On Having a Child with Food Allergies

I suppose I must have jinxed myself for always thinking I would never have a kid with food allergies. Not my kid. Oops. Little Miss has several.

So, in addition to the general anxiety that surrounds motherhood and caring for a tiny human- there comes the added anxieties that surround every feeding time. And all the times in-between.

Every time it is a mealtime or snack time, I watch with added care and anticipation for any signs of distress involving my baby having ingested something her body cannot handle. If it is a food she has had many times with no problems, it could be contaminated today. Did I wash the counters properly? If it is something more foreign, will she be able to eat it without any dire consequences? Will she even like it? Little Miss seems to be pickier than she can really afford. (But maybe that comes with toddler-hood)

Not time to eat? Okay, I hope the floors are clean. Little Miss is much closer to ground-level than I am, and as such, seems to find all of the litter I don't see. Crumbs, dog hair, my hair, paper, wrappers, dust balls, rocks, leaves, dirt, invisible imaginary trash-- Sometimes I wonder where she seems to find all of these treasures. Boy, is she helpful.

Play date? Sure. But I hope the fellow little human doesn't share anything with my little human. Forget the common cold- let's be concerned about crackers and peanuts! "She can just come play with so-and-so!" Ok, great, but if something happens, I will feel awful, and believe me, so will you. It's not that I don't trust anyone. Little kids are just so curious and sometimes a little too helpful- in that they want to share their snacks- and they are so quick! Plus, I sound like some over-protective helicopter- crunchy- mom if I have to give the "She has a few allergies..." speech.

She's a faker. Little Miss seems to delight in the sudden panic that washes over my face when I see her randomly put her fist to her mouth and begin chewing something. In fact, she finds this so funny, that she will fake me out! But I have to check, everytime, because, well, you just never know.

And so, I've become THAT mom. The mom who stares at her toddler at feeding time. The mom with the EpiPen. The mom who struggles to find new things to feed her daughter, The mom who has even more to be anxious about.

But guess what? That's okay, because I am also HER mom. I'm the mom with the super cute, crazy, silly, full-of-spunk, little girl. And man, she's a special one. Never doubted that.