As part of our bedtime routine I lay down with Eve each nap/night and sing her a few songs. My repertoire is limited, but she seems ok with what I’ve got. One of her favorites is “You are my sunshine” and tonight after I finished the song she said, “Lex is your sunshine.” I smiled and said, “Yes he is, and you are too.” She giggled and replied, “No mommy, I’m your daughter!”

Eve has become such a gatherer.  She cracks me up.  Everwhere she goes she gathers things and carries them with her.  She’s had several potty accidents even because she’s trying to carry to many things to the bathroom with her. Silly girl.  Last night she gathered up all this stuff and announced that she was going on a trip.  To where?  The office!  (she frequently goes “to a meeting” too, with all her stuff.)

Eve, all packed for a trip

Me & Eve (and doggie)

… and not an ounce will kill her!!  Yay!  I’m excited.  Can you tell?  You should be too!  I don’t think Eve really understands the significance of this morning’s appointment (and by appointment I mean three hours watching TV and eating peanut butter crackers on the floor of the doctor’s office.)  Everyone around her is excited too, for personal reasons.  Mine include, in no particular order, peanut butter cookies for Christmas, no more epi-pens, and no more worrying about Eve going into anaphylactic shock (which, to be honest, Alan and I never fully believed to be a problem in the first place… so I’ll add no more guilt about doubting her medical condition to the list of things to be happy about!)  Yay!  That’s all I can say.  Yay!

I went in this morning at 9am with Eve and an empty belly.  I was told she could have no food before the appointment, just clear liquids.  She was  a champ and didn’t complain at all.  She did see me packing the Saltine crackers though and asked, frequently, if it was time yet for her to eat them :)  We got to the doctor’s office and they did the skin test, like last year, but this time she had no reaction!  After 20 minutes the doctor came in and said let’s do the food challenge!  I’m always up for a food challenge!  He took the peanut butter we brought (yummy, yummy Jif!) and the Saltines and went away somewhere to prepare them.  He started her with “a microscopic amount” on his finger, then after she had no reaction to that in 15 minutes they started bringing in crackers with increasing amounts of peanut butter.  Eve caught on quickly that when the timer outside the door started beeping a nurse brought in another peanut butter cracker.  She was very excited each time.  In between food deliveries we read stories and watched DVDs on the hospital’s mini-DVD player.  That was handy.  Eve excitedly paused the DVD each time she heard the timer go off.  I think she likes PB too :)  The doctor was pleased to hear that and said it was a good indicator that her body is handling it well.  I guess if the kid doesn’t like it they are more wary that perhaps the kid’s body is trying to protect itself.  Anyway, she couldn’t get enough… I wonder where she gets that from? :)

Skin test. The P at the bottom is the peanut exposure. The other two marks are just controls.

Watching DVDs while waiting for more peanut butter crackers.

By the end of the visit she was pretty tired.

I promised her Panera Bread for lunch but it was 12:30 before we left the doctor's office and she was asleep about two minutes later. I think we'll do Panera for dinner instead.

Two hours and half a sleeve of crackers later the doctor told us that Eve is good to go.  He said feed her nuts, as much as she wants, don’t be shy about it.  He also said there’s no need for a follow up visit or annual check-ups or anything.  And no increased risk that the allergy will return.  Basically an “adios, nice to know ya”  goodbye.  :)

It feels like some weird little medical science experiment.  We learned a lot, paid a lot, and now we are back to life as usual.  No more epi-pens, no more inhalers (wasn’t helping the cough)… just plain old life as it should be :)  Yay!

(There’s just one teeny tiny downside to this… I think keeping peanut butter in the house will NOT be good for my Weight Watchers efforts.  I LOVE peanut butter… have I mentioned this… peanut butter sandwiches, peanut butter cookies…. yummmm…..)

Just for fun, here's Eve at the allergist last June (2008). So adorable!

This was her first skin test, June 2008. The funny characters at the bottom are the peanut exposure. The top ones are controls.

After one too many nights spent wandering the house looking for doggie, I made a new rule that Eve’s doggie stays in her bed.  She’s been having a really hard time with this.  She tends to tuck it places, like in the toy kitchen microwave, under pillows, in the bathroom, etc. and it takes me forever to find the toy each night.  Now doggie stays in bed and Eve stands down stairs (often!) crying that she loves her doggie and needs her doggie. Sweet, but sad.  She even goes upstairs sometimes just to hug the dog :)  On daycare days she gets super excited when I let her have doggie in the car (doggie goes to daycare for naptime), but then cries again when I put it  in the bag when we get there.  She’s so sweet.

She’s really an emotional mess lately.  Not sure why.  She cries a lot, for no good reason, and often comes over and asks for hugs.  I think she needs more attention and one-on-one time.  Tomorrow, while Lex is in school, we will be having some serious mommy and Eve time.  The daycare teacher even commented on how much she cries lately.  She used to love daycare and now I leave her in tears, often twice a day if I can’t sneak in and out while dropping Lex off after school.  Poor girl.  She is cutting all four of her 2yr molars, so maybe that’s the problem.  Or maybe just because she’s two?  Or do the female hormones kick in this young?  Whatever it is, she’s so sweet but the crying is draining!  For all of us!  Hope that passes soon!