Kid Catch-Up

Not Ketchup.

Or Catsup.

...but a Catch-up!

Here's my Mitchell (punch-stained mouth and all) doing his daily homework.

He's always so willing to set that timer and do his reading!

Thank goodness for the love of books!

Love that boy.

Here's Tucker (in horrendous need of a haircut, which he got the next day)

moments after he lost his very FIRST TOOTH!

Yes folks, this boy is very close to turning seven years old

and finally lost the first one. Whew!

Talk about a long-awaited Tooth Fairy visit.

And here's my Super-Scoop

in his brand new striped footie jammies!!!

Does it get any better than that?

Mostly I need to update about Cooper's colonoscopy results. The doctor called on my 4th day in North Carolina. Kindly Jason 3-wayed me on the phone so that we could all talk together. Basically we found out nothing new. Everything looked nearly the same as it did when he had the same surgery back in March (different doctor though.) There are allergy cells in his colon, less in his esophagus now, but all biopsies, levels, and other tests came back normal. "Visually" everything looked normal as well. All signs point to a food allergy, and we are being referred to an allergist (again). I have 2 feelings about this.

#1. I'm completely AGGRAVATED that we are no closer to solving this mystery than we were eight months ago. All this time, money, testing, and suffering, and we are full-circle right back where we started. It's like running on a hamster wheel - exhausted, but absolutely going nowhere. I hated my experience w/ the allergist last time. Their testing is ineffective for his type of reactions... so it really held no clues. Oh well, this is a different office so maybe they are a little smarter than the last place.

#2. It is a RELIEF that we have ruled out anything else. I need to remind myself that we do have complete confirmation that this is an allergy. Structurally his organs are fine, properly functioning, and essentially unharmed. It's not a parasite, virus, intolerance, defect or anything else. At least now we really know we are on the right track, we still just have no freakin' idea WHAT he is allergic to.

So it was good news and bad news. We are marching on... still searching for new ideas of things that he can eat to get as much variety (and calories) as possible. And thankfully, since it's JUST an allergy, there's always the possibility that he could outgrow it in a few years....

THE END.