Fun Sayings From Peter

Word: Super-Salt
Translation: Somersault

Word: Hide N Sneak
translation: Hide and Seek

Cute Things

The other night while Bob was getting the kids in bed, Jeremy wasn't quite ready. He's at the stage where there's a problem with everything (mostly because whatever it is appears to be an inconvenience for him right then). He was talking about how he was out growing things too fast - maybe it was the clothes he was trying to take off himself that were getting stuck, or maybe it was the pj's he was suppose to put on. Whatever it was, Bob made it into a game... like everything else. This is (to my understanding) the way the conversation went:

Bob: What happens when you out grow your feet?
Jeremy: That's impossible, Dad! Impossible means not possible!

Yeah... sure he's only three....


And since we've had some changes in our lives with Peter - something's working great, by the way, since all that is left is dry skin - no raised skin, no redness! Anyway, since he's been feeling better, there's a slightly different Peter showing up - he's terribly concerned about my happiness. One example of what he does follows:

Peter, playing with the printer.
Me: Peter, that's not okay. Leave the printer alone.
Peter: You happy?
Me: No, I'm not happy when you play with the printer.
Peter (with concerned face and voice): You sad, Mama?
Me: Yes, Peter, I'm sad when you play with the printer.

Peter then takes the offending hand with his other hand, holding it fast he looks at it and says: Behave hand.
Still holding his hand, he looks back at me: Hand behave, you happy?
Me: Yes, Peter. I'll be happy if your hand behaves.

Now whenever I tell him that what he's doing makes me sad or disappoints me, he immediately grabs the one hand with the other and with a teary voice says: Behave, Mama. You be happy. I behave.

What a difference from the little monster who would head butt and hit me hard enough to leave bruises when he wanted to let me know he loved me! Oh how good life is when the little one is feeling sooooo much better!

A NEW Way of "Life"

Okay - so here we are again - that's right.... another thing to try with Peter.

We had the three kids (Gabi, Beth and Peter) in for wellness check ups last week. Peter had one of his worse flare ups of all time the day before on our ride back home from our weekend away. He was red, itchy, and had huge hives. They were bubbled way up and one hive covered his entire arm. Needless to say, he was miserable. Benedryl does not always work with him. I've yet to figure out any rhyme or reason to when it does and when it does not work. Anyway, at the doctor's visit, it was agreed that it was time to see a specialist. It was also agreed that we needed to look at things like diet, not just cover up the problem.

New Problem - our insurance does not cover naturalist options. All the dermatologists that I was able to find and talk to work strictly with medications and creams (ie... steriods)... we're not ready to believe that Peter needs to be on steriods... especially when it would likely mean the rest of his life. We want to find the cause and eliminate it... not just cover it up and pretend it isn't an issue.

So, with that in mind, Bob wants us to keep a detailed journal and try a few more things ourselves first - before paying out of pocket. It's been overwhelming to consider, but we're finally doing some other things... not everything yet, but we'll get there if we need to.

We've eliminated the following:
Eggs
Dyes
Berries (which we already know cause problems)
Seafood

If needed, we'll also eliminate chocolate, peanuts, wheat, milk and soy. I might start in on the chocolate because he had some yesterday and today he's not feeling so well. He's not too bad... and it may be because his legs have been so dry and I've not put anything on them (trying to avoid anything store bought). I'm working on getting some beeswax lotion made only with olive oil (since he's okay with that oil).

We've also changed our laundry habits:
No more fabric softeners or dryer sheets. No more strain removers (though I'd love to find an all natural one that we can "make" ourselves). We're only using All Free and Clear (though we're going to try some homemade Borax stuff) and then Vinegar in the rinse cycle (which we do twice) which both softens and strips any excess detergent out of the clothing. And YES! Vinegar actually works to soften clothes... more than that, I honestly think our clothes are softer... and.... it's sooooo much less expensive! We use about 1/2 cup in each rinse.

Anyway... we've seen a huge difference in Peter's skin... we're not sure if it's food or contact since we've removed things for both. But Bob seems to steer towards contact because the hands, feet, head and diaper area are never effected.

The good news in all this... it may just force us to find more natural alternatives... and that's not a bad thing... especially when it's more cost effect (and not just in buying the products, but in preserving health).

Time Out Help

So what do you do when time out doesn't work?

Time out has always been our "punishment" of choice. We do change that based on age and severity of the "crime", though. Still, as little ones, Time Out has always worked. Jeremy just plan hated to be there - Gabi didn't like being "out of control" - and Bethie seemed to understand that it was a time not only for separation from others (to deal with problems and reflect and think about how to do things better next time) but that it was a time for taking space when you needed to be away, when you were over stimulated. She'd often request a "time out" for such purposes and it wasn't until later in her life that she was really the instigator.

Then along came Peter..............................................

Time Out has it's appeal.... for a very short time. We still use it, but he recognizes that it's time for separation and reflection (not necessarily for correction) and will remove himself from time out to apologize and give hugs and kisses when he's ready. There have been days when he willing sits in time out for hours (because he doesn't want to say he's sorry for something, because, well, he's not).

