Such a sweet big brother!!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Isaac's second allergic reaction!
Last weekend Isaac accidentally ingested some peanut butter at a family gathering. He was eating a chocolate covered pretzel that actually had a layer of PB hidden under the chocolate. Isaac is extremely allergic to peanuts and some tree nuts, so we immediately left to head home and give him an Epi-pen, which is a injection of life-saving medicine for allergic reactions. It helps to open up the airways when they begin to tighten due to the reaction. We also called 911 to have the MEDIC folks check on Isaac. He seemed to be breathing well and the initial swelling went down after the Epi-pen and some Benadryl, so we thought we were in the clear. MEDIC left, and we got Isaac ready for bed.
Then he had a relapse. He started breaking out in hives all over his body. We called his doctor and they said to take him to the ER immediately since a relapse can also be anaphylactic (meaning the airways can start to close). We hopped in our van and started driving to the Children's ER. (Our awesome neighbors, Christian and Amy, came over the watch Elise and then my Dad came later to take over.) On the way there, Isaac started coughing non-stop and complaining that his throat hurt. This continually got worse, very quickly, to the point that I crawled in the back seat and gave him another injection of the Epinephrine. Epi-pens are a life-saving treatment, and I believe that God used this Epi-pen to help save Isaac's life (since his airways were obviously tightening up). Within a couple minutes his couging lessened and the high-powered Epinephrine started to work. I held his hands tightly until we got to the ER. They brought us back quickly and put us in one of the critical care rooms. Doctors immediately began assessing him. They determined that he'd had a severe allergic reaction with anaphylaxis (again, closing of the airways) and that they wanted to give him some more meds (Benadryl for the hives and a combo of steroid/GI medication for the anaphylaxis, to relax his bronchial tubes.) They also determined that he needed to be watched closely in the ER for another couple hours and then admitted to the hospital for the night. Thankfully he did not need a breathing tube. His hives, though, did continue to get worse and worse throughout the night. Eventually he was covered from neck to feet in hives that itched badly. They were all raised up about 1/8th inch. We got admitted to a room about 1:30 AM, and he was much calmer and feeling better by then. He went to sleep about 3:30 AM, along with Steven. I didn't sleep too well because the doctors had told us that there was potential for another relapse and to pay close attention for wheezing. So I stayed awake mostly to listen for that. Thankfully he just snored. ;)
Isaac in the Emergency Room.
Sunday morning we were discharged on special orders to continue to watch him closely for any type of latent reaction. He continued to improve with several more doses of Benadryl. For the early part of last week, he had scratch marks all over his body where he broke his skin when he was so itchy Saturday night.
Isaac's hives on his belly (which got much worse later that night) and hooked up to the EKG to monitor his breathing.
This reaction was definitely worse than the last time we visited the ER for a peanut butter reaction. Typically, allergic reactions tend to get worse as the child ages. Of course, we are praying that Isaac grow out of this allergy and be completely healed of it, but until then, we must be extra diligent about what goes into his mouth. Isaac obviously still has a very severe, life-threatening allergy to peanuts and tree nuts. We will continue to do our best to keep him from being exposed to them.
Of course, accidents happen, so our steps of action are:
1. Call 911 immediately upon ingestion (the MEDIC and Fire Department First Responders always carry Epi-Pens.)
2. Administer the Epi-Pen injection ASAP. If it seems to be an extremely severe reaction and he is having difficulty breathing, a second Epi-Pen can be given 5 minutes after the first one. (We always carry two Epi-Pens at a time.)
3. Go to the ER for additional care.
Thanks so much to those of you who were praying for Isaac and who have prayed for our family since then. We felt your prayers and we know God was with us through it all. We are so thankful for Isaac's life.
