Allergic!

I wrote a post in August about Shirley finally eating that day.  Well, that was the only day he ate.  He is still refusing to eat and drink anything.  He suffered from eczema and seasonal allergies really bad so I got an appointment with an Allergist specialist at the end of August.  He came down once a month from Tucson.  I had heard some not so great things about him so I prepared myself before going to insist that he be put on allergy medicine and be tested for food allergies using the RAST test (blood is drawn to do this test).  His eczema and allergies bothered him so bad that he scratched, wasn't nursing well, wasn't sleeping very well,  and was pretty fussy.  I was not impressed with him at all.  One of the first things he said was there is no pollen here.  Yeah right.  Anyone who lives here knows that seasonal allergies here are bad.  He also said babies don't get seasonal allergies (just viral infections) and there was no need to do food allergy testing since he only nursed.  I politely insisted on him doing the RAST blood testing.  He agreed and ordered it for Wheat, Dairy, Soy, Peanuts, and Eggs (the five most common).  I've been wondering if he hasn't started eating because of food allergies.  

Last week he started wheezing again so I gave him Albuterol once or twice a day until I ran out of it last Saturday.  Sunday and Monday he did okay but woke up Monday night wheezing really bad.  I know from experience how badly his breathing can get really quickly so i made an appointment that day and got more albuterol and Pulmicort.  He appears to have Asthma but doctors don't seem to like to label a child with Asthma even if the symptoms fit.  I started the medication Tuesday but he continued to get worse and I had to take him to the ER last night.  we were there about five hours.  He was given liquid prednisolone and it really helped.  The hardest part about it taking so long is that Shirley was so tired (from not sleeping well and the coughing and wheezing) that he would fall asleep and then be woken up to do an X-ray,  Then again when the doctor finally came in, and then to give him the liquid prednisolone.  It was so nice to get home and let him sleep.  He slept like a rock.  Today he is doing so much better and I am so grateful. 

Back to the Allergy testing.  Yesterday the Allergy Specialist's daughter (she is also a specialist and works with her Dad) called me to give me the test results.  I have heard great things about her.  Out of the five foods that he was tested for he is allergic to four of them.  He is allergic to:

Wheat 2

Peanuts 4

Dairy 3

Soybeans 1

Yep!  all four of those.  I think it is very ironic that the one he isn't allergic to, eggs, is what Jem is allergic to.  The number next to them is how allergic to them on a scale from 1-6, 6 being the most allergic.   He may eventually outgrow some of them.   Since I am nursing I now can't eat anything containing these four things.  I don't mind so much.  I know it is only for a short time, plus it will help him.  Maybe his asthma and breathing problems will greatly improve now that we have discovered this. I don't think I will have any problem losing the rest of my pregnancy weight now. Now I want him to be tested for allergies for other foods.  

Rilla!

A week from last Saturday Rilla broke out in spots on her arms and legs.  It looked like what Walter had last spring when he had a viral infection.  It turned out to be a viral infection but one known as Fifth Disease.  It is caused by the Parvovirus B19(not the same as parvo that dogs get).  It isn't contagious once the rash starts but looked pretty bad.  Every day she would wake up with the rash and it would be mostly gone by mid afternoon.  Today the rash appears to be gone finally.  Luckily, it didn't seem to itch or bother her.

She will be two next month and you can tell. She wants to do everything herself and has been throwing liittle tantrums when she doesn't get her way. I am very strict about my kids not getting a treat after lunch or dinner if they do not eat their food and Annie isn't very happy about that. Here is a couple pictures of her not getting a treat because she hasn't eaten dinner.

She moved from her crib to a bed a couple of weeks ago and most nights stays in her bed. On some nights she comes out and sits or lays in the hall. If she thinks we see her then she covers up under her blanket and thinks we can't see her.

Camping!

Gil had yesterday and today off so we decided to go camping last minute yesterday.  We got everything we needed gathered together in a hurry and headed out.  We camped near Sunnyside Ghost town.  It is in the middle of nowhere.  It took about a 45 minutes to get there and much of the drive was on back roads that were pretty bumpy.  Jem, Rilla, and Shirley loved it.  Walter gets car sick easy like me so he didn't like it too much.  After setting up camp we went and explored the ghost town.  I got bit by at least 25 mosquitos.  Gil got bit zero times.  It was so not fair.  Mosquitos love me.  It is so annoying.  Aside from the mosquitos it was beautiful there.  We saw lots of fuzzy catepillars and flowers.  The kids loved throwing rocks in the stream.  Rilla loved the field of wild flowers.  She would have stayed there longer if we would have let her.  The kids loved the campfire.  We ate MRE's for dinner.  I liked them.  The kids did too.  We have a three room tent.  The kids slept great, I woke up a lot.  I don't like sleeping on the ground.  It is so uncomfortable.  Next time I am bringing an air mattress.  The boys thought it was cool to pee outside.  I prefer to use a toilet.  All in all, it was a very fun family outing.  I love being in nature (of course I prefer it when I can enjoy some modern comforts at the same time).  The picture of Rilla pouting on the ground was her refusing to walk anymore on our way to the ghost town.  She is very good at pouting.

My Birthday!

Today was my 28th Birthday. Birthdays aren't as exciting when you get older. Sometimes they are almost just like any other day. Shirley is sick again so I spent most of the morning at the health clinic while the doctor tried to improve his wheezing so that he wouldn't have to be hospitalized (yeah, it was that bad). He succeeded with two nebulizer treatments of Pulmacort and Albuterol (I had already given him a treatment of Zopenex before I went to the clinic). Shirley also had two ear infections so the doctor gave him two shots (one in each leg) of an antibiotic (Rosephilin? or something like that). That was pretty painful. The nurse helping was really nice and helpful. I will be taking him in tomorrow for a follow up. but so far his breathing had been so much better.  The rest of my day was spent like any other day. I had a great time with my kids and managed to get a little done around my house. I had Teah and her girls over for dinner and cake and ice cream. I do have to brag that my husband bought me a really cool gift. He remembered me saying a few months ago that I wanted a Chi hair straightener and that is what he got me. I wasn't even expecting him to get me something because I bought the four Twilight books at the beginning of this month and told him that could be his birthday present from him. I am very proud of him.

Current Events!

It has been quite a while since I have written so I will bring you all up to date.  Rilla was sick last week from Suday evening through Tuesday.  She threw up quite a bit Sunday night and had a fever for a few days.  She has been better since Wednesday but has been cranky.  I had to put all her dresses away and get out bigger sizes (3T & 4T) because all of her dresses were too short.  She is a little taller than average but has a long torso.

Shirley is 8 1/2 months now.  He is getting his 3rd and 4th teeth coming in (his top two).His  allergies and eczema have been better because I am giving him benedryl twice a day (doctor has prescribed it) and will have an appointment with an allergist next week.  He is sitting up on his own now and three days ago actually ate some food willingly.  I was eating chocolate pudding and he looked like he wanted some so I gave him a taste and he kept wanting more.  Later I tried sweet potato and he ate that too.  The last two days he hasn't wanted any baby food.  The last picture is an example of what happens when I ask Rilla to get Shirley some toys or she thinks he needs toys.


Walter started school on the sixth. he is in second grade now. He is so excited to be back in school. They have a new school building this year. I sure miss him during the day. I really enjoyed having him home during summer break. These pictures were taken at the back to school fair at his new school.

Jem missed Walter a lot when he is at school. He got used to playing with him every day that it will take some time for him to get used to playing by himself or with Rilla. I started our co-op preschool yesterday. This time another of my friends joined us so now we have three kids. I am very excited to be doing it again. We are still having it twice a week. All three kids really had fun. Aurora (not her real name), in the middle, doesn't like her picture taken. That is why she looks upset in the picture.

Tagged!

I was tagged by Marrian. The rules are you have to take the pictures ASAP without cleaning or other alterations. Show us your life how it really is.

My Closet
This isn't a very good picture. Sorry! The part you see is all of Gilbert's stuff. He keeps it very neat. My stuff is all behind the door and not nearly so neat and organized.

My Refrigerator
The top of my refrigerator is pretty cluttered. So is my freezer. My fridge stays pretty organized.

My Favorite Room

The kid's playroom is my favorite room for two reasons. First, look how much fun it is (for a kid). Second, it keeps the rest of my house toy free (for the most part). It is the garage if you couldn't tell. The garage is perfect for a play room since the walls are finished (even though not painted) and it has windows. Luckily the kids and I organized and cleaned it this morning. It doesn't always stay this clean.



My Kids Oldest to Youngest
Walter is seven years old and he starts second grade tomorrow. I have really enjoyed having him home for summer vacation. He is such a great boy. He is a great example for his bothers and sister. he loves reading and math. He LOVES playing Nintendo and WII.
Jem is 4 years old. He is very different from Walter but they get along so well and I am so happy about that. Jem loves dinosaurs, bugs, spiders, and being goofy. He will be starting Kindergarten next year. I will be doing a Co-Op preschool with him again this year.
Rilla is 21 months old. What a cute girl. She is so much fun. She loves her brothers. She also LOVES girl toys. She can be stubborn sometimes but most of the time she is pretty good. She loves to talk and sing.
Shirley is 8 months old. What a sweet baby. When his allergies or eczema aren't bothering him too bad he is such a happy baby. He loves his walker. He can get around the whole house in it. He still hasn't started baby food yet, but hopefully soon. He is our biggest so far. He is only 2 pounds less than Rilla.

My favorite Shoes
I really don't have a favorite pair of shoes. I love flip flops. These are my most comfortable pair. I bought them a couple of months ago. I love when the weather is warm enough to wear capris and flip flops.
Now it's your turn. I tag Christina, Suzanne, Kara Lee, Taya, and Ariel.

Jem and Bugs!

Jem loves spiders and bugs. Pretty much anything that crawls. I on the other hand do not. Tuesday Gil brought a tarantula home that he caught at work (then he took it back and let it go where he found it) and he was so excited. I wasa not. Gil let it out on the floor and

I freaked out. I made him put it back. He even let it crawl on him. I would never let one crawl on me. I bet Jem would have let it crawl on him if I would have let him. The remainder of the time the tarantula was here (about a half an hour) Jem sat by it and looked at it. If he finds spiders or bugs around the house he

picks them up and shows everyone. he will even take them outside and let them go. I will kill them if they are in my house. Walter is more like me. He will look at it but that is where his interest ends. Rilla freaked out at first (I am sure because I did) but them she liked looking at it in the container.