A Georgia Girl in Germany

Our neighbor planted tulips last year and warned us where they would appear this spring so we (um, I mean, Zachary) wouldn’t mow them down with the lawnmower when they began sprouting. They were a nice touch at the end of our driveway, and I enjoyed looking at them each morning and evening, as they opened and closed each day. No, Zachary didn’t mow them.

Benjamin is enamored with flowers. He loves picking them and giving them to me since they’re “so beautiful.” No, he didn’t pick the tulips for me. Those aren’t his favorites. Instead, he much prefers the yellow flowers that abundantly graced our yard -- dandelions. Yup, he thinks these yellow nuisance weeds are the best flowers in the world and will pick handfuls of them and so generously present them to me with a smile. He also enjoys studying them when they’re morphed into their wish-granting version. Those he doesn’t share. He much prefers making wishes and blowing the seeds all over the yard. The more wishes, the better.

And speaking of springtime, I heard back from the German doctor who did Benjamin’s allergy test (the one that took three of us to hold him down). It confirmed our suspicions that he has seasonal allergies: pollen of rye, grass, birch and mugwort. The surprise result is that -- according to the labwork -- he’s also allergic to peanuts -- a “Class 3” allergy. When I commented that he eats peanut butter almost every day for lunch at school (until he decided last week to eat hot lunch, that is) and also enjoys boiled peanuts, the doctor replied that it could be a “cross allergy” that shows up in lab results but not clinically. Guess I need to keep an eye on him with peanut products. Bottom line for the seasonal allergies: he’ll be on some medicines long-term and others during pollen season only. He’s already asked me if he can still go outside, and what happens if he goes outside and gets sick. We’ve kept it under control pretty well these past few weeks, so I think he’ll be fine. He sure is smart to ask those questions though!

Update: I received the lab results on May 12. Benjamin is severely allergic to birch pollen. Normal is less than .35 kU/I (not sure what kU/I means), and he tested above 100 kU/I. Guess that explains the allergy-induced asthma he had! In addition to what’s listed above, he’s also slightly allergic to cats. The good news is that he’s not allergic to home dust mites, mold, dogs, cow’s milk, eggs, fish, wheat flour or soy (not that I had reason to suspect any of those allergies).

Labels: Benjamin, Pam's thoughts