Happy New Year

2011 was a tough year for us - you could say we became frequent flyers at Starship as Emma's health fluctuated so much, but we managed to weather the storm and got through the year somehow.  I started working more, and coaching sports teams and became a waterwise instructor.  I had less time for home and family and everything suffered.  Christmas prep was a blur (not helped by Emma breaking her arm...), although the day itself was great, spent in Wanganui with my family.  We then headed over to Napier to spend New year with my sister.  I forced my self to stay up to and farewell 2011 and to see in the new year full of hope and promise (and less hospital visits.  P.L.E.A.S.E.).

Family Christmas Lunch at the Farm

2012 is only going to be better.  The methotrexate is working with Emma, her skin is better than it has ever been and she doesn't seem to be suffering from any of the side effects that long term drug use can bring.

Last year it seemed that everytime I had run out of time and energy and the house was a mess and there were no groceries to be seen; we got thrown a curve ball and everything fell down.  This year we need to be able to handle those curve balls better.  With a kid like Emma around, I know those curve balls are coming, it isn't "if", it is "when".

And this year, I am not going to let things fall down.  This year is the year I am not going to listen to my lazy, do it later, dont feel like it self, and focus on being the organised, tidy, on top of it self that hasn't been around for awhile.

Spending time with our friends and relatives for the holiday season made me realise what a struggle we have with feeding Emma on a daily basis.  And just how hard it is to find food for her when we are out.

Where oh Where would we be without hot chips!  

And sometimes it feels like everything we do has to be okay for Emma.  And whenever we go out the first thing that we have to think about is "can Emma do this?", "can Emma eat there?" and so the other two sometimes miss out on being normal everyday kids.  We are lucky that Emma understands her allergies so well and is often okay about getting something different  - like getting a bottle of Fanta, whilst we enjoy Rush Monroes ice-cream in Hawkes Bay.  Her recent Anaphylactic reaction has meant that the risk of cross contamination with Dairy now has to be taken even more seriously than before.

So this year I am going to spend a little more time planning, take an extra few minutes looking out for new things she can eat and sharing more of my finds and tips that we use for dealing with our allergy kid.  Coz at the end of the day, the allergies aren't going away, the curve balls will keep coming, and we have to make the most of each day.

Happy New Year to you all.