So it is no secret to anybody who knows me what a peanut fiend I am. I grew up eating PB&J sandwiches EVERY day for 12 years of public school. My favorite candy bars were Reece's Peanut Butter Cups, Reece's Pieces, and Butterfinger bars. Seriously....I kept these people in business.
So while I was 6 months pregnant with our second little "legume" (if anybody ever signs up at babycenter.com to track their pregnancy by week, it gives you a food of some sort to compare your baby's size to....."Today she is the size of a kiwi!"), it was after we had gotten back from a trip to NY for Christmas and I was eating a box of Girl Scout Tag-Alongs. Those yummy cookies with a crunchy bottom, topped with peanut butter, and covered with delicious chocolate. Elizabeth REALLY wanted one of my cookies. Now....I had offered Elizabeth peanut butter before. She turned 1yr old the previous May and I had made her a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich. She refused to touch it and literally flung the plate across the table. I distinctly remember saying to myself, "How can you be my child?" I gave up on the PB&J and gave her Turkey. I attempted peanut butter maybe 2 other times....but it was a no go.
Back it up to the summertime. I was at a graduate class and Kevin had Elizabeth. He made her a PB&J sandwich. She tried it but again rejected it. He took her outside to play. Her whole face welted up. I got a call on my way home from class that she had been "bitten by a bug" while outside. He had called the pediatrician's office who had instructed him to get her some Benadryl. Being the fabulous Daddy that he is, he quickly zoomed to the nearest CVS and grabbed the Benadryl. He gave her some, and put her down for a nap (yup....in hindsight we are lucky she woke up).
Fast forward again....I gave her one of my beloved cookies. Within minutes she started violently projectile vomiting. Originally I thought she was vomiting because she had a cold and maybe the mucous was bothering her stomach. When she kept vomiting and then dry heaving I got much more worried. Then...."Pop" a red dot appeared above her eye. I asked Kevin what he thought it was and he said, "Looks like a bug bite" (see above paragraph). It was January....there were no bugs in our house. I pulled up her shirt as she started digging at her sides and she started uncontrollable coughing and dry heaving. She was covered in hives. This entire reaction was under 2 minutes in time. I said, "OMG....I think she is allergic to peanuts". Kevin thought I was originally nuts (no pun intended....well....maybe a little). We grabbed the Benadryl and just poured it down her throat before it closed off entirely. Within a few minutes, she was breathing better and stopped vomiting. We called the pediatrician's office and our loving pediatrician stayed on the phone until he determined that she would be OK and did not need to go to the hospital.
Two weeks and some allergy testing later.....NO PEANUTS or TREE NUTS allowed in our house! I was originally devastated. HOW did this happen! According to the allergist. Kevin's cat allergy, and my seasonal allergies have a high incidence of children with peanut allergies.
Fast Forward a few years....Tree Nuts are now allowed....but Peanuts are still deathly. Elizabeth is particularly annoyed with this aspect of her life and begs to go to the allergist to see if she is still allergic. I was already told that her odds of outgrowing the allergy are not in her favor based on her history of reactions.
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