No matter how Time Out is done, Peter seems to repeat his actions - some days it's immediately, and other times it'll be a few days. It all depends on his mood. All our children have been stubborn (strong willed), but Peter is much more so. All our children like to have control, but Peter just takes control.

Today - after repeatedly being told and asked to stop hitting siblings while I was out bringing in wood, Peter deliberately hit again, then came to the door and told me he wanted to be in time out. So I told him to go sit in time out. Then he decided he was done, then not done, then done, then not done. It didn't help that the two he'd been hitting kept telling him to "get back into time out" so he would, laugh, and then get down again.

Anyway - the real problem is hitting. He's such a brute anyway... but he just gets in this moods and decides it's time to hit. Yes, sometimes there is a problem and he's "lashing out", but often it seems there isn't anything to trigger it. He just grabs a toy, gets a certain gleam in his eye, and runs after someone. I do take the toy away (which he uses to hit with). And I've even started taking away his movies (specifically his Thomas ones) when he's really acting out. He doesn't like that, but it also doesn't seem to stop him once he's adjusted to knowing there won't be a movie that day.

So, any thoughts... anyway ideas? I'm really tired of chasing him around to remove numerous toys, and listening to him scream at the top of his lungs for the "injustice" of it all (no, that's not one of his many words yet, thank goodness).

One of Many Sayings We Love

Something Peter says that I just love and don't want to forget - because eventually he'll learn to arrange his sentences the right way.

He got a bunch of Thomas the Tank Engine movies for his birthday - which he loves. Whenever he gets to watch a movie he says:

"Pick Thomas I want" (which is soooo much cuter if you can put the sweet two-year old voice behind it! :)

Peter is 2!!!!!!!

My sweet little boy - still tall for his age -is 2! It's hard to imagine that the time has gone by so quickly, but I guess that's all part of life! He's still sweet and kind. Pretty laid back - until he's mad about something and then he's all red head! Yup - he kept the red hair - so far, so good there! ;)

He's always been interested in anything that moves... but his interest has shifted almost completely over to trains. He's a bigger fan of trains then Jeremy ever was (and for those of you who know Jeremy, you know he loves his trains)! Peter has also expanded his vocabulary so that he always has something to contribute to the conversation (although his pronounciation isn't always the best). One of my favorites is when he receives something, he says "Tank ew" to which I will always reply "You're Welcome" - that is followed immediately by him saying "Ew Elcomb". I think it's sweet!

When he opened his presents, he first opened a new wooden train. So he kept saying "more tain, more tain" with each present he picked up. He did get another one - and a Thomas lantern and Thomas DVD's so he never lost his excitement. Then he opened a book - a Little Engine that Could series train book. He was so excited as he saw three other gifts the same size, and with eyes all lit up, he'd grab one and say "nodder tain book - nodder tain book!"

Well - he's two - he thinks he's in charge - he climbs and he laughs a lot! He's learning that his older brother really can "take him down" but that he's a really nice big brother. Peter's still trying to prove he's stronger (he's thought he was for the last two years)!

He's learned to get into everything - and not just in the typical toddler fashion - although that too - but when I say get into everything I really mean "in to" - as in "let's see what makes this tick - what happens if I take this off - how will it change if I open this and take something out". He's a smart little guy - but finds himself in a lot of trouble because he's not suppose to be getting into such things. He's learning, though.

He still loves music - sings all the time - rocks to any beat - and the other day (while we were home because the car wouldn't start and there wasn't enough room in the other car for all of us), he laid backwards over the chair arm putting his head on my lap and his feet up on the window (holding himself suspended) and listened to (and encouraged) me singing numerous Primary songs for about an hour straight.

I will always treasure his little kisses (full on the mouth still - though he's learning that the check is better - he also enjoys giving kisses on the top of the head) and his snuggles (all too soon he'll be too big for these kinds of snuggles and we'll have to switch over to big boys ones).

It's exciting to watch him - but I must admit, I'm not sure I'm ready to watch the baby grow up!

Two Stitches And A Black Eye

Well, it's been a year (more or less) since the fan incident with Jeremy. So, (apparently) in true Nielsen fashion, it was time for another adventure. No, not the same. Not even the same kid! Or parent! (Bob tried to tell me we were even, then I reminded him that I wasn't involved in this accident)

Peter is transitioning away from naps - which means that when he does nap, it's usually in one of our big green popham (mushroom) chairs. He snuggles in there, with a blanket, to watch a movie and usually, if he's going to nap, is asleep before you can press play. Well... he was napping. He prefers to be on his tummy when he sleeps, so he'd turned himself over. Since he'd been sharing a chair with Jeremy (who had since left the room since the movie was over), that meant he'd turned himself over to nearly the side of the chair. But, he was fine.

Then he woke up - fussed a little (which we tend to ignore because he'll be happier sooner if we do), found he was tangled in his blankets and then tried to get out. As he did so, he turned the whole chair over. So there he was, in a tangled mess, Beth jumps up from her clean up chore and starts this weird panic noise that she does - but just stands there. She is, after all, not quite 5. Since she's closest, I told her to go over and help him up. All the while he's screaming (but that's not unusual when he's already irritated and then something goes wrong). Beth gets near him, then jumps back as he sits up and starts a little panic screamy whimper thing (I can't repeat it... it was too strange). By this point I can see past her to the little boy who obviously has blood running down his face!

