Travel-Part 2

A while age I posted about travelling with a peanut allergy and everything that comes with it (calling the airlines, exploring restaurants, proximity to the hospital etc…). A few weeks ago we went to Maine with my sister in law, brother in law and their baby. It was a wonderful week away, especially because it gave me the opportunity to have a full week with the boy. We rented a house, and it was the best decision we could have made. My husband grew up going to Maine every summer, and most of the accommodations are motels or B and B’s. Given we were with a baby and our toddler we wanted a fridge, a yard and enough room for the kids to move around inside. We found a great house that was adorable, updated, and walking distance to the beach.

When renting a house, it is important to anyone with an allergy to consider the fact that the homes utensils, pots and so on may pose a risk of cross contamination. When we arrived, I wiped the counters down, and in an effort to not use anything from the house, I brought all sorts of stuff with me, down to the coffee maker! We travelled by car, so it was easy to bring this stuff. I took cutlery for myself and the boy (we didn’t have the test results at the time), 1 large pot, 1 small pan, a disposable baking dish, 1 small mixing bowl (I used this the most), paper plates, and my own coffee mug. I’m not a breakfast person, so that was not a big deal for me, and the boy was happy with cereal. Given my restrictions of only eating in restaurants that have absolutely no peanuts on the menu altogether it was a challenge to find somewhere to go 7 nights in a row. Ultimately we ate at 3 places, two of which we doubled up on. Myself and the boy even had lunch at one of those three restaurants 3 times! The other nights we stayed home. There were definitely places I would have loved to try out, but given my reality I was better off without it. I’m looking forward to going back next year, and at least the boy can enjoy the bakeries and countless ice cream shops.

Travelling with an allergy can be a difficult task, but this happened to be one of the easier trips for me. I was relieved to know that we were only about 7 minutes from a hospital (the fire chief told me when we were at the station visiting the trucks!).

: )

J.

Vacation update

Only 2 hours after I came home from work on my first day of vacation, the boy vomited all over himself, my husband and I. This was our first experience with him throwing up, so I’ll leave it at that! This was not the quality boy time I was hoping for. I spent an entire night with his feet kicking my face while he tossed and turned. I woke up cranky and nauseous myself.

At breakfast, he refused to eat anything, every time I suggested a new food, his response was ‘cookie’. Since I took pity on the fact he had vommitted the previous night, and I had visions of his empty tummy, I gave in, and kept handing him arrowroot cookies until he stopped asking. I didn't want to give him milk, just in case it would upset his stomach, and he wasn’t at the point of needing pedialyte. I spiked his water with apple juice but I’m a bit of a sugarphobe, and this was the first time I have ever given him apple juice. He was devouring it...screaming for apple juice all day long, even trying to open the fridge himself at one point!

For our vacation, we planned to go to my in-laws country house that day, but instead we kept him home for the next 48 hours to avoid bringing any form of sickness to the house which was filled with my husband’s entire family including my 1,3 and 5 year old nephews, and my pregnant sister in law. The last thing I wanted was to be responsible for a gastro outbreak in Ivry. On Sunday, we went to the country, but after the first night, his nose started running, and the wheezing kicked in. I thought we were doomed, but I wasn’t going to let a little wheeze and cough keep him from having fun. We played outside, played inside, went sledding, went skating for the first time, watched movies, went for dinner, went to the indoor playground and had quality family time. If my husband had his way, the boy would be skiing as well! I have been able to relax a bit, which is not something I usually get to do. Since returning to work from maternity leave 9 months ago, any boy time is valuable time to me. Taking a step back from the demands of my everyday life has allowed me to focus on my family and realize how lucky I am. I still have a few more days left of vacation so maybe I’ll even be lucky enough to ski!

:)

J.

Happy New Year!

Vacation, Vacation

7 more days… I am looking forward to a full 13 days of boy time! Though we celebrated Hanukkah last week, over the vacation, we will spend lots of time with our nieces, nephews, and family. My husband grew up skiing, so we plan to put the boy on skies this winter. He’s young but very steady. He’s been walking for close to a year now, and I think he’ll be just fine being pulled around on a flat surface. For me, I prefer the real thing. I started skiing when I was dating my husband. A few months after we met, I invested in an entire new ski wardrobe, everything from the boots to the helmet. I took to it quite easily, and really enjoyed it. I complain a lot about the cold, but overall, I love skiing. We went on a family ski trip during our second winter together and I braved the slopes of Aspen, Snowmass and Vail quite well. It was the following year, just a few weeks after our wedding that I fell on the ‘fuddle duddle’, a green circle (beginner trail), and tore ligaments in my knee requiring surgery and a missed ski season. I fully recovered, but stayed off the slopes the following season for fear of falling again. The following winter I was pregnant, and last year I was breastfeeding, so being away for too many hours just made me uncomfortable (literally). All to say, that for the holidays I am looking forward to skiing, boy time, and relaxing. I have decided on all the activities we will do with the boy, and I am counting down the days. And yes, I realize this post has nothing to do with mine or the boy’s allergy!

Happy holiday’s to my 8 loyal followers (and anyone else who reads this!)

:)

J.