Then he had a relapse. He started breaking out in hives all over his body. We called his doctor and they said to take him to the ER immediately since a relapse can also be anaphylactic (meaning the airways can start to close). We hopped in our van and started driving to the Children's ER. (Our awesome neighbors, Christian and Amy, came over the watch Elise and then my Dad came later to take over.) On the way there, Isaac started coughing non-stop and complaining that his throat hurt. This continually got worse, very quickly, to the point that I crawled in the back seat and gave him another injection of the Epinephrine. Epi-pens are a life-saving treatment, and I believe that God used this Epi-pen to help save Isaac's life (since his airways were obviously tightening up). Within a couple minutes his couging lessened and the high-powered Epinephrine started to work. I held his hands tightly until we got to the ER. They brought us back quickly and put us in one of the critical care rooms. Doctors immediately began assessing him. They determined that he'd had a severe allergic reaction with anaphylaxis (again, closing of the airways) and that they wanted to give him some more meds (Benadryl for the hives and a combo of steroid/GI medication for the anaphylaxis, to relax his bronchial tubes.) They also determined that he needed to be watched closely in the ER for another couple hours and then admitted to the hospital for the night. Thankfully he did not need a breathing tube. His hives, though, did continue to get worse and worse throughout the night. Eventually he was covered from neck to feet in hives that itched badly. They were all raised up about 1/8th inch. We got admitted to a room about 1:30 AM, and he was much calmer and feeling better by then. He went to sleep about 3:30 AM, along with Steven. I didn't sleep too well because the doctors had told us that there was potential for another relapse and to pay close attention for wheezing. So I stayed awake mostly to listen for that. Thankfully he just snored. ;)
Isaac in the Emergency Room.
Sunday morning we were discharged on special orders to continue to watch him closely for any type of latent reaction. He continued to improve with several more doses of Benadryl. For the early part of last week, he had scratch marks all over his body where he broke his skin when he was so itchy Saturday night.
Isaac's hives on his belly (which got much worse later that night) and hooked up to the EKG to monitor his breathing.
This reaction was definitely worse than the last time we visited the ER for a peanut butter reaction. Typically, allergic reactions tend to get worse as the child ages. Of course, we are praying that Isaac grow out of this allergy and be completely healed of it, but until then, we must be extra diligent about what goes into his mouth. Isaac obviously still has a very severe, life-threatening allergy to peanuts and tree nuts. We will continue to do our best to keep him from being exposed to them.
Of course, accidents happen, so our steps of action are:
1. Call 911 immediately upon ingestion (the MEDIC and Fire Department First Responders always carry Epi-Pens.)
2. Administer the Epi-Pen injection ASAP. If it seems to be an extremely severe reaction and he is having difficulty breathing, a second Epi-Pen can be given 5 minutes after the first one. (We always carry two Epi-Pens at a time.)
3. Go to the ER for additional care.
Thanks so much to those of you who were praying for Isaac and who have prayed for our family since then. We felt your prayers and we know God was with us through it all. We are so thankful for Isaac's life.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Eating with a spoon and fork!
This past week, Elise has made it very clear that she wants to eat with a spoon or fork at every meal. Here are some pictures of her, taking some of her first bites and just playing with the utensils:
Can you see the excitement on her face?!
Yep, she's a big girl!
She's already got two methods for getting food on the fork! Method #1:
Method #2:
Into the mouth!
Now, proof that she can eat with a grown-up spoon!
She's a quick study, for sure!
Good going, sweet girl!
Can you see the excitement on her face?!
Yep, she's a big girl!
She's already got two methods for getting food on the fork! Method #1:
Method #2:
Into the mouth!
Now, proof that she can eat with a grown-up spoon!
She's a quick study, for sure!
Good going, sweet girl!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Cookie Weekend!
Last weekend, my Mom, Kati and I took a trip to Georgia to stay with our cousins Joe and Amy (and their sweet little ones, Savannah and Tyler) to learn Amy's art of cookie making and decorating! Amy is a master of cookies, as you may remember from my cousin Christy's wedding as well as cake decorating, as evidenced by the awesome cake she made for Elise's first birthday. Well, we've always admired Amy's talent, so we thought spending a weekend at her house might help some of it to rub off on us, and we figured we'd have a girls weekend while we were at it!