So over and through the train tracks all over the living room floor, I grab him up (I think the carpet was spared), all the while (having taken one quick look) yelling for Gabi to get a cool wet washcloth and for Beth to get the phone. Peter had cut the corner of his eye when he hit it on the train table (folded up into the wall).

Bob was off trying to clean up a frozen / broken pipe disaster down at one of the apartments, but I had expected him to go to the new restaurant to help out that afternoon. So I called there for him (since my van still wasn't starting). He had only just stopped in looking for something because the job he was doing was taking much longer than planned. It's a good thing that one of us wasn't starring at a little boy covered in blood - he reminded me that there are others closer who could help (all I could think about was that my van wasn't starting and I needed to get the little guy to the hospital - it's something about having four kids and living in the middle of no where that puts ones brain into such a funk).

Anyway, the bleeding is more or less controlled at this point - I called my home teacher who came and got the van going - packed the kids in the van and took off for the hospital (cell phone in hand to call for assistance there). The good news was that since I had to wait for my home teacher to arrive, I as able to have Gabi put together a bag of things for Peter and have all the kids get their thing on - and stock the fire - so we were ready to go just as he got there!)

We called some other friends and one met me at the hospital to trade vehicles and took the other three to his house where they would be able to run around, play and be happy. I took Peter in - and amazingly, there was only one person in front of us and the staff all worked together over lapping things like triage - registration and got him in very quickly. Peter was great! He didn't like the wound to be touched or a bandage put on it, but other than that, he was quiet and held still. He was really amazing!

Bob made it to the hospital just before the stitches were to go in, so he was the one who held Peter still, which helps a lot!

Anyway - Peter has two stitches and a mildly black eye. He's happy and tormenting his siblings as usual (he gets that from his brother). We also found out that he's a whopping 29#!!!

Since I've been struggling with the remains of a cold as well as fighting off this fluish thing that Beth had earlier this week - and I didn't want the van out in the snowy mess today - I stayed home with Peter and Beth. Bob took the other two as well as our neighbor - in the Subaru - carefully - leaving with extra time. I'm sure it will all work out.

But now that I'm done updating, I'm going to try to rest. My head has felt like someone beat it like a drum for the last week! I'm sure getting up to stock the fire every night hasn't helped - but the extra rest will be nice! Though I'd love a nap, that will wait until Peter goes down - in the mean time, I'll see if I can read my scriptures.

Bye Bye Binky - So Grown Up

Peter, nearly two, still has his binkies. I've not really been in any hurry to force him away from them - of course we don't have a new baby to worry about with that this time either. Though I've thought about it from time to time, he was dealing with this allergy mess and I just couldn't bring myself to take away his form of comfort - though nearly all of them he'd bitten threw and I was determined not to buy new ones for him.

One day (about two or three weeks ago) he brought me one and told me it was broken. He kept trying to put it in his mouth and then kept pulling it out to look at it (it was really messed up and the pieces were hanging). So I told him that he could just hold that one (since he usually has one in his hand and one in his mouth) - but he insisted that it was broken. So I told him if he didn't want it because it was broken that he could throw it away. He promptly took it and threw it away. But, hey, no big deal he still had a couple (many have been lost in true toddlerhood fashion).

Two days ago he brought two more to me (the only two I knew we still had) and told me they were broken and then ran over to throw them away. Since the trash was full, he needed my help to open it. I wish I'd gotten the camera out - he was so cute and grown up as he took both binkies, examined them carefully and then dropped them in the trash. He looked up at me, realizing he didn't have any more in his hand, and fussed for a minute. Looked at the binkies once again, then pushed the trash closed and ran off to play.

What a big boy! - When he went to bed, he was sad to discover that he didn't have any more - until we pulled the blankets up and there was one, just tucked in nicely to the fold of the blanket. It's already been bitten threw, so I'm sure it won't last long. Still, as the mom, I was both impressed with his grown up willingness to get rid of the binkies himself and sad because it meant that he was a big boy. It's so hard to watch your baby grow up - no matter which baby it is!

Allergy Update

Okay... I received an email this morning and thought that I probably ought to update people on our allergy adventures. Though we discovered that Peter is allergic to berries (Strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries... and to our disappointment... even Blueberries), he was still having trouble. However, instead of the hivey eczema, he was just covered in more a flat dry, scaley red - from head to toe.... miserable and screaming, scratching and itching, not sleeping well, not playing well... you know, just miserable.

