August 9, 2009

The same week we returned from our vacation, MommyDaddy went to see Jimmy Buffet perform at an outdoor concert in Cincinnati with our friends, Paul and Gail Griffith. I was fine with this because Nana came over for a sleep-over. MommyDaddy had a really good time going out to dinner at Arthur’s, a restaurant in Hyde Park that they really like, then going to the concert. Mommy went to a Jimmy Buffet Concert with her friends Teresa and Kristy in 1993. She said that the experience was about the same; lots of very happy people singing at the top of their lungs. Mommy, of course, made many friends that evening.

I probably mentioned that I coughed and coughed while I was at GrandmaPapa’s house so when I got back, Daddy took me to the doctor. Even though I am a very big girl, I still don’t like the doctor and cannot be convinced otherwise. Well, I have another experience that solidified my distaste for doctors. Dr. Ringel recommended that I visit a special doctor (this time, not for my ears or eyes, but for my cough). Daddy took me to this doctor too. It might have been the worst doctor visit in my life, except for maybe when I got my tubes and had to be put to sleep. They did allergy testing on me, which means they stuck my back 15 times with pins, then waited to see what would happen for over 15 minutes. Saying that I was mad about this was an understatement. The doctor expected that I would be allergic to “environmental” allergens like dust or mold. Instead they found that the only thing I am allergic to is peanuts. This did explain why I was coughing so much while I was at GrandmaPapa’s house, because the one night I coughed the most was the day someone unknowingly gave me peanut butter. I am not allergic to tree nuts, I can have food made with peanut oil, and it seems that I can be around peanuts, but cannot eat them. Of course MommyDaddy have taken every precaution, ridding the house of any peanuts, reading every label of the common foods we eat and getting Epipens for the house, school, diaper bag and cars. You would be surprised how prolific peanuts are! One interesting fact is that Honey Nut Cheerios does not have peanuts, but instead use almonds. Do you think they know that kids have this allergy and want kids like me to be able to eat them? The saddest thing for me is that I cannot eat M&M’s, which I love. Even the plain M&M’s say they have peanuts because they are made on the same line as the peanut M&M’s, so I cannot eat them at all. Mommy has been creative and has convinced me (so far) that Junior Mints are also called M&M’s.