It truly was an awesome time! We went down on Thursday afternoon and came back on Saturday morning. My dad and Steven made sure Isaac and Elise were well taken care of so that I could enjoy the time away (special thanks to Daddy for staying by himself with both kids for a whole day and a half! Go Gramps!!)
While we were at Joe and Amy's, we had lots of quality time to visit with one another. We spent lots of time around the kitchen table - decorating cookies, laughing, and having wonderful fellowship. Both nights we stayed up late enjoying one another's company. We also got to take a trip to Savannah's school and have lunch with her on Friday, which was a real treat. I don't think I've been in an elementary school lunch room since I was in elementary school myself! Later that evening, Savannah treated us to a piano concert. She played four or five songs just beautifully (and without sheet music, I might add! Thanks to the Suzuki method, she has developed the ability to play by ear.) On Saturday morning, we didn't want to leave! We'd made lots of cookies and wonderful memories to take back home with us. Here are some pictures from our weekend...
Amy and Tyler, mixing up icing:
Mom and Kati:
The cookies! Before any icing or piping:
Iced:
And piped!
And bagged with curled ribbon - the final touch!
Savannah is a pro at bagging cookies! Here she is, helping us:
And now she's ready for her concert:
Back at home, I gave Isaac a cookie as soon as I arrived. He approved! (and now they are all gone, thanks to my family devouring them within a week! Time to try my hand at making them all by myself...)
Thanks Amy and Joe for welcoming us into your home, and for being such gracious and thoughtful hosts!
YAY for family time and cookies!!!
It truly was an awesome time! We went down on Thursday afternoon and came back on Saturday morning. My dad and Steven made sure Isaac and Elise were well taken care of so that I could enjoy the time away (special thanks to Daddy for staying by himself with both kids for a whole day and a half! Go Gramps!!)
While we were at Joe and Amy's, we had lots of quality time to visit with one another. We spent lots of time around the kitchen table - decorating cookies, laughing, and having wonderful fellowship. Both nights we stayed up late enjoying one another's company. We also got to take a trip to Savannah's school and have lunch with her on Friday, which was a real treat. I don't think I've been in an elementary school lunch room since I was in elementary school myself! Later that evening, Savannah treated us to a piano concert. She played four or five songs just beautifully (and without sheet music, I might add! Thanks to the Suzuki method, she has developed the ability to play by ear.) On Saturday morning, we didn't want to leave! We'd made lots of cookies and wonderful memories to take back home with us. Here are some pictures from our weekend...
Amy and Tyler, mixing up icing:
Mom and Kati:
The cookies! Before any icing or piping:
Iced:
And piped!
And bagged with curled ribbon - the final touch!
Savannah is a pro at bagging cookies! Here she is, helping us:
And now she's ready for her concert:
Back at home, I gave Isaac a cookie as soon as I arrived. He approved! (and now they are all gone, thanks to my family devouring them within a week! Time to try my hand at making them all by myself...)
Thanks Amy and Joe for welcoming us into your home, and for being such gracious and thoughtful hosts!
YAY for family time and cookies!!!
Monday, February 7, 2011
Conversations with Isaac!
Lately, Isaac has seemed to have gained a greater understanding of time. We've had several conversations like this:
Isaac: What we gonna do after we wake up?
Me: Eat breakfast!
Isaac: What we gonna do after we eat breakfast?
Me: Go to preschool!
Isaac: What we gonna do after we go preschool?
Me: Come home and play a little bit.
Isaac: What we gonna do after we come home play lil bit?
Me: Take a nap.
Isaac: What we gonna do after we take a nap?
Me: Wake up and play a little bit.
Isaac: What we gonna do after we wake up play lil bit?
Me: Eat dinner!
Isaac: What we gonna do after we eat dinner?
Me: Play and have special family time!
Isaac: What we gonna do after we play and have spessa family time?
Me: Go night-night!
Isaac: What we gonna do after we go night-night?
