Firsts

My friend over at Monkey Business was running a contest about writing about firsts. Entries were due yesterday but here is mine. Day late and dollar short.

The first time you give your infant ice cream is usually a joyous fun occasion. My mother had really looked forward to giving Max his first bite so we had taken him to a local ice cream shop. Upon putting the spoon of vanilla frozen yogurt in his mouth, he pushed it out and made a face. Then the strangest thing happened. The area around his mouth got red and these large white bumps pushed to the surface of his skin. They happened so fast it looked like his skin was bubbling. What scared me was what my Mom said, "I've never seen that happen before." I couldn't imagine what was happening that my own mother had never seen before. In the car he kept clearing his throat like something was caught. Once home he threw up. The pediatric nurse at our doctors office thought it was nothing, "A skin reaction, maybe." is what she said. So this first was followed by many repeats of the same until we figured out Max had food allergies.

The first time Max was skin tested and subsequently diagnosed was heartbreaking. The doctor explaining anaphylaxis. The nurse demonstrating the Epi-pen and saying, "You need to take it everywhere, even if you are just running to the grocery store." I left shaking my head, thinking "They have got to be wrong."

The first time one of my children needed epinephrine was also heartbreaking. It happened at the allergist office and for some reason marked for me the seriousness of my children's allergies. However, there are firsts we haven't experienced yet, the first time I will have to administer the epi-pen myself, the first time we visit the ER, the first time for accidental ingestion of one of our biggie allergens. I know these could be very real for us. They aren't firsts I look forward too.

There is an elusive first we haven't experienced which I hope and dream and pray for everyday. The first time one of my children outgrow one of their allergens. Please God let me have that first.