Reagan & Curry...Together Again

Here's a cute pic of Reagan and her beloved Curry all dressed up in their Sunday best for Easter. Aren't they precious together?


The first photos I have of the two of them together were at Easter, just before they both turned two. Now they're almost five, so this is kinda like their third anniversary.

What Happened...

...to my sweet, dear daughter? She has been replaced with a screaming, whining, moody monster. Presley had a little bug last week, ran a fever for a few days but nothing major. I'm hoping that her recent mood swings are a signal that she's still recovering. Otherwise, it means that we're entering the "terrible twos" prematurely.

I do recall that somewhere around this age, Reagan began hurling herself onto the floor in dramatic crying fits when she didn't get her way. Why is this the one area where my children had to be advanced?

Things I Know about Fashion

...gleaned from various sources, including Project Runway, the Style Network, fashion magazines, and experience.

1. There is no such thing as a "miracle" bra.
2. Skinny jeans only look good if you actually are skinny.
3. No matter how cute it looks on the hanger, TRY IT ON before buying.
4. Some fashion trends are never coming back. Go ahead and get rid of the parachute pants.
5. Even if a trend does come back, it has usually morphed into something slightly different. So, seriously, toss out the parachute pants.
6. Even fashion models look ridiculous in most runway attire.
7. When it comes to bathing suits, you're either a bikini girl or decidedly NOT. Know who you are and be that. (If you need help deciding, you are NOT a bikini girl.)
8. Just because a haircut looks fabulous on Jennifer Anniston, doesn't mean it will on you (or the rest of the free world).
9. Once you reach a certain (ahem) age, it's no longer cool for you to shop in the Junior's section.
10. If you find something you love to wear and you feel good in it. . .
still ask a friend's opinion. It's possible you have really bad taste.
(Sorry, but the truth hurts.)

He Has Risen, Indeed!

Easter Pics

We took Reagan and Presley to have Easter photos taken today. Here's Reagan at 4 1/2:

And here she is with Presley (21 months):

Happy Easter!

Easter Pics

We took Reagan and Presley for photos today. Here's Presley at 21 months:

And here she is with her sister. Happy Easter!

Easter Pics

We were supposed to get Easter pictures taken last weekend, but since Reagan had an allergic reaction and a swollen face (read about it at http://www.reagangibbs.blogspot.com/), we decided to wait until today. Here is a sampling:

Happy Easter!

Hold the Pistachios, Please!

This weekend we learned (the hard way) that Reagan is allergic to pistachios. She had one--just one!--and it led to the picture below. She complained as she was eating it that it was stuck in her throat and that her throat felt "tingly," but I thought perhaps she hadn't chewed it well. After a glass of water and a piece of bread to help wash it down, Reagan seemed much better. (Nobody in our family has food allergies, so I never even considered it could be that.)

But about a half an hour later, her eye had swollen up. I gave her Benadryl and called the doctor to leave a message, not overly concerned. Within minutes, her other eye had swollen. (It actually got a little worse than the picture below before it got better.) When the nurse called me back, she asked questions and gave me some instructions, and she seemed reassuring that it wasn't necessary to go to the ER. Reagan wasn't in respiratory distress, although she had been coughing quite a bit. (She had coughed and gagged right after she ate the pistachio, but I didn't think to equate this with repiratory distress.)

We sent Daddy out for more Benadryl at bedtime, since we realized the first dose we had given her was from an expired bottle. But even after a second dose, Reagan was still quite swollen. After keeping a careful watch on her in the night, she was still rather puffy the following morning, so we called the triage nurse who recommended we see our pediatrician.

So...a visit to the Saturday clinic. (Why do we always have medical issues on the weekends?) We saw Dr. White who heard my explanation and saw the picture below and agreed with our assessment of a food allergy. He gave us the number of a pediatric allergy specialist, to have Reagan tested for other allergies. He also prescribed an Epi-pen.

Now, wherever she goes, Reagan has to have the Epi-pen handy. That means we'll need to have one available at preschool with her, one always in my purse, and one at home. The Epi-pen can't be stored at extreme temperatures (either too hot or too cold), so we can't leave one in the car.

We're praying that when we have her tested, her only allergies will be to easy-to-avoid foods. Pistachios are in the same family as the cashew and mango, which shouldn't be too difficult to avoid. (She has had a few other mild allergic reactions, but we were never able to pin down the cause.) Thank the Lord, she doesn't seem to be allergic to peanuts, as she eats peanut butter nearly every day of her life!

We're just very thankful that this wasn't more serious and that we now have the assurance of the Epi-pen if she has a reaction again.

Poor, pitiful thing! Doesn't this picture just break your heart? But Reagan was, as always, a trooper about her ordeal. She's a pretty good patient most of the time.

Locks of Love

Friday evening we said good-bye to Reagan's sweet curls, as she had ten inches trimmed from her hair to give to Locks of Love, an organization that makes wigs for children who suffer hair loss due to illness. Before snipping, we straightened the curls to ensure that we didn't cut any more hair than needed. Miss Jan, who attends our church, cut a very wiggly Reagan's hair and then gave her a lollipop afterward.





Reagan first got the idea to donate her hair when her older cousin, Melanie, was thinking about it. Melanie ultimately decided to keep her long locks, but Reagan was undeterred. She had been asking to do it for several months (before Thanksgiving, if I recall), so this was no rash decision. It hurt Mama's feelings a little to see that beautiful hair go, but Reagan wasn't sad at all. Reagan loves her new haircut and thinks she looks like Snow White.