Twilight!

I went and saw Twilight yesterday. I really liked it. I really liked most of the characters and it did pretty good at following the book, I thought. Gil and I were going to go on a double date last night to see the movie, but we ended up having sick kids. So, Gil and I went and saw it at noon and my sister and her husband went last night. I love when a good movie comes out in the theater and I can go see it. My sister and I are going on Monday to see it again.

Veteran's Day Program!

Walter's class and two other classes gave a Veteran's Day Program at his school yesterday.  It was a lot of fun.  Walter even had a speaking part.  Jem loved it.  He loves going to Walter's school. Afterwards, cookies and punch were served.

Allergic Reaction!

I had an appointment with Shirley's Allergist yesterday morning.  The one that I was not impressed with at all.  I thought this time would be different because his allergy test results showed he was allergic to 4 out of the 5 they tested.  Boy, was I wrong. He basically dismissed the test results.  According to him it was just a coincidence that Shirley's eczema got better when I stopped eating the things he was allergic to. I told him I would like more allergy testing done and he started in on a spiel on how test can come back positive when there is no allergy when skin tests are done.  I was pretty upset at this point and interrupted him and said I knew that about skin allergy testing BUT he didn't get the skin allergy testing.  He had blood drawn and The RAST testing was done which is the most accurate.  According to what I read on the internet when researching eczema and allergies, the RAST testing can have a false negative but not a false positive.  Then he started talking about his respiratory issues and went off on how it is only viral infections that are causing his wheezing. etc.  He even told me to go ahead and feed him soy and wheat because it isn't good to give a variety of foods (to only give him a few things.  Yeah, he actually said that.  I was so mad.  I decided then that I would never see him again, but make an appointment with his daughter in Tucson, who takes Shirley's allergies seriously and has helped out a lot.  There is absolutely no way I am going to give my son something that he is allergic to.  We have had to deal with eczema that has really bothered him to actual breathing problems where we have had to take him to the ER.

I decided after the appointment that i was not going to be frustrated but get on with my day and not let it get to me.  We had lunch and then I put Shirley and Rilla down for their naps.  I had made scrambled eggs with ham, bacon pieced, and mushrooms for lunch and offered two bites to Shirley (since his allergy test for eggs said he was not allergic to eggs).  He ate the two small bites but didn't want more, I don't think he liked the texture.  To make a long story short, Shirley had a severe allergic reaction.  His face and neck swelled up and he broke out in hives under his arms, lower back, stomach, and groin area.  When he woke up from his nap early crying, coughing, and wheezing, I didn't realize right away that he was having an allergic reaction.  Because he was wheezing I gave him an Albuterol treatment and gave him some benadryl because he was really rubbing his eyes and one ear.  His ear and cheeks and around his eyes were red, but I thought it was just his allergies bothering him and the area was red from him rubbing them.  We then went to pick up Walter from school and when we got back I realized he was having an allergic reaction.  i started taking pictures because I didn't realize the severity of the allergic reaction and thought it would go away soon since I had already given him benadryl (I wanted to be able to show Gil pictures and tell him about it when he got home).  After a few more minutes it I noticed he was getting worse and realized I needed to take him in.  I took him to the ER.  We were there 6 hours and I was so glad when we got to go home.  I now have a prescription for Prelone to give him now and can refill it for up to a year so if he has another severe reaction I will have more to give him.  plus I found out I can give him 3 times as much Benadryl as I gave him if it happens again.

Now of course I really want more allergy tests done.  Was it the Eggs? Or an ingredient in the bacon pieces or ham?  I hate not knowing. I am even more upset about the Allergist that I saw yesterday for not taking Shirley's symptoms and allergies more seriously.  I am going to be calling his daughter to make an appointment in Tucson.

Shirley's New Wardrobe!

The weather is finally getting colder so I needed to get Shirley some more pants and shirts.  All summer he wore the one piece short outfits.  I got rid of most of Walter and Jem's warmer clothes (that are Shirley's size) a while ago.  Most of them were pretty worn.  I went yard saling this morning hoping to find a few clothes and I did.  At one yard sale there were tons of boy clothes 12 to 24 months, which are the sizes I need.  he has a long torso so 12 month shirts are too small, but 12 month pants are just the right length.  I got all these clothes (all of them look like they were barely used) for $17.00, plus two pairs of shoes for $2.00.  For that price I would have only been able to buy one new outfit for him.  Now I have 11 pairs of pants, 5 onsies, 5 collared t-shirts, 3 long sleeved shirts, 2 church sweaters, 4 pajamas, church shoes, tennis shoes, and three bibs.  A few of the clothes are 24 months so will probably be a little big, but he should grow into them soon.  I LOVE yard sales.  Sorry, the picture is a little blurry.

Running Club!

At Walter's school they have a running club.  all the kids walk or run around the track during Friday lunch recess and parents are welcome to come and join them.  I got to go by myself yesterday.  Walter likes to run and does 23-27 laps every week(12 laps equals 1 mile).  I must say Walter is very fast.  I had a hard time keeping up with him.  Of course, I haven't run in a long time either.  I managed to keep up with him for 6 laps before I had to walk a lap.  He ended up running 23 laps and I did 22.  I didn't run them all.  I am still pretty sore today, though.

Gil's last day of bed rest was yesterday.  He only ended up having to do 30 days bed rest and he is so glad it is over.  He is out with the boys taking a ride up Garden Canyon.  I am very happy that he is off bed rest.  He did great at not getting grumpy and frustrating.  I am very proud of him for that.  I know it was hard for him to be stuck in the house, not being able to work, and especially not being able to exercise.  He is bummed about Monday and Tuesday being a holiday and not getting to work until Wednesday.  At least he isn't stuck to the house anymore.

Lost Tooth!

Walter lost his first tooth last week.  Actually, it is his third tooth he has lost, but the first two (his bottom two middle teeth) were pulled out by the dentist because his permanent teeth were growing in behind them.  They weren't even lose, so this was the first one that was lose.  He was eating an apple and it made it almost come out.  All Gil had to do was get a good grip on it and it came right out.  It took Walter about 15 minutes to let Gil do it though.  It was his upper left middle tooth that he lost.  The middle right is loose, too and should follow soon.

I have been meaning to right for a while about how proud I am of Walter.  He is such a good boy and a great example for his brothers and sister.  He is so much like me.  He is shy and cautious, not impulsive.  He loves school and he loves to read.  He leads his class academically (just like I always did- yes I was always teacher's pet- I bet that doesn't surprise anyone).  he reads 156 words per minute which is fifth grade reading level.  He loves math and is very good at it.  He is now reading the Magic Treehouse books and really enjoying them.  I love seeing him read, because I love reading so much.  He still loves Nintendo, but he doesn't choose to play it nearly as much as he used to, which I am glad.  I am so grateful to have him as my son.  It is such a joy to watch him grow and learn new things, and to make good choices.

Halloween!

We had a great Halloween.  It is so much fun when you have kids to share it with.  It was so fun watching how excited and amazed Rilla was when she realized that people were putting candy into her bucket.  We went to the trunk or treat at church first.  Then Teah and I took our kids around our neighborhood.  My boys were all about getting their candy and moving on to the next house as fast as they could, while Rilla was so mesmerized by the decorations and other people dressed up that she was very slow.  I kept having to tell my boys slow down and try and encouraged Rilla to go faster.  She wouldn't ride in the stroller or let me hold her hand or her candy bucket.  Shirley was even excited about it all even though he had no idea what was going on.  Walter was a SWAT person, Jem was Link from Zelda,  Rilla was an Indian Princess, and Shirley was a lion.