Answers and Updates

It feels like it has been a very long journey, but in reality it lasted only a mere month before we received our answer.  My darling baby boy is now fever free, and I'm still having a hard time believing the cause.  According to blood tests that were done, Ethan has a "very severe peanut allergy" (those words being a direct quote from his doctor).  I couldn't fathom how a peanut allergy could be causing his fevers, especially considering the fact that he isn't old enough to eat anything but baby food!

Once we took extreme steps to contain the peanuts in our home (those steps being making sure that the counter is wiped down each and every time my kids make a peanut butter sandwich on them, making sure that the kids wash their hands and brush their teeth any time they eat peanut butter, making sure we only wipe Ethan with clean paper towels instead of a wash rag, etc), his fevers have gone away completely!  I found it really hard to believe, and really hard to grasp.  How on earth are we going to adjust to keeping a peanut-free bubble around our baby?  Peanut Butter truly is a staple in our home, so this question is one that I don't yet know the answer to, but yet I do know that God is giving me peace that this isn't something that I need to be afraid of, but rather it is something that I need to again completely trust Him with and something that I need to leave at His feet.

So I am.

I know that this is in God's hands and that He is in control, and that's all that matters.

The great thing is, since we've been more careful about keeping the peanuts contained, we've seen a lot more of these beautiful smiles on my little guy's face!

There are very few things that make this mama as happy as seeing those smiles, so life is really really great!

Beyond these newfound allergies, life around our house has been busy and crazy and I'm loving every minute of it!  Claire and I were able to sneak away to the Wisconsin Dells for a weekend with a bunch of her girlfriends and their moms.  We had a blast at the water park and wore ourselves down to exhaustion, which in turn means that the weekend was phenomenal!

While we were gone, the boys got their summer haircuts.  Monte captured it on camera and sent a couple of photos to me, one which I just can't stop laughing at:

Don't worry, Colin didn't really give them their haircuts (Monte did it), but he sure likes to pretend that he did! :)

In the midst of all of our busy, Monte and I have had a few opportunities to sneak away for date nights, and we fully take advantage of it when we can!  I love our summer date nights because we almost always do the exact same thing: pick up sandwiches at Subway and take our boat out on the lake and fish.  It's a fabulous time that we get to spend together and we love this newfound tradition!  Here are a few pictures of our last date night on the lake.  Monte caught the first fish ...

... but I caught the biggest fish!

Yes, that is Monte holding the fish that I caught.  I don't hold or touch fish, partly because I'm allergic to them, but mostly because I think it's really gross!  Thankfully my husband is amazing and doesn't mind taking care of those things for me!

So, things around here are busy, but that's nothing new and it's fully the way we like it!