April Fools
Either I’ve gotten away with something pretty big … or the joke is about to be on me.
March has come and gone. Most families across the Washington region are celebrating the coming of spring. Trees are blooming across my neighborhood. The Cherry Blossoms are here, and boy are they beautiful. The weather getting is nicer, and it’s great to get outside again.
Did I miss something? What happened to spring allergy season? Last March was one of the roughest months I have ever had. Like many other food allergic children, my daughter also has seasonal allergies. What we learned last year is that, left untreated, those allergies can trigger breathing difficulties and even asthma. Last March, we missed the entire month of school with a seemingly endless cycle — swollen eyes, cough, croup, stridor, wheezing, lung infection, repeat. The pollen counts were so bad last year, that I was told she couldn’t play outside for pretty much all of March. I developed an obsession with checking pollen counts online, and dreaming of places we could move where we could play outside again. So this year, we armed ourselves with preventative medicine prescribed by our allergist (we love Zyrtec and Singulair) and by Dr. Mom (who prepared herself for the equivalent of a nuclear winter with toys and indoor activities/games to last all of March). But allergy season has been kind to us this year. We haven’t reached for her rescue inhaler once. Nor has she missed a day of school. But, I’m not getting rid of my secret stash just yet. Who knows what April will bring.