Bad news comes back from the allergist...

The allergist's nurse called today with Connell's RAST test results. Of course it came back as being extremely positive for peanuts (which was no surprise to us). She reminded us that there is only a 10% chance that he will ever outgrow the peanut allergy. He must continue the peanut-free diet. His test also showed an extreme positive allergy to dairy. Many of you might remember that he was very allergic to dairy as a baby (never diagnosed by a doctor though) and drank soy/rice/almond beverages and avoided dairy products until we thought that perhaps he had outgrown it around 17 months or so (our diagnosis). Although we never let him drink milk even after 17 months, we let him eat cheese, yogurt, ice cream and didn't worry about dairy ingredients in anything. However, we thought in the back of our minds that his eczema behind the knees and in the crooks of the arms was perhaps dairy-related and now we see that it is probably true. The doctor has ordered that for at least 1-2 years that he avoid all dairy products and then they will retest him to see if it is outgrown. This will be a big change since he doesn't like to eat fruits and veggies, so his diet is mostly dairy. Then came another shocker...he tested very positive to tree nuts (particularly walnuts and pecans although they only tested him for a few choice tree nuts since it is impossible to test for all). The doctor has ordered a tree nut-free diet as well. As I spoke to the nurse and heard that part my first words were "but he eats those nuts all the time without any reactions" (which later I realized was a lie because neither Ray nor I can actually pinpoint the ingestion of either a pecan or a walnut -- he has had lots of almonds and perhaps hazelnuts and pistachios, but we can't think of anything with walnuts or pecans in them). The nurse pointed out that perhaps his reactions are quite mild, but you never know when it might become severe one day. So it has only been an hour or so since the news was delivered, but we are all in shock. This change in diet is massive. When I wouldn't let Connell have a yogurt or piece of cheese or pudding for supper, he was quite perplexed and I realized that it is going to be an uphill battle even trying to find foods for him to eat. The positive that I found in all of this is that the testing showed that he is not allergic to fish, shellfish, eggs, soy or wheat (at least at this point in his life) so we do have lots of cereal and meats and seafoods to choose from. I will end with the fact that I purposely didn't bring up Liam in the conversation with the nurse because the doctor had mentioned last week to us that we should probably avoid all the big allergens in any siblings of Connell until age 3 because he might be allergic to them too. We aren't ready for that since he eats a good variety of foods that include many of the main allergens and I don't want to deprive him of those things yet.

Connell's masterpieces from preschool...

Here are a few of the first "masterpieces" that Connell has brought home from preschool. It appears that a lot of the work is done by the teachers! We never were able to figure out what the hand and the heart exactly stood for or why they were making mice. Connell did enjoy making the bead necklace (which was a change from the plain elbow macaroni that we string at home) and seeing a picture of himself inside the church that he was proud to have placed a cross sticker on!

Look at all of the injuries...

Here are a few injuries that were worth taking photos of. First, Liam must have caught his ear in something (the baby gate?) to get the bruised ear lobe that he is now sporting. The second photo is after Connell bumped his head on the end table leaving quite the goose egg on top. The last picture is after Liam took a nasty spill down a slide that sent him sailing into the air and back down head first!

Connell Visits the Allergist

Connell had to visit the allergist today which is required for preschool due to his peanut allergy. We saw a different doctor this time and he seemed much more conservative and proactive compared to the one we saw 2 years ago. He prescribed an EpiPen for Connell to carry with him at all times and for use in case of an emergency. He also recommended antibody testing so that they could see how the 8 main allergens (soy, wheat, tree nuts, peanuts, dairy, eggs, shellfish, fish) are being reacted to from an allergy standpoint. Connell didn't enjoy the blood draw too much since the last pricking he had done was at 18 months for shots. He doesn't even remember that! We will get the results in a few days. All in all we are realizing that even though we have been lucky that Connell's 6-7 peanut reactions have been mild/moderate thus far, that you can never predict the severity of the next one. And even though Liam exhibits no signs of allergies to any of the 8 main allergens, he could also develop an allergy at any time.

The Boyces Visit While Ray is in Green Bay

While Ray was in Green Bay this weekend taking clients to the Packer game (a big win for the Packers I might add), the Boyces came up to visit. The day was spent at the park, doing puzzles with Aunt Neysa, watching a little of the Vikes (who lost unfortunately), eating at Arby's, playing outside and just wearing Grandma and Grandpa out. One of the final 80+ degree days of the season was enjoyed by all.

Dinner with the Spielers turns "tragic"...

While enjoying a relaxing evening with our friends (Eric, Vicki and children Brooke & Riley) Saturday night, Clare got stung by a bee/wasp on her bottom lip while sipping a wine cooler. This was her second bee/wasp sting in 10 days and it left her looking like Angelina Jolie for a few hours. Luckily the family photo was taken prior to the vicious attack!

Off to Preschool for Connell

Connell started attending the St. John Neumann Catholic Preschool on September 6th. What a big boy he has become! He goes Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00-11:30. You would think that Clare and Liam would be bored by themselves twice a week, but they go to CAPPstone at church every other Tuesday, Stretch and Stroll at Burnsville Center every other Tuesday and Bible Study at church every Thursday. So really all the spare time is filled!