I was at my wits end because I honestly didn't believe it was another food allergy - it didn't feel right when I thought about it and it didn't appear in any the same way and nothing seemed to modify it... the redness only continued to get worse. So, one night, studying everything I could come across, thinking maybe it was an infection that had gotten out of control from earlier scratching, I came away in tears, anger and frustration. - After all, my baby was miserable and nothing I could do would fix it... and being his mother, isn't that what I'm suppose to be able to do!?! (I know, that's not really logical, but tell that to the emotional heart)

Anyway, one thought had come back over and over as I'd thought about changes we'd made since July - but it hadn't been pressing on me like the thoughts about the blackberries, so I figured it wasn't really an issue. Never the less, we decided we had to try it and if there wasn't any improvement I'd call the doctor and look into blood work to rule out an infection. So the night before my fit mentioned above, I took all of Peter's clothes (except the PJs he had on) and washed them - WITHOUT OxyClean - then triple rinsed them just to make sure the residue would be gone.

As I mentioned, this was the night before my fit of frustration. Sunday didn't seem to go any better than the weeks and months before. That's why I was in tears and yelling (at poor Bob who was just as helpless as myself) when I went to bed. But that night, Peter actually slept through the night and was pleasant during the following day. He was itchy from time to time and we'd just put on the three layers of cream (something we found works the best) and he'd be off and having fun again without scratching any more! And by Tuesday, the redness of his skin was gone and you could see the patches of eczema very clearly (all over his body). I knew something was finally working.

To be certain, OxyClean has come out of all our laundry. I do like it for getting stains out that won't otherwise go away - so we'll use up the rest of it in a soaking form followed directly by two rinses then washing with two more rinses when needed - but never in the actual wash again!

It's been nearly two weeks of this now and we're down to putting the cream on Peter once a day!!!!!!!!!!! It's so very exciting... .by the way, for anyone interested, the cream layering we do is as follows:

1. Hydrocortizone (prevents the itch)
2. Eucerine (though we've switched to the equivalent in the Equate form - it's easier to spread) and this is to moisturize (a necessary step)
3. Aquaphor (this traps in the moisture, protects the skin from external elements which would cause cracking, and heals the already cracked and sore skin)

Though you can just put the three layers on one after the other, best results are found when you leave a layer to "soak in" before you add the next. I've read up to half an hour in between. I put on the first layer and wait until it's "dry", then add the next and do the same...although this one does not really get "dry" it does seem to loose much of the "greasy" look as it soaks in. Then we add the aquaphor... often we just put in him his PJs right after that - though it feels weird sticking to the "goopy" skin so we sometimes we'll let me run around without PJ's for a little while for that last layer to soak in more before covering him up.

Once he's all better, we'll drop the hydrocortizone all together and only use the other two when he first gets out of the bath.

Anyway, by doing all of this, my Peter is soft and kissable again... and his skin is that beautiful milky white that he's always been (my fairest skinned child). The only trouble places are the ones which had shown up first - behind his knees - but even they are down to looking like soft pick patches! It's wonderful!

It's been a long run... though I know others have gone on longer.... and I won't swear we're out of the woods yet, but it certainly looks promising! And certainly seem to make a lot of sense!

Making Friends

We have some great friends... different than our other friends... we typically don't call them (unless we're returning a call), we don't hang out, we don't exchange gifts, in fact, we don't do much of anything that "normal good friends" would do.

Since the missionaries come up to our area once a week, and we house them, we have the unique experience to be able to show our children first hand a little of what it's like to be a missionary (and to give service and open up your home with no more than a moment's notice - although that last part is very, very rare - thank goodness for me). It's been wonderful to see our children's faces light up, their enthusiasm, and also to see that it has not dampened their desire to go on a mission - rather it has reinforced it. We are indeed grateful for these special moments which strength our children and help them grow their testimonies of Christ and His gospel.

Well, Peter (being not quite 2) tends to think that the missionaries are only okay once they're almost done eating dinner and about ready to head out to another appointment. He was playing shy - scowling some, hiding his head, hanging on to me. One of our elders was determined that somehow he and Peter would be friends by the time he was done in this area. So, at meals, he'd play silly games to try and engage Peter.

Finally Peter started laughing during some silly peek-a-boo / hide-and-go seek type stuff at the table. As soon as Peter was done eating, he ran over, grabbed the elder by the hand and dragged him into the living room where he insisted the elder should help him build a train track. Ever since, Peter loves to see the missionaries - both of them. (He's always smiled at the other elder)

So, friends they are - and the experiences will be best held in his heart, though he may never remember them in pictures!

Tinker Pan?

So I know I'm suppose to be blogging with pictures... you know, all those things we've done over the last month - 2 months - something like that which I have finally downloaded the pictures of... which I've been too busy to sort through and blog about... and no, I'm not doing it tonight. Maybe tomorrow (right now the pressures of Christmas "To Dos" is still unfinished and I need to make good use of my time - I'm only blogging right now because the kids are in the bath and I'm making dinner... can't sew during that!)

Well, we have a tinker.... you know, like Tinker Bell.... only not a fairy.... and not a girl.... and not in the way Tinker Bell was.... she put things together... Our tinker takes things apart....

I use to think Peter was behind... that was until I had a nice laugh with the doctor because apparently he was right on target... or so I thought until I got home - then he decided to "show me" - Yup... just plain stubborn! Had a huge vocabulary, just couldn't be bothered to use it until I voiced my concern to the doctor.

