A Logan Story (It's a long one)

Lots of hives.

Logan was about 6 months old when at Easter dinner I gave him a bite of my dinner roll.  We noticed that his face started turning red within 10 minutes.  So Braden ran home (since we were at a friend's house for dinner) and got the Benadryl.  Proper dosage was tricky since the label reads "children under 2 years: do not use".  So we just guessed and gave him about a quarter teaspoon.  As we were going home we set him on the floor to put Kayla's shoes on and Logan started vomiting.  After attempting to clean it up and profusely apologizing to our friends, we ran out the door.  We got home and started getting Logan ready for a bath to clean him up when I noticed he had red blotches/hives all over his body.  After his bath, they were still there.  And he was screaming.  A lot of screaming.  So Braden called MIT pediatrics and explained what was going on.  They told him that since Logan had hives and had vomited whatever was causing a reaction in him was affected two systems in his little body so we should go immediately to the ER.  I did NOT want to take him by myself, so Braden got Kayla into bed and we called a friend to come sit with her.  Luckily our friend had a paper to write (the same paper Braden worked on while at the ER) so he didn't mind helping us out.  We got to Boston Children's Hospital around 9:30 and stayed until 1am.  They gave him more Benadryl and just wanted to watch him to make sure he didn't need epinephrine.  The next day was his 6-month appointment with his pediatrician.  She recommended that he go to the allergist, but also warned that allergy tests for children under 1 have a lot of false positives and false negatives.  (We didn't go to the allergist.)

So happy to be at the ER with Mom and Dad in the middle of the night.

Poor swollen baby!

In May I went to get my hair cut.  Logan had had a fever that meds weren't lowering so I had made an appointment for him to go in that afternoon.  While I was getting my hair cut Braden was with the kids. Since Logan wasn't taking a bottle and it had been hours since he had eaten, Braden gave him some of the cereal puffs.  I got home, we all went to the doctor, and Logan's face started swelling, and swelling. I interrupted whatever the doctor was saying and said, "he's having an allergic reaction, he needs Benadryl right now!"  She finally understood that the situation was serious and got him some medicine.  Then she hemmed and hawed about whether we should take an ambulance or drive ourselves to the ER.  She even stopped one of the other doctors and asked her what we should do.  Braden finally said, "we'll drive ourselves" and we left.  (Needless to say, we were quite unimpressed with some of the doctors there at MIT pediatrics.)  So off we went.  This time, Braden dropped me off with Logan (second time around is much less scary) and he took Kayla to run errands or play on the playground.  Logan was swollen, red, and had hives.  After about an hour and a half, one of the doctors said she didn't think he needed epinephrine.  Ten minutes later a different doctor came in and said Logan should get epinephrine.  The nurse finally came back in and I asked her which doctor we were going to listen to.  Another 15 minutes goes by and it's decided that Logan should get the epinephrine.  According to the doctor though, we can leave as soon as it gets administered.  The nurses say they want us to stay for 20 after  to make sure it is taking effect and he is doing ok still.  So nice that everyone is on the same page!  (NOT!)  Since the nurses are the ones that actually give him the shot, we stayed.  Within 10 minutes the swelling and redness was going down.  His eczema cleared up for several days afterwards too!

Still swollen, red, and sad.

So we made an appointment to see the allergist.  She was so much more helpful than I was expecting.  After a very unhelpful dermatology appointment for his eczema, I didn't have much hope for the specialist there at MIT Medical.  The allergist proved me wrong though.  She did a simple skin test which showed he was reactive to the two types of egg proteins.  He tested negative for everything else that was tested: milk, wheat, strawberries (the puffs had strawberry puree in them), and a few other things.  So we bought some milk-based formula (hooray for less expensive formula!).  Braden was taking both sets of Grandparents and my younger sister to the airport after his graduation while I was at church with the kids when I ran out of our soy-based formula and gave Logan his first taste of milk-based formula.  BIG MISTAKE.  20 minutes into Relief Society Logan downed the 8oz. bottle and promptly upchucked it all plus everything else in his system.  Thank goodness for kind RS sisters!  I think four women came rushing over with baby wipes and paper towels to clean it all up.  My loving friend took Logan from me so I could attempt to clean up my shirt and skirt and get out the Benadryl (which we learned to keep in the diaper bag at all times).  She helped give him his medicine to attempt to calm the reaction then proceeded to remove his filthy clothes.  Everywhere the vomit touched was covered in hives.  I grabbed my stuff and Logan and rushed to the mother's lounge where I could finish cleaning us up.  And he threw up again.  So he was out of clothes and I was soaked.  I tried calling Braden to let him know the situation but he wasn't answering his phone (it was on silent because of church).  So I tried to clean us both up as best I could and decided to take the chance that I could find Braden in his class.  Clad in only his diaper and blanket, I cradled Logan as I walked down the hall and miraculously ran into Braden!  By the time I told him what happened it was time to pick up Kayla from nursery and we headed home.  I called up the allergist the next day and made another appointment.  She prescribed him an epi-pen that we now carry around with us.  She also decided he needed a blood test done.  I was so nervous!  I don't like needles but Logan was a champ and sat still for the first time in his life while getting his blood drawn.  We left for Utah four days later.  I got a message on my phone from the allergist saying that Logan is allergic to wheat, eggs, and dairy.  I am so grateful to know what it is he's allergic to so we can relax a little bit.  And I'm glad he can have soy and corn.

