An Interview with Will

1. What is something mom always says to you?
Don’t touch that - that’s mine. And that she loves me.

2. What makes mom happy?
If I say she’s beautiful and give her a hug. And if you be good.

3. What makes mom sad?
If you don’t be good and when something breaks.

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
Tickle!

5. What was your mom like as a child?
Disney World.

6. How old is your mom?
30

7. How tall is your mom?
40 feet tall

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Work on stuff.

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Find me.

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
For not getting in trouble.

11. What is your mom really good at?
Wrestling.

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Golf.

13. What does your mom do for a job?
Work.

14.What is your mom's favorite food?
Cheese.

15.What makes you proud of your mom?
When she plays Wii with me.

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Princess of Marioland.

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Wrestle, play, play Wii sometimes, and eat dinner.

18. How are you and your mom the same?
Because we have the same colors.

19. How are you and your mom different?
Because we have different hair and different toes.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Because she gives me extra hugs and kisses.

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
That sometimes he comes home and gives her a big hug.

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Disney World.

Allergy Update #1

As most of our readers know, Will is a walking allergy. At nine-months-old he was diagnosed with allergies to wheat, egg, and dairy, though a few months later the wheat allergy resolved itself. At nearly three-years-old, Will was diagnosed with an allergy to peanuts, and over the last four years he has developed various seasonal allergies and a sensitivity to cat. It’s also very likely that Will has asthma. Poor kid.

Our allergist and allergy clinic in Ann Arbor were very well-respected and came highly recommended. And I hated it there. The allergists were condescending, unprofessional, and at times downright disrespectful, and they never once made an effort to actually help our family navigate the extremely confusing, frustrating, and scary terrain that is allergies in children. If I hadn’t known we were moving to Texas I would have found a new allergist last year, but since I knew we were relocating, I decided to wait it out with our Ann Arbor allergist and start anew when we arrived in College Station.

Once we found a pediatrician in College Station, I met with her and asked for an allergist recommendation. She spoke very highly of one particular doctor and his office, so I called and spoke to the receptionist and one of the nurses. They were kind and understanding and flexible (foreign to me, when it came to allergists) and assured me their office could provide for Will the two primary things I was looking for in a new allergist: a complete retesting for all of Will’s already diagnosed allergies as well as testing for other common allergens, and a progressive treatment plan. I was SO frustrated with being bound to four-year-old testing results as well as never being given any options as far as improving Will’s condition was concerned.

Our first appointment was last week, and while the actual test results are still pending (update to come), the visit was a tremendous success. The office was wonderfully equipped for children – allergy testing requires kids to sit and wait for LONG periods of time (while their skin flares up and itches like crazy), and this office had DVD players, books, Legos, and train sets in every patient room. The clinic knew how to test children, both in terms of pain management and engagement/interaction, so while allergy testing isn’t fun, this round of tests was considerably less painful than all rounds Will’s had in the past. The allergist spent 45 minutes talking to me about Will’s history and 15 minutes talking to me about the preliminary results, and when we left we had updated prescriptions and an actual plan of attack (again, update to come).

For those of you who aren’t familiar with allergy testing, here’s what it looks like.



Each of the abbreviations on the left was an allergen stick, and each abbreviation on the right was an allergen shot. By the time we left our appointment Will had endured 43 allergen sticks, 20 allergen shots, and a blood draw. “Trooper” doesn’t even come close.

Stay tuned - hopefully we'll have good (or at least better) news to share soon!

Wordless Wednesday

They Say It's Your Birthday...

Happy birthday, Grandpa Mike!

The Spring (?) Carnival

A couple of weeks ago a small carnival came to town and set up shop in the College Station mall parking lot. The Ferris Wheel was visible from the highway, so of course Will spotted it as we were driving by and I knew we wouldn’t get out of a trip to the carnival.

When I was a kid my parents would take Sara and me to both the Dane County Fair and Edgefest each and every year. We also went to the Wisconsin State Fair a couple of times, and to a small amusement park called Bay Beach every time we visited my Grandma and Grandpa in Green Bay. I remember all of these carnivals as vibrant and exciting and offering delicious food. We’d run – with my dad when we were little and with our friends when we were older – from ride to ride and game to game, taking breaks from the thrills only to consume warm funnel cakes and sugary lemonades. Those were the days.

This carnival? Not so great. I can’t be certain, but either carnivals have changed or my memories of carnivals are inaccurate; this time around it was all I could do not to focus on:
- The filth (“Stop! Hallie! Don’t lick that picnic table!”)
- The cost (Disney World seems expensive until you spend $20 in 10 minutes on carnival rides.)
- The disgusting, greasy food (I was so excited eat a funnel cake for the first time in probably 15 years. Until I took a bite, that is.)
- The slightly-crazed-looking, chain-smoking, two-fingered man running the Gravitron.

(We were also a little disappointed by the height requirements. At Disney World, most attractions allow children who are 40 inches tall to ride; at the carnival, children had to be 42 inches tall to ride. Will is 41 inches tall. Big bummer.)

The beautiful thing is, with the exception of the height requirement confusion, Will had an amazing time. (Hallie, not so much. She took a tumble off a picnic table and nearly scored herself a concussion.) To him, the carnival was vibrant and exciting. And so that he’ll have memories like I’m lucky enough to have, we took him on every ride he was tall enough for; bought him a foot-long corndog, a funnel cake, and a sugary lemonade; and let him take in whatever crazy sights he wanted to before we headed home. The carnival outing was just the kick in the pants I needed – a reminder to occasionally take a break from acting like a grown-up and instead look at the world through the eyes of a four-year-old.

Merry-Go-Round


Ferris Wheel (out of which Hallie tried desperately to escape)


Flying Whales & Spinning Tea Cups


Carnival Treats

Conversations with my Rugrats

#1

Background: Tom’s dad, Michael Ferris (Grandpa Mike), is a doctor. A year or so ago, when Grandpa Mike was visiting, he donated a few items from his real doctor bag to Will and Hallie’s toy doctor kit. One of these items was a name tag that reads “Dr. M. Ferris”.

Will: Mama, did you see my nametag?
Erin: I did.
Will: It was meant for me.
Erin: What do you mean?
Will: Dr. M. Ferris is me. (whispering) Because my name is really Mario.

#2
Will: Mama, which of these two strings is longer?
Erin: I’m not sure – it’s hard to tell because they’re close in length and the same color.
Will: It’s the one on the left. Don’t worry that you couldn’t tell – it’s tough to differentiate between the two strings.

#3
Television Announcer: Do you owe thousands of dollars in back taxes?
Hallie: (to the man on the screen) YES!
Television Announcer: Would you like help consolidating your debts?
Hallie: (to the man on the screen) YES!

It Goes By Too Fast...

Lately Will looks older to me. Not a lot older, but enough that I've noticed, especially when I look at pictures taken of him in the last couple of months. He's only four, and in the grand scheme of things is still a very "little" boy, but I now see more depth in his eyes and more varied expressions - stemming from additional life experience - on his face. I'm proud of the "big" boy he's becoming, but hanging on to the "little" boy whenever I can.