Anyway, that's nothing... he's apparently too curious. I'm use to the kids climbing things, running, screaming.. the normal stuff. I'm even use to the "grab what you're not suppose to have and run away from Mom before she sees" - Peter is different. Yes, he does those things too. But he's been spending his time figuring things out.

Take yesterday for example. I was sewing (because I'm behind as usual), Peter comes over and takes the scissors. Instead of doing the normal grab and run, then hide and cut his hair trick that so many little ones do, I find him analyzing the scissors. Opening and closing, while turning them around and around. Yes, in typical not-yet-two-year-old fashion, he managed cut his shirt - but just a little snip and he didn't even know he'd done it! - And I took the scissors away before he could figure out how they came apart.

Then, a little while later, he's over by the printer. I can't handle having him over there because he's always trying to play with it. Drives me crazy - especially since we just bought this one in August. Anyway, I remove him from the area, send him off to play and come back to discover the frame is completely off! What kids does that - at his age?!?!

Those are the two big things... I can't recall the other thing that had me laughing when I told Bob about it... but I've noticed more and more how he loves to take things apart and put them back together... I guess I just hadn't realized how much of a problem this might end up being because it was always toys - the kind that are suppose to be taken apart and put back together - for the most part!

Anyway, it reminded me of a little boy, Matthew, whom my mother use to watch. He had gone out on the closed in porch (around Peter's age). Instead of trying to figure out how to reach the handle to get out, like the other kids, he sat down and took apart that piece that makes the door shut slowly (I have no idea what that piece is really called)! When he was discovered, my mother had no idea how he'd done it or how she was going to put it back together. So, she asked Matthew... who diligently pointed out each piece and where it belonged!

SCARY! - For now I'll be grateful everything Peter tries to take apart is IN the house.... and I'll be watching our doors rather closely! - Don't need to loose any hinges!

Quick Skin Allergy Update

I discovered, through a series of loosely connected conversations, that Peter had had strawberries - in the juice I let him drink at a birthday party. Silly me... I hadn't thought about berries in juice..I know they can be there, but I just hadn't thought about.

Anyway, he still saw the doctor, allergy tests would be the next route, but that's being put off for now. We're just being a lot more careful about what he's eating....and drinking. And his skin looks tons better and the itching is almost completely gone!

What Schedule Do You Keep?

A couple nights ago I awoke to:

thump, thump - quiet, quiet - "ROAR" "ROAR"

This continued on for about half an hour before I was able to go back to sleep. Bob even woke up to that, and we chuckled at our little boy - who was, apparently, to rested to be sleeping at 1am!

So the next day I figure I'll play it by ear. Peter does well. He dozed in the car for about 15 minutes, but otherwise made it to bedtime with everyone else. He was up once in need of a binky that he was too sleepy to try to find.

Last night.... well... he was so tired he fell asleep in the late afternoon, Bob woke him for dinner - which he wouldn't eat - and then promptly fell back to sleep. He fussed some when I got home so Bob offered him food... he said no, laid down and Bob gave him back his binky. At 1:20am I find myself awake looking for a binky, with a wide awake and rather hungry boy. But he knows it's bed time, so he insists on sleeping with me. I was tired.. so okay. He couldn't sleep... he was, after all, wide awake. So we got up, got him some food, and then I put him back to bed.. which was wasn't happy about. So he talked and sang until who knows when... now... he's full asleep in his bed!

Skin - Allergies - Questions

Ever feel like you have more questions than answers? That's kind-of how I'm feeling with Peter's skin condition. I mentioned before what was going on... and that we were pretty sure he's allergic to raspberries and blackberries....

Well, things were going fine... until Saturday evening... Peter's leg is now infected from scratching... and he had another flare-up (hive-style) and this time we haven't any idea what's causing it.... again!

Anyway, we're trying to treat the infection - we'll be in to see our doctor Wednesday morning - I don't know where we're heading from there. I just know we need some answers so we can fix (or at least control) the problem. The poor little guys is hard enough - and, of course, he's very uncomfortable and is sick of all the "gooping" we have to do!

Allergies - The Eczema Story

For months now, we've been trying to tame what has seemed to be a growing skin condition with Peter. The strange thing was that it would come and go, getting worse at times, and clearing up all together at others. Eczema runs in the family, and each of our children has had it at some point in their lives (Beth and Jeremy have pretty much out grown it). Peter's has always been the worse.

This summer, either just days before or days after we were in California for our visit, his condition really escalated. But, we seemed to have it under control with lots of lotion (Aquaphor) and hydrocortizone cream. That is unless we forgot to apply the lotions one day and then the condition would return.

When the children visited my mother about a month ago, his condition seemed to get even worse. It didn't help that I didn't remember to send the lotions with him (such is the results of last minute packing). When he'd be in a bath, the red and chapped look would subside and then it appeared to look much like ring-worm. So, I immediately set up an appointment with the doctor... the result - NOT ring worm! That was the good news. The bad news was that the eczema on his face was listed as being a contact allergic reaction. The stuff on his legs and trunk were classified (for lack of being able to recall the actual condition) as hyper-active, highly aggressive eczema. And thereby required a trip to the dermatologist.