So what do you feed a baby that is allergic to wheat, eggs, and dairy?  Lots of fruits and vegetables, Kix, quinoa, and we tried deli ham for the first time today.  We always have the Benadryl nearby in case something causes a reaction.  I scour the internet for ideas, but most allergy-sensitive recipes only leave out one or two of his problem-foods.  Most importantly, what do I do for a birthday cake for him???

Happy kid when we know what NOT to feed him!

Weighing In

I weighed the kids last week.  Kayla is up to 32 lbs.  Logan (at 10 months) is 22 lbs.  

Playing at the music table.

Painting!

We're having fun in Peoria, IL!

Hitching a Ride...

We hung out with Crush and stole Marlin's seat...

Hawaii is AWESOME!

Our Little 3-Year-Old

Kayla celebrated her third birthday on May 25th.  She started the day with cinnamon rolls, scrambled eggs, bacon, and pink smoothie (her favorites!).  Then she got to open presents.  Kayla really enjoys opening presents and Logan liked helping!  

Figuring out that scissors work best on the ribbon.

Logan had his own present to open.

So tired after all the morning festivities.

Her castle cupcake-cake.  When asked what she wanted for her birthday, Kayla always answered "pink cake".

After Kayla woke up from her nap we finished getting everything set to celebrate outside with her friends.  Once outside, Kayla's friends sang to her and everyone enjoyed cupcakes, yummy drinks, and playing on the playground.  Unbeknownst to Kayla, that day was the last time she would see her favorite friend Kate.  We tried to get some good pictures of the girls together but they weren't exactly cooperative in that department.  

We quickly cleaned everything up then headed to the airport to fly to California, where we celebrated Kayla's birthday again.  

For the record, she had her 3-year appointment and here are her stats:

Weight - 31.5lbs. (60th %ile)

Height - 36.5in. (28th %ile)

Kayla is such a blessing to our family.  She says and does the funniest things and is always so concerned for others.  Kayla loves to sing and always amazes us with new songs belting out of her mouth.  Her favorites lately have been "Somewhere Out There", "Stop in the Name of Love", and "Three Little Birds" (Bob Marley).  When there is anything to do around the apartment, Kayla is always right there helping out.  Sometimes she gets "scary" (scared), especially when we all turn into "monsters", which we apparently have been doing a lot lately.  Kayla has the most active imagination.  Quite often I will hear her talking and wonder who she is talking to then realize she is just playing some sort of imaginative game.  We love our active little girl so much!

My Birthday...

