The C..U..R..S..E..

The last two weeks all 4 of my kids have looked like this...

allergy eyes (people in the "know" call them allergic shiners)...

...and blank stares - her eyes aren't quite as swollen but she has the dark circles and "headache stare". I was hoping she wouldn't succomb to the allergy curse that my kids all have; apperently she has. She gets eczema when I drink milk, and all the other symptoms of allergies. Doctors won't treat her for allergies until she's one; so we're just treating her symptoms {and I'm not drinking milk while breastfeeding}

I've been to the pediatrician twice and Urgent Care three times in the past two weeks (one of those times was for Isaac's concusion - read on - but the rest were all allergy related). My house has turned into a pharmacy - at least I feel like it. This is just the medicine for the boys. I have to label everyhting so I don't get mixed up. Ella is on prednisone and allbuteral/nebulizer treatments right now too

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Lukily, the inhaler and Singulair is doing a good job for Isaac. His biggest problem is that he doesn't listen to ANYONE! Seriously, if he makes it to 3 it'll be a miracle. Here's a few crazy things he's been doing (within the last week):
*tried to cook himself an egg - really. cracked it into the skillet (and all down the front of the oven) on the stove. Thank GOODNESS he couldn't reach the knobs to turn it on.
*stood on the bar stool and tipped it over into the wall
*burned himself on an electric fence - after at least 2 adults told him not to touch it,
*figured out how to open the garage door and he is constantly running outside and playing, often times in the middle of the street.
*got his second concusion of his life, falling off a swing at the park
*tries to take medicine because he "yikes it".

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Landon has a referall in to ENT. Hopefully it will be processed soon so I can get him in ASAP. He can't even breathe through his nose.... he gasps for air inbetween words or bites of food.

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Ella is recovering from this episode. They say she has an "irritable airway". Any time something she's "sensitive" (they don't say allergic until kids are one) to makes its way into her system she wheezes, which needs to be treated with albuteral.

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Austin has the CURSE the worst. The other day someone brought over muffins with almonds and chocolate chips in them. Austin reached his breaking point when he realized he couldn't have one. He threw a full-on 30 minute temper tantrum. It was quite heart-breaking, actually, because as he kept screaming, "It's NOT FAIR!!" all I could think was, "I know. It's not fair." I tried to explain that I understood how he felt. It's something that helps make him who he is. I told him we could make some applesauce muffins. He just cried and cried. As he gets closer to Kindergarten my stomach hurts with worry. What if he decides he doesn't care about his allergies and eats something he shouldn't? What if the kids make fun of him for not eating something? What if I don't send a special snack for him on a day that someone brings treats and he has nothing to eat? Why can't the school be a peanut free school? What if the teacher can't get his Epi Pen in time because it's locked in the nurses office? The worries don't go away. Every time I talk to the school or the allergist I voice my worries and every time I get the same answers that don't make me feel better.

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I'm grateful that my kids "ailments" are all treatable. I cry for friends whose kids have to endure much worse (my friend's 6 year old has undergone 6 rounds of chemo, 2 surgeries, a bone marrow transplant, going septic, and all the HORRIBLE side effects of it all). I feel lucky that my kids are healthy. But as another friend told me hard is hard. And right now things have been a little hard for all of us around here. So if you've wondered what we've been up to: just keeping our heads above water until we can get all of us healthy (and Isaac to listen to us, at least a little!)