Madelyn's Adventures With Allergies!

Sunday night we had dinner...Spaghetti, meatballs, peas, and apple juice...All things we have previously eaten. Many times. After dinner Madelyn was still hungry and decided to eat some cottage cheese. She has also had this many times. While she was eating her face broke out in hives and swelled up to twice its size. This was very puzzling to us since we did not give her anything she was allergic to. We looked for an Epipen but could not find one. Nice. We got out the Benadryl and gave her some to help. It took several hours for her swelling to go down. I am still puzzled as to what caused that reaction.

Monday life was normal.

Tuesday we had dinner...Chicken & rice with cream cheese sauce, water and some strawberries. She broke out again. Again we have had this before. Plus it was pretty plain...This time we just checked her out and let her go to bed without any Benadryl. The swelling was not as bad as Sunday night. But we did watch her in the night to make sure she was okay.

Wednesday we took her to the Dr. and were told that she is allergic. Thanks! To what? We got a new prescription for an Epipen and her other allergy medications and came home. For dinner we had leftovers and Madelyn ate the chicken and rice thing. We figured of all the leftovers this was the least likely to give her any problems. She ate an orange after and broke out.

So we are guessing that she has a citric acid allergy. Great! Just when we thought we had this under control, she pulls something new out of her hat!

So who do you think Madelyn looks more like...?
One of the Fat Albert kids? ORShiloh Pitt?

Here's one more for your viewing pleasure!

Madelyn's Sixth Birthday!

Today is Madelyn's birthday...My baby girl is six years old today. This one was a little hard to take. Bronson turned four last month and I could totally see the last four years almost day for day. It felt long. But Madelyn's last six years have been too fast it seems. I don't know how that happens when they overlap with Bronson's but its hard to see her growing up.

Sadly my sweet little girl was sick today. So she couldn't go to her class at school and bring goodies. I think that is something you would look forward to all year. She took care most of the day and just kept asking when it was time for presents. You can still long for fun when you are sick!

We waited until Kaitlyn got home from school and Jeff woke up before going to work tonight. That meant for a long day for her. She did sleep some with Daddy. She also informed us that she should get six presents since she is six years old. We took heed and she had six gifts plus one from Grandma and Grandpa Crockett. They were bonus gifts. She also got a present from Aunt Megan yesterday when we saw her and Grandma Armold's present came in the mail which we hadn't checked until later. Thanks for the special presents.

She got a decorate it yourself t-shirt from the new Barbie Thumbelina movie and the original Thumbelina movie from G&G. We are excited to get coloring on that shirt and make it beautiful and sparkly!

She also asked for a High School Musical jewelry box which she saw and could not live without. But what good is a jewelry box without some jewelry? Not much. So she got some beautiful pieces to put in her box. Including dangly earrings. oooohhhh!

Mom went with the HSM theme and found a cheer leading costume for dressing up. She is still into the dress up thing so it was great and it still fit her since she is a peanut. Dad couldn't be outdone and found a youth size small camo hunting shirt which should last until she is driving.

Cousin Emie had a birthday last week and had the perfect cake...a cupcake cake! So we borrowed this cake pan and made one fit for a six year old including purple frosting and sprinkles. Pink cake inside made it taste delicious!

Even for having some asthma issues today she managed to blow out her candles under par at 3 blows. Good job!

She quickly tried out the cheer uniform and wore it for a while even to go get Kaitlyn from her Activity Days activity and then time for bed she changed into her new pajama shirt as she has deemed it. Good girl. I knew she wouldn't be see in public wearing that thing!

What is Madelyn doing these days?

>She is 3/4 through with Kindergarten and has had a great first year in school. Her teacher is Mrs. Deanna Smith.

>She is quickly learning to read and is always sounding things out around her.

>She JUST learned how to ride her bike without her training wheels!

>She is 38 7/8 inches tall and weighs 29.5 lbs. She wears a size 4/5 in shirts and pants. Size 7 1/2 in shoes.

