This is what happens when Carissa goes to sleep with damp hair after a bath.

First off, Wes tried to pack his own lunch for preschool today.

Today Carissa took a trip to an allergist’s office.

She’s had peanut butter a few times, and each time she’s broken out in hives around her mouth.

I’m a little out of my element with allergies since I have none, nor does anyone in my family.

The nurse dabbed high concentrations of peanuts, nuts, and eggs on Carissa’s back and then pricked her skin in each area. We hung out for fifteen minutes while the hives grew and grew.

Carissa is allergic to peanuts, VERY allergic to walnuts, and more mildly allergic to almonds and pistachios. She is also allergic to egg whites (but not egg yolks). I asked him to test for eggs because she tried some the other day and spit it up fast.

Then I got a quick education about the epipen (and it’s cost–over $200 per pack). It’s a quick shot of adrenalin that I’ll keep in my purse and at home near the kitchen. If Carissa has an allergic reaction that’s bad where she is choking or can’t breath, we’ll pull out the epipen and stick it in her upper thigh. The adrenaline reverses the allergic reaction so we have time to get to the hospital.

So we’re set. No nuts, no food processed on the same equipment as nuts (pretzels are OK!–first thing I checked), and no eggs.

The doctor said that many kids outgrow egg and dairy allergies in four or five years. Only one in five kids outgrow nut allergies. So we’ll see.

Wes likes it when I do criss-cross applesauce on him. The words go like this:

“Criss, cross, applesauce
Spider crawling up your back.
Tight squeeze (I squeeze the back of his neck),
Cool breeze (I blow on the back of his neck),
Now you’ve got the shiverees!”

He’s picked up how to do it, and here he is practicing on Dad and Carissa.

Wes loves the theme music from the TV show The Office. I’ve been watching reruns streaming on Netflix lately, and every time he hears the closing credits he’ll come running. He likes to conduct the music.

Last night I was putting gifts together that included clementine oranges (those cute mini oranges that are easy to peel). Wes and Carissa zoned right in on them, thinking they were things to throw like a ball.

But I showed Wes how he can eat it, too. He ate all of this one, plus half of Carissa’s.

Our friends invited us over for a night of games and crepes. We played minute-to-win-it type games.

The first one: stacking cups as fast as you can with one hand behind your back.

This is Brittanie stacking cups, and Wes looking on (far left). He was the biggest clapper for everyone who participated. He will always be a terrific cheerleader.

John gave it a shot…

But guess who took home the prize! Moi! In a quick 23 seconds I won a full single-serving dish set: 2 plates, bowl, and cup.

The party hosts were nice to give each kid a turn trying the games.

Wes and Carissa liked to find alternative uses for the cups.

Here’s Wes and his soul mate Abby trying the game where you tie a tissue box with a ball in it around your waist and you have to jump/dance around until the ball falls out. They LOVED this one.

Afterward someone opened a mini stomp rocket launcher and let Wes play with it.

The party was for adults, but Wes obviously thought it was a party meant just for him!

I recently purchased a toddler table for the kids.

Carissa is an expert at using it.

She is also an expert at climbing onto tables.

…and under them.

Carissa is 15 months now and totally into doing whatever anyone else–especially Wesley–is doing.

Just off the top of my head, lately I’ve observed:

— Wesley stamping his feet and Carissa copying.
— Wesley tossing crayons off the table onto the floor and Carissa copying.
— Wesley playing with a helium balloon by the ceiling fan and Carissa copying.
— Wesley rolling toys down the stairs and Carissa copying.
— Wesley tossing diapers and other objects over the second floor stairs balcony and Carissa copying.

But sometimes the copying is good. She picks up so much so quickly and is really coming into her own.

They both love playing in the sink. But after I took the first two pictures below, I decided it’s best if it’s not at the same time.

They like playing with the same toys (leading to spats, of course). That’s the next three pictures below. Notice Carissa standing on the ride-on toy. She is always trying to stand on anything that looks like it might be fun and dangerous. Today I pulled her off the back of the couch just as she was trying to stand up. It doesn’t back up to anything, and it was a fall waiting to happen. I’ve seen her take a step up the stairs all by herself, standing upright and holding onto nothing. But she is braver than she ought to be because her balance isn’t ready for walking upstairs by herself yet. Hopefully she won’t do that when I’m not looking.

Carissa is quite the character. She loves wearing her sparkly red shoes. They are her favorite (picture #6).

I have a hard time cleaning out or filling the dishwasher when she’s around because it’s one of her favorite play things–especially the silverware basket (picture #7), which she carries around and fills with toys. I usually have to do a quick search before starting the dishwasher to rescue any stashed matchbox cars. She also loves getting into cupboards and the pantry. Anything and everything works as a toy for her.

I like that she’s big enough I can set her on the counter while I cook dinner and work in the kitchen. Sometimes she and Wesley sit up there together. It’s some of my favorite time, having both my kids around me while I cook.