Two Great Medical Reports and Pickle Monsters

 Medical Report Number One:

When Adrian was 1 year old, he would eat something and then start coughing really hard until he eventually threw up. This happened all. the. time. We're talking like 4 or 5 times a day. As you can imagine, it got really old cleaning up after him all the time, but we couldn't figure out what was wrong. The doctor treated him for acid reflux, but it didn't seem to work. Finally, right before his 2nd birthday, we discovered that he had asthma and allergies. Lots of them. Corn, soy, nuts, shellfish, and many environmental allergies, including trees and grasses. So, he started in on lots of medicines, including breathing treatments three times a day. It took us three hours to make our rounds through the grocery store the first time after his diagnosis - we had to stand and read every label on every box to make sure Adrian could have it. We soon learned that corn is in EVERYTHING! Corn starch, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, dextrin, dextrose, maltodextrin - it goes by many different names, but if it was on the label, we had to put it back on the shelf. I had to adjust the way I prepared meals, and every time we went to someone else's home for dinner, we had to pack a separate meal for Adrian. We got to the point, though, where he did absolutely fine as long as we watched his diet, and he didn't even have to take much medicine anymore. Lately, he has been doing great, and at his annual appointment at the Allergy and Asthma Clinic last week, his doctor said that he believes that Adrian is growing out of his corn and soy allergies! Yay!! He still has to avoid shellfish and nuts (he could potentially be fatally allergic to cashews - yikes!), but now he can have things like candy, hot dogs, popcorn, corn on the cob, doughnuts, chicken McNuggets, french fries, and other foods that he hasn't had for 6 years! And he only has to take medicines in the fall when the environmental allergens are really bad.

 Medical Report Number two:

When I was pregnant with Ashton, the doctor told me that some test results showed that our baby was either going to have Down's Syndrome or Trisomy 18. If the baby had Trisomy 18, he would have multiple health problems and would probably die before the age of 1. Of course we were worried, but this was our child. We would love him no matter what. When Ashton was born, he was perfectly healthy. The only things out of the ordinary were that he had two blood vessels in his umbilical cord instead of three, and he had a hole in his heart. The doctors did several tests over the next few years, and eventually the hole closed. He does have a heart murmur, though, and last year at his pediatric cardiology appointment, the left side of his heart looked slightly enlarged. Today, he had another appointment, and the cardiologist said that everything looks normal. He does have a heart murmur and several of his valves have slight leakage, but the doctor said that it is not a big deal. Ashton will be able to play sports and run around like any other little boy, and will be able to lead a normal life. Another Yay!

 Today, as I sat and watched the computer screen as the doctor performed an ultrasound on Ashton's heart, I had to wonder how someone could possibly NOT believe that there is a Divine Creator. A human body is put together so perfectly, so complete and complex. There is no way that anything like that could be formed by accident. As the doctor moved the wand over Ashton's chest, I could see the different chambers of his heart, the blood pumping through, and all the little valves opening and closing at exactly the right times. I once again marveled at the beauty and majesty of God's wondrous and amazing Creation.

Anyway, here are my two little dudes:

And Now For the Pickle Monsters:


My boys are each other's best friends and worst enemies. (I'm sure all you other moms can relate!) Anyway, the other day Ashton was picking on his brother, so I told him to stop. Adrian said, "It's ok, Mom! He can't pick a fight with me, 'cause I'm as calm as a pickle monster who's eating pickles!" Well, alright, whatever! I guess I can't argue with that logic!