Update on Jacob

We went and saw a pediatric allergist this week with Jacob.  The above pictures was taken after he ate raw tomatoes so we suspected dairy and raw tomato allergies.  They performed a skin test, and he tested allergic for food to dairy (cow's milk), eggs, peanuts (not severe- no epi pen needed), soy, and wheat but surprisingly not allergic to tomatoes.  They also performed environmental allergies test, and he was allergic to dust mites, cat and dog dander, regional trees and weeds, and mold.  He was put on allergy medicine (Zyrtec) and given an inhaler to use for six weeks to help his lungs to heal.  I was pretty shocked with the results but as the doctor reminded us that this could to be a definitive answer or it could be useless information.  There are such things as false positives in the test and that there can be a reaction on the skin but that ingesting the food will not harm him or just the opposite as may be case for the raw tomatoes.  For now Jacob is off of dairy, eggs, and peanuts.  We are going to wait and see what to do about the soy and wheat.  We may have to do an elimination diet and reintroduction in the future, but the allergy medicine has helped so much for his runny nose/congestion in just a few days that we are hopeful we can keep him on soy and wheat. 

In other news Jacob is my most challenging toddler yet.  He is smart, agile, and inquisitive which makes for a dangerous combination in my book.  His favorite thing to do is climb, and he climbs just about everywhere he can.  The most dangerous climb that we have had was a push of a kitchen chair to the counter; then crawling along the countertop to the stove.  He was directly on top the stove and turned the oven on.  Thank heavens I was in the same room and caught him before things got anymore dangerous with him turning on a burner that he was on top of.  If he is not pushing chairs to things out of reach then he is discovering how to get around our preventative measures and play in places we don't want him in like the pantry, cupboards, drawers, or the garbage can.  He can climb out of a pack and play and also his crib.  For now, I ordered new security measures for the pantry (which knock on wood is keeping him out) and our new method of bungee cording all the kitchen chairs around the table so that they can't be used as tools for climbing.  We are keeping him in is crib by putting him in a sleep sack so he can't get his legs far enough apart to climb out.  (I am just waiting for the day that he figures out it can be unzipped.)  I feel a little we live in Fort Knox especially now that Emma is also prevented from doing her normal things like getting in places she could before, for example using the bathroom, because the new locks are too secure for her to use as well.

With all of this aside, Jacob is one happy twenty month old.  He loves to read, color, rip books and paper, run away from mom and dad, and play with whatever his older siblings are playing with.  I am trying to put a positive spin on his inquisitive mind and remind myself that it is a good character trait to develop which will serve him well in his future life.  It just may not make for an easy toddler!