After going there (with Peter already on meds to treat his reactions), it was determined, for now, to just be the second mentioned condition above (the face no longer showing signs of the eczema) and in need of "aggressive treatment" - by which we mean a specialized, super form of hydrocortizone cream (which seemed only to intensify the condition so we switched back to the regular hydrocortizone cream) and thick layers of Eucerine.

I was not too thrilled with needing to use Eucerine. It stung on Gabi when her eczema was really bad during the winter, so I didn't want to go there. Of course, I did not realize that the Eucerine in the jar was different than the Eucerine in lotion! For anyone else out there who is wondering... the stuff in the jar is wonderful! Not nearly as "greasy" feeling, though you do still have to let it sink in, and it really softens the skin. Not only that, it doesn't sting!

So with all this, the condition seems to come under control, though often is not actually going away. He even broke out in hives at the beginning. I kept coming back to the thought that he must be allergic to something. So I kept trying to think what we may have given him that was new and different. The answer - NOTHING!

Well, this week I managed to cut out some things from his diet - not intentionally. It just sort of happened that way with all our chaos. He hadn't had berries and his skin was looking pretty good. I had even been able to just use the Eucerine and even miss a day without it flaring back up!

He had blueberries in the middle of the week. When I look back, I think that was the one day I recall seeing a slight flare up. Nothing too bad though. A coat of the mix of lotions and he was back to clear skin by evening. I didn't think a thing about it.

Then this morning, as part of his breakfast, he had a piece of toast with blackberry jam. All was going well... he only ate about 1/3 of the piece of toast. I took a shower and Bob proceeded to get him ready for church. When I got out and dressed, I came to see how everyone was doing. Peter was completely broke out. His whole face was covered with those horrid pox mark like hives which are a form of allergic reaction eczema. (And within a couple of hours later, his whole body was covered)

I immediate got the creams out and covered his face. And all the while I was trying to figure out what was different. The thought came that he'd had blackberry jam. That was the only thing different. And as I thought back over the last week and half, I realized that he'd not had any jam or berries (except that one time) during that time (I had a weak moment and bought the kids fluff... so they'd been eating peanut butter and fluff instead of jam).

So, although it's not yet verified, we're pretty sure he's allergic to berries. At least blackberries and raspberries. To be sure, we're taking him off ALL berries for a while. Getting the condition cleared up and then slowly adding the various berries to determine what he can and cannot have.

I do recall Jeremy was allergic to strawberries in much the same way until he was about 2 or 2 1/2 years old. Of course that we caught and watched a lot sooner. With that, the doctor told us to try the berries again 6 months after each time that we tried and he would break out until he didn't or unless other symptoms arose. So, for blackberries and raspberries I'll be doing that with Peter. But I do want to try the blueberries sooner. He loves them and we have a freezer full of them! (And it's a good thing he's not allergic to grapes and we have lots of grape jelly!)

All Because Of A Window

Traveling Sunday... one of them... Bob went by himself so that I could be in our home ward to work on the signing with the children as they prepared for the Primary Presentation (set for Oct 26). This meant me and four little ones by myself again. The day started well.. until I brought Beth an outfit to wear....

Minor issues, since she's the "fashion queen" around here, but we got through, got to church with 5 minutes to spare, and settled in for Sacrament Meeting. Not too bad. Kids all had their own seats. A snack. Books. But one thing was missing... Peter had decided he didn't need his binky. That was left in the van.

About the time the Sacrament song was starting, Peter decided he was going to be loud just to be loud. I knew, since I did not have the binky, that this was only the beginning. He's a very noisy child when he thinks it's funny (like today). So I gather him up and tell Jeremy, who is actually being reverent, that he needs to come with me. I just didn't trust him next to Beth without my supervision.

We sat down on the couch, in front of some windows. Peter settled down, grinning. And then decided he needed to climb up the back of the couch. I stopped him. He tried again. I stopped him. He lunged over my shoulder, climbing me, reaching for the crank on the window. I stopped him again. He tried again. I won.

At the moment that Peter realized I was winning (and that he was not going to), he laid back in my arms, buried his head in my chest, his fingers in his mouth, and started in with the screaming. He continued. And continued. And continued.

I offered to go get the binky. No. Offered him the sacrament when it came around. No. Tried to comfort him. No. Jeremy tried to hug him - and got kicked. All the while the screaming continued.

I remember thinking, "Well, it's a good thing that I'm calm today." And I let him scream. Just held him and let him scream. Even after the doors were reopened, he continued to scream. Jeremy wanted a drink, so we walked down the hall. Peter, still screaming, grabs my leg and walks with us, his head buried in my leg the whole way.

At the other end of the hallway, we stay. Peter lets go. Then he comes at me, pulls at me, hits me, pulls at me some more. Still screaming. I even had a couple of people come out to see if they could help. In some ways we got a good laugh. - At least they were understanding. And Peter really had to just scream it out. That's the way he is. One lady asked him if he was going to scream all day. I told her he'd scream until he decided he wasn't mad any more. That's what he always does.

