Allergies

My son is allergic to peanuts.   He was allergic to lots of things when he was very young, so many things in fact our pediatrician just told us what to avoid more than other things because avoiding everything would have been quite difficult.

My son grew out of almost everyone of the allergies with the exception of cats (which my mother and I have) and peanuts.   He doesn’t have difficulty breathing, he just gets very itchy and in bad cases, breaks out in hives.     Tonight was one of those bad cases.

We were at dinner at a Japanese restaurant—my children’s favorite—for my father’s eightieth birthday.  My husband ordered Satay Chicken and it apparently looked good because my son reached out and asked if he could have one of the skewers.   He didn’t have an immediate reaction, but fifteen minutes later the arm that reached for the chicken (and likely touched the peanut sauce bowl in the process) was getting itchy.   It got hives and he was transferring the itch to his neck and other hand.   Benadryl and Calagel was called in from the car and we headed home for a thorough bath.

He’s fine now, and was fine all along, other than being very itchy for a period of time.   On the way home my children talked about it in the car.   My daughter said, “I know you have allergies, but I don’t know what that means.  I know it means you can’t eat peanuts.”  My son replied, “it means something bad happens.  I touched something and I got bumps.”

The Big Boy Update:  We were at a restaurant the other day that served calamari.   Several of us were asking Papa if he was thinking about ordering some as we all were going to help him finish it if so.   My son, who has a newly discovered love of calamari said to the table, “I only like the kind of calamari in New Jersey…and everywhere else.”

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  Before going to dinner tonight my mother suggested everyone go to the potty first.   She went to one of the bathrooms and my daughter followed her.   Shortly later I heard her calling out for a wipe.   As I came in she said, “Mimi can wipe herself.  I like it when people wipe me, though.”