Baby’s first allergy

I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night. I’d blame Isaac, but that’s not exactly fair.

I mean, it wasn’t his fault that, a few hours after taking a normal dose of amoxicillin, he broke out in hives. And it wasn’t his fault that the nurse at the phone bank warned us we might need to bring him to the hospital. And it wasn’t his fault that I spent a good chunk of the night worried about his breathing, keeping my mind at ease only by distracting myself with other things.

Nothing came of it. He took some Benadryl and slept it off. We now know he’s allergic to penicillin. Another in a long line of firsts: baby’s first tooth; baby’s first step; baby’s first allergy.

Still didn’t help my disposition.

As parents, we watch our kids convinced they’re the most fragile humans ever conceived. Then, one day, we find out just how fragile they can be – and how quickly we can be driven to helplessness.

This was lovingly handwritten on March 29th, 2011