Our posts for the blog are usually pretty upbeat and we love sharing the exciting things that are going on with our family. However, the last month has definitely been a trial of our strength and faith. It seems like curve balls keep being thrown at us from left field, but we are staying strong in our faith and know that God will handle this. Here's what's been going on...
I was called on Friday, March 28 around lunch time because Jayden was having a severe allergic reaction to lunch. He was breaking out in hives and his tongue was swelling. They have Benadryl on hand for him, so I told them his dosage and headed straight over there (literally 3 minutes from my work). By the time I got there, his tongue was back to normal and the hives were going away but not very quickly. This is the third such phone call we have received in the last 18 months with Jayden. It was time to take him to an allergist because each reaction seemed a little worse than the last, so we needed to figure it out. On April 8, we went in for a skin test. That showed an allergy to soy, eggs, peaches, peas, sesame seeds, black walnuts, brazil nuts, sweet potatoes, nutmeg, and cinnamon (which we already knew about cinnamon). Phew - talk about change in dietary habits! They also ordered a blood test, which was an awful experience as they drew 4 vials from our little man. The blood test revealed a severe allergy to milk, soy, and peas. MILK?! You mean the white stuff that he's been drinking and eating every day for the past couple years? Yep. The silver lining is we have some great stores with foods that he CAN eat and he's not a picky eater. So far, the only thing he didn't care for was the dairy/soy/nut free macaroni and cheese. Come on, you know that sounds delicious!
So, now what? Jayden is on a pretty limited diet and seems to be doing better overall, especially with his eczema. He is very aware that he cannot have certain foods now and is pretty sensitive to it. In fact, he was telling me "no, those have soy" as I was packing Cheez-Its for my own lunch. He also has to wear a Medical ID bracelet to indicate that he has an EpiPen for food allergies. We also have an Allergy Action Plan with red, yellow, and green indicators for milk, soy, and peas that involves his EpiPen at two of the levels. This has to be kept at school and at home. Again, God's got this and I pray that we never have to activate that plan.
On to Peyton...
Many of you know that he fell last summer and went to the hospital for a concussion. There weren't any side effects of that afterward. However, he started complaining of headaches back in December. They were fairly sporadic, so we just kind of watched him. Joe and I both suffer from sinus/allergy issues and migraines. Again, thought not much of it and just monitored Peyton. The headaches started becoming quite frequent in March, but after consulting with the pediatrician we just tried an allergy/sinus treatment regimen. They seemed to be less frequent, so we were happy and went on our way. They've started back up again, and last Tuesday was the worst. Peyton had a headache when I picked him up from school. It got so bad that he didn't want to eat dinner and just laid on the couch crying because it hurt. I have similar memories from my own childhood - WORST. FEELING. EVER. Just before bed time, he threw up from the pain of the headache. Well, it's time to get him in and figure this out.
We saw our pediatrician today. She said his sinuses are clear and there aren't any signs of allergies. We have an appointment with Phoenix Children's Hospital to see a neurologist and have some scans done. It isn't until June, so she told us to keep a journal of his headaches between now and then. We are praying that all goes well and the scans come up empty.
All of this is just very overwhelming. Yes, we have so much to be thankful for and do hold fast in our faith that God will bring us through this. In the meantime, it is a day-to-day struggle not to blame myself for this. I am fully aware that food allergies and migraines are nothing I caused as a mother, but I somehow still feel like it's my fault. What didn't I do that could have prevented this? What could I have done differently? This isn't meant to be a pity party or even looking for sympathy. Just sharing what's been going on with us and how overwhelming it all is. Now, we keep our eyes and hearts looking up and wait in faith. Both of our boys WILL be healed in Jesus' name.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Monday, April 28, 2014
Happy Easter!
Our Easter Sunday was so eventful that we don't have many pictures. Here are some from Jayden's Easter Egg Hunt at school. They were taken by a friend of ours, and nobody was able to get some of Peyton. The others are of our day and the beautiful service at church.
He just looks so excited... I can hear his giggle!
This is Jayden's best friend in the whole world!
This was so beautiful! An artist painted this entire thing on a white canvas in front of our eyes as the worship team sang "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus". So beautiful and so perfect for Easter!
Chocolate Chicks from the Easter Bunny!
Here is a link to watch our Easter service online if you'd like - it was such a beautiful service! It's the one titled "Leave Boldly" by Pastor Greg Marquart
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Big Boy Already?
For those who remember, Peyton was transitioned out of the crib at about 26 months because he had figured out how to climb out. We had no choice but to move him in there to avoid any injuries! Well, Jayden knows very well how to climb out of his crib and just chooses not to. I'm sure there's something comforting about being snug in his crib.... until you go check on him and he's almost as long as the crib! So, we decided it was time to transition him to a "big boy" bed just in time to be officially 30 months old on May 2. Here are some pictures of the before/after of his bedroom.
He went from Planes, Trains, and Automobiles...
We had to stop mid-way through the transition for nap time... he thought it was great!
To Mickey and Friends!
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