St. Louis or Bust

Saturday morning, before Braden's T-Ball game, Mason was so excited to go he couldn't stay out of his car seat that Blake had taken out of his truck. Little did he know he was about to spend HOURS in his seat.




Around 5 hours later, we arrived! After checking into our hotel we hit the streets! This was Blake's first experience to push the new Sit & Stand stroller! Compared to our other stroller, it's a little like driving a bus when you're used to a car. My first experience was around the mall in Springfield, but now with our children's combined weight of 60+ pounds, bumpy streets, escalators, elevators, getting on & off the Metro, etc. all of Blake's hard work at the gym paid off!



Mason's first spin on the Metro. As soon as I snapped this pic, I was reprimanded by security. No pictures, Security reasons!


If it's any indication how great Blake did on our accommodations, the lobby had a grand piano! There was no sign to keep children away, so Mason was occupied briefly by hitting the keys!





Before the game we spent some time at Union Station. It was perfect. Nice and cool, Mason got a nap in and there was plenty to keep Braden entertained! He loved the fudge making performance at the Fudgery. Blake even ran into some friends from Forrest City.

The Game

At the Stadium! This was my first trip to the new Busch Stadium. My last trip was in 2005 when we took Braden for the first time. Since then, it's been a "guy" weekend with Pop and Uncles Tyler & Dean.


Thank goodness for nice strangers willing to take a family shot of us!



Blake's hands were so close I barely got them outside of the photo. He was right there ready to catch Mason! We took a very similar picture of Braden at this age.






We had nice shaded seats! Mason did good for maybe about an hour, I didn't time it, but then it got close to nap time so I took him for a stroller ride! Put him out like a light!

Dinner on Sunday…Laclede's Landing

After dinner on Sunday

In honor of the upcoming All-Star game, St. Louis has arches on parade all around the city. In addition to the one at the stadium, we got to see the following arches up close. While Blake and Mason headed back to the room for some R & R (yeah right) Braden and I ended up in Kiener Plaza for a rap concert and playing in the fountain.

Monday, before heading home

Our Big Fish

Braden is LOVIN the water this summer. Not that he hasn't always, but he has discovered the joy of swimming underwater. These are from a birthday party Blake took him to last night.

Mason's Testing

This is Mason's back from his testing yesterday. They marked on each side with a blue marker. On the left is a number 1 with marks under each place they put a test drop! On the right is a number 2 which was the food side. You can imagine Braden's reaction when he saw this for the first time! "Momma, what is all over his back!!!!!"

It's Official

Mason has an allergy to eggs and peanuts and we should avoid all tree nuts. Nuts! Dr. Straub was great, we both liked him a lot! He was very patient with our one year old bundle of joy. Mason didn't do too bad considering the testing involved 2 sets of drops from the top 10 foods most people have allergies to, then hayfever, dust mites, pet dander, etc. on his back and we had to hold him still for 15 minutes. We did the best we could, putting him across our laps, I had the legs, Blake had his upper body, and he finally whimpered himself into a light sleep. The egg and peanut sample made large red blotches and developed welts. He has a minor allergy to dust mites. We are the new owners of an epi syringe, the epi pen dosage is too high for his size.

We will have him tested again in 6 months and attempt his MMR vaccination at this time. In the meantime, we have an action plan if he eats anything he shouldn't and we know what to avoid. There are supposedly a ton of recipes for eggless cakes and cookies, but unless we make it, no baked goods for our baby boy!

Please send Mason your happy thoughts on Tuesday

Mason has an appointment at 7:45 a.m. with a Pediatric Allergist in Joplin. We need to see the extent of his allergy to eggs, and find out what else he might be allergic to. In addition, Dr. Straub will hopefully be able to administer his one year vaccinations. Our pediatrician was not comfortable since two of the vaccinations are egg based. Blake came home with a couple of horror stories from other parents about how intense allergy testing can be. As we were getting the appointment set up, the nurse did tell us to expect it to last around 4 hours, and that we should be prepared to keep him entertained. I must say Blake was willing to take him solo, but I wanted to be there as well, and I was NOT willing to take him solo! So we are both going! Braden will have normal day of Tot Lot, summer camp then daycare!