Me: Wake up and eat breakfast!
Isaac: What we gonna do after we wake up and eat breakfast?
Me: Play!
At this point, he usually stops asking the questions, so I'm guessing his short term memory currently lasts about a day or so. Isn't that cool!?
Isaac has also recently started playing with his stuffed animals. Yesterday he put them all in his bed at naptime and pulled out wipes for every one of them to take to bed with them. (Since he usually takes a wipe with him to bed due to almost always having a runny nose over the past month, he thought the animals would need wipes too!) When I came into his room to check on him after putting him down, he told me that he was putting his animals down for night-night, and that he'd tucked them in and given them a wipe. And there they all were, each with their wipe next to them! Tonight when we were talking more about it, he reminded me that rubbing his nose with wipes too hard makes it burn (since he has such sensitive skin), so he only wipes his hands now with the wipes. But, he said, the animals wipe their noses with their wipes.
Another conversation I had with Isaac went like this...
Me: Isaac, do you remember what we're going to do today?
Isaac: Go see Aunt Kati!
Me: Yes! And we're going to eat lunch with her!
Isaac: We eat at Moe's!
Me: Oh, really? Well, we'll have to ask Aunt Kati to see where she'd like to eat!
Isaac: We need to eat at Moe's. I like the cheese at Moe's. It helps me feel bedda (better).
Me: Oh the cheese helps you feel better, does it?
Isaac: Yes. I not feeling well. Moe's cheese helps me feel bedda!
Way too cute, huh!?
(Needless to say, we had lunch at Moe's.) :)
Isaac: What we gonna do after we wake up?
Me: Eat breakfast!
Isaac: What we gonna do after we eat breakfast?
Me: Go to preschool!
Isaac: What we gonna do after we go preschool?
Me: Come home and play a little bit.
Isaac: What we gonna do after we come home play lil bit?
Me: Take a nap.
Isaac: What we gonna do after we take a nap?
Me: Wake up and play a little bit.
Isaac: What we gonna do after we wake up play lil bit?
Me: Eat dinner!
Isaac: What we gonna do after we eat dinner?
Me: Play and have special family time!
Isaac: What we gonna do after we play and have spessa family time?
Me: Go night-night!
Isaac: What we gonna do after we go night-night?
Me: Wake up and eat breakfast!
Isaac: What we gonna do after we wake up and eat breakfast?
Me: Play!
At this point, he usually stops asking the questions, so I'm guessing his short term memory currently lasts about a day or so. Isn't that cool!?
Isaac has also recently started playing with his stuffed animals. Yesterday he put them all in his bed at naptime and pulled out wipes for every one of them to take to bed with them. (Since he usually takes a wipe with him to bed due to almost always having a runny nose over the past month, he thought the animals would need wipes too!) When I came into his room to check on him after putting him down, he told me that he was putting his animals down for night-night, and that he'd tucked them in and given them a wipe. And there they all were, each with their wipe next to them! Tonight when we were talking more about it, he reminded me that rubbing his nose with wipes too hard makes it burn (since he has such sensitive skin), so he only wipes his hands now with the wipes. But, he said, the animals wipe their noses with their wipes.
Another conversation I had with Isaac went like this...
Me: Isaac, do you remember what we're going to do today?
Isaac: Go see Aunt Kati!
Me: Yes! And we're going to eat lunch with her!
Isaac: We eat at Moe's!
Me: Oh, really? Well, we'll have to ask Aunt Kati to see where she'd like to eat!
Isaac: We need to eat at Moe's. I like the cheese at Moe's. It helps me feel bedda (better).
Me: Oh the cheese helps you feel better, does it?
Isaac: Yes. I not feeling well. Moe's cheese helps me feel bedda!
Way too cute, huh!?
(Needless to say, we had lunch at Moe's.) :)
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Our little fireman!
Here's Isaac during a recent trip to Firehouse Subs. We love those hats!!
(He's sure grown a lot since our last post showing Isaac in a fire hat!)
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
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