Coen has allergies

We already knew he was sensitive to cut grass and pollens, as well as tomatoes and oranges. But these were all minor reactions that cleared with a dose of Dimetapp. We knew from the moment it appeared on Tuesday morning that this was different. It started under his chin and spread like crazy. While we were waiting to see the first doctor of this adventure (one in Wallan, couldn't get in at Kilmore) we could see it spreading before our eyes. Watching this spread across my baby's skin was quite frightening.

One of his more "minor" outbreaks

After a dose of phenergan it started clearing, but then on our return to the Dr to check it suddenly appeared all over his head spreading down his neck and shoulders, the Dr handed us a referral and said go straight to the Royal Childrens, if his breathing becomes difficult, call an ambulance. So with memories of both of Darrons episodes of anaphalaxis flooding our heads we bundled Coen into the car and headed off. Sure enough just before we hit the Hume, Coen started coughing with every breath, so the ambulance came to get us. By the time they arrived his breathing had settled a bit and they took us to the Northern Hospital, (not really where we wanted to be but the closest) where Coen was checked out by a Dr who seemed personally offended that we'd been heading to the Royal Children's! He prescribed more medicine and told us to see our GP. At least Coen had an exiting ride in an Ambulance!

Now while we'd love to be able to go to the local clinic in Kilmore, we just can't get in to see Tony (my childhood Dr) and the only Dr you can see on short notice is an absolute flaming idiot who offends me so much I can't stand to be in his presence (the toned down version), and you usually have to wait at least an hour to get in. So we decided to try one of the other clinics in Wallan and stumbled across Dr Kincaid, who was wonderful, she gave us a referral to a paediatrician for allergy testing and then as we were leaving the welts sprung up before her eyes. She sent us home to dose him with more medicine and told us if it gets worse head to the Royal Children's (bit of a theme here...).

So we did, and he did, so we did, off we went again. This time we made it to the RCH without incident, and after being told that the wait could be 3 hours we settled in. Coen had a wonderful time playing and chatting up staff, in the end we only waited an hour and a half to see a Dr. She gave us all the info on his hives and basically told us to stop worrying about the rash and only worry if his breathing became difficult. It was a great relief to speak to someone who knew exactly what she was talking about. She also gave us a direct referral to their allergy clinic so we don't have to worry about seeing the Paediatrician now, which should shorten the whole process.

Everone's biggest worry has been because of the family history. With Darron having anaphaliaxis caused by we still have no idea what, severe food allergies in both our extended families and excema and asthma through both sides, Coen is a prime candidate for massive allergies. We've always known this but nothing can prepare you for when a bad reaction actually happens. So now we wait for the clinic to call us and then we get to spend more time at the hospital, getting allergy tested. Once we know what it is, we can deal with it.

A big thanks to all our parents for their support (mostly by phone as we dashed all over the countryside!)

Coen is now an 'ideal' patient. He lifts up his shirt, waits patiently for the beep on the thermometer, takes nice deep breaths with the stethoscope on his tummy and back, turns his head for the torch in his ears and opens wide, sticks his tongue out and says "arrrhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh". He even nods in understanding and says "yeah" "aha" & "mmmm" in understanding when the doctor is explaining things to us.

Jen & Darron

A Day Out With Thomas... and Grandpa

Yesterday we went to the Day Out With Thomas show at Emerald. Coen loves trains, especially Thomas the Tank Engine and Puffing Billy, so when the two are combined there was fun to be had. I couldn't believe it when I called to book tickets and was told that the original date we wanted to go had been booked out 3 weeks in advance, so after a date shuffle we were on our way!

We picked up Grandpa (the genetic source of Coen's train obsession) on the way to Emerald and managed to get the very last parking space in the carpark! I had expected the event to be much more commercial than it was. It was quite low key, they obviously cap the numbers low and the heavy involvement of the local scout troupe gives the whole thing a bit of a back county feel!

The weather was perfect, warm, overcast and breezy.

The Pantomime was perfect, cheesy, overacted and silly.

During the show Coen had a bit of a dilemma. The rush of steam up close was very loud and frightening, but it was life sized Thomas and he couldn't help but look. So he clung to Darron for most of the show.



He was brave enough to have his photo taken with the Fat Controller, who was not that fat and I'm sure the Fat Controller is bald (I've seen enough of the dvd's to know!)



And with Thomas and Grandpa.



After the show and a ride on Bulgey the Bus we had a ride on one of the Puffing Billy trains to Menzies Creek and back to Emerald. Coen was pretty apprehensive about the whole idea of going on a noisy train...



But once he was on board he had a wonderful time!

It really is a beautiful part of the world, and I find I enjoy a ride on Pufing Billy as much as I did when I was kid. We had a great day out with Grandpa and Thomas!

Jen

It's great to have a house with a proper back yard!

Now that the weather has lightened up we've been getting into the HUGE backyard of our new place. It's fantastic to be able to just go outside and let Coen run wild (with adult supervision of course).

There's plenty of space for golf...

Playing with Riley...

Hiding...

Hiding with Riley...

More hiding...

And of course running!

That face says it all really, we love our new backyard!