Food Allergies. Again.

I really wanted to start this blog post with a loud sigh.
[SIGH]

Emma had her very first allergy test this week - I had made the appointment because as soon as things starting blooming (VERY early) around here she was a sniffling, sneezing mess. It seemed like a good time to figure out what kind of seasonal stuff we were dealing with.

As part of the test they tested 23 outdoor allergens (weeds, trees, dust, grasses, cats, dogs, guinea pigs, etc). The test also included 20 food items.

This is what her arms looked like:

The "seasonal" arm immediately reacted with redness, itching, and small weals (or welts). Emma said "I've never been this itchy in my whole life!" And she cried. A lot.

The food arm took slower to react and I honestly wasn't expecting it to react at all. Or maybe I was HOPING it wouldn't react. I mean, what are the odds that BOTH girls would have food allergies?

Um, pretty damn good apparently.

After about 5 minutes Emma's "food" arm started reacting.
This is what it looked like after the serum and pen were wiped off:

Those red weals are all reactions to certain foods. Specifically: peanuts, almonds, walnuts, soy, and sesame seeds. Now, Emma eats edamame (soy beans) all the time with no issues so we were instructed to keep eating that.

However, everything else on the list of allergens is OFF LIMITS. So...Emma and Olivia have the same food allergies. [insert loud sigh here].

Emma hasn't ever liked peanut butter - she never eats it. And we don't eat nuts because I don't keep them in the house. But she now has to avoid anything that might have a cross contact issue (M&Ms, other candy bars, etc).

[As an aside: Please don't lecture me about this. Maybe you feed your peanut and tree nut allergy kid M&Ms all the time. I don't. I'm very vigilant about avoiding any foods that have been processed in a plant/on a line that also processes foods containing the allergens. You do you. I'll do things my way].

And so, Emma now has EpiPens and we have to be careful about her foods too.

To say I'm sad about this might be an understatement. I'm really pissed off. And, I'm sad for Emma (who is also sad). I wouldn't wish food allergies (of any kind) on anyone and now both my kids have them.

I mean really.
Seriously universe?
Are you done yet?

Oddly enough, I can say that this was not a bombshell diagnosis like it was with Olivia. When she was diagnosed in 2011 I was floored. Like FLOORED. With Emma it was more a feeling of sadness and resignation. Like, "well, here we go again."

And I know a lot more about food allergies than I did six years ago. So...I keep on keeping on. I continue to be the strongest advocate I can be for my kids.

But really universe. If you could just give me a break ... for just a little bit, that would be awesome.

Tuesday Thoughts - Back to School Edition

I'm in a mood today.
It's been a very long day.

My 'thoughts' today are rather scattered and whatnot....

Back to school!
Today Emma went back to school - 4th grade! (How in the world is THAT possible??)

Of course I had to take the "first day of school photo"....

Yes. Emma IS wearing cowboy boots with a dress. ;)
Fourth grade people.
Fourth grade.

Ballerina Foot Problems
We thought Olivia broke her big toe two weeks ago. At least that is what the pediatrician told us based on reading the X-rays. (Note to self: NEVER trust a pediatrician reading X-rays). The radiologist said nothing was broken - and that report was made TWO WEEKS AGO and NO ONE called to tell us.

Which means...we've been treating a non-broken toe for two freaking weeks when in reality the issue "might" be her tendon - as in a sprain or worse.

It should be noted that ballet starts on September 6 and auditions for The Nutcracker happen on September 17. To say I'm freaking out would be an understatement.

If Liv can't dance she is going to be CRUSHED.

And stress + Olivia = hair loss.
No one wants that.

Here's hoping that the ortho we're visiting on Monday can find a quick fix that will get her back in those dancing shoes STAT. 

School's Out for Summer!

OK so this is just crazy.

Today is the last day of school.
What the what?!?

I think it seems so freaking WEIRD because this is the first time EVER that the girls will be done with school BEFORE June 1.

But as it is, I packed the last lunch this morning (until August that is) and I took the requisite "last day of school photos"...

And that's that.

It's crazy how much the girls have changed since August. And now we have a summer full of fun stuff planned, including the Chaos Party of 10 Cruise to the Caribbean.

Happy summer!!

Nine

Today we're celebrating Emma's 9th birthday.

