Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Grants allergies



Our sweet little light weight. :)
We officially found out the week after Christmas that Grant has
severe allergies to peanuts & moderate allergies to eggs.
In food allergen ratings there is a scale of 1 to 5. One being the least
reactionary & five the most.
Grant is a level 4 (severe) on peanuts & a 3 on eggs (moderate).

I first had an inkling that he may have an allergy to peanuts
when I gave the twins cut up pieces of a PB & J sandwiches for lunch
a few months back. Which was the first time they'd had peanut butter, being
of course, after they were one year old.
Neither of the boys were fond of the sandwich's so didn't try them again.
I noticed that Grant's skin around his mouth was red & splotchy, which I
knew could be a sign of an allergic reaction from past doctor visits
when I inquired about Grants rashes on his arms & neck to find out
whether he had eczema or if his skin was just getting irritated by something.
It turned out he had baby eczema & as he's grown, it has almost completely
stopped showing up on his skin.
After a couple of hours it faded away, so wasn't too concerned but made note
to self to watch for it the next time he had peanut butter.
So a few weeks later, we were eating waffles for breakfast & I love putting
peanut butter on them, & was also sharing bites with the babies, which they loved! And sure enough the rash appeared again.
I watched his behavior afterwards & he acted just fine, with the redness disappearing
soon after.
They had their 15 mo. check up mid December coming up & decided to def.
ask our pediatrician about it & have him tested for any allergies.
At their appointment they checked out healthy & growing well.
I talked with the doctor about it & we decided to have him tested to be safe, because
he said yes, a skin rash could def. be a sign of an allergy.
I wasn't too alarmed since I know that some foods can just irritate peoples skin
& nothing else.
So Grant had his blood drawn & of course was non too happy about it.
Then Thursday after Christmas, I got a call that morning telling me the results of
Grants tests & was surprised to have them tell me that he also was allergic
to eggs since he'd not shown any negative signs towards them.
They wanted us to come in that afternoon to talk with the doctor about
the details & what to do & expect from there.
Jace met the kids & I down at the doctor’s office & were educated a bit more on
food allergies, pertaining to Grant of course.

We now have an epipen (epinephrine) shot that we keep on hand at home
for in case he ever has an anaphylactic episode, which our doctor told
us is extremely rare (maybe 1 in billion)  in babies & toddlers,
but wanted to take precautions.
So we asked, if  his allergy towards peanuts is so bad,
how come it only showed up in a light rash?

He told us that his immune system is too immature to strongly
show signs or react against it. He used the example,
if there were a chain saw sitting in this room, we wouldn't worry
about Grant figuring out how to start it since he's doesn't have the
physical or mental capacity to know how to.

He explained that peanut & egg allergies are finicky ones where
the persons reaction to it can be more or less at times.
For instance, he might be ok with eating peanut butter
2 or 3 times without any real issues & then the next time
he reacts very strongly to it.
Grant will be tested again when he's around 4 yrs. to
see if the scale of his allergic reaction has gone down.
He will prob. never become completely non reactionary,
but if we avoid him eating peanut products & anything with
egg in it as the main ingredient then as he gets older his body may
become stronger to handle those foods & when he's tested again,
if they come back as a level 1 or 2 than he will
be ok. to have them every so often. Up to 20% of all kids with
peanut allergies do outgrow them, so we'll cross our fingers
for that. :) And majority of kids with egg allergies will outgrow it as well.
It's amazing that only 1.5% of kids even have egg allergies. And since my
kid is that 1.5% , it makes me feel so grateful for modern technology to help us find these things
out to keep our kids safe & healthy!

The likelihood of an anaphylactic reaction being triggered
in Him is very, very unlikely until he's about 4 yrs. & up.
So, now we have to meet with an allergist to have more
detailed testing done to make sure no other allergies were missed.

I asked the doctor, "how come we are seeing so many kids
these days with peanut allergies? I don't remember nearly
so many kids that I grew up around having peanut allergies
& it being a problem in being brought into schools
& other public places." (Many places with kids
around do not allow any sort of tree nut to be brought
in, in case there is a child with that allergy).

He said it's true that it is on the rise, & that there are a couple
of possible reasons, one being that we are just merely exposed to so
many more food types than we were many years ago & two
that there are many more preservatives & such in our
food that some bodies can't digest it well or react negatively to it.
And some can be genetic or just happen to be allergic
for no apparent reason.
In ruling things out, neither Jace nor I are allergic to anything
besides pollens, the peanut butter we use is "natural" meaning with
out any hydrogenated oils & the eggs are natural.

