Hey everyone! Wanted to start by apologizing for being a little MIA on our brand new blog. As soon as Dan and I got on our feet and came to terms with our new normal with Olivia, we were knocked down yet again. A couple weeks ago, we had a bit of a scare giving Olivia peanut butter. Come to find out, our scare was not unwarranted and she tested positive for an allergy to peanuts, tree nuts, milk and eggs. This news was really hard to hear. To be honest, Dan and I always felt like Olivia being diagnosed with PFV was “our thing”. Learning to patch with a 4 month old baby who doesn’t understand why she is being put in the dark by her parents, having to restrain her to get her contact in and out of her eye and make 3+ hour drives to doctor appointments in New York – that is what we have to deal with. We never imagined that on top of that, our poor sweet girl would have to worry about what she puts in her mouth.
Having a peanut and tree nut allergy as severe as Olivia’s is scary. When I first heard the news, my heart sank and crashed into a million pieces. Our minds jumped right to the worst case scenarios: our beautiful girl sitting alone in the cafeteria at the ‘allergy’ table, more emergency room visits and of course, her suffering through anaphalaxis shock. Dan and I have joked about bribing Olivia with cupcakes and chocolate as she gets older to just patch for 5 more minutes or to sit still to allow us to get that contact lens out. Now, that is no longer an option. We ordered our first set of EPI pens, stocked up on books explaining her allergy and found comfort in family and friends.
Now that a week has passed I can honestly say, this is not the end to the world. Was finding out Olivia has such a sever allergy as set back? Of course! But it is not something we can’t bounce right back from. We’ve always known Olivia to be our little warrior and there is nothing she can’t handle. There is a silver lining around every dark cloud. We are now a peanut and tree nut free house hold. We will start buying delicious snacks that abide by our new restrictions and finding yummy alternatives to the normal. I am going to become a phenomenal baker and we are going to get much healthier being able to only eat on the outside of the grocery store.
Moving forward, I will be posting whatever delicious (and successful) recipes that we make for Olivia that are, of course, peanut, tree nut, milk and egg free! Our little family has never been stronger or more committed to our new normal. We are redefining what it means to be normal or to have everything be cookie cutter. Olivia has never been happier and we are learning so much from her.
Thanks for joining us on this journey and please keep tuning in! I hope that our experience can help raise awareness and help show parents everywhere, that you are not alone. That parenting is hard. And its not always perfect – but rather, this new normal is what you make of it. And despite the bump road we are on, I am loving the ride.
A New Perspective Project 