I'm letting this sink in for a few minutes. It really doesn't seem possible that my youngest, my "baby," is one year away from double digits.

But let's not fast forward too much.

Nine.

This is what almost 9 looks like:

Emma is our spunky, funny, smart, beautiful, athletic girl. She loves reading and animals and has declared that when she grows up she's going to open an animal rescue-veterinary office in Florida where she will tend to household pets in the front and rescue sea turtles and other wild animals in the back. She's even drawn up plans for this hybrid animal sanctuary.

This year Emma decided she didn't want to dance anymore. She had been taking dance for about five years and I think she just got bored with it. She would rather shoot hoops with her dad than put on her jazz shoes and learn a routine.

Emma and basketball - the kid loves her basketball. Last summer she started watching the Cleveland Cavaliers with Kevin and now she's their biggest fan. It's so fun to watch her watch their games. She has her favorite players - LeBron is, of course, one of them. She also has teams she can't stand (Golden State I'm talking to you).

The mornings after a Cavs game Emma will read the sports section in the newspaper to see what happened. She has also started collecting basketball cards. And, her pink and purple princess bedroom is also adorned with a LeBron James poster and 2016 calendar.

She is our one-of-a-kind kid and we wouldn't have it any other way. ;)

Happy Birthday to our sweet Emma G! We love you!

Back to School

The house is strangely quiet this morning.
There's no music. No Cartoon Network. No "Just Dance" on the Wii.
No fighting.
Just quiet.

Today they went back to school.

Olivia started junior high middle school today. She's in 6th grade - I refuse to call that junior high. Back in the day (you know, back in the 80s) 6th grade was STILL in elementary school. Where it SHOULD BE.

But I digress...

My baby isn't a baby anymore.
She's a smart and sassy 6th grader.

Also, I cried as she got on the bus to go to MIDDLE SCHOOL. Thankfully the bus stop was a few houses down so I didn't embarrass her. (I may or may not have cried for a good 10 minutes AFTER the bus drove away. But I'm not admitting anything.)

And Emma? She's starting third grade. She's riding the bus for the FIRST TIME without her big sister. They won't be in the same school again UNTIL HIGH SCHOOL (you know, ,when Liv is a senior and Emma is a freshman). Sigh...

My big girl...

Seriously look at the legs on this kid. She's all legs. Hello basketball scholarship. ;)
Emma is so excited for third grade - she got the teacher she (and we) wanted! And, as an added bonus I managed to NOT cry when she got on the bus.

All in all I hope this is going to be a good year.

Happy back to school day!

The Tooth Collector

Emma lost another tooth Friday night. It had been loose for a while but the fact that she hit herself in the face with a ball helped a lot.

Here's the thing about me and loose teeth - I can't handle it. It's a good thing Kevin has no issue pulling teeth out because if it was up to me the kids would be walking around like extras in The Walking Dead ... loose teeth hanging out all over the place.

It wouldn't be pretty.

I hate loose teeth.
Want to gross me out? Wiggle a loose tooth. 
The thought of pulling teeth out makes me queasy.

But....

I save the kids' teeth.
Every single one of them.

I'm totally serious.

When Kevin played tooth fairy Friday night he came into our bedroom and said "where do I put the tooth?" To which I replied, "Open that small jewelry box and put it in there with the rest of them."

With. The. Rest. Of. Them.

Yep. That's my tooth stash.

One would think I'm some sort of midwestern Voodoo priestess with all the baby teeth stored in that little jewelry box. Those few teeth in the pic (sorry about that pic if you just ate) are the tip of the tooth-berg.

I have no idea why I keep their teeth. It started innocently enough with keeping their first lost tooth. But now I'm all "omigod I can't throw them out!"

Because you know, they'll come in handy centuries from now when someone wants to clone my kids.

Oh and those pennies stashed in there with the teeth? Yeah those would be pennies from the years they were born. To put in their shoes on their wedding day.

Honestly I'm totally weird. I know it.

So back to the teeth. I suppose I need to start throwing them out rather than saving them. I mean what the hell am I going to do with a bunch of random baby teeth that aren't even separated into "Olivia" and "Emma" piles?

"Here kids! I saved all your baby teeth when you were little. Merry Christmas!"