I think as the mom I feel more badly for Grant then he does of course, because
he doesn't even know really what he's missing.
I thought of all the things that I enjoyed eating growing up like,
the classic peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, peanut butter cookies, peanut butter & honey toast, scrambled eggs, sunny side up eggs,  French toast, German pancakes, cookie dough, quiche,
 & anything else with eggs in it that he won't be able to have. Although,
in reading further about his allergies, I’ve found that eggs can be replaced
in baking with a small mixture of natural ingredients such as water, oil, & baking powder.

 I fully realize & am so very grateful that his allergies are not worse
& that they are not something more major such as wheat or dairy which
would make things quite tough.
I tip my hat off to you moms that go through great efforts
in making healthy meals for your kids specifically with allergies.
Our little Grant-Grant is healthy, happy, & loving life
just as he is.
And we as his parents will be just fine too while
making some minor changes to how we cook
 around our house.



Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Snow Day!

Not a ton of snow, but enough to close the schools & some businesses
for the day (Fortunately, Cole only has school 3 days a week & today was an off day anyway,
so we're so glad he still got to go yesterday because he loves school).
 Actually, it snowed on & off quite a bit yesterday, then started to melt,
& then froze over again during the night, which then causes the roads to ice over,
thus causing the major problem & reason for closures.
Its the ice around here that's the usual trouble maker, not the snow, since it
usually doesn't get that deep or snow often.

So Jace has stayed home for the 1st part of the day to be safe
& then gone in to the office now that things are melting.
However, the next couple of nights will yield below zero
temps like -4 deg. with wind chill factors weighing in at -15 deg.
We're just getting the edge of the major snow storms that the
other surrounding states are experiencing.


Cole's so excited to go out & play in the snow with Daddy!

"Popsicle icicles" off the truck.

A fun new way to jump!

 Aha! Swords!

The beginnings of a snowman.
The snow was still to powdery to compact
into balls. A little later on, and it'll be perfect.

Long icicles like that always intrigue & amaze
me since I didn't grow up living around snow.
Fun to see.


Thursday, January 6, 2011

The Golden Ticket

I must start off by saying - My husband is AWESOME!!
I love this man! He is so creative & full of fun loving surprises
quite often.

Tonight at dinner, Jace handed me a card written to me with a
GOLDEN TICKET inside!
Jace designed this ticket for our date night this weekend
to kick off our New Year right!
This'll be our New Years Celebration since we decided to
kick it at home casually for New Years Eve.


 Details below . . .
**If unable to make out the text, it states:
Greetings to you the lucky recipient of this golden ticket
from Mr. Jace Stapley, your eternal friend and soul mate.

This ticket is redeemable for a respite this weekend on Saturday, January 8, 2011.
A break to relax and share with your husband, a time away from the children is yours.
Tremendous things are in store for you. I, your husband, will escort you to an authentic Mexican meal at Randitos
and, if it be your pleasure, a desert at the location of your choice. May I suggest you choose one even better than the
ever-enjoyable McDonalds and their $.99 cones. We will discuss and determine wonderous plans to take place in the year 2011 that will entrance, delight, intrigue, astonish and perplex you beyond measure.
Present this ticket at the entrance doorway of the Brimwood Manor. Your duties of the day will end and your escape begin!
Oompa dee doo.
---------------------------------------------------
In your wildest dreams you cannot imagine the marvelous
SURPRISES that await You.
----------------------------------------------------

Inside the card he wrote:

"Let me take you for a break this weekend . . .
Just need to get a sitter & we're all set!
Thank you for all you do for me & our boys!
You are great & I've enjoyed
you talking more! :)
 Lets go set some plans for this year,
 have a break & have some fun doing it.
I love you!"
Jace
1/6/11

I look forward to spending some quality time with my hubbie
talking, planning, laughing, goal setting, eating, smiling,
having fun, kissing ;), & relaxing!

