Ready for church a few weeks ago. Cannon refused to look at me. Stinker!
- First of all. Thank you again to those who wrote emails on Hazel's behalf for HB233. The bill was tabled in the Senate. That basically means it didn't completely pass, but it will hopefully be prioritized when they open up the next session of the legislature. I may be bugging you all again in a few months to write some more emails when that happens. I feel great about how things turned out and we got further than we thought.
- I got to go to the capitol and lobby for our bill (HB233). I dressed up all professional rather than my usual dress of a stained/holey t-shirt and jeans. I drove up there (all the while giving myself a few pep talks about how confident I am) and began my day as a lobbyist. I met Tammy Zundel there (she's the President of the Utah Eosinophilic Disorder Support Group) she's amazing! She helped me talk to the first few Representatives and then I got started on my own. The men and women I spoke with were all very supportive and gracious. I got teary a few times as I told them Hazel's story and asked for their support of HB233. At one point, we met with a few members of the democratic caucus and they asked if we would present at the democratic caucus meeting that afternoon. We got some lunch at the cafeteria ($8 for a tiny salad!!) and discussed our plan of action. In the caucus meeting, we sat and listened as the Representatives discussed gun control, character education and immigration. About 30 minutes in, it was our turn. Tammy got up first and talked about the formula, expense and a brief history of the disorders. Then I got up and talked about Hazel and showed some before/after pictures. I cried as I looked around the room to see that I wasn't the only one. I think I did okay. Afterward I thought about at least 100 things I could have added, but I think I got my point across. A few days later, we learned that HB233 passed the House! What a great feeling that was! I learned a lot from this experience. I especially know that I NEVER want to be a career politician!
This is what my nails looked like. Just in case you were wondering.
- Hazel had an allergic reaction to cashews last night. I found a recipe for a "cheese" sauce made from pureed cashews along with some veggies. We were having tacos and rather than her usual rice and bean plate, I wanted her to be able to have something that resembled a taco. I thought it would be okay since she drinks almond milk all the time and has a peanut butter sandwich almost every day. I was wrong. She pointed to her mouth at first and just said "owie" but I completely ignored it until Jarom noticed some hives starting to form on her cheeks. I picked her up and stripped her down to see how far the hives had spread. Her hands were also covered in hives as she had gotten the sauce all over them. Then her eyes started swelling closed. Her breathing was beginning to sound labored. I put her in the tub to get most of the sauce off her body and stave off the swelling as much as I could. I gave her some Zyrtec and got a diaper on her and we threw her in the car and sped to the hospital. The swelling in her face and hands was getting worse and the whites of her eyes blistered and she kept trying to scratch. Poor girl! As soon as we got to the ER, the swelling started to go down. Her breathing also sounded better. They hooked her up to monitors just in case her airway was blocked from swelling. They gave her benadryl and we stayed for about an hour to make sure the reaction was a solitary incident. It was. We got home about 2 hours after her first bite! Not bad! We probably could have used the epipen, and I had it in my hands on the way just in case. Luckily she is doing much better today. We are a little concerned about her weight again. She only weighs 20 lbs. I thought it was more than that but we haven't weighed her officially since December. She's back to being less than the 5th percentile. We have a doctor appointment for later this afternoon to see if there's anything we can do. Other than that, she continues to progress and develop and remains the absolute most precious little girl we know! I can't help but feel guilty. Every reaction she has has been something I fed or made for her. Jarom's done a good job of helping me feel better about it, but, boy is my Mommy guilt in full swing today!
- Cannon is getting to be such a big person. His curiousity never ceases to impress me. He asks questions all day long. It can get quite obnoxious sometimes but only when I'm trying to work. He loves all things Buzz Lightyear. He is working on not being so whiny. I've got a sticker chart set up and it's been working pretty well so far. He got to pick a prize out of my treasure box today which was quite the exciting victory. I know it's typical 3-4 year old behavior, but the whining is my biggest pet peeve. Other than that, he's a sweet, smart little guy. He's also his sister's biggest advocate. Any time a stranger wants to give Hazel food or a treat, he tells them that it might make her sick (sometimes he's so dramatic that he says it will make her die, but we've been trying to nip that one out of his vocabulary). We love our Cannon man.
- I took up Zumba dance as a part of my regular exercise routine and I'm obsessed. Thank you to my friend, Jessica, for introducing me. I've been going about 3 times a week and love it so far. I'm definitely not a dancer nor do I possess the necessary coordination, but I have fun and jump around when I get lost (which is quite often). I've lost some weight and intend to make it a habit. I still love running and will continue to run this Summer.
- Jarom has been working hard lately. Spring is when all the concerts and plays happen at his school so we haven't seen much of him lately. He is a terrific daddy to our kiddos. They love it when he gets to stay home and play with us. He has been playing basketball in the mornings with some teachers at his school and loves being physically active.
Ashley