Yeah. I don't think so.
Must. Let. Go.
Time to toss the teeth.

But first tell me - do you save your kid's teeth?

Happy Birthday to Emma!

Emma in Central Park

To our sweet Emma Grace....

Today is THE day you've been waiting for all month! It's your birthday! Happy Birthday sweetie! Your daddy and I can't believe that you're already seven years old! Ever since your sister's birthday earlier this month you've been asking "how many days until MY birthday" and now you get to have a very special weekend celebrating all things you!

You are our sweet little peanut Emma-nem and we love you so very much. I always say this, but you are the comedian of the family, always saying something funny and making us laugh. You definitely make the world a funnier and brighter place.

Emma our funny girl.

I would say that you are destined for a life in the spotlight, but you insist that you want to be a veterinarian when you grow up..and I have to admit I can see that happening. You have such a love for all animals - especially Quinn the cat and Mickey your guinea pig - and I'm quite certain you would adopt every stray dog and cat you saw if you could.

When we were in New York City last summer you made it a game to count how many dogs you saw being walked in the city. I think you made it over 100. During the same trip the only souvenirs you wanted were dogs - and so we bought you a stuffed animal "rescue dog" at the 9/11 Memorial, and "Max" from The Little Mermaid at the Disney Store, and a NYC dog.

And, on any given night your bed is overflowing with stuffed animals...sometimes I wonder if there is enough room for you to sleep!

You are such a sweet girl and you're always kind to your friends and family. At conferences last fall your teacher told us what a joy you are to have in class and how you're always willing to help your fellow classmates if they need it. That makes daddy and I so proud!

And you love school! You have become an amazing reader in the past year ... you devour books like no other first grader could. Your current favorites are Junie B. Jones and Ready Freddy. And the best part of reading with you? When you change your voice to fit the characters. One of my absolute favorite things to do is read with you because it's always fun (and funny).

Emma as Elsa from "Frozen"

So we know you're smart. And funny. And kind. You're also stubborn (sometimes) and independent and sometimes overly-emotional and all of those things make you the wonderful little girl that we love so very much.

One of my favorite things that you do is when you come up to me and give me a hug and a kiss "just because." And I should note that this happens nearly every day - out of the blue you'll say "I just want you, mommy" and just like that my heart melts all over again.

Daddy, Olivia, and I love you so very much and we hope you have a wonderful and happy birthday today!

Emma's birthday in St. Maarten last year!

Kindergarten frustrations

I don't normally complain about the girls' teachers (because for the most part they have always been really great), but I have a bee in my bonnet right now about something Emma's teacher did.

Last fall during conferences it was mentioned that Emma had a slight "speech delay" issue - she has trouble pronouncing "r" (it often comes out as wun instead of run), "th", "l" (if it's in the middle of the word "Owivia" instead of "Olivia"), and a few others. All are minor issues in my book. We know all about speech delays and speech therapy after having dealt with Olivia's very serious delay at age 3 - followed by three years of speech therapy.

So when the teacher mentioned Emma's "issues" we acknowledged their existence and we've been working with her since then. There was never any mention of speech therapy, but if we felt it was necessary we would certainly go down that road again.

And then there was yesterday.

I received a phone call from the teacher letting me know that she was still noticing the issues with Emma's speech and she felt they weren't getting better and so she decided to send Emma to the school's speech therapist for evaluation. (What she failed to mention was that this all occurred last week!) Oh, and the speech therapist agreed that Emma was having a few issues with certain sounds but she wasn't going to do any other intervention right now.

And the only reason the teacher called to tell me this? Because a letter from the speech therapist was sent home with Emma yesterday, detailing her trouble spots and letting us know that they would be re-evaluting her at the end of the school year. Oh and if they think there are still issues present they'll recommend speech therapy.

Hold. The. Phone.

You sent MY CHILD to the school speech therapist LAST WEEK without asking me if that was OK? You did this without asking if we were comfortable with our child meeting a speech therapist that we didn't know? And you made this decision without consulting with us first to let us know that you, as the teacher, felt there was an ongoing speech issue?

