When I think of her first Easter I also think of her first ER visit. Ellie was 9 months old, I was feeding her a lunch of Mac and Cheese with Veggies when I was introduced to the world of food allergies. She had maybe two or three bites when she started throwing up. I immediately knew something was wrong. I picked her up and wiped her down, she seemed so exhausted. I held her close, waiting to see what was going to happen next. She fell asleep in my arms for maybe 15-20 min. When she woke up I noticed she was developing small bumps on her cheeks and her face was starting to swell. I started to gather her diaper bag so I could take her to InstaCare. In that 5 mins, her face became so swollen her eyes were slits. The hives were on her face down to her stomach. I have never been so scared. I quickly got her in the car seat and went straight to Emergency Room at the University of Utah. On the way, she started coughing in the back seat. Something was happening in her throat. We finally arrived; the first thing the nurse asked was “Does she normally look like this?” It took all I had not to punch her in the face. I explained what had happened and they gave her a huge dose of Benadryl to see if that would work before giving her an Epinephrine shot. Luckily it worked, no shot needed. We were sent home with a prescription for Benadryl, and an Epi Pen. Since we have met with an Allergist and discovered that she has severe allergies to: Milk, eggs, tree nuts, and cat’s/dogs. Avoidance is key and she will more than likely grow out of it before the age of five. We are now Vegans that eat meat occasionally J
The next day was Easter. She was still a little blotchy in the face; at least the hives and swelling were gone. We had her hunt for plastic eggs in our hall way. I think she enjoyed the “Grass” more than the eggs, oh well. We then went to my Dad’s for dinner. What a memorable Easter.
Her Easter dress
Eggs + Grass = Happy baby
