Peanut Butter!

I am so pleased to announce that Fifi does not seem to be allergic to peanuts or tree nuts.

I have been SO PANICKY about this. I know they say wait until one year, three years, five years, depends on who you ask, but I just hated the thought. I love peanut butter and nutella and put it on and in just about everything. Not letting Fifi enjoy the happiness that is peanut butter was frustrating. Yet, I feared an allergic reaction so intensely.

Anytime I'd get brave enough to put some on her skin to see what happened, visions of anaphylaxis and encephalitis (don't even know if you can get encephalitis from allergic reactions, but there you go) danced in my brain. I'd imagine having to scoop her up, race to the car and get her to the hospital. I couldn't bear it. So I didn't give her any.

She's not a year just yet, but she's already had pretty much all the foods (except honey) that they say are not recommended for under ones and has had no problems. Still, I just couldn't try the peanut butter.

One day, she grabbed a butter knife coated in nutella from me. I drew in a deep breath, waiting for the reaction, but when none came, I felt relieved. Tree nuts seem a go.

Finally, on Friday, while I was making no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies, I decided to go for it. I dabbed some peanut butter on her hand. Nothing happened. Later I let her taste one of the chocolate/peanut buttery cookies and alas! No problems! She's been just fine!

This is a HUGE relief. A lifetime of nut allergy would SUCK. Nuts are in EVERYTHING - or at least a possible 'trace' of nuts are in everything, or everything's been made in a factory which contains nuts. How would I let her eat anything for the rest of her life, if there was a chance she was gonna react to some trace of nut in it? I am so praising God that this doesn't appear to be a worry for us, at least not with Fi.

Praying the rest of the kids do just as well when they come.