Allergy Check-Up

Yesterday was Noah's 6 month allergy check-up.  Our allergist was pleasantly surprised that we have made it a full year without another reaction.  That was a great reminder of just how serious this year.  Being a parent of a child with food allergies is so incredibly overwhelming.  We have been through some really stressful situations that have left me paralyzed and wondering how to move forward.  This often leaves me wondering when we will have to jump to action and use that Epipen that we dread having to use.  Knowing when he is having a reaction can be confusing and incredibly scary.  We thought he was having a reaction about a month ago.  He was coughing so hard that he was throwing up all over the hallway.  My hands were shaking, my chest felt tight and I just wanted to cry.  I wanted someone to tell me what to do.  The reality is that we have to decide what to do.  As the parent these momentous decisions are on us.  Thankfully he was fine and just needed to have a drink and use his nebulizer.  He was fine.  It just reminds me that we need to be ready for that moment when it's not okay.

We talked about many things with our allergist, including snoring.  He doesn't snore loud, but enough that he asked us to make a video of him sleeping to be sure he doesn't stop breathing when he's sleeping.  Apnea is very serious, so we need to rule it out.  I really think he's fine, but we'll make the video to be sure.

We also talked about the fact that he breaks out in hives on his face when he eats cinnamon.  He agreed that it's probably a "contact allergy" and the cinnamon is just irritating his skin.  The hives don't spread and he has no other symptoms, so it's likely not a problem.  We'll still avoid giving it to him, but we can all eat it without worrying.

When we talked about the fact that we haven't gone to children's museums or stadiums out of fear of him coming in contact with peanuts he agreed that we made the right decision.  He said it's not worth the risk.  Noah's allergy is considered fatal, so we should never take a chance.  It's heartbreaking to know that he'll miss out on things, but I want him to know that his safety is more important than any experience or event.  He'll just have to learn that everyone is different and deals with difficult situations.  His situation may be difficult at times, but he will still be able to live a life full of great experiences.

I also brought up the issues we've had with Devyn and reminded him that she came with to Noah's last appointment.  She was only 7 weeks old and already having a lot of gastrointestinal issues and had a rash.  We suspected then that it was dairy.  She still can't handle if I have any kind of cheese or milk.  He agreed that is sounds like a milk allergy, although he mentioned lactose intolerance, because of the rash.  He suspects milk allergy because of the rash more than anything.  He suggested bringing her in so we could talk about it and do the blood test.  Her appointment is nexty Tuesday.  The best part about the visit is that her inital visit is scheduled for an hour allowing for as much discussion as possible.  A typical visit is scheduled for 30 minutes.  What a blessing to have that much time with an expert on such a confusing subject.

As we left the room and headed out to the lobby I noticed a sweet little girl sitting with her mom in the waiting room.  She was sucking her thumb and holding a blanky.  That part reminded me of Devyn.  I couldn't help but notice that she was bald.  My heart ached for that mom sitting next to her little girl waiting for a treatment room.  The allergy/immunology department is on the same floor as pediatric oncology.  I can't even begin to imagine how that family must be feeling and how difficult their situation must be.  I said a prayer for them.  It's easy to get wrapped up in our own difficulties and forget that someone else is dealing with someone like cancer.  It's a great reminder to be thankful for our blessings and thankful that our kids aren't dealing with something so incredibly difficult.

I also come to the University of Chicago and leave with this strange feeling of warmth and joy.  It's been such a wonderful part of our lives for the last 3 years.  3 years ago we made our first trip there to see that I received the care I needed to deliver 3 healthy boys.  We've entrusted our kids to their care many times and we are so glad that we have. 

Times are a changin'

It's done.  3 boys are in big boy beds.  It happened on Monday just before naptime. 

Monday I was at the eye Dr. with Reese so Nate stayed home with Aiden, Noah and Devyn.  He said it took about an hour to get them to nap.  We fully expected a long fight at bedtime.  It only took a few minutes and it was quiet.  Not one little boy put his feet on the floor.  We thought it had to be a fluke.

Tuesday morning they all stayed in bed until we came to get them.  Nap time started a bit rough, but they eventually fell asleep, except Noah who said his ear hurt.  He just laid on the couch.  After naptime they waited until I came to get them again.  Tuesday night it only took a few minutes and they were out.  No little feet running on the floor above us.

It's now Thusrday and naptime was spectacular.  They were out within 15 minutes.  They stay in bed until we come get them and proudly announce, "I sleep in my big boy bed!" when we come get them.

Can I get a "Hallelujah!!"?!?  Yes!  Success!  I'm hoping I haven't jinxed it by saying it, but this has gone remarkably well. 

Noah

Here are our big boys in their beds:

Reese

Aiden



This sweet itty bitty just turned 7 months old! 

 

 

Times are changing! 

