'Tis the season for the wheezin'!

So, it's allergy season again. This year, we decided to celebrate by getting Theron tested for specific allergies. About 6 weeks ago, I flat-out asked his doctor to do the damn test since autistic children are known to have far more food and environmental sensitivities than the average child. Lo and behold, the blood test came back "high positive". That's the point where my stomach sank.

Per the blood test, my boy was showing reactions to:

Milk
Wheat
Peanut
Soybean
Codfish
Egg White
Cat Dander
Dust Mites (listed as Derm Farinae)
Cockroach
Dog Dander
Mold Spores (listed as Alternaria Tenuis)

Per the grid test he had done on Monday, he showed reactions to:

Tree Pollens: Eastern 8 Mix
Eastern Oak Mix
Elm Mix
Maple/Box Elder mix
Hickory/Pecan Mix

Grasses: GS 7 Grass Mix
Bermuda
Bahia

Weeds: Ragweed Mix
Cocklebur
Rough Pigweed
Lamb's Quarter
Dog Fennel

Inhalants: Mite Mix

Epidermals: Cat Epithelium

Fungi: Alternaria
Aspergillus Mix

Foods: Peanut
Soybean
Fish Mix

So, the allergist put him on Zyrtec (which he'd been on before the testing) and Singulair and we follow up in 6 weeks to begin immunotherapy shots. Right now the main restrictions are environmental; he can't go outside on days when the pollen levels are high, we have to damp-dust every day, and he can't be around perfumes or smoke. Because his allergies affect his asthma, he has a standing prescription for Albuterol and can't use most soaps, perfumes or lotions. We use castile soap for him, or Dove Sensitive in a pinch. We use single source oils (Vitamin E, Jojoba or Olive) after his showers and DermaSmooth when his eczema acts up.

All of this has been relayed to the kids' father, aunt, grandmother and former stepmother, so here's hoping that they're able to keep up with the routine. I realize that it's a lot to handle if you're not used to it, but once you get the first major cleaning done, the rest is just maintenance.

In the meantime, I'm requesting a blood test for gluten and casein allergies, as per the allergists recommendation. Heaven help us if any of that comes back as reactive. He adores milk and pasta!

It's love.

Jilly Bean, our little rex bunny, is one of the most uplifting parts of our family's day. She's sweet, silly and happy, with a personality all her own. She never fails to make us all smile.

Well, today I decided to put a belled, breakaway cat collar on her in order to keep track of her whereabouts. (She has full run of the livingroom but can get into the back of the house since she's small enough to squeeze through the bars of the hall gate.) Oh, she did NOT appreciate that one bit! After being fitted with the collar, I set her down and she was a flurry of hopping and kicking (a bun's way of showing annoyance) and scratching at the collar. So, like the good bunny mama that I am, I took pictures. With my phone. Because that's how I roll.

"Not cool, ma. Not. Cool."

She got over it pretty quickly and went to check out her toys. Then I went and rearranged stuff, which always catches her interest. After a little while, I realized that the collar doesn't do anything but get the cats and dogs worked up, so Jeff and I took it off. After quite a while spent primping (probably to counteract the abject humiliation we'd subjected her to), she stretched,

And then settled into a fuzzyhoverbun and promptly fell asleep.

D'awwww! (Yes, bunnies sleep with their eyes open. Freaky.)

Oh, brother.

So, tomorrow begins a new chapter for Erilyn. She's decided to go back to brick & mortar schools and we got a hardship transfer approved so that she can attend Theron's school. Now, this is amazing for her as well as us but we have no idea how Theron will be able to handle knowing she's there and not being able to play with her. It's made worse by the fact that she's such a great sister and actually likes to help out and spend time with him. I guess we'll just see how it goes.

She has the choice of attending Strings, Chorus or General Music and she's choosing GM in order to keep her experience low key. Hey, I can't complain about that. The kid has enough going on, you know?

My only concerns are going to be Spanish. She took French for 3 years and Spanish for a half year and is coming into this pretty late in the game. I want her to be ready for 6th grade but I know she'll struggle with Spanish due to both the lack of experience and the fact that she prefers French anyway. Another "wait and see" thing, I guess.

