Allergies

Poor little B has been suffering from some unknown allergen for a long time now. Our usual remedy would be to give him Benadryl just before bedtime. However, when he began getting terrible, itchy hives all over his body each and every night, we decided we had better get him checked out by an allergist. Afterall, I myself suffer from a vast array of allergies, most of which are so severe, I can suffer from anaphylaxis, and must carry an Epi-pen with me.

Here is a not-so-good picture of the hives poor B was experiencing...




While we were at the allergist, B did such a good job! He was so brave, and didn't fidget at all while the nurses were poking him all over the place.




The diagnosis was that B is allergic to cats (which we have), dust (which we also have), and mold. The mold was his most severe allergy, and it confused us, because we couldn't figure out where there would be any mold in the house.

We finally found the culprit, hiding at the top of our vaulted ceiling.

This small area started as a teeny damp spot. We thought it was from an old leak. However, since we are now in the rainy season, that teeny spot has been getting bigger and bigger, and it is now looking to be growing some mold in it as well. This does not bode well for B, whose bedroom is on the other side of the leak on this wall, and his bed is up against it.

Looks like we are going to have to look into getting this one fixed sooner than we had anticipated! Good thing we're just renting! :o)

A Momentous Occasion

Jay and I have always asserted with our children that we do not follow after the patterns of this world, but rather, allow the Lord to be the ultimate authority for everything we do with our lives. This proved to be a rather difficult lesson for R... especially when it concerned getting her ears pierced like a lot of her friends had done.

We told her that when she could prove to us that she was mature enough, and to tell us why she really wanted to get her ears pierced, that if we felt that her reason was a well-thought-out one, we would consider allowing her. For several years, her response to this was to tell us that she wanted her ears pierced because all of her friends had them. Or because she really, really, really, really wanted them, etc. So, our answer has always been, "NO."

Until now...

R came to us and told us that she would like to get her ears pierced because she felt that it would make her look more feminine, like a beautiful young lady. She said that it is important for girls to look and act like girls, and for boys to look and act like boys. And that earrings would help her to look more like a girl.

We were proud of this answer. A big step towards the direction of true, biblical womanhood. But, we told her that we would consider her reason, and give her an answer soon.

We gave her that answer 3 weeks ago while we were at the mall. Jay asked her if she felt that she was ready to get her ears pierced. The look on her face as she heard this was absolutely priceless! She was so giddy with excitement! But, she also handled herself with grace and maturity as we walked up to the counter to pick out her new earrings.

Here are some pics we took to document this momentous occasion...


Waiting her turn, and really hoping it doesn't hurt too bad.




Her turn came up, and she was a tad bit nervous.




After it was done, the emotional strain got the better of her.

But, within seconds, she was giddy with excitement again. She just couldn't believe we actually let her get it done!




The finished product. She chose for her first earrings to get them with her birthstone. And she has been trying her best to color coordinate her outfits each day so they match her new earrings. She is so cute! :o)