I am not OK with this. In fact, I am pretty pissed off. I'm not angry about the fact that the teacher was trying to help Emma, but I'm angry that she did all of this without asking us first. As I said, I have nothing against speech therapy - I know it works wonders. But to just take this action without letting us know BEFORE THE FACT and then waiting SEVEN DAYS to tell us? That is ridiculous.

This isn't the first time something like this has happened at the school. Last year Olivia's teacher evaluated her reading levels and then sent her to reading intervention without letting us know what was going on. Oh sure, we received a letter after the intervention program started letting us know that Olivia needed some help. But once again it was done after the fact.

Yes, I want my kids to receive the best education they can - and if they need help, by all means please provide them with that help. But don't make decisions for my child - like sending them for speech evaluation - without letting me know BEFORE it happens. That is not OK.

Happy Birthday to Emma (a few days late!)

Happy Birthday to my sweet Emma! I know your big day was last Thursday, but since we were celebrating in St. Maarten (and mommy didn't have her laptop)...I'm wishing you a happy birthday now!

I cannot believe that you're already six years old! It seems like just yesterday when we brought you home from the hospital and our family was complete!

You are my sweet little peanut Emma-nem.
And you're funny as heck.
You are fiercely independent and often stubborn.
But you're also a love bug and a snuggle bug.
You're kind, and smart, and witty.
And we love you so very much.

I hope you had an absolutely wonderful birthday on the island - we had such a great time walking through town, and finding that perfect little purse for you. And then at lunch when our waiter surprised you with a birthday brownie covered in ice cream? Well that was just perfect!

Thank you for making our family complete, Emma.
We love you!

Adventures with Scooby - Day 5 & 6

Today is the last day Scooby the guinea pig will be a guest at our house. I have to take the little furry rodent back to Emma's classroom tomorrow morning. (That should prove to be an adventure).

All in all, this little "test visit" was successful. Guinea pigs don't do much other than eat and sleep. And poop, as was apparent from the required cage cleaning this morning. And here I thought cat litter boxes were gross.

Oh, and the sneezing and wheezing from me? Yep. Still happening. As I sit here typing I'm wheezing like a two-pack-a-day smoker ... thanks to the dust that attacked me while Kevin and I cleaned the cage. I think it's still from the alfalfa hay and not the bedding. But I'm going to have to do some more research.

Taking care of Scooby was much easier than anticipated. And Emma had a blast. I'm really proud of her "saving skills" - not many kindergartners could save their reward tickets for 50 days just to get the privilege of taking home a guinea pig. So far, Emma is the only kid in her class to do so.

And so, the furry little pig goes "home" tomorrow and I have a little more than two months to prepare myself for the guinea pig we'll be buying Emma for her birthday.

The things we do for our kids.

10 p.m. and an update: Emma is incredibly sad about Scooby going "home" tomorrow morning. She cried for a good 30 minutes tonight. So, I let her sit in bed and hold the little furball for a while. And I tried to explain that she's not really telling Scooby "goodbye" since she'll get to see her everyday at school. To which she replied "but not on weekends and not at night."

Yeah. I can't rationalize that one. She's right. I suppose it's a good thing that pretty soon she'll have her very own guinea pig. And she's decided on names: "Minnie" if it's a girl, and "Mickey" if it's a boy.

Adventures with Scooby - Days 3 & 4

So here we are.

Friday night and Scooby is still hanging out in her cage, squeaking and eating everything. That pig can eat.

The only "incident" we had was yesterday morning when the little furball nipped Emma on the arm. Through her shirt. Apparently guinea pigs like to chew. On everything. Including clothes and my daughter's arm.

No worries though. Emma is fine. (It was merely a flesh wound). OK, no. Not really. It was more like a scratch, in the shape of the pig's front teeth. Which of course required a band aid.

And then today...

Kevin took the kids to the pet store. Without me. And he let them hold baby guinea pigs. And then he let a store employee take them to the fish aisle while he....BOUGHT A GUINEA PIG STARTER KIT FOR EMMA'S BIRTHDAY.

Yep. That's right friends.
Apparently we're giving Emma a guinea pig for her birthday.
Gee I'm so excited about this I can't hardly stand it.

So I guess this means I need to find an "allergy free" version of alfalfa hay before the end of January.

Adventures with Scooby - Day 2

I'm starting to think that all guinea pigs do is eat and sleep.

That's all Scooby has done.

