Sam Isn't Normal... And I Think I Like It

I have not openly shared the following story yet with the whole world. 1) Because it is fairly recent. 2) Because I haven't had time. 3) Because I hadn't really processed it myself until now.

Apparently, my son REFUSES to be normal. Here is a list of what "normal" kids do:

• Drink milk
• If they can't drink milk, it presents itself fairly obviously
• Eat bananas
• If they can't for some reason, it probably causes them to itch and have hives
• Eat almonds
• If they can't for some reason, it probably causes them to itch and have hives

Ear Infections:
Admittedly, my list of "normal" is a bit biased. But my son had his horrible bout with ear infections. We got the tubes, he got more infections (not an increase in frequency but certainly not a decrease). So the doctor says, "Some kids are weird and have a milk allergy that keeps the ear infections coming regardless of the tubes. Take him off of all milk for 3 weeks. After the 3 weeks, see if you notice a difference."

I was more than skeptical about this. He has had milk all of his life. Why on earth would he be allergic? And he hasn't ever had any symptoms... but fine, it is three weeks. Whatever.

After the first couple of weeks... I thought she was crazy. There was no difference. In fact, there may have been an increase in mucous. But we stuck it out. Right around the end of the third week... going into the fourth week... it suddenly occurs to me, "He hasn't had a runny nose in a while."

And this whole 3-4 weeks now... no ear infections. And I just noticed last night... his skin (eczema) is a lot better! Almost non-existant.

Sonofabitch! Holy smokes, Batman! The kid was allergic to milk.

Bananas:
When he was still a baby, we noticed he kept breaking out in these tiny red bumps. It was a rash, no doubt, but it wasn't bothering him and it didn't look like hives at all. I mean they were TINY. And they started at his stomach and went out from there.

So we are trying to figure out what on earth would be causing this. I immediately go to laundry detergents. But we were using All Free and Clear. So we went to a double rinse.

No improvement.

I think, maybe it is the fabric softener.

Some improvement... but not much.

Then he got a tummy bug and didn't eat much of anything for several days. And the rash went away. I fed him a banana one morning before taking him to Susan's and it hit me... he's had banana on all those days he had the rash, and he hasn't had any since this virus... lets see if it comes back now.

And boy did it! Rash everywhere. Took him off of bananas... no more rash.

Weird kid!

Almonds:
Admittedly, the jury is still out on this one but I'm pretty much convinced that this is what it is.

Back story: Last week, Thursday to be exact, Sam woke up throwing up right after putting him to bed. He then spent the rest of the night (with a max of a 10-15 minute break here and there) throwing up. Midway through the night, diarrhea sets in. He can't hold anything down. At all. And he is expelling what he does have in him out his rear end. (I'd apologize for over sharing but I'm not sorry).

At about 6 am, he wasn't acting right and I was worried about dehydration so we went to the ER. They stopped the vomiting through magical dissolvable pill. Sam starts drinking like a camel at an oasis. Things are looking up.

At about 1 pm that day, Sam jumps up and is ready to play and be merry. He was cured! He still ate bland and drank lots, but was his happy, jokey, goofy self.

Susan volunteers to watch him the next day so Justin and I can sleep. (He gets to her house and the virus gets me... but that's irrelevant). She calls back to say he is throwing up again. He had just gone over 24 hours without vomiting.

GRRRRRR!

We got the magical pill in him and he stopped throwing up before it got too bad and made a full recovery. Yay! Life continues.

Until yesterday. When our secretary comes into a meeting I'm in and hands me a note. It says,

"Sam is vomiting a lot. Susan is concerned."

SONOFABITCH! Really?!

So now I'm freaking out. No longer is this a "virus" or an aftershock from the virus. This is too damned much.

I talk to Susan and she is scared. She has never seen a kid throw up as much as he was. He couldn't stop.

When I got to her house, he had fallen asleep on her. She was just waiting for him to wake back up to throw up, but he never did. We let him sleep for about 45 minutes or so. When she gave him to me to rock for a while, he woke up.

And immediately starts MAKING FACES AT ME! Sticking his tongue out, laughing, giggling... being is sweet, little charming self.

Now don't get me wrong, my heart is swelling at this point, because when you walk in and your child's skin is see-through and eyes are sunken... all you want to see is them healthy and fast.

But what in the world is going on?! And that is literally all it was. He drank some tea and kept that down. Wanted some food. Ate it and kept it down. Ran around and played... like nothing ever happened.

How can this be? This was obviously, now more than ever, not a virus. But what was it?

I talked to the nurse, and she said it sounded like an allergy.

Insert blank, sarcastic, "you have got to be kidding me" look here.

She said, it is not uncommon for a kid to develop an allergy to something after having it for a few weeks. Well... due to the aforementioned milk allergy, he had started almond milk a few weeks ago. Then he got the virus that cleared his system... so he probably developed an almond allergy.

And while "normal" kids would break out in hives or have difficulty breathing, some kids just throw it up until it is gone.

What did he have that morning? Almond milk and honey nut cheerios. I think we found the culprit!

So while this is just a hypothesis... I'm pretty sure that's what we are dealing with. Blasted.

Back to the title:

I know everyone wants to think their kid is special and smart and blah blah blah... and I may just be one of those, but it is my blog and I can write what I want.

But even in his everyday living... he is obviously different. And a good kind of different.

• He is so smart. He picks up on things abnormally fast.
• He is funny. He is already a little jokester and he isn't even 2. 
• Since the day he started daycare, (at a ripe bold 8 weeks old), he declared himself "special" by refusing to sleep on anything other than the couch. 
• He is still "special" there. He was out talking all of the kids at 18 months old...and was the youngest. 
• He started potty training himself. Against my will, mind you. 
• And dang it, now he is special because he is going to treat allergies like he treats everything else... with his own special little twist. 

I cannot wait to see what the little boy becomes. I just feel it in every part of me that I'm going to be baffled by what he becomes, who he impacts, and what lives he changes.

He may not be famous or world-renowned... but he is going to be special. No doubt about it.