knowing that I had handed this over to God and trusted that there would be healing, or at least progress in his resistance to his food allergies.

But once the little spots on his arms started to swell up and I began hearing things like, "Okay, I'm stopping the test (half-way into it) because of the significance of his reaction." and "Honestly, I haven't seen a peanut reaction of this size in a long time," the doubt began to creep in.

I have to be honest about being disappointed. I was really expecting good results. But even though I am the mommy and believe I know what is best for my baby, God's the one with the ultimate plan. And I will keeping trusting that there will be healing in that plan... not in my time, but his.

jack is back

Embry came home from the hospital this evening. We've still got our work cut out for us with the nebulizer but he is doing so much better. We now know that we are on the road to dealing with asthma. Looks like Pulmicort will be added to our daily routine. Thanks so much for the prayers and sweet comments.

Hayes completed his fall semester at Little Gym today.

almost an ER night, but... a trip to the ER

Kyle did end up taking Embry to the ER at about 3:30 this morning. His stats weren't good enough to let him go home so he was admitted. Please pray for him... and Kyle. Kyle's got to go to work today on no sleep. Hopefully Embry won't have to stay overnight.

The doc did say that he believes that Embry has asthma... seeing that this is the third incident with his breathing in the last year. I guess it is good to be making progress in figuring things out.

We have never been able to pinpoint one thing exactly when this happens. This time, it started when he was exposed to peanuts this weekend at a baby shower. (They were in a bowl on a table that I didn't see until the end... he never even touched them but other than the candles in the house, I can't think of a reason that he started breathing differently just as soon as we got there.) It is so frustrating to not be able to figure this stuff out.

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Well, we almost took Embry to the ER tonight for wheezing and fever but he made a comeback at the buzzer. It's frustrating to me when my kids are sick. Tonight, Embry is wheezing pretty good but won't let me listen to his chest. Hat's off to the Pediatrician. I'll stick to operating and asking questions later. Just kidding. Here are some excerpts from our evening -Kyle

a mom's view on food allergies

The unknown of allergies. I'm not a fan. I'm learning more and more about Embry's allergies but sometimes it just seems too overwhelming. I know his allergies and what we have to avoid: eggs, peanuts, oats, dogs and cats. But what I don't know is what would happen if he got ahold of something he wasn't supposed to... specifically the peanuts or eggs. How bad would these reactions be? Will I ever have to use the epi-pen? I want to be prepared. But the thing is, you never know the extent of an allergic reaction.

With the chaos that goes on around here, how will I ever be able to catch every little thing? I read labels, then reread them just to make sure. And then I hear about food companies not taking the whole 'allergy warning label' thing seriously. What?

Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer has this great series called What I'd Like For You To Know. She presents different topics and shares someone's personal story each time. This is Jane Anne's story about dealing with food allergies as a mom. She does an amazing job of putting into words what so many of us feel. You can find more about her at Gravity of Motion .

allergy kid

Embry is unfortunately going to be 'labeled' an allergy kid his whole life. This is something I think about a lot. Sure I worry about the dangers that come along with food allergies and I try to avoid the eggs, peanuts and oats. No peanuts in the house anymore. It's sunbutter sandwiches instead of pb&js... that took some convincing Hayes. I can't remember the last time I bought eggs. We have our list of restaurants where we can eat. Go figure that Chick-fila is out of the picture and McDonald's is one of the best places for him to eat. I am getting better about having the epi-pen with us wherever we go. I pray we never have to use it.

But I can't help thinking about the emotional side of it... him feeling left out. You know, the little kid at the peanut-free table at school or a birthday party or wherever. Everyone else is having a cupcake or cookie while he has a safe snack from home. Embry does have this amazing spirit however. Maybe these worries that I have won't even cross his mind. I hope Kyle and I can teach him to be confident in who he is and not let his allergies define him.

His mother's day out this year is peanut-free. woo! hoo! His teachers are great and seem very cautious. So I don't have any concerns there. Public schools seem to be making steps towards keeping allergy kids safe. Maybe all schools will eventually be peanut-free by the time he gets there. A mommy can only hope.