Then again, what more could a guinea pig do?
They don't do tricks. (Do they?)

And we can't let her run around the house...the dogs and/or cat might eat her. And well, that would be really difficult to explain to the kindergarten teacher. Not to mention the 17 other kids who might want to take Scooby home this year.

So, the pig stays in her cage. In Emma's bedroom. Behind closed doors.

And she eats. Apples. Carrots. Alfalfa hay. And some weird dry food mix.

Oh and yes, I'm STILL allergic to that darn alfalfa hay.
I wheezed for hours last night.
This morning I held my breath thinking that might help.
It didn't. I wheezed for another hour or so.

I'm thinking if we are really going to allow Emma her very own guinea pig we'll need to find an alternative to alfalfa hay.

Stay tuned.
More Scooby adventures on the horizon.

Adventures with Scooby - Day 1

This is Scooby:

Yes, she's cute. And rather, um, rotund. She eats a lot. And funny thing..did you know guinea pigs purr when you hold them? Well, they do. It's somewhat adorable. As is the squeaking noise she makes when you "rustle" a plastic bag. She thinks it's food and well, as you can see from the photo...this girl likes her food.

Here are the girls with Scooby:

Obviously they like the little rodent. Emma's teacher said Miss Emma was all smiles all day today - she was so excited to bring Scooby home. And earlier tonight - when she had to leave Scooby for a couple of hours - she cried. A lot. Big sad tears. It took about 10 minutes or so for the tears to end. And amazingly (or not) when we arrived home Scooby was just fine...sleeping in her cage. Waiting for more food.

Speaking of food. The pig likes apples. A lot. And alfalfa hay ... which I think I might be allergic to. I had a mild sneezing attack this afternoon when some of the hay was in her cage. And then tonight, when I actually opened the bag and grabbed a big handful for her...well, it wasn't pretty. Sneezing, coughing, hacking, wheezing.

Hell, I'm still wheezing like a two-pack-a-day smoker here. And it's been almost an hour since I touched the hay.

It could be a very long weekend.

Six days with Scooby

Today, we're adding another member to our family.
Emma is bringing home a guinea pig from school.
For six days.

For reference, we already have two dogs and one cat.
And I have no idea how to take care of a guinea pig.

But, Emma can't wait.
At 3 p.m. today, Scooby the classroom guinea pig is hers.
Until Monday.

So why in the world is the teacher sending the classroom pet home with Emma for the very long holiday weekend? Because, Emma earned it. In their class, each day that a student has a "sunny day" and stays on "sunny" for the whole day they earn a "gem ticket." These tickets can be saved for special prizes such as lunch with the teacher or taking Scooby home for the weekend. Or they can be spent in the prize box at the end of each week.

Well friends, Emma likes to save things.
Specifically she likes to save gem tickets.

And she's saved Every. Single. Ticket.
Since the first day of school.

She's the ONLY kid in her class who has saved every single gem ticket. Although, now that the other kids see that they REALLY can take Scooby home, I have a feeling others will be saving their tickets.

Emma set this plan in motion way back in August. She was bringing Scooby home with her if it took all year. Well, it only took 50 days of school.

And now, I have to figure out how one feeds a guinea pig. And how to keep said guinea pig away from the two dogs and cat. Oh, and did I mention we also get to CLEAN THE CAGE this weekend? Yeah. Guinea pig poop.

Can't wait.

No school today

The kids are home from school today ... which means my normal "work day schedule" is a bit off. We slept in (yes!) but once 9 am rolled around I shut the office door and told the kids they had to amuse themselves.

Granted, this isn't the ideal way to spend a "free" Monday ... but I doubt my clients would appreciate me knocking off for the day and ignoring their social media "needs."

Oh trust me, after the morning I had today I seriously thought about it. But I chose to be responsible instead. And cursed several people while being responsible.

Back to the kids.

Knocking on door.
"Mommy what are you doing?"
I'm busy.
"I'm hungry."
"My eye hurts."
"Emma is copying me."
"Olivia is being mean!"
"I'm hungry."
"I'm bored."

MOMMY IS WORKING! UNLESS IT'S AN EMERGENCY DO NOT KNOCK ON THE DOOR.

And so...Princess Olivia made that lovely sign up there and hung it on the office door.

