Tests and Doctors

One of our goals for our time here was to get Jasmin retested for food sensitivities.  Five doctors and 4 pokes later, we finally got one done today!  We don't get the results for a week or two, making the grand total of this project about 6 weeks. It went something like this:

Mommy learns from her own doctor that a retest is possible, but we decide that we'd like to avoid having medical records for Jasmin scattered between 3 doctor offices in the city.  So she passes up this opportunity to have the test ordered.  Bad move in retrospect.

We sign up with a new pediatrician, and have to wait a few weeks for an appointment.  Unfortunately she "doesn't believe in that stuff" and has never heard of the specific test we are requesting. Instead, she books a request for allergy testing and a dermatologist appointment.

We try to book an appointment with the doctor who originally got us the test done 2 years ago.  The earliest date we can get is after we have left for Halifax.

NiNi ferrets out another, nearer naturopath able to do the test.  He is more than willing, but can't get enough blood for his test from Jasmin's finger (without poking 10 times or so!). He is apologetic and goes far out of his way to arrange for a colleague to draw blood.  

And finally today we get the blood draw done!  It takes a bit longer than expected, and two pokes since Jasmin has "dainty princess veins" as the doctor observes.  But, success!

Now we wait to get the results.  Jasmin has been eating normally for about a week for this test. She has done really well, but we are starting to see the effects of eating the foods she must be still sensitive to.  We are hoping the list is much shorter this time though!

Tomorrow is the allergy testing.  Curious to see if anything shows up, though I don't expect anything will.  And then, hopefully we are done with doctors and tests for a good long while!

The Plague

There has been a full house here recently.  Four more from Edmonton, 6 from Toronto, and us 5 from Bangkok.  Seventeen people. Not a good time for a very contagious tummy bug to be in the house.  Thankfully it is an acute 24 hour bug - especially since each person who got it basically slept the whole 24 hours!  And it was God's grace that we only got it one at a time... what with 5 little kids in the house.
Grace, Aiden, and Mommy are the only ones to escape so far.  We thought we were clear of it, but this morning Jasmin opted to stay home from VBS saying she feels sick....

Canada Day Weekend

Not much red and white for us for Canada Day weekend, but we sure celebrated: our celebrations began on Friday and lasted until Monday! This was made all the more special as Grace and Jasmin had their cousins from Edmonton to enjoy it all with.

Friday we played in the backyard with the sprinkler.  What began as a relatively tame run through the sprinkler and filling of containers broke out into a full fledged water flight!

 

Saturday we were at Brewer Park for the afternoon for a party: a celebration of all the May and June birthdays, but especially Jasmin's.  Here we got to play in the sand, climb on the playground, and play in the water works.  The girls had friends over to enjoy it all with them.

Jasmin in and on her presents

Ina considering the disappearing gysers

Cupcake birthday cake

In line for the main attaction...

...the water slide!

Sunday afternoon we celebrated Canada Day at Petrie Island.  There were lots of booths and different Canada Day activities to do, but since the face painting started at $8 a face, we found our own piece of beach to enjoy in our own way.

Sand play

 Notice Grace in this picture... is it any wonder that her doctor commented on how much sand she had in her ears when we went a few days later?

Picnic Supper

And on Monday, we went to the Museum of Civilization for the afternoon. All the girls enjoyed it, but their attention spans were all very different.  Grace could have spent an extra hour or so just in the children's museum - she was being quite thorough with each exibit's activities!

Cousins painting in the construction zone

Grace making a cartoon flip book

Jasmin with her princess crown she made

Grace listening to an audio tour

Construction worker Grace

Jasmin making music

 Is it any surprize that Tuesday onwards we have been lazing around at home, sleeping late and enjoying non-picnic meals?  Unfortunately, a few too many of this household are battling a tummy bug this week too.  But we did have a great weekend...

Late June Post

One of our park afternoons in June.  This one with Aunty Sarah.  We attempted to fly our kite.  We might look successful here, but it didn't last very long at all and was the only time it got that high! Grace and Daddy kept at it the longest, refusing to give up easily.

Aunty Sarah also caught a baby bird! This was much better than the dead starling we found on one of our walks.  After a cautious curious  explore, we let the bird go in the bushes and it fluttered/ran off, with its relieved mother hovering nearby anxiously waiting for us to leave.