• Bug (aka Little Guy),  Food Allergies

    The Food Allergy Goes to Preschool

    I went to pick up Bug from his preschool class the other day (he was in a much better mood, thank heavens) and found him playing two other little boys in the play house area. Each of them was toting a baby around protectively. A little girl stood by watching – she, apparently, was not allowed to join in. It was ridiculously cute and one of the kids proudly told me that he was “the daddy.” I am always thrilled to see little boys practicing being good dads, since so many dads clearly could use the role modeling. Anyway. Bug was playing with two pieces of fake bread and a…

  • Bug (aka Little Guy),  Food Allergies

    I Guess Brunch is Out

    Bug had his allergy check-up this week. His blood tests for eggs were negative, but he had shown a strong skin reaction. Still, the allergist suggested that we try giving him a cookie or other baked good with eggs. I started envisioning breakfast out for pancakes (made with eggs) or waffles (made with eggs) or even pastries (also made with eggs). We decided to bake cupcakes for a party we were attending (we’ve still got nut allergies to worry about). We gave Bug a few bites before we left and everything looked great, so off we went to the party. At cake time, one mom tried to hand him cake…

  • Food Allergies

    Food Allergy Awareness

    I realize that food allergies are a hot spot among many parents. From those who worry about their children’s health and well-being to those who believe their children should have a right to eat whatever they want, it’s a tug-of-war of liberties. I am not a super-militant peanut/nut/egg allergy mom. I don’t believe that my son’s entire school should be peanut free and I don’t think nuts should be outlawed in public places. On the other hand, my little guy is three and it would be nice if other parents took a moment to be courteous. Here’s my plea: 1. If a location says it’s nut free, please be respectful.…

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  • Big Guy,  Bug (aka Little Guy),  Food Allergies,  LadyBug,  Me,  My Family

    Good Days, Bad Days

    Today was a bad day. LadyBug woke up at around midnight and didn’t fall asleep until about 3. Big Guy took care of her (I do not function without enough food or sleep, in that order), but I didn’t get to sleep until 1:30 or so myself, and then woke up again when he came back to bed. Someone woke up early, both kids woke up grouchy, I woke up achy all over (getting old, I think). It was a recipe for disaster. The kids fought, cried, screamed, bumped into things, and generally had an ugly and dramatic morning. I mainly tried to cope. Big Guy had the good sense…

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  • Food Allergies,  Me,  My Family

    Overcomplicating Things

    Tomorrow is the FAAN walk and we need to get up earlier than usual to get there on time. So, guess what I’m doing at 11:50pm. Getting ready for bed? Nope. Packing bags for tomorrow? Nope. I am designing iron-on transfers so we can have matching t-shirts tomorrow. I already made my poor (very patient) husband dye the shirts blue because the craft store didn’t have adult shirts and kid shirts in the same colors (that seems odd, doesn’t it?). We managed to borrow a jogging stroller (why would the FAAN organizers assume that everyone has jogging strollers handy?!) for Bug and a backpack for LadyBug. I think Bug might…

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  • Food Allergies

    FAAN Walk

    Assuming that Bug doesn’t take a turn for the worse, we’re on for the walk this weekend. He’ll need to ride in a stroller (not sure how that will go), but it’s better than nothing! Yay!

  • Food Allergies,  My Family

    FAAN Food Allergy Walk

    My family has decided to do the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) walk to raise money for food allergy awareness and research. It’s only two miles, so Bug will walk, too, and LadyBug will do it in the stroller. It’s in a couple of weeks and I’m looking forward to it. Having a child with food allergies can make you feel a bit helpless (much like any other ailment your child could deal with), so it’s nice to feel like we’re doing what we can. Hopefully the weather will be nice!