The girl in the plastic bubble

Before John Travolta was singing alongside Olivia Newton John, pretending to be attracted to Kirstie Alley in "Look Who's Talking," or pushing Scientology on other celebrities, he was Todd Lubitch. Better known as (drum roll please)...... "The Boy In The Plastic Bubble."

I was first introduced to this gem of a TV movie during my short stint as a sophomore at Utah Valley State College, back in 2000. A fellow philosophy student dedicated an entire paper to this film and brought in a clip for the class to watch. I can't recall why or how she related it to anything philosophical. But really. Is it even possible to have a legit philosophy class in Utah?

I digress.

In case you haven't had the pleasure, let me give you a quick summary of the film.

John Travolta's character is born with a weakened immune system, and any contact with unfiltered air will kill him. He lives in incubator-like conditions as he grows up, and eventually even graduates into a space man suit to attend high school. But once he falls in love with the girl next door who loves horses, he takes a chance and steps out of his protective cocoon to ride along side her into the sunset. No inhaler. No Benadryl. No space bubble.

Cured.

I have my own little Todd Lubitch in the house these days. My six year old, Taylor, was given a cashew- one cashew - and broke out into hives. She resembled this...









She also threw up into my favorite purse for ten minutes straight while we sped off to urgent care. A few weeks later we made our way to the Dr., who referred us to an allergy specialist.  But from what the doc said, it wasn't going to be a pleasant experience since Taylor is afraid of everything that pokes or pricks. So upon entering the exam room, