Cade turned 9 on March 9th. He is in 3rd grade, and he is in the 25th percentile for his height and weight. What he lacks in stature, he makes up for in personality. Cade gets along with anyone and everyone. He is so friendly and outgoing.
Cade is an easy-going kid. He is so loving and sweet. He tries hard to keep the peace between his siblings, and to make everyone happy. When he gets mad, he gets really, really mad. But thankfully, that doesn't happen too often.
Cade didn't ask for much for his birthday. He got some cash, some Webkinz, and a surprise...a new hamster!
We gave him the hamster bedding and food as a gift, and let him pick out which hamster he wanted at the pet store. He was so excited and happy to have a little pet.
He picked out a cute little grey hamster (more pix to follow). He chose to go to Olive Garden for his Birthday dinner, and I made him mini cheesecakes for his birthday dessert. He wanted Bahama Buck's too, but he was stuffed from dinner, so we had to wait and take him to B.B. on a different day.
For his birthday celebration, we took Cade and some of his good friends to Amazing Jake's. We went during Spring Break, and that place was a ZOO! It was so super busy, but the boys had fun eating pizza, playing games, and riding the rides. Cade brings so much personality, love, and fun to our family. I'm so thankful to be his mom!!
I took Cade to an allergist, and told him that the GI referred me because of Cade's reflux. The allergist scoffed, and said that seasonal allergies cannot cause reflux. When I explained what the GI said, the allergist said, well, seasonal allergies can have a secondary influence on reflux, but cannot cause them directly. Whatever!! It wasn't my idea. Then the allergist asked how long Cade had had allergies, and what we had tried giving him to relieve them. I told him it has been about 3 years, and we haven't tried much of anything yet. He looked at me like I was crazy for not treating Cade's stuffy nose all this time. I told him that our primary concern has been his reflux. When he is having reflux so severe that throw up comes up into his mouth several times a day, a stuffy nose does not seem like a pressing concern. They did the allergy skin test, and Cade is allergic to many, many things. He is very allergic to grass and trees, and is also allergic to house dust, dogs, and cats. No food allergies, which is good. So the allergist gave Cade a prescription for Flonase, and he has been trying that for a month. I think it seems to help, but it is hard to tell because his allergies (like his reflux) come and go. So I'm not sure if the flonase is helping, or if he just doesn't have bad allergies and reflux right now. But the fact that both his stuffy nose and reflux are much better right now is a good sign I guess. Time will tell. The allergist made me feel like the worst mother ever for not seeking help for Cade's stuffy/runny nose before now. I have taken him to the pediatrician many times in the past 3 years, and only once did they seem concerned about his allergies. If his pediatrician wasn't concerned about it, how am I supposed to know that I should be? I have four kids, and a stuffy nose isn't a top concern. Oh well--not all doctors have good bedside manners. Some are rude and condescending. I guess even the rude ones can write a prescription and make a diagnosis, so I'm glad I took Cade, and I'm glad to know all of the things that he is allergic to. He was a trooper, and put up with all of the pricking really well. He had lots of itchy welts on his back afterwards, but the allergist gave him an antihistamine on the way out of the office, so by the time he got home, he looked and felt much better. 