Say it aint so

The most dreaded day has come.  It's a day that I've been dreading and hoping would be far off.  Now it's here.  I'm not sad for sentimental reasons.  I'm sad because my sanity is going to be put to the test.  So, what am I talking about?  It's the move from cribs to big boy beds.  Lord help us all.  This could get ugly.

We really planned on keeping the boys in cribs for as long as humanly possible.  Over the past week it has become quite clear that the time is here.  It all started last week Friday....

Friday afternoon after their nap I went to get the boys up.  I walked in the room and stopped in the doorway.  It took my brain a minute to catch up and then I realized what was wrong.  Noah and Reese were in the wrong beds.  I know they started their nap in the right beds though.  They had climbed over the sides of their beds and switched beds.  We had a long, stern talk with them about how someone could get hurt.  They talked about it a lot that night and we thought they got it.

Saturday morning I went to get them up and Noah was in Reese's bed with him.  I guess that message from the day before didn't quite sink in.  We talked about it again and things were okay for a couple of days.  We knew we were closing in on the time to make the switch to big boy beds.

Tuesday I put them down for a nap.  Nate was out plowing.  I had just started eating lunch when I heard a thud.  A very loud thud.  I ran upstairs because I knew what had happened.  Reese was standing at the door sobbing and Noah was in Reese's bed.  After yet another "chat" I put Noah back in bed and took Reese downstairs and he slept on the couch by me.  He had a big bump and a bruise on his forehead.  That's when we decided it was time to really get this done.  We went out this morning to get the rest of what we needed to get their room ready for this (safety stuff).

Today really took the cake though.  They were fairly quiet, but Nate went upstairs to tell them to lay down.  He came back downstairs and told me to get up to their room fast.  I ran upstairs and saw why he wanted me to get upstairs so quickly.  They were taking all their clothes off.  Not only that they were taking their diapers off.  They are all potty trained now, but they wear a diaper at naptime and bedtime.  Not only had they taken them off, but Noah and Reese pooped and threw it.  My friends, it was an ugly scene.  It could have been much worse, but it was gross.  After changing sheets and clothes, cleaning kids and beds, wiping down walls and floors we were having a hard time not laughing.  It was awful.  I've read about this so many times from other parents of multiples.  I never thought it would happen.  I should really know better than to say, "not us".

Needless to say the big switch will happen tomorrow and we'll be doing a lot of "checking" to be certain all children are staying clothed at naptime.  I guess this is a milestone that's just coming a little sooner than I was prepared for.  They are growing faster than I can keep up with!

Just like her dad and some family fun

Last week Friday I took Devyn in for her 6 month check-up.  It turns out she's just like Nate.  She is only 13 lbs, which puts her below the 5th percentile.  She's 27" tall though, which puts her in the 90th percentile.  We have to keep an eye on her weight, because she's really not gaining.  Our pediatrician isn't overly concerned though since she just started eating solids a couple of weeks ago.  I also have to keep dairy out of my diet and we can't give Devyn dairy until at least age 1.  I ate a couple (literally a couple) of mini cheese rice cakes and she broke out in a rash and had a bad tummy ache. 

We've also been busy having some fun while Nate's work is slow.  We went to the aquarium in Tuesday.  We had a great time!  Eating lunch at the aquarium gave me heart palpitations and I watched what every other family ate like a hawk.  We brought our own lunch, but I still watched everything Noah touched.  The boys really enjoyed all the "goldfish", dolphins, sharks, etc.  Every fish is a goldfish to them.  Here's a picture of them enjoying the dolphin show:

Notice Devyn is watching as well.  She didn't sleep the entire 2 1/2 hours we were at the aquarium.

 

Yesterday my mom helped me take the kids for their Christmas pictures.  We were supposed to have them done as a surprise for my dad for Christmas, but all 4 kids ended up getting a fever and we had to cancel.  So, yesterday we went and despite Devyn being crabby we got some great shots.



 

 

 

What we got for Christmas

We got some really great gifts for Christmas this year.  However, that's not what I'm referring to.  Some of the things were great, some not so great.  Here they are...

On Christmas Eve we got antibiotics.  All the kids seemed to be feeling better when Reese developed a double ear infection.  I took him in on Christmas Eve and one ear was really bad.  So, we got some antibiotics and went on our way.  He felt better quickly and all was well.

We got crabby kids.  For the most part they were really fantastic.  They were well behaved and did well without much of a nap a couple of days.  Then it was over and the crabiness hit like a tidal wave.  Holidays are so much fun and I love them so very much.  The days after are some cruel form of torture.

Now for the great things...

There was no work for Nate last week.  That meant he was home all week.  It was nothing short of fabulous.  I could leave the house without waiting for someone to come help me or watch the kids.  We took the kids places.  We went to the "farm", which was actually a butcher, to buy some fresh meat.  Thankfully they don't really understand what kind of "farm" it was.  It was really nice to spend the week all together.

