Joshua, Victoria, Silas, Declan, & Amelia

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Allergy update

Declan had a consultation with the allergist on the 15th and we scheduled an appointment for a scratch test on the 22nd. They tested for peanuts, tree nuts, seeds, soy, cranberry, coconut, and eggs. Everything came back negative. While I'm relieved that there is no allergy, it makes me concerned for what happened three weeks ago.

The allergist had us get labs drawn to test his blood for the above allergens. The scratch test has a 4% margin of error, so this is the next step. She will call when the results are in. If they are still negative then we will move forward with caution and test again at age two. If it's negative again, then we'll slowly introduce nuts with caution.

The NP we saw said that it might have been a viral infection with impeccable timing. We may never know. This is good news over all though.

Saturday, August 9, 2014

Allergies

Yesterday Declan picked up a piece of a nut-cluster that Josh and Grammy were eating. It was either a cashew or an almond. Grammy tried to do the reach and sweep, but didn't manage to get it before he swallowed it.

I watched him closely and about ten minutes later a pin point rash started showing up on his chest, back, arms and scalp. Declan was pulling on his hair and I didn't understand why until I realized how broken out it was. Josh called the nurses line and she said if he was having breathing problems that we should call 911. He wasn't showing any signs of breathing distress so we got him in the car to go to the  Pediatric Urgent Care up the road.

We reported a possible nut allergic reaction and they got us back there quickly to check his airways and pulse ox. It was 99% so they were not concerned his airways were being blocked. We waited for what seemed like forever to been seen, even though it wasn't long. The doctor came in and said she thought it was likely a mild nut allergy and gave him an oral steroid and Benadryl. We have to call our regular doctor on Monday and see if she has an recommendation for an allergist. We'll have to have a panel done to see if it was the nuts and which ones and how sever it is.



Declan was a good sport most of the time. Eventually he had his limit and just wanted to go home. We did too! He has an oral steroid to take for the next few days and a script for an epi pen jr. in case it happens again and it's worse. Those things are so expensive, but I'm glad we'll have one on hand. 

Right now I'm just thinking about having to monitor everything he eats and keep things away from him. I'm trying not to freak out until we have more answers, but it's hard not to! 

Monday, August 4, 2014

11 months!



Declan is 11 months old! He is thinking the same thing I am; "How is this even a possibility!?"

This month Declan has been working on cruising around the furniture and experimenting more with letting go while standing. He is fast and I don't think it will be long before he starts trying to walk. His longest standing time has been about 30 seconds before toppling over. He gets very upset that he doesn't have the balance yet. 

He is looking so much like a toddler now and less like a little baby! He and Silas look very similar with their chubby cheeks and deep set Willingham eyes. Declan's dark looks are so different from Silas' lighter ones. One thing is certain, Declan is in need of a haircut, just as much as Silas did at this age. That will come next month though! 



We took a trip up to Bearizona at the beginning of the month and Declan got car sick for the first time. I have to remind myself that when we go on road trips that I need to pack everyone a change of clothes. Unfortunately I learned the hard way, that if I hold a sick baby, that baby will puke on me. Even though it was messy, I think we all had a good time. 

Declan also got his first yeast rash, which resulted in a sick visit to the doctor and extended period time in disposable diapers while we cleared it up. This coincided with his first extended stay away from mom and dad while Josh and I went on our first solo out of town trip since before Declan was born. He did great by the way! Grammy took care of Declan while Bubby and Honey took care of Silas. It was a nice trip away, although we missed both the boys greatly! 

The rest of July was spent getting ready to go back to work and spending as much time as we could hanging out at the children's museum and other indoor play places. It was a short summer, but with Declan being so close to a year it was spend having a good time!