Jax's Test Results

     I just got a call from Jax's pediatrician. He had some bloodwork done a few months ago and she called to tell me about it. His IgE levels are through the roof. Normal for him should be in the 50's, his was 2300. This could mean a few different things. The first and most probable answer is he has crazy bad allergies. We've always known about his food allergies, and now that he is older he is probably having some environmental allergy issues as well. The kicker is that he has had NO SYMPTOMS. As a baby he was constantly broke out in a rash, and always had eczema somewhere on his body. So we knew when his allergies were acting up. But all that cleared up when he was about 2, his skin has been perfect since. He has no serious congestion or respiratory issues to speak of. I honestly thought he was outgrowing most of his food allergies.
     The second thing it could be is a parasite. I don't know much about this, so I can't elaborate too much on it. However, he again has had NO SYMPTOMS to make me believe that this is the case. The symptoms would include something like constant tummy aches, and loose stools.
     Another thing it could be is a very rare and highly unlikely case of Hyper IgE Syndrome. With this, he would, from what I understand, have boils and other skin irritations, and have infections that don't heal properly from minor cuts and a few other serious complications. With this being very rare and him having no symptoms of it either I do not believe this to be the case at all. The ONLY reason I would consider this is because it is an auto-immune disease, which can be a genetic disease, and since his Nana has Lupus and RA (which are auto-immune diseases),there is a small chance it could be possible.
     He has an appointment with his allergist next month. With the lack of symptoms they are probably not going to tell me to do anything any differently. They will probably just do more bloodwork and hopefully another food allergy test soon. I hope to get answers soon.


     The reason for the testing was to find out why he is still so small. He is growing in height, so he is still growing. He just doesn't seem to gain weight. He eats really well, and for the most part always has. He likes a wide variety of food. I am surprised at what he will eat sometimes. It doesn't make sense. I JUST WANT ANSWERS!!!!

Oh To Be a Kid Again!!!

     Kids these days, huh? You give them the world, and they want more. As most of you know by now, we just celebrated Jax's 5th birthday. It's bittersweet. Glad to see who he is becoming, but sad to see he is growing up. I am pretty sure I don't remember my 5th birthday at all. I am sure it was a small party at home with my parents and grandparents, and maybe an aunt and an uncle. My hair was probably wild and unruly and I probably had on some horrible mismatched hand-me down clothing. I am sure my mom baked the cake herself, and that I got underwear and socks as gifts. It was simple. I am not saying there is anything wrong with any of this, or that I was ever deprived of anything, but it seems as though this simpleness I had growing up, has made me want more for my own kids. It has made me want better for them.
     In contrast to my own (probable) 5th birthday, Jax had quite the bash. We had a big party at Incredible Pizza with numerous aunts, uncles, Nanas, Papas, cousins, and a few friends too. They got to play games for hours, won prizes, ate pizza and rice krispie treat cupcakes, and ice cream. Jax got nearly everything he wanted and then some. He got the skateboard he wanted, and games for his Leapster, numerous cool toys, and even a CAT (his first pet!) For his actual birthday day, I fixed one of his favorite meals -ribs and baked potatoes- for dinner. He got more cake and ice cream and even a few more gifts. His name was announced on the radio, and a poem that I wrote was even read on the radio. And Geoffrey the Giraffe from Toys R Us called and left a birthday message for him. You would think this would have been the best birthday ever for a 5 year old. But, at the end of the day when I asked him if he had a good birthday, his answer was "No." In my mind I am screaming at him!!! I could not think of a single thing that would make this a better birthday!! There was apparently one thing that he didn't have that would have made it all better. Candy. He didn't get to eat the candy he got. 
     So all the presents he got, the people that came, the decorations that I handmade (down to the cupcake wrappers), the special radio message, the money paid for the party, and all the planning that went into this, still made it a horrible-terrible-no-good-very-bad-birthday!  All because he didn't get to eat his candy!!! Frustrating, to say the least!!
     How do I give my children more than what I got as a child without making them ungrateful? I never want my children to go without. Not that I ever did, and if I did, I never knew it. But how do I make them realize they don't have to have everything to have everything? How do I make myself realize this?

Tomorrow

 Tomorrow my life changes. Tomorrow at this time I will have just picked up my baby boy from his first day of school. This is a milestone every parent must go through, I realize this. To me though, this is the end of my little boy being JUST mine. I have been involved in nearly every minute of his life up until tomorrow. Tomorrow will start his journey of his life becoming his own. For the next 13 years or so, every step he takes, will be a step in the direction his life will go. And I don't like it. I don't want him to grow up. I don't want him to not be just mine anymore. I don't think he will have any kind of separation anxiety, I think it'll be me that does.