We got a baby who has slept through the night for 3 nights in a row now.  Praise the Lord!!!!  I started feeding her oatmeal on Saturday and every since then she is full enough to sleep through the night.  I would have done it much sooner, but I want desparately to avoid another child with food allergies.  It's recommended to breastfeed exclusively for 6 months.  I did.  It wasn't always easy (I can't eat dairy, she was hungry at night, etc..), but I feel like it was worth it.  It's hard to read all the things that people think are causing food allergies, because it often blames the "lifestyle".  I have questioned many choices and wondered if they have caused Noah's food allergies.  The truth is there is no clear answer on what causes it.  I refuse to believe what people are writing.  They don't know.  I do what I can and if Devyn ends up with a food allergy I'll know I did what I could to prevent it.  I carry enough guilt (what mom doesn't). 

I will work on getting some pictures up of our Christmas very soon.  Right now I'm just enjoying the fact that I am well rested from a FULL nights sleep!!

Sick babies

Having sick babies stinks.  Okay.   I know the boys are 2 and not really babies anymore, but they will always be my babies. 

Devyn started coughing last week so I took her in Friday.  Her lungs sounded clear, so there wasn't much to do but give her lots of love.  She had a fever Friday night.  Then it was a low-grade fever on and off until Tuesday.  I called the dr again and she said that if she didn't get better in a couple of days we needed to come back.  Well, she passed this illness on to the boys.  That means lots of coughing, fevers, medicine and Noah coughing so hard he throws up (which always happens in bed) because of his asthma.  Devyn is fever free, but still coughing. 

That being said I'm choosing to see this in a positive light.  Having sick kids means many things.  It means I have kids.  I have little people that love me and need me.  People who want me to hold them in the middle of the night when they have a fever.  People who want me to tuck them back in.  People who want to snuggle me on the cough.  I am constantly trying to make them snuggle with me.  They usually say, "No, Mom!  Stop!  I go play.".  When they are sick suddenly everyone wants to snuggle.

I'm also incredibly thankful that we have Tylenol to help keep fevers down, a nebulizer to help with breathing and a warm house to keep them comfortable.  Not everyone has what they need to help their kids get better.  We do. 

I'm not sick.  Okay, this is going to sound strange.  I would rather have sick kids than be sick myself.  Of course when it is something major, like Reese having surgery or Noah's peanut allergy I would trade with them in a heartbeat.  When they have a cold or fever it's way easier to have them be the ones that are sick. When I'm sick it's awfully hard to take care of everyone, let alone myself.

I stay home and don't have to take days off.  I can't even begin to imagine how hard it is to be a working mom and have to decide whether to take days off or have leave you kids with someone else when they are sick.  I give a lot of credit to those moms.  Such tough decisions can't be easy.

All in all, we'll survive.  The fevers and coughs will pass.  I'm really hoping the fevers are gone quickly.  We start celebrating Christmas on Sunday with my family.  I really don't want to miss it.  I'm hopeful that since the fevers started yesterday they'll be done by tomorrow.  Say a prayer for us.  A prayer that everyone gets better and a prayer of thanks that we're so richly blessed.

Dear winter...

We are not friends.  Sure, you're pretty when there is snow on the ground and you have some great holidays, but that's it.

It's only December 11 and I couldn't be more sick of being stuck inside.  As I type this the boys have been in bed since they finished eating lunch lunch and no one has napped longer than 15 minutes (Aiden was the only one to fall asleep at any point).  I haven't let them get up yet because Devyn finally fell asleep...on the floor.  She wouldn't nap this morning, so now she's passed out on the floor.  I won't move her unless the house is on fire.  Sorry, boys.  You're stuck in bed.  I also won't get them up because they were horrible this morning and these couple of hours are necessary separation so that I don't run away from home. 

They need so badly to run around and get their energy out.  It's just too cold to take them out though.  I got them bundled up on Monday to go outside and shovel.  Nate came home halfway through dressing them and helped me.  By the time everyone was in snowpants, coats, boots, hats and gloves I was sweating and they were falling over because of all the heavy clothing.  Honestly.  I'm not even sure it was worth it.  We were outside for maybe 20 minutes or half an hour.  Then it was too cold to be out any longer and we took them inside.  Once inside we spent 10 minutes getting the wet clothing off and into the basement, Noah fell down the stairs trying to walk down in all of his clothing and they were crying because they didn't want to come in.  Not to mention Noah has asthma so that small amount of time outside caused him to cough like crazy.  Fantastic.

Last winter we dealt with a million illnesses.  This year we'll deal with cabin fever.  I have it.  Bad. 

This could prove to be a challenging winter.  Hopefully all the time stuck indoors will help get everyone potty trained.  Aiden only wears a pull-up at naptime and a diaper at night.  Noah will pee on the potty if left naked all day.  He hasn't mastered wearing undies yet.  Reese isn't really interested yet. 

So, winter.  I'll be glad to see you go.  In 3 months or what will feel like 10 years.