Allergy Update

Aaron saw his allergist this morning and got a pretty good review. His eczema is still bothersome, but there isn't a whole lot more we can do about it and it doesn't seem to be linked to how much egg product he eats. Ian had yucky eczema on his legs (backs of his knees, and in his armpits) pretty much until he turned three. Ian's has very recently cleared up to practically nonexistent.

Aaron's ear infection from 2 weeks ago is all cleared up and he is breathing well.

The allergist wants us to cut back on Aaron's pulmicort (nebulizer) dosage for July and August and then start back up "full force" on September 1st for the winter. So Aaron will get it every other night in July and every 3rd night in August instead of every night like he has been. Pulmicort is a steroid and there are always concerns about slowing down his growth. Aaron is already a peanut and he could use any break he can get to help him continue to grow well! Aaron has been gaining and growing in the last few months (as opposed to not gaining any weight at all over the winter) and his doctors attribute that to well-managed allergies and asthma not consuming all of his calories to fight off illnesses so he can pack on a little weight. He is still not on "the chart" for weight and only in the 5th percentile for height.

I happen to love his allergist. He's such a caring doctor and has great bedside manner. He really seems to love children, too. (He's both a pediatric and adult allergist.) He's a really good doctor. We've really been blessed with some excellent medical professionals for our children!

He also gets bonus points for mentioning to Ian that he was going to have a new baby sister "in the fall" and about fell out of his chair when I corrected him and said, "no...a couple of weeks!" He said, "Really?! You look great!" Telling a very pregnant lady she looks small and healthy will get you a pat on the back any day! (Sidenote, it must be true, I've been hearing it quite a bit lately... "you look great! you must feel good!" I do feel good. I feel great for being 36 weeks pregnant. Really!)

Aaron won't be going back to the allergist (or pediatrician) until October unless there's a problem! That's the longest stretch for him without having to see a doctor...ever! Let's hope he stays healthy and we don't have to have any sick visits between now and then!

Next week Ian will see the ENT to figure out what is going to happen now that his right ear tube has fallen out (and he's had an ear infection in that ear...). I'm not looking forward to hearing that it's time for a new set and most likely having tonsils/adenoids removed too. I'm prepared to hear it, but I don't want to hear it. Not right now. *sigh* If you could pray about that situation, we'd appreciate it!

Last weekend we went to Round Hill Farm Park with our friends Mike and Kim Markiw. We had a great time. It's a great park! Here are a couple more pictures from our visit to the "exhibit farm."