Well, eventually he decided to calm down some. This after being told he could not go outside and that we were not going home. As he finally got calm, I asked if he was ready to go sit with the girls again. He shook his head No. Eventually I asked him (when he was completely calm) if he wanted to walk around the church and then go sit with the girls. At first he started to shake his head. Then paused and changed his mind. I think he knew he wasn't going to win, and if he had to give in to going back and sitting down that at least he could get a short walk. So that's what we did.

Oh... the joys of a peaceful redhead! He really is a wonderfully sweet child. Calm, patient (most of the time). Easy going and willing to play nicely with others (most of the time... unless it's a baby... he hasn't figured that part out yet). But when he gets mad... watch out! Everything comes out in full force... and continues for hours!

(And yes, I'm aware there are likely many of you laughing at it all. That's okay. I can laugh about it today too!)

Finding The Little People

Yesterday I went a little crazy... not as crazy as I might some day, but enough. I went through all the toys in the playroom... gave away the toddler table unit thing (even Peter's too big for that), and then sent up to the bedrooms the toys which were more "gender specific" - not that gender ever seems to play into who plays with what around here! Then I organized the playroom... it looks empty... sort of.

We have the kitchen set where you can't see it unless you're in the room, the puppet theater and puppets, the musical instruments, and little people toys in there. That's all. Oh, and one basket of baby toys for when we have rather little visitors! The rest of things headed upstairs. And each room has at least one collapsible basket which they can use to bring toys downstairs to play with and then back upstairs to put away. I just have to organize the upstairs now... that will come.... next week. But my playroom looks great! Not so cluttered, and I feel great about it! (I might bring more things down again when Bob has time to make shelves to keep things from looking like they take over the entire room... but that won't be for a while - Bob's picked up another cabinet job!)

Anyway, the little people are now "out in the open" since there is a space to set up the little mat with all the things around it. This makes them very inviting... especially for little hands. Peter has loved this between yesterday and today. Today, though, he decided to bring the zoo train out to the kitchen. Apparently Noah thought it was time for a snack! :) Peter had Noah driving the train with a couple of animals on it. They stopped by the little children's table, where there was some dry cereal from earlier, and there he proceeded to take a little bit and "feed" it to each animal and Noah!

Very cute... very thoughtful... since the rest of the family was eating lunch! :)

Night Terrors?

Peter awoke in the middle of the night Saturday night. That in itself is not too terribly unusual, although it doesn't happen as often. This time, however, he was screaming this horrible, freaked out, wild, crazy kind of scream. It was kind of freaking me out!

I tried to give him his Binky thinking he was just too tired to find it on his own. He'd have nothing to do with it. Even when he finally took it from me he only did so to chuck it as hard as he could. Not only that, but he refused to let me hold him. Whenever I came near, he'd get more hysterical and dive away or lash out in a full assault beating on me for all he was worth!

The look in his eye was nasty - scary - nearly possessed - fully angry! When I saw that, even after talking to him, I grabbed him right up, held him snug, facing out so he couldn't hurt me further, and proceeded to tell him that I was there, that it was Mommy, that he was safe. Nothing seemed to help.

Because of the dynamics of the situation and because there were other children sleeping (or trying to), I brought him out and down stairs. He continued to rage on for a good half hour or so in this terrifying way.

I thought, briefly, of calling my home teacher, glanced at the clock and realized he was probably on the road headed home (without cell phone) since the Priesthood session had only just finished. A prayer was said and then Bob was called at work. I believe his shift was over and he was just finishing up the last stuff, so it wasn't too bad there. Just after the call, Peter finally accepted his binky and curled up on my lap - settling down, eyes becoming clear again.

I have no idea what happened. That was totally and completely not like any episode I've ever experienced with any of my kids before - definately not a tantrum thing or teething thing or sickly in pain thing or anything like what we've been through over the years. It was completely terrifying!

One suggestion was that maybe it was night terrors and maybe he wasn't fully awake when I went up to get him so he wasn't recognizing me. I don't know. He has a doctor's appointment on Wednesday - I'll be sure to bring it up.

Dinner's Flight

So I'm making dinner... Gabi choose Chicken and Dumplings - something I love so I certainly wasn't about to turn her down. Noticing that today was a beautiful day, I knew that Bob would want all the daylight I could spare to finish up the wood pile outside (since he has the use of a friend's splitter for a short while). So, good wife that I am, I promptly put off making dinner and pretend it's not even close.

The children wander outside (thus the comment below), and when Peter was done with that and Gabi and I were finally ready to begin our dinner prep, I settled Peter in with a movie. All was well.... out tromps Gabi to the garden to dig up those wonderful fresh veggies for the soup. Meanwhile, I gather the inside ingredients and begin cutting the veggies we had already picked and stored.

All is well... it's a slow process (everything from scratch) and I was in no hurry, so we really took our time. This was great for Gabi as she was able to do most of the putting together by herself.