I'm excited but I still feel like I'm holding my breath. After all of the bullying and administrative issues on top of her medical issues, I can't help but hope for the best while preparing for the worst. I know that some things will be a non-issue (the AP at this school HATES bullying and the school has won so many awards that they're running out of room to display them all) but some things are totally out of our control. Those are what scare me the most.

A parent never stops worrying, right?

The flip side.

'Tis the season, right? Glittery and shiny ornaments. Brightly wrapped gifts. Rosy cheeks. The smell of evergreens and peppermint in the air (and snow, if you're in that clime). And the bitten-back curses when you step on one of those ornaments, get a papercut from wrapping those bright gifts, split your wind-chapped lips from smiling as your child exclaims about yet another strip-mall Santa and/or the allergies to said evergreens.

Since having kids, I've learned how to curse creatively. I'm not fooling anyone, but I'm not getting dirty looks or letters sent home from the school, either. Here's a list of my most common alternative curses:

Jiminy Christmas
Son of a Monkey Shoe
Cruddup.
Cripes.
Fadoodle.
Shish-ka-bob.
Hades.
Shih-tzu.
Dagnabbit.


What about you? Do you have any creative alternatives that you use when you're frustrated/angry/hurt?

With Stars On...

Theron put the star on the tree this year. I think my heart almost burst watching him. He was so excited and so proud of himself. Decorating the tree was a family affair and we all did our part. Erilyn put on the first ornament - the one she picked out for this year. Then we all put on our individual ornaments before filling the tree with happiness and color.





But, the star on top has always been the biggest honor. I remember my older brother and I fighting about who got to put it on. In my mind, he always got to put it on but I have pictures to prove otherwise. There's a picture of my dad holding me up (I was 4 or 5) to put the star on. I'm so glad that I got a picture of Theron putting it on. Next year will be interesting since it'll be Erilyn's turn and she's tall enough to do it without a stool. Ack! Where did my babies go!?

Slacker.

I am such a slacker. It's been almost two months since I've posted anything. Honestly, the only reason I'm posting anything now is because I feel guilty. So much has been going on and I haven't shared it with you all. (Okay, if you're on my Facebook, you know some of it. That's worth something, right?)

I'll start small. I showered. I smell like cherry blossoms and Pert Plus. Yesterday, I did not. Since last Wednesday, I have smelled very much like a convalescent home. You see, my lovely loonies, last Wednesday I was putting Theron on the bus and bent to pick up the cat before she bolted out the door, which started a chain reaction in my spine that brought me to my knees and made me beg for painkillers.

Now, I am usually very stoic, especially regarding my back pain. Bulging, herniated and ruptured discs are just part and parcel of my life. Sciatica? Yep, got it. Muscle deterioration? That too. Official diagnosis? Degenerative Disc Disease. I'm a walking house of cards just waiting for the big bad wolf to huff and puff and blow me down. Apparently he sent a cronie this time and, boy, did she deliver a whopper. However, I am medicated and it's helping, although it's really put a hitch in my stride.

In other news, the neighbor's daughter (friend of my daughter) has been having some kind of breakdown. Her grandfather was very ill and we didn't think he'd make it. Then a boy started sexually harassing her at school, bringing back memories of a molestation that happened years ago. Then, to top it off, she became the target of one of the nastiest bullies at the school. It was too much to handle and the poor child just shattered. She's getting the help she needs, which is great, but it's thrown some things into sharp relief for us.

Erilyn is 10, and a brand-new 10 at that. The neighbor girl is almost 13. Three years might not seem like a lot, but right now it really is. Erilyn isn't into boys yet and she hasn't outgrown some of her little-girl hobbies and behaviors. To make matters worse, she's a geek. She loves computers and books and video games and so on. She's not an athletic kid, although she is active. This neighborhood is all about bike riding, soccer, baseball, football and whatever else the kids can think up. We're working on getting Erilyn to ride a bike since it will allow her more freedoms, and that may be the key to bridging the gap. In the meantime, she has an amazing best friend who is only a few months older than her and is into all of the same things. Thank goodness!

Forgive me, folks, my mind is a bit frazzled. I know that there's more to share but I can't seem to pull it out of the fog. I'm sure I'll remember later.

I will be teaching this to my children daily.

This broke my heart and then gave me the courage to start mending it again. I hope you all are inspired to find your own "real". I sure am.

Please, click below.