I think it's quite ironical & funny that my husband says he
"enjoys" me talking more. :)
Uh, how many husbands say that they enjoy their wife
talking MORE with them?
I must be finally getting good at it! ;)
We joke with each other that I'm the man in the relationship
& he's the chick cuz he used to be able to out talk me
2 to 1 bar none! And, not so much anymore.
I know he means it because he surprisingly also turned to me last week,
after enjoying a casual conversation & said,
"You know what I like & is fun?
Is that you just talk & talk & talk! About good & positive things!"
I smiled. Laughed. And said,
"Wow, that 1st part is the complete opposite of what
you'd hear come out of most husbands mouths."

He is my best friend.
One of our goals for 2011 is one that
we just implemented tonight that I'm really excited
about because now, every Tuesday & Thursday evening, Jace & I
will get to spend an hour together working out
at the gym while the boys are in the child care center there.
Whahoo!!
And some Saturdays we'll get our "exercise" as a family
by going to the gym's indoor pool.
All the boys love water so its a great match!

HAPPY BELATED NEW YEARS EVERYONE!!



Sunday, January 2, 2011

Sabbath Day Woes

"Saturday is a special day, its the day we get ready for Sunday!"

That little primary song has never been more true in all my life as it has the
last almost year & a half.

Every Saturday, all kids are bathed, nails trimmed, church clothes picked
out & laid out (including mine), & church bag & diaper bags are packed.
And most Sundays I'm showered the day or night before. Sometimes,
if I'm daring, I'll wait till that morning & get up extra early before the kiddos
to get ready, which can still push the time & cause me to feel a bit more tired.

Even with all that prep, Sunday mornings can still be chaotic at times & a struggle to still be
on time.
Once in church, we've got two tired babies who's nap time
partially runs into the church time.
Just two more months baby! Til Nursery!

 There's also the funny little moments that can make you laugh in the midst of the crazieness.
For instance . . .
This morning as I sat on the couch dressing a baby for church,
Cole was sitting on the ground by me & says,
"Mommy, do you have monster truck tire track marks
on your legs?!"

Why, yes! It does look like that doesn't it!?
(Who knew I was so fashionably cool by the standards
of my 3 year old?!)

Today was our 1st child's 1st day of Primary!
Cole's been really excited & looking forward to it.
The primary leaders had even brought him in a few weeks ago with a couple of his classmates
for a practice run. In which he did quite well. He got to participate &  be a helper
in sharing time & he sang all the songs.
Yet when it came time to go today (which we'd happily talked it up),
he did NOT want to go!
Despite his tears, we sent him in to sit in the front row with his Sunbeams class.
Jace went down the hall to teach his new Sunday school class & I went
into Gospel Doctrine class with the twins in tote.
After only a few minutes, I hear Cole crying hysterically in the hallway.
I could hear quite well since the Relief Society room & the Primary room are adjacent to each other.
This "wailing" went on for minutes not stop.
I resisted jumping up & going out to settle him down, because I thought,
no, he can learn how to settle down with the help of his teachers. His mom can't & wont'
always be there to be able to help him out.
I also had the twins with me & did not see anyone I knew well enough
in my corner of the room to leave them with.
So, since his sobs were not relenting, I took the train of a stroller out
with me & saw two of the bishopric members sweetly sitting with Cole on the ground
trying to console him.
I managed to settle him down quickly enough with some "breathing exercises"
we do at home, enough to ask him some questions & get some audible
answers out of him.
He finally told me that he was scared.
Hmm? My kid? Scarred?
Pretty much, never!
This was coming from left field!
He was telling me things that, under any ordinary circumstance
he'd never utter, such as,
"I want to go home with you & daddy & brothers".
"I want to go home & go to sleep".
"I want to go to time out".
 So after settling him down & telling him that that was not an option,
we decided that I'd go to Primary & sit with him.
He was o.k. with that! :)
A wonderful sister in the ward was standing near by & offered to take
the twins for me.
Once in Primary, he was calm & happy. But half way through, he started to get upset
& say that he wanted to go back to Nursery while they were transitioning onto
something else. One of the leaders took him so I could leave.
And probably half the ward is well aware of Coles Primary struggles today - no joke.
My kid,  was the only one today who had such an outright struggle with
the change.
He's not normally a scared or shy kid, so this surprised both Jace & I.
We've thought that perhaps it was just a lot for him to take in with such a big primary group
since he's used to smaller groups of kids.
Once in Sunday School, with a little snack, he did great they say! He brought
home that day's lesson drawings & even told us at dinner how
"Pinky the Pig" is scared when it gets loud in class & hides, & will only come
out when its quite.  And he was more than happy to talk about Sunday School.
Needless to say, we're praying that next Sunday goes a lot smoother for him.

