Lunch

As we sat down for lunch today I felt as though I was handing Henry a machete to play with. We were about to cross a bridge... a gooey, creamy, salty paste spread on a piece of bread. Peanut Butter. And Henry ate it. I've been so careful not to give it to him (as has everyone else who has come into contact with him). But since the new day care lady raised her eyebrows when I told her he hasn't eaten it, we figured we'd better expose him when we were around. So here's what "the internet" says about peanut allergies (I read this after his exposure)...

What are the symptoms? Life-threatening food allergies (most commonly to nuts, peanuts, or shellfish) can kill children in two ways. The first is called laryngospasm. As the food is swallowed, it produces immediate swelling that spreads to the vocal cords. If the vocal cords swell shut, the child is unable to breathe and dies with terrifying rapidity. The second mechanism is called anaphylactic shock. The child swallows and digests the food and, as long as two hours later, goes into shock and dies. (http://www.drgreene.com)

Please, don't mince any words there. The doctors all say that you should wait until 2, but it seems rare that parents do. So he loved it and appears to have no reaction. But that's the catch - it's the second exposure that can be the kicker. So we'll expose over the weekend again. And seriously, it felt like way more serious than just offering some food.

He also had Bernie-O's (the organic version of spaghetti-o's). While I was cleaning up his mess on the floor, he hopped into my seat and proceeded to eat my lunch with my silverware. He was so proud of himself, the moment was too good to pass up. Hope you enjoy. Tomorrow night is a "school night" for us! Yikes!!