I especially love the computer and the Mickey Mouse icon.

Happy Monday. 

First day of kindergarten

Today was Emma's first day of kindergarten.

I managed to put her on the bus with no tears (mine or hers) and now as I'm sitting in my very quiet house it's starting to sink in.

My baby is in school now. Full day kindergarten. Complete with lunch in the cafeteria, gym class, art class, music class, and homework.

How in the world is this possible?

I said to Kevin the other night: "How is our baby already in school. Did we just bring her home from the hospital?"

Yes, it's true. The kids grow up way too fast for my liking.

Wordless Wednesday - An aristocat

Emma, our little aristocat after her very first dance recital!

Ballerinas and star stickers

Tonight was one of "those" nights at dance class where I just wanted to (a) smack someone, (b) yell at someone, or (c) both a and b.

First, I arrived as I always do for everything - 15 minutes early. Dance class starts at 6 p.m. and I was in the parking lot at 5:45. And then I spent the next 20 minutes driving around in a circle around the lot because there was absolutely NOWHERE to park. I had to drop Emma off at the door to the studio and let her go inside. Alone. While I knew she would make it to her classroom OK, I'm not a fan of dropping my 5 year old at the door and driving away.

After finally stalking out a parking spot, I had to endure 30 minutes of "dance mom talk" from several other moms in the waiting room. First, they don't understand the concept of "inside voices" - it's as if they each need to talk louder than the last mom so EVERYONE in the room knows just how AMAZING their 6 year old is in "company."

And secondly, quite frankly, I don't care how many days you have to spend at the dance studio every week. Or how many days your kid is going to be in the recital. And I really don't care about the dance competition that you were practically yelling in my ear about.

And if that wasn't enough....

On the drive home I asked Emma if she had fun and she said that she was "sad" because she didn't get a pink star sticker. I asked her who did and she said "other girls in my ballet class, but not me."

These stickers weren't given out for behavior - Emma was perfectly behaved as always. It appears they were given out as "rewards" for the girls who got all the steps 'right.' As Emma told the story, during the "ABCs of Ballet" if the girls didn't have their feet in the right position, they were told to sit down and they didn't get a sticker.

What the hell?

This is NOT OK with me.
These little girls are five years old.
They are beginners.
They should not be made to feel like they're not good enough to get a pink star sticker.
And they most certainly should not be made to feel like this is a competition for stickers!

This is NOT a dance competition. Nor is it a reality show. It's a ballet class for kindergartners. Emma loves dancing and to see her sad because she thinks she wasn't good enough to get a pink star? That is heartbreaking to me.

I have called the dance studio and they assure me that they will "get to the bottom of it" and figure out exactly what happened.

As it is, I am making Emma a big pink star to hang on her bedroom door. She's a superstar in my book.

Happy Birthday Emma

My sweet Emma,

It seems impossible to me that you are five years old today. My baby, my sweet peanut Emma-nem is FIVE. I swear it was just yesterday when you were this small:

You were our sweet surprise - your daddy and I knew we wanted to add to our family but when I found out you were on the way it was quite the surprise. To this day, it's the best shock I have ever had. You are one of a kind, my sweet princess.

You are funny. Funnier than any other five year old I know. We call you our family comedian. Every day you make me laugh with something you do or say. You're our 'tiny dancer' too. Last year you decided you wanted to be a ballerina and each week at dance class I marvel at how you just waltz into the classroom on your own with a little wave and you dance your heart out. I've noticed that you practice your tap dance at random times during the day. It's very cute and we can't wait to see you on stage in May!

You're also super smart. And independent. During the last six months you and I have spent every day together and that has been so amazing for me. I have loved watching you discover new things and learn new things ... like your ABCs and how to count and how to write your name and how to find "your" game pages online - without any help from me!

And when you say things like, "Mommy when are you going to get a job so I can go back to school?"....well that just makes me smile. Because I know you miss your preschool classmates and I want you to go back very soon. [I also love that you told Daddy that you all needed to get me a new job for my birthday!]

Simply put, you are my sunshine Emma. You made our family complete five years ago and I love you more than you'll ever know.

My princesses

Olivia - all dressed up for her first father-daughter dance

Emma - all fancy for her 4th birthday!