Well, the daylight begins to fade, the movie runs out of entertainment value, and Peter decides it's time to help move things along. First it's just a couple spoonfuls of peanut butter. (Hey, whatever it takes to tie him over so he's not yelling at me)... then, when I'm in the middle of mixing up the dumplings (which I decided to use the mixer for), Gabi decides she needs to help.

Promptly a chair presents itself and instead of one helpful child I find the chair has two! No big deal. We're still putting the ingredients in and it doesn't look to tasty yet. So I turn back to stir the soup for a minute....

That's when I heard it... a slight whirling sound... I turn and..... OH NO!!!!!!!!!!!! .......dough, unmixed flour and milk, are flying all over the kitchen! Yikes! TURN IT OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!

There, on the chair, stood my sweet little boy - covered in dough - eyes almost sealed shut with the stuff! For a moment I didn't know if I should stamp my feet and scream, scold him, or laugh.... in the end, I simply told Gabi to take him into the bathroom and clean him up.... that's when I thought of the camera - but, alas, I was too late.... Gabi was too quick to obey!

Fair Experiences

To our great enjoyment, the fair just down the road decided to return - there the larger fair in anothehad been rumors that last year was it's last. Though we've always gone tor town, we decided to try this one instead. I'm not big on crowds and it's only a walk down the road instead of a drive to hunt for parking and then fear that I'll loose the kids.

Saturday, after dance, I packed the boys into the double stroller, and all the kids and I walked down to the fair. (Bob had to work) The girls were so excited, as they remembered going on rides last year. When we arrived, I divided the entry money between the girls (one price for the whole family!!) and they eagerly tried to pay the man. He looked us over, smiled, told me I was brave and that he was only going to charge for me! Saved us $8!

As we walked over to the rides (this is the most exciting part for kids - right?) we were entertained by an amazing trash can band. I did not get pictures because of the eagerness of the girls to get to the rides - and because I thought I'd have time to after they were done. (I, of course, was wrong). But Gabi, Beth and Jeremy were all able to ride on the kiddie rides. Gabi is still small (I have small kids), so she didn't get to do the big rides yet. Probably next year - if we can take someone along who likes to do that kind of stuff!

I was amazed that Peter just sat in the stroller, watching everyone else ride, never complaining, just excited to see the "train" and the "trucks" that the others were riding. The only "trouble" worth noting was when the three were on the "roller coaster" - which Jeremy was uncertain of when it first started, and by the fifth or sixth time around was ready to scream. He only started to fuss a little on the last part of the last round. Though the girls were eager to do it again, Jeremy would not go back to it!

After the fun rides, we wandered back over to the little farm area. The larger fair is much better for animals - although you have to walk through three or four barns to see them all. But this little area was perfect for my young children. Peter got out of the stroller and was so excited. It seemed his favorite were the geese! He'd pet which ever animals I'd let him, and point, grin and babble at everything that I wouldn't let him touch. Jeremy loved the roosters - walking around and crowing along with them. I loved the doves - a perfect pair of white doves!

Since we had time - we wandered along, looking at everything. We stopped and got some popcorn and settled down for a little snack. Half way through that, we noticed the magician was setting up, so we headed back over. When we got there, Professor Paddy Whack was all set to start playing and singing some silly children's songs. The kids really enjoyed that. Peter wasn't too happy with the volume, but as long as I held him, he was content to stare at the strange, loud man. Jeremy was treated to a "balloon banjo" to "play along" - the magician also makes all sorts of balloon shapes and animals. Jeremy was a little confused until I showed him how to work it. Then he wouldn't let anyone else touch it!

As soon as the music ended, we moved into the tent a little further to watch the magic show - which, as we all know, is as much a clowning act as it is tricks! The kids were delighted - though weary from time to time as different people got up to "help out". They soon figured out that it was all fun. Gabi was even chosen to go up for the last trick. She was so excited... and so was I... until I realized my battery had died!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And, of course, in my rush to get us all out the door... and wanting to take as little as possible with us.... I had left the spare battery in the camera case at home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What as I thinking?!?!?!?!?!?!

Oh well.. she had tons of fun! She got to be the one to hold the "magic wand" that, of course, wouldn't stay together! At first, when it fell apart and the magician started asking her what she did, she got all serious and a little "nervous" and started trying to "explain" what happened (she's way too much like her mom) - then she figured out it was part of the show and started laughing so hard she could barely finish helping! She got to make a "bunny" - though the first attempt brought out a green cloth with a picture of a bunny eating a carrot on it out of the black hat. Then she got to tap a box... and out pops a real live rabbit!

She was so good about not having any pictures... she simply said (after the initial look of disappointment) "That's okay, Mom. We can still blog about it!" (Isn't she sweet!?!)

Jeremy had been asking for fireworks since Thursday... so I let the kids stay up late, in the hopes that we'd actually be able to see them. I didn't want to take the kids back to the fair because I knew Peter just needed to be in bed... 8pm is past his limit! So, at 9:30pm we headed out to the deck to watch for popping lights! Sure enough, they were high enough that we could see them from our front porch! It was wonderful to just watch - not worry about loosing my kids in the dark, to how we were going to get out and get everyone home in one piece! It was a wonderful way to end the night!