Learning Some Lessons

On Father's Day, I realized the importance of being prepared when it comes to Raquel's allergies. Although she did have allergy testing done several months ago and was prescribed the EpiPen because digesting cashews could make her go into anaphylactic shock, I guess I've been pretty laid back about it. I've simply made sure that she stays away from nuts. That should work, right? Yes, if she's only allergic to the nuts. But the allergy test did not test for every single thing out there. Most environmental stuff was ruled out, as well as our beautiful Annie Dog, but Sunday was a different story.

She was a happy little girl all Sunday morning, and was playing and laughing the entire 45-minute drive to my in-law's house. In fact, the girls were carrying on so much that I suggested we play the silent game to see how long we could all go without making a sound. That game, unfortunately, never lasts very long in this family. Especially when you put Gabby into the picture. She really thinks she was given her name because she talks so much. :-)

As soon as we arrived at Mike's parent's, he immediately started giving her some snacks, one being smoked salmon, which she absolutely loved. But it was really close to her nap time and she started to get pretty fussy right away, so he gave her to me to get to sleep while he left with his dad and Gabby to go visit neighbors. Right when they were leaving, I asked Mike if she hit her lip because the corner of it appeared to be swollen. He said no, that she was fine, and off they went. Then a few minutes later, I asked my mother-in-law if her mouth looked swollen. She said no, but I was still really concerned. And then it happened: her face started to swell - mostly her mouth and cheeks - her eyes got all red, and then some hives appeared. When she asked me if I had her EpiPen - and I didn't - I also realized I didn't have any Benadryl on me either. Really not a good thing at all.

I didn't particularly freak out because this appeared much different than the cashew incident, but once I noticed the hives developing on her arms, I headed to the closest drug store for some Benadryl, and she immediately started looking better once I gave it to her. Unfortunately, she remained very irritable for the rest of the day and was just really out of sorts. So... I've stopped taking the allergy thing lightly and now carry the Epi-Pen wherever I go - along with some Benadryl. Just the thought of possibly ending up in ER last Sunday is horrifying.

I've also learned the importance of having some one-on-one time with Gabby. She and I have been constantly butting heads lately and I've been thinking it was just her being 7. That's probably part of it, but today Mike came home at lunch to watch Raquel so Gabby and I could go to Toys-R-Us. She was a completely different child. She wanted to hold my hand and stayed close by my side throughout the store. It was really nice. I didn't realize how starved for my undivided attention she was until today. We will definitely be resuming our "date night" very soon.

And finally, today I realized why I had more "boy" friends than "girl" friends growing up: Girls are mean to each other and I can't believe how early it starts! The groups, the "clicks", the "You're wearing THAT?" stuff is truly unbelievable. To see how these neighborhood girls are to each other and how they treat Gabby is really a bummer. I'm always calling the parents and sound like a broken record saying, "If they can't be kind to each other then they shouldn't play." I think it's going to be a long summer!