A "healthy" week!!!!!!

 Despite cough and runny nose, Thomas made it through the past week fever and wheezing free, therefore, NO DOCTOR APPOINTMENT!  It was amazing.  And he is finally getting better.  Instead of focusing on illnesses, I have decided I really need to focus on the fun we are having as Thomas grows up.  He is really starting to show more and more personality and I think that in the next couple of months he will start repeating everything we say (I really need to cut back on cursing one of these days...). 

As far as personality goes, he is still really outgoing.  But a new trait has emerged.  Thomas is bossy!  When he wants you to sit down and play with a toy, he lets you know.  If he wants you to splash with him in the bath tub, he points it out.  If one hand isn't splashing he will take time to let you know, it needs to be splashing too!  He points, makes a lovely "uuuhhhh" noise, and shows you what you should be doing.  It's really funny, yet I am afraid where this is going.  I don't like the temper tantrum that occurs when you don't listen, but I think at some point we might have to not always do what Thomas says.  But for now, I will indulge him, and sit in the chair I am supposed to and bang puzzle pieces on the table.

He is still doing great in daycare.  He apparently likes to hang out with the older kids, observing.  Today, when I picked him up, the older kids were kicking a soccer ball, chasing after it, and Thomas was right there with them!  It was too cute.  The sharp turns always got him though, he would fall down, but get up and get right back into it.  He is starting to learn to kick things instead of thinking everything has to be thrown.  So, hopefully soccer is in his future... I would be happy to play with him!

As far as speaking goes, he has mama and dada down.  Ball and bus are both "buuuuuuuuhhh".  I have gotten him to say basketball twice!  It's "backetbaw".  This weekend he really got into the "dooda" of Camptown Races, so that was pretty much all he said all weekend.  We went the library, he LOVED it and was just running up and down the aisles screaming dooda over and over again.  And there was a whole kids wing, so it was okay that he was screaming.  We did not venture to the adult section, I can reserve books online, it's easier that way. 



The latest in health drama is trying to schedule the urologist, Dr. Rahbar (his ENT surgeon) and GI to do all his things he needs to be "under" for at the same time.  Naturally, the date they came up with was "early July".  I was very discouraged.  I got ahold of Dr. Rahbar's surgery scheduler and she helped a little.  Thomas has a swallow study coming up on April 11 (a HUGE deal), he will see Dr. Rahbar on April 26.  At that point we will know if we are still doing "wait and see" with swallowing or if it's time to do the next step and fix the cleft - and no matter what date I set now, the result of the swallow study could change things anyway.  So, while I was frustrated and upset that she didn't call and say Thomas' surgery is tomorrow, after all, I am very anxious to figure out what is going on with his EE and when we can introduce foods, after spending the evening with Thomas and him enjoying his latest free of every allergen meal (homemade spaghetti sauce with brown rice pasta), I am willing to wait potentially 3-4 months to figure out if we can adjust his diet again.  Sigh....

Is spring here yet?

Spring "started" yesterday, but I don't believe it... the snow outside tells me otherwise!  Yuck!  It's official, I am sick of winter!  It's already approaching the end of March!  We have been very busy.  We got the results of Thomas' patch testing, it revealed.... drum roll.... NOTHING!  So, this means out of the 3 tests he had done (skin, blood and patch) eggs showed up in 2 (skin and blood) so we will call that a legitimate allergy.  Wheat, barley, peanuts and banana showed up in the blood test (barley and banana were right on the margin) so I am not sure how I feel about calling them "allergies" and milk, dairy, casein or any other variant of dairy showed up in none.  However, 50% of cases of EE are dairy related and of that group, 25% of them never test positive for a dairy allergy so that is why it's out.  But, since it's the one thing that he didn't test positive for, I have decided it's the one thing worth trying to add back in and rescoping him for.  They would be willing to keep rescoping every 6 weeks and add one allergen back in at a time, but I think I would be satisfied with adding just dairy back.  Cheese is a great snack and I think that if you melt enough cheese on any gluten-free thing it might just make it taste great.  However, if they do this scope and he is still reacting, we have to reduce the top 6 allergens... corn, dairy, soy, wheat, peanut and something else... but eliminating those 5 terrifies me, so let's hope it doesn't come to that!  Thomas was also seen for his hydrocele (his problem "down below").  They are going to coordinate with GI to fix the hydrocele and do the scope at the same time!  This is great... it means he only has to go under once.  Naturally, ENT wants in on this opportunity to have Thomas sedated, so he will be scoped by them as well.  He sure is a medical wonder.

So, other than that, since I posted last, Thomas got very sick again.  Another nasty cough, fever, drainage, the works.  He missed a lot of daycare, therefore Steve and I missed work and school.  Then I got sick, I had an ear infection on top of the nasty cold.  I know Nyquil gives me ear infections, yet I still take it when I have a cold... I don't know why I do that to myself!  Then we all finally got healthy and made it down to Jacksonville for the wedding of Meredith (my college roommate for 2 of my years in Gainesville) and James.  It was great to see them and celebrate! 

While there, we stayed with my sister, Kelly, her husband, Mike, and my nephew, Dylan.  Dylan is only 1 year older than Thomas.  They had a lot of fun together!  We took them to the zoo.  Thomas fed giraffes!!!

He giggled every time one came up to him.  Thomas and Dylan had so much fun playing around elephant statues.

It was just great to get out of the cold of Boston and enjoy some great weather.  Thomas had so much fun playing in Kelly and Mike's backyard.

It was so great to visit with family and friends in our 36 hour trip to Florida!  When we got back up to Boston, Thomas had his 15 month check up.  Yes, it was a month late.  He got his last round of vaccines!  He doesn't need anymore until he is 4!!!!!!!!!!  I was sooooo excited to hear that!  I no longer have to dread the "well baby check ups".  Yay!  He is getting tall!  He can reach door handles and it makes me nervous.

He has also finally adjusted to daycare.  He no longer cries when I leave.  In fact, he hardly even acknowledges I am leaving!  But I prefer it that way.  It makes me feel a lot better about leaving him there.  He is happily playing with the other kids and apparently he tries to hang out with the older kids (2.5-2.9 years).  Here is picture of him after what I would call a successful day of painting at daycare.

We got a glimpse of what spring could be last week.  It could be great.  But then it went away.  We took advantage of it while it was here though.  On Thursday, Steve came home with me and Thomas (usually he stays at MIT until about 9 or 10pm every night).  On the way home we stopped at a park and Thomas got to swing and go on a slide.  He LOVED it.  I loved just being outside letting him run around.  He walked almost the whole way home (a mile!).  He slept great that night.  The next day we went out to dinner and got to sit out on the patio.  I have really come to appreciate the whole "outdoor dining" experience now that there are times when it's too cold to eat outdoors.  It was great.  Then just as quickly as the warmth arrived, it went away in very strong wind gusts that apparently knocked almost every kid in Thomas' class over.  Thomas did not get knocked over though!  We had one of the best weekends at home we have had in a long time.  Steve was able to go to MIT from 9-7 on Saturday, Thomas and I did errands and napping.  Then Steve stayed home with us on Sunday and I got to go for a very long run while Thomas and Steve took a very long nap.  I attempted another gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free dinner.  This time I had much better success with the taste tester.  He approved the modified goulash!  It's basically ground beef, potatoes, diced tomoatoes, kidney beans and onions in a baking dish.  I'm okay with, Thomas is okay with it, so I will not question it.  And I had time to make him bread so he has bread for the week!  SUCCESS!

One last exciting bit of news was that last week was the first week since, well, maybe when Thomas was 3 months old, that the entire Gildea family was healthy.  I am sure I will regret saying that, Thomas does have a new cough right now.  But really it was the best real week!  Everyone healthy and happy!!!!