As I was sitting her at the computer waiting for some pictures to upload, I was reading this new book
I got for Christmas from my mother-in-law entitled, "Contentment, Inspiring Insights for LDS Mothers"
by Maria Covey Cole. And happened to be reading at that moment about the comparisons
we make with our selves & others particularly regarding church time. And I thought,
how fitting.
So I thought I'd share.

Sis. Cole says, " Many of us feel insecure & compare ourselves with others when we attend church each Sunday. Other families seem so put together & in control, & we often get the impression that ours is not one of these families. This perspective can leave us feeling discontented & discouraged.
I remember being in sacrament meeting on one particular occasion when the young family in front of us was sitting perfectly still without any books, crayons, or coloring notebooks to keep the kids occupied. Meanwhile, my kids were taking turns crawling under the benches, dumping crayons all over the floor, & teasing one another. What's wrong with me & my family? I wondered silently. A short while later, I again felt like a failure as I watched four perfectly dressed & groomed children ( in outfits made by their mother, I might add) stand & play a beautifully prepared musical number - all on stringed instruments. "I can barely get my kids to practice their piano lessons a few times a week," I lamented.
One woman, a young mother of six boys expressed to me how exhausting Sundays are for her. To avoid being judged for having "too many" children, she feels that her family has to look perfect & behave properly each week to give the appearance of being well-managed & under control. By the time she gets home from church, however, she is utterly worn out from the effort of maintaining this facade, which she concedes is far from reality.
It's safe to say that most  women actually feel this same way- whether it be because their children do not seem to be reverent as the children in the next pew, or because their family doesn't seem quite as put together as the next-door neighbors. It is also safe to say that if we base our feeling of self0worth on any source other than the quality of our hearts & our identity as daughters of God, we are basing it on a very shaky footing.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland warned us to beware of "our culture's obsession with comparing, competing , & never feeling we are 'enough'." This often flows, he pointed out, from our own negative thinking about ourselves. "We see our own faults, we speak-or at least think- critically of ourselves, & before long that is how we see everyone & everything" ("The Tongue of Angels," Ensign, May 2007, 17). This comparison mentality is not only damaging to our self-esteem; when we allow ourselves to feel inadequate, we are literally undervaluing our divine worth.
All women have struggles of which we are often not aware. Some struggle with infertility, others with wayward children, others with depression or a troubled marriage. Yet we typically only see these woman at their Sunday best, & if we were to judge them by appearances or compare our lot with theirs, we would truly end up with a distorted picture of reality.
Thank heaven for the inspired counsel of our latter-day prophets & Apostles. Elder M. Russell Ballard reminded us:
There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills & abilities, & certainly different children. The choice is different & unique for each mother & each family. Many are able to be "full-time moms," at least during the most formative years of their children's lives, & many others would love to be. Some may have to work part - or full-time; some may work at home; some may divide their lives into periods of home & family & work. What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply &, in keeping with the devotion she has for God & her husband, prioritized them above all else. ("Daughters of God," Ensign, May 2008, 108)

It seems to me, that Sundays are definitely full of learning opportunities & experiences! One of which is to learn for me
that there truly is a "time & a season" for everything.
I long for the days to be able to savor & drink in the entire church block; from being able to peacefully take in the Sacrament
all the way down till the end of the Relief Society lesson uninterrupted, let alone be aware of someone else in need, but for now, I try to remember that I am teaching & training
up little men how to be reverent so they too can learn to listen for the spirit to touch
their hearts with something that they may be needing to hear or learn or see how to meet
the need of another.
So therefore, I make concerted efforts during my week to listen to talks from the brethren, General Conference, Church Education Week, the BYU channel, or anything "lovely or of good report or praiseworthy" that  I can get my hands on while I'm folding laundry, getting ready for the day, sometimes in the car(if we're not all enjoying preschool songs:), or any other monotonous daily task to fit it in
anywhere that I can. Now, this isn't all the time & some days more than others, but I try to make it a habit.
I think it helps with my sanity to listen to & learn from someone who speaks about more
than toys, snacks, & kid shows.
I look at it as my "education" that I'm getting right now. Although not formal,
I've felt very satisfied in learning a variety of things pertinent to my life & the gospel
 right now at this point in my life.

Oh, the day in the life of a "Sunday Goer".