This was a memorable one.  (This is going to be a lot of typing, mostly because I want to remember this birthday forever and don't want to leave anything out.)  After a very rough Saturday (lack of sleep the night before tends to do that to me), I decided that Sunday - my birthday - was going to be good no matter what!  The kids and I woke up around 6:45 and made some delicious pumpkin pancakes with homemade cinnamon syrup.  We got to talk to Braden via Facetime and I put some chicken in the slow cooker for dinner that night.  A friend of mine had invited me over for a birthday dinner but since we hadn't talked about it since the previous Monday, I wasn't counting on it.  I was going to call her and just cancel since my little sister changed her plans for the week so she could spend it with the kids and me (hooray Ashley!), but I didn't, mostly because I couldn't quite figure out how to start that phone call..."hi, I know you invited me for dinner a week ago and we haven't talked since so I don't know if you were still planning to have me over to celebrate my birthday...I feel awkward now..."  Sheesh.  So I got myself and the kids ready and we headed off to church.  Ashley's flight came in during the third hour so I picked Kayla up from nursery early and we set off for the airport.  After circling the airport a couple of times I realized that waiting in the cell phone lot would be the best option.  We got Ashley and as we were headed home I got a call from Kristen (the friend who had invited me over for dinner) telling me how excited she was to have me over for dinner to celebrate my birthday and that yes, of course my sister can come too, how great!  Guess that cooked chicken is going in the fridge...  She said she would call when she was home from playing the piano for ward choir practice to let us know when to come over.  So Kristen calls around 5:30 and says, "my apartment is too small for dinner tonight, let's just go to the lounge.  I'll meet you outside your apartment."  Huh?  Pretty sure we've eaten dinner at her place several times and it's been big enough before...weird, but whatever.  We get our stuff gathered up and head downstairs to meet Kristen who is waiting for us just outside.  We're just chit-chatting on the way over to the high-rise and down the elevator to the basement lounge.  I open the door and "SURPRISE!!"  Ahhhh!  "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Tiffany, happy birthday to you!"  I definitely teared up (a lot).  I don't handle surprises very well.  Well, I have very good friends here.  It makes me very sad to think that we are moving from them in just a few months.  Who gets a surprise birthday party for their 24th (again and again) birthday?!  Seriously!  These girls are great.  They take such great care of me.  These are some random, and not so great of quality, pictures taken that night.  We hadn't brought a camera because we thought it was just going to be dinner so these pictures are from my phone.  (the pictures are doing funny things like not lining up right and I can't figure out how to fix it...sorry!)

Lots of delicious birthday cupcakes.  Aren't they pretty?  My friends are in a cake-decorating class.  The chocolate ones were filled with a peanut-butter cream!

Friends!

The nicest person in the world who brought it all together.

My family (those of us in Boston at the time at least).

I feel so blessed and so loved.  This was a great birthday!  Thank you to everyone who sent me birthday texts, phone calls, cards, and love.  

Happy Birthday from Shanghai!!!!

So today is Tiffany's birthday...  and I'm in China.  Literally on the other side of the world.  More on my trip to come (I'm touring a number of manufacturing facilities with my program at school), but I have to say, I'm lucky to have such an awesome wife!  Not only did she let me travel halfway around the world on her birthday of all days (luckily our friends at Westgate came through for us to make sure it was a special day to celebrate her), but we couldn't wish for a better wife and mother!   Thanks for all you do to take care of us Tiffany, we love you!!!

The Beach

We went there.  In March.  And it was AWESOME!  The weather in Boston has been unseasonably warm of late (think upper 70's, with the sun shining all day), and as I've had class off for most of this week, we've been trying to take advantage of it.  Yesterday we headed up to Gloucester, which is pronounced "gloster" for all you non-New Englanders out there - I still don't know how they condense so many syllables, it probably has something to do with all of the missing R's and the other words feeling left out.  Or maybe it was the pilgrims.  Blast you Miles Standish!  Either way it takes some getting used to, but I think we're finally getting the hang of it now that our time in Cambridge is winding down.

Anyway, initially we headed up there just to get some seafood and maybe check out a park to enjoy the good weather.  However, when we saw the sign for Wingaersheek Beach (and you thought Tooele was a funny name...) we had to check it out.  I'd heard people talk of it's wonders, and it definitely lived up to the hype.  Especially because the beach season hasn't started yet so they weren't collecting the regular $25 for parking.  The beach is great because it has really nice sand, big rocks to play on, and it stays shallow really far out, making the water relatively warm and kid-friendly.  As Kayla has been talking about going to the beach for the past two weeks, lack of a swimsuit was no deterrent for getting wet (or soaked in her case)

 Kayla throwing sand

 Logan eating sand

The sun-soakers 

 The Adventurers!

Later we hit up the Red Skiff in nearby Rockport and enjoyed some fried clams and a lobster roll, which was de-lish.  Check that off our list Boston, and on to our next adventure!

...speaking of adventures, I'm headed to China tomorrow, and Japan later next week!  I'm going with a group from school to tour various manufacturing facilities and to experience Asia first hand for spring break.  I'm really looking forward to it, and I'm sure will have some cool experiences to write about, as soon as I get around to it.