ER, Nebraska, Beach, Walking

It's been a busy couple of weeks, and here are a few of the places we have been lately...

First is the Emergency Room. My poor Tommy seems to have a peanut allergy. :( I gave him peanut butter for the first time and within minutes he started having an allergic reaction. Thankfully it wasn't life-threatening - he didn't have trouble breathing or anything like that. But he broke out into hives around his face, neck and ears. When I first looked over at him I thought he had smeared raspberry jelly all over his face. As I looked closer I could see that he was having a reaction - what scared me most was that I could tell his lips were swollen. Although he didn't appear to be too upset - besides rubbing/itching his face he was a happy little guy.

I called the Pediatrician who first suggested I give him Benadryl and just watch him for the next couple of hours. She said that if anything changed to take him immediately to the ER. As I was driving to the drugstore she called me back to say that she had changed her mind - that she would feel more comfortable if I took him to the ER right away. She said that while it was probably being over cautious, it's better safe than sorry, especially since peanut allergies can be fatal and sometimes have a delayed reaction.

Overall I was very pleased with our experience in the ER. Since it was our first time, I wasn't sure what to expect - but all of the nurses and physicians were great and we were seen right away. Unfortunately Tommy didn't like being there, which I found strange because he never has any trouble at the doctor's office. I guess he could tell it was a new place with strange people. As soon as the first nurse tried to take his vitals he started crying like I've never seen before. They gave him a large dose of two medicines - Benadryl and a steroid (I forget which one) - and that was definitely the worst part. I basically had to pin him down while she shoved the syringe in his mouth. And it took four "squirts" of each to get it all down. My poor little guy was so upset. :( The doctor told us that she wanted to observe him for the next three hours to see if any other reactions developed.

But as soon as he calmed down he was my happy little boy again. We spent most of our time roaming the halls and Tommy was charming everyone he met - nurses, patients, visitors, etc. We were on the pediatric wing of the ER, so there were a lot of other kids around us. Thankfully he seemed to be fine and we were discharged.

I called our Pediatrician to see if we should come in for a follow-up, but since his 15 month appointment was just a few weeks away they said we could wait until then. The ER doctor gave us a prescription for an epi-pen and told us to carry it with us wherever we go in case he has another, more severe reaction. I have been really anxious about what he eats since then and I want to make sure we see an allergist soon. I don't know much about food allergies, so I know I have a lot to learn. I'm really curious about the specifics of his allergy and what I need to be looking out for. I'm really sad that this is something we will have to deal with, but I realize that in the scheme of things it could be much worse.

This whole incident happened two days before leaving on a trip. (In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have given him peanut butter for the first time that day!) We spent 10 days in Nebraska and South Dakota visiting my husbands family and attending a family reunion. It was so much fun to see his extended family and introduce Tommy to them.

My husband's father is one of six brothers and growing up they all played in a polka band. On Friday and Saturday nights they used to travel around to the small towns and perform in the dance halls. When everyone grew up and went away to college the band pretty much broke up. Every once in awhile they pull out the instruments to play again and remember the old times. In 2004 one of the small towns was celebrating a big anniversary (maybe 150 years?) and invited them back to play. In 2007 my husband's grandma turned 90 and the brothers got together again to play for her birthday party. It's so fun for the children and grandchildren to watch their dads/grandpas play in a band.

By popular demand they agreed to play for the family reunion last week and it was so much fun. One of the cousins arranged the entire weekend and she even had t-shirts made for all of us. We were a pretty large group - almost 50 people! Here are a few pictures:

The whole gang.

The band.

I joined them for one song.

One of the brothers dressed up in a bear costume and the kids went wild! He even brought a little teddy bear for each child.

Tommy's grandpa, cousins, aunt and uncle


At a water park near my in-laws house.




The day after we got home I had lunch with some lovely blogger ladies because our dear Sew was in town! I always feel like she's a celebrity. ;) It was great to see everyone. As you can tell from the picture, our server was a saint to wait on us.


The following day Tommy and I traveled to the beach to spend a couple of days with some friends. Thankfully he was a good traveler, because it was a three hour drive and I was nervous that no one would be in the backseat to entertain him.

It was his first time on the sand and he didn't know what to make of the beach. I think he was overwhelmed by it all - the loud roar of the ocean, the crashing waves, the bright sun and the squishy sand. He really didn't like standing or walking - I think because his feet kept sinking down into the sand. We were at the beach in California a few months ago, but only along the pier. I hope he grows to love it because I absolutely love the beach!

Having fun with our friend Mimi.

The biggest news of all is that Tommy is finally walking!