Peanut Allergy

When Dominic was just beginning to eat grown-up solid foods, I would give him bites of whatever I was eating. That was just fine until I let him have a bite of my peanut butter and jelly sandwich one day. Being my second child, I didn't have my head in the baby books like I did with Evelyn. It had completely slipped my mind that he shouldn't have peanut butter yet. He broke out into hives. It was completely horrifying at the time and I still feel guilty about it. Since that time he's been allergic to peanut butter. Even the least bit touching his mouth will raise red bumps around his face. We've been strictly keeping him away from peanut butter and praying in the meantime that he will out-grow the problem, as sometimes happens. When the rest of the family eats peanut butter, Dominic gets soy butter. Soy butter is not too bad tasting and is supposed to be healthier than peanut butter. We keep some children's benedryl around the house just in case but we haven't had to use it.

This morning at Sunday school an older kid gave Dominic a mini Snickers bar, which has peanuts in it. I didn't find this out until I found Dominic who had tucked himself away in a corner with his prize candy bar. He had already eaten a bite. I made him spit out what he had in his mouth but there was still chewed-up peanuts all over his teeth. I took him in the kitchen and gave him a drink of water and then prayed over him. If he broke out in hives... Let's just say I'm very good at worrying about what might happen.

I went with him to his Sunday school class and kept an eagle's eye on him. I kept waiting for the hives to show up. And I kept waiting. And I'm still waiting three hours later. No sign of a problem yet. I'm hoping that there won't be any problems show up later either. Maybe, just maybe, he's really and actually out-grown the allergy. We'll just have to wait and see.

Lord have mercy!