Conversations at Breakfast

Steven: There's dirt on my applesauce! I want cinnamon.

Mommy: That is cinnamon.

Steven: Oh. Okay!

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(Amidst much screaming and crying)

Michelle: Please

Mommy: It's about time :)

Talking

Steven has always been a huge talker--he started talking words in context at 5 1/2 months, and by the time he was Michelle's age, he was speaking over 40 words. I've since learned that he is the exception.

Michelle has been slightly behind average on talking, but she's added several words to her vocabulary in the past week and has even started yelling "Daddy!" when she wants him. She now says cracker, Mommy (or maybe it's Momma--she doesn't say it much), Daddy, sock, Sadie (our dog), Katie (my sister is here visiting), yay (her first word), hi, bye, uh-oh, and hey you :) She generally doesn't say much, but she's babbling more. Of course, Steven rarely shuts up, so she's going to have to fight him for a turn to talk!

How to Eat a PB&J Sandwich

Steven and Michelle have their own ways to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and of course, each would argue that their way is the best.

To eat like Michelle:

You shove the entire in your mouth at once, even if it doesn't fit.

Steven's way is a bit more complicated.

First you give a cheesy smile for the camera.

Then you pull the sandwich apart and lick off all the jelly.

Finally you shove both pieces in your mouth.

Yum!

And Sadie's strategy is to sit by Michelle's chair in hopes that she drops something!

And there you have it. The best (and messiest) way to eat your pb&j!

Confirmed

Well, it's official--the Peanut is allergic to eggs and most tree nuts :(

We went to the pediatric allergist today (whom we LOVE), and Michelle had scratch tests done. Basically, the pricked her with a 10 pronged thing (in two different spots!) and then put a drop of different allergens on each spot. Michelle cried and cried and cried, but not because it hurt or anything. She was angry as can be that we were holding her down. Michelle does not like being restrained at all, so keeping her flat (to prevent the drops mixing) was a challenge. Mark went with me, so he held down her legs and hips, and I held down her arms and shoulders.

The tree nuts aren't a huge deal for us. She can still eat peanuts, and that's the main type of nut we have in the house. (Although for nursery/sitter situations, we're just saying she can't have any nuts.) However, the eggs are a pretty big deal. She's never liked eggs, which is a huge contrast with Steven who would eat a carton a day if we let him.

But, she LOVES baked goods--especially breads, bagels, noodles, pancakes and muffins. Her bagels don't have eggs in them, so those are still fine. I can easily find noodles without eggs, so we'll do okay there. I haven't checked the bread yet, but I'm pretty sure it's safe too. Pancakes and muffins are a huge deal. She would eat them for every meal if I let her. In fact, I just made a double batch of waffles yesterday, so she could have them for breakfast or snacks for the next week.

I've found several recipes for egg substitutes to use in baking, but I have no idea how they'll taste. She'll be fine at home since I love her enough to do that :) However, when she's out of the house, it'll be harder. I'm planning on making laminated tags to pin on her back listing her allergies when she is in someone else's care. There are just too many things with eggs or nuts in them to expect someone to remember verbal instructions, esp. when she's in a room with a ton of other kids.

One upside to all of this is that eliminating eggs should reduce or even eliminate her excema. I had no idea that egg allergies are the number one cause of excema. I'm still amazed that the doctor picked up on egg allergies when we've never see her react to it!

Little Girl