Warning: Beware of Peanuts!

I've been dreading writing this post for about a week now. It's not something fun to talk (or write) about and I hate reliving it. Last week Colton had an allergic reaction at daycare. It was 11:10 a.m. on Wednesday and I got a call from school that Colton had some hives. He's had a few minor reactions before. He got two little hives on his neck and he got a few on his arm one time. Neither seemed to be related and nothing he was eating was a major allergen so we chalked it up to heat or maybe a mild reaction to the dog. The past two times we did a dose of benadryl and they were gone almost immediately.

Back to Wednesday. So daycare called (the office manager) and told me about the hives. I told her I would run to CVS and be there in about 1o minutes. Thank God I work close. By the time I got to my car and started pulling out of the work parking lot my phone rang again. The office manager hadn't even made it down to the room to check on him when the teacher called back and said it was serious. He was swelling. I asked her if he was breathing and she said she thought so. Yes, she thought so. I asked if he was wheezing and she said no and she said he was crying which is a good sign. I told her I would be there in a minute or two to take him to the doctor. When I pulled into the parking lot they were waiting outside with him. He was unrecognizable except for the clothes we sent him to school in. Both of his eyes were swollen shut, his lips were swollen, his face was red, covered in hives and also swollen. He had a low, soft cry but was otherwise fairly calm. I could see and hear him breathe so I loaded him up in the car seat. When I was fastening the seat belt he heard my keys and started grabbing for them. He sat there in his seat patiently while I fumbled to get him tightened up and he played with my keys. It sounds silly but I knew that he would be okay - he was calm enough to want to play and I could hear him taking his breaths without any wheezing.

We went a few blocks to the CVS and I ran in with him to get benadryl. Everyone stopped to stare because his face was so bad. I scooped several boxes off and threw them on the counter and yelled to the pharmacist to tell me which one to give him and get me a syringe. Thankfully a nice young guy did what I asked and helped me out as fast as he could. We gave him the dose on the pharmacy counter at cvs.

By the time I got him back in the car and we started to drive toward the doctor the swelling was already going down. He could open one eye enough to see me and his lips went down drastically. We met Josh halfway so he could drive us (I won't even tell you how fast) and during the drive school called to inform me that another child eating at the same table had a peanut butter cookie. Colton hadn't eaten any, but he had touched it with his hand and then rubbed his face. Bingo!

By the time we got to the doctor the swelling was drastically better. His one eye was completely open and the other was better. All of the other swelling had mostly disappeared and he seemed happy - go figure! As we waited for the doctor I snapped a photo in the waiting room. He was running around playing and smiling at everyone and talking up a storm. He could care less what he had just been through or that he couldn't see out of one eye. He's such a trooper!!

At this point we don't know much about the allergy. We're hoping to meet with an allergist and get some tests done but in the meantime we have two epipens, one at school and one with us. He will have it with him at ALL times in case of emergency. If it is indeed a peanut allergy it's severe and deadly. There is an alarming number of young kids developing peanut allergies and they aren't sure why. Not very comforting!! On the positive side, it is definitely possible he could grow out of it. We pray he does.

Again, I share a lot of the stories on this blog to document it for Colton. I hate to worry our family or friends but one day it might be worth it if someone else happens to experience the same thing. Josh and I are so incredibly grateful that the challenges Colton has faced in his first 13 months have been so minor and have ended so well - his heart is healed and we know that God will watch over and protect him from this as well. We have a plaque in our kitchen with the saying - "Faith makes things possible, not easy." That certainly applies to children :)

Love,
Jenny

January Happenings

Just had to share this funny video of Colton and Josh. They always have some sort of silly game going on and this night it was the head butt. My favorite part is the little snort in the beginning.

Here are a couple new photos. We've been enjoying the calm after the storm (the holidays!!) and have loved having nothing going on during our weekends. Josh has completely disassembled the upstairs bonus room and is laying would floors and building a closet. We don't really need the closet right now but we figured in the end it was worth it to make the house a true 4/2.5. I'm sure one day if we still live here Colton will be begging us to move upstairs so he can have his privacy...at the rate he's growing it feels like it might be next week!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful January. Oh, side note, in case you were wondering, half marathon training is going....well...not at all! I do have a great new running jacket purchased but the running part kinda stinks. I'll keep the reason short and sweet and any moms out there will understand - Colton's been waking multiple times at night for a full month, probably due to the milk intolerance. We're on lactose free now and things are getting better. Hoping to start running next week if he gives us another few days of restful sleep. Oh well, Colton is my priority right now and I know I have many years ahead for running. He's only going to need me for so long and I want to soak up every second. Besides, half marathons always have medical personnel on hand, so it's not like I'm going to keel over without care close by, ha!

(Couldn't get the captions lined up so below we have a trip to the butterfly exhibit with our friend James; Colton sitting on Darby; Colton playing fetch with Darby; Josh shaving his beard - and yes, he eventually shaved the whole thing!!)

Happy New Year Friends!

Did I miss something? Where did 2010 go? I swear, this year has gone by faster than any I’ve ever known. It’s certainly been a year of big change – Colton grew from a tiny baby into a big, loving boy and Josh and I both hit the big 30. I think the biggest accomplishment this past year has really been us settling into our new life as a family of three. It’s taken the full year for me to really feel as if I’ve got a handle on motherhood (mixed in with a little full-time work). Josh has picked back up his projects around the house (in a big way!!) and Darby seems to have finally realized that this little creature stealing away his parents attention is not going away anytime soon. In fact, he’s even started to see the advantages like Colton leaving a food trail wherever he goes.

A big change this year for my parents was the purchase of a getaway place in Steinhatchee on the gulf coast. Josh and I were married there so it holds a very special place in our hearts. The place is small and needs some repair but knowing my parents it won’t be long before they have it in tip top shape and we have a second place to steal away to on weekends and holidays (Josh’s parents have a place on the river in Andalusia, AL). I definitely see some scalloping fun in our future! My parents deserve a chance to relax and I think they will finally have an opportunity to do that in Steinhatchee.

We spent New Year’s this year with our good friends Brad, Katie and James. The Weitekamps are Illinois transplants who I fear will one day leave us to return home (can’t say that I blame them, kids certainly make you miss family) so we are trying to make sure we get in as much fun time as we can while they are still here with us. Who knows, maybe they can convince their entire family to move to Florida???? Anyway, we had a very simple, fun New Years. We had a yummy dinner of fried chicken, black eyed peas and collards and then we rung in the New Year out by the fire pit in the back yard. The only slight mishap was when the ground around the pit caught fire and Brad and I used our flip flops to put it out while Josh ran for the hose...never a dull moment!!

I’ve included a few photos below from New Year’s as well as some from the first part of our Christmas with the Highlanders.

Josh, Colton and I want to wish you all a happy and healthy New Year and all the blessings your heart can hold. May 2011 bring only great things to all of our friends and family.

Love always,

Jenny

Christmas Part 2 and New Years