The two of us were at a party over the weekend where we didn't know most of the guests. It wasn't long before Addison had made herself comfortable, making her way around the room. I was really happy to see that she had come out of her shell a little, so with Addi preoccupied, I took a few minutes to eat and socialize.
When Addi came up to me with something in her mouth, I was puzzled, and quickly scanned the room, until I saw a woman on the other side of the room smiling at me with a half-eaten sugar cookie in her hand.
Panicked, I asked Addi to open her mouth and spit out the cookie. "She's allergic to egg!" I blurted out to no one in particular. Crying quickly ensued, while I watched her swallow what was left in her mouth. Luckily, Addi had a mild reaction, and a small rash appeared that evening. But it got me thinking...
I haven't been very proactive in teaching Addison not to accept foods from other people. She had been so shy in the past that getting unglued from my leg at any point during an event was considered a huge success. But she was getting over her stranger anxiety, and so the time had come to warn her about other people's food. And, until Addi is able to understand not to accept food from others, I needed to keep a much closer eye on her at social events.
My little girl's growing up *sigh*. With allergic children growing up means so much more than watching their developmental milestones--it means teaching them to manage their food allergies at a very early age. Tristan learned fast because his immediate response to a food allergen was to vomit over and over, and even at a young age, he didn't forget that. But Addi, our little cookie monster, is going to be a more reluctant student. So, onto the next leg of the journey!
A little allergy-wiser every day...
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