Ahh, Allergies

When Kyle was born one of the most frequent questions we got was some variation of "Does he have food allergies."  We can now answer that yes, just like his big brothers he has multiple food allergies.  So far we've identified milk, egg, wheat, peanut, and probably flax.  Since he seems to be reacting to flax (a very rare allergen) I fully expect the list to grow.  In some ways its easier to handle because we've been here and we know what to expect.  In other ways its harder because we've been here and we know what to expect.

Good news on the Eric allergy front, though.  Right before Kyle was born we trialed wheat and he passed! I got so excited about him passing wheat I retrialed a few other foods, all of which he failed.  Avoiding both corn and wheat at the same time is one of the hardest things we do.  When we first encountered the combination I used to pray to get one or the other back for Caden.  For some reason I felt like I could work around all the other restrictions if I could just get one of those key grains back.  Obviously we never did with Caden.  When Eric turned up with the same combination I simply accepted it.  Having him outgrow wheat is one of those tender mercies from the Lord.  I feel its an answer to all those prayers I prayed when trying to figure out how to feed Caden.

As for Caden, he's still tube fed with just a handful of foods he can eat.  Due to the generosity of some family members and perfect strangers, we've been able to add lamb to his diet.  He declares lamburgers as 'the best thing ever' every time he eats them.  I've posted so many times about how well he deals with his lot in life, but this past week he reminded us that he is just 3 years old, living in a world of food.  He was intruged by Eric's new treat (saltine crackers) and wanted to try them out.  So he helped himself to 3 of Eric's crackers, and we found ourselves pumping his stomach (having a tube has got to have some advantages, right?), administering the epi pen, and hanging out in the ER for a few hours.  We've taken him to the ER for allergic reactions before, but this was the first time we've had to use the epi.  There is something alarming about looking at your child and honestly believing that he wouldn't survive the 5 minute ride to the hospital.  I'm happy to report the epi did its job and Caden is no worse for the wear.  In fact the next day he declared he had fun at the hospital and wanted to go back. 

Offerings

The boys thought for sure Kyle needed some toys to play with while he was in the swing today.

Grandpa

Hanging out with Grandpa Dodds on the back porch glider.

My Drink!

I've finally jumped on the green smoothie bandwagon. Despite their appearance, the green smoothies are actually quite good. Eric loves them. As soon as he sees me mixing one he gets all excited and starts pointing and saying, "Drink! Drink!" Today he took a few sips, then grabbed the cup and ran off, saying, "My drink!" I'm sure more moms wished they had to arm wrestle their kid to give back the veggies.

Yee-Haw!

For date night tonight we took the boys to a Farmer's Market my friend organized at Hee Haw Farms.  In addition to the typical Farmer's Market fare, the farm had the petting zoo, slides, train, and pony rides open.  For the first time Caden was brave enough to ride the pony and he had a blast.  Eric loved the train ride, but we didn't get any pictures.  That spot on Caden's cheek is courtesy of a pretty big wipeout at the bottom of the giant slide.  All in all it was an enjoyable night.  For any of you who live in the area, Fridays on the Farm is every Friday through the end of September.

Pittsburg Lake

Ryan and the scouts hiked in to Pittsburg Lake for their overnighter this weekend.  The trail to the top is only 1.5 miles, but the elevation gain is 2,200 feet.  That translates into a really steep trail.  Ryan, in wanting to be uber prepared, loaded his pack a little too heavy.  It weighed in at 45 lbs; the boys were all sent with nothing more than sleeping bags to carry up the trail.  Ryan is strong, but his cardio is a little lacking.  The hike up was a memorable experience, to say the least.  He survived, and next year his pack will be lighter. 

Swimming with the Cousins

Or more accurately, the second cousins. My aunt has a pool and since Emilee and her kids are in town we met up with my cousins for an afternoon at the pool. Eric wasn't impressed, so he just watched from the sidelines.