Peas? Really?

This should be short because I'm not sure what to make of it yet. Georgia has started occasionally complaining that eating peas makes her mouth itch.

What? Please, no. Peas, like peanuts, are a legume, so it's not totally unheard of for people with a peanut allergy to also be allergic to other legumes like peas and beans. But Georgia did a food challenge for green peas at her allergist's office nearly 3 years ago and passed. She's been happily eating peas with no problem ever since. (Yes, I know from experience that food allergies can crop up at any time, but still, it's harder for me to accept that that is what's happening here.)

Oddly, she likes to eat her frozen veggies straight out of the freezer sometimes (hey, it's easier for me as the chef, so I'm not gonna deny her that request), and she has told me that her mouth doesn't itch when she eats the peas frozen.

For now, I haven't cut them out of her diet, because I'm still trying to figure out if this is all real or not. Of course we take potential allergies seriously around here, but at age 3, she's not always the most reliable reporter and has been known to put on academy award worthy performances sometimes. So, we're keeping an eye on her pea intake and will ask the allergist about it at her next appointment.

Allergy Dad Confession: Cookie

Okay, that post title is a misnomer, because it's not really a confession when someone else is doing it for you. I think it's more like tattling. Whatever.

Georgia's preschool teacher sent her home with a homemade star-shaped cookie to celebrate the 4th of July. (Aside: people often do not get it why allergic folks are so wary of others' home baked goods. I know they mean well. I'm sure the teacher, who of course knows of Georgia's allergies, gave it to her thinking that it was safe. I'm guessing she'd be surprised and not totally get it if she heard that we still wouldn't let Georgia eat that thing. I'm just glad and amazed that in this instance Georgia didn't immediately gobble it up.)

Anyway, the point of the story is that not knowing more about the ingredients or the cross contamination risk from this woman's kitchen, we did not allow Georgia to eat the cookie and instead threw it out, or so I thought, but then I later found my husband standing at his dresser munching on it. You little devil, you! I guess he just can't let a good cookie go to waste!