>She is in the CTR 6 class at church and her teacher is Sister Heather Tregaskes.

>She is an excellent artist and loves to create new master pieces.

To My Madelyn:

I love you little girl. You are a sweet girl who brings us so much joy. You have been a blessing to us since the day you were born. We are glad you have been such a fighter; battling your asthma and allergies like a trooper. I am sorry if my participation in a country dancing youth activity caused my water to break and forced you to be born before you and your little lungs were ready. Thank you for being so strong and determined. You are a smart girl who will someday do wonderful and amazing things for people. You are also kind and sweet hearted. You are a friend to all. I look forward to what the next six years will bring with you. Its always fun and always a surprise. Thank you for coming to our family and making our lives so perfectly blessed.

Love,

Mommy

Easter Trivia, and Problem Children (the novel)

First off, some Easter trivia...I have been reading several blogs and comments about how early Easter was this year. I agree, but yesterday I had visiting teachers come and tell me how Easter is determined (when it will be) each year... Get ready. Okay to start maybe everyone should just cross their eyes and stand on their heads. Trust me. It will help.
Every year Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the first day of Spring.
Hope that clears things up...clear as butter.

Oscar the grouch has nothing on Madelyn.

Now, I feel a little guilty about this gripe but I have to get it out. I have a problem child. I should have known she would be the one to give me all the stress because she was a perfect baby. So easy. Well, I am now mourning the loss of my darling little angel. Okay that sounds like she died; which she did not. But her perfection has died. In my post yesterday I mentioned that Madelyn has "branched out." What I mean is that she is becoming less concerned about what is right and wrong. She just does what she wants. If we punish her, she shrugs it off. Even if we reward her for good stuff, she is aloof. (Love that word.)

The other day we had a scare. My sister was here and we were planning on going to the store but needed to get things in order before we left all the kids with her husband. After several minutes (or longer) Megan said to me,"Where's Madelyn?" I didn't know. We thought all the girls were playing together but when we checked, the other two didn't know where she was. Kaitlyn said she was outside. Okay. I didn't hear the door open up for out back, but I went to check and she was not there. I thought about the front yard and checked there. No Madelyn. I had the thought to look in the car even though I could see in it from the door. I went over and looked through the windows in the back and the front. I couldn't see her. I thought to open the front door. There she was standing in the driver's seat, beat red, sweating and crying. I hadn't seen her through the window. I brought her inside and gave her some water to drink and poured water on her head to cool her down. In AZ every year many children die from being locked inside the car in the heat. I have no idea how long she had been in that car but we got lucky. We had a talk about not getting in the car without Mommy or Daddy. And I now keep the car locked at all times and the child locks are off in the back. It all turned out fine. I had such fear of losing this child that is mine.

That lasted about one day. Yesterday after I had sent the kids to bed, Kaitlyn came out to me and said she found chocolate under her bed. I thought it was chocolate candy or maybe cake which would have been bad. When I went in to check, I found a puddle of Hershey's Chocolate Syrup on the floor just under their bed. What? I looked around and found the bottle which I thought was completely gone in an unusual (even for us) haste. I also found a bag of chips, Jeff's Easter candy and keys to the house (?) Mostly I was concerned about the syrup which I had no idea how long it had been there or whatever. And it was time for bed so I might have to postpone cleaning it.

Madelyn is our sneak and our thief and our guiltless child. I knew who had done this. She could not answer why. I told her I didn't want her in my life anymore. I know. Harsh. Especially after the other day, right. Well, I was/am thisclose to finding a good boarding school for her and shipping her out. I am at a loss as to what to do with her. Will her starting school in the fall help or will they say they don't want her? Will she be in the principal's office everyday? I don't even know where any boarding schools are except for the Deaf ones and Heaven only knows what kind of trouble she could get into at one of those. I told her today that she had to stay in the same room as me all day...(bathroom, shower etc) and no toys...She cannot be trusted. I do love her. I am just at a loss. Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks!