Sunday, June 8, 2008

It is Official


We have so many pictures to upload from graduation, Samuel's baptistm, etc...but we just have not gotten around to it.

Rather, I want to share the latest news...Samuel officially has food allergies. As far as I can interpret (we still need to meet with the allergist again), this is the real deal. They tested 15 foods, 10 of which he is allergic to. I have "known" for months that egg and soy (and probably dairy) were a problem, but had no idea he would be allergic to peanut(ugh), wheat, meat, etc. So, David and I are going to become those parents. The ones who carry epi pens and scare (or annoy) every teacher, nursery worker, or friend's mom by communicating that they have to be vigilent when we leave the room. No more restaurants (as far as I can tell or imagine). Goodbye Aldi, hello Whole Foods. Even this morning in church I realized that unless things change, he might not be able to take communion. I am sure there are lots of weird things like that. We need to test him for lots more to see what else to avoid without having too many instances of learning the hard way.

Of course we will pray he outgrows them, which he has a good chance of doing, except for the peanut. Until then I am going to figure it out, learn how to be a creative meal planner, and make friends with other mama's of children who have food allergies. I know it could be much worse, as I hear about and see other children with more serious medical issues, but, I am sad for him. And, to be honest, for David and me. We love food. I love to cook and celebrate, socialize, and comfort with food. I love to explore other cultures through food---the list goes on. These are things that I had actually imagined sharing with Samuel. But perhaps Samuel will teach us how to dig deeper to express and explore such things in a more meaningful way we had never imagined.

3 comments:

Ginny said...

So sorry about the allergies. Owen has an allergy to dairy, soy, nuts, and egg (through trial and error). I often wonder about wheat. Maybe I will have him tested too. I love cooking and eating different foods too, Ashley, and it has been a huge struggle for us. I had to give up so much when I was nursing and now I have to scrounge to come up with things that he can eat and often have to cook him separate meals. We do still go out to eat, I just take along Owen's "sack" lunch! I will let you know if I come across any good recipes. I will say that Whole Foods has been a life saver!

Becky Swann said...

I was "that kid" but for some encouragement I out grew them all!

Jessica said...

Hey Ashley! My friend's now 7 y.o. had a very severe peanut allergy (the type that she couldn't be in a room with someone who has eaten peanut related something!!!!!!!!!!) but somehow, she has outgrown that (much to her mother's amazement) and just had her 2 year celebration of being allergy free!!!! I beleive she had egg issues as well... and maybe a third one too, I can't recall it all. Anyway, we'll pray Samuel will also grow out of these!
Jessica