Super Jamie

Poor Jamie has had a rough summer. (Not really, but I think he thinks so.) The weather here has been extremely erratic, to put it mildly. Almost daily thunderstorms, hail, even a tornado just north of us, and lots and lots of rain. Our outdoor outings have been few, and we don't even get the luxury of lazy afternoons and evenings spent in the backyard due to the temperamental weather. We met friends at a playground the other night, even though it had rained on and off all day and was threatening more rain. We just had to get out of the house! Jamie was in ecstasy, being able to run, climb, and yell to his heart's content!

But we have had a busy summer as well. Since Clare had a five-week summer school session, I wanted Jamie to stay active and involved as well and our days not just be wrapped around Clare's drop-off and pick-up. He is enrolled in some programs at our local children's museums, and those have been a big hit. Each program has a different focus - forts, muds 'n suds, frogs, fun boy stuff like that! Jamie also just completed a week of Vacation Bible School at our church. This was his first time going to VBS. He was a little nervous at first because there was only one other child he knew there (and that boy was in a different class), but by the end of the week, Jamie enjoyed himself and is already talking about next year. Jamie starts soccer in our town league in a couple weeks. Shawn took him shopping for his cleats and shin pads, and Jamie begs to go outside and practice daily.

Today we finally had our appointment with the allergist. When Jamie's seasonal allergies kicked in big time this past spring/early summer, it took four allergy medications to get his symptoms under control. The pediatrician referred us to the pediatric allergist, but the waiting list was months long. So today was the day. After going over Jamie's history with the doctor, they did the scratch test on Jamie's back, testing for 22 environmental allergens. Jamie tested positive for 18 of those! He is allergic to all the trees, grass, weeds, dust, cats, dogs, and one type of mold. (The four allergens he was not allergic to were the other four types of mold they test for.) His back instantly was filled with angry-looking red welts and hives. He had to lay on his stomach for 20 minutes without touching his back. It was a painful struggle, but Jamie was a trooper. Right now, we are adding one more medication to Jamie's list and keeping him on his allergy medications year-long (we used to just give them to him seasonally). The doctor advised us to wait until next spring and see how he does through the remainder of the year until the start of allergy-season. We were warned that his allergies would most likely get worse, since he had such strong reactions at such a young age. Allergy shots are highly likely in his future, but I want to hold off as long as we can for those (once started, they involve 4-5 months of weekly shots followed by 3-5 years of monthly shots). I am not surprised that Jamie has allergies (given his severe symptoms this year), but I was shocked by the number of allergies. Like everything else, we're going to take it one step at a time and see what happens.

Next comes kindergarten! Jamie's open house is in two weeks, and then he starts right after Labor Day. He has seen his best friend from school over the summer (they just had a marathon six-hour playdate yesterday!), but I know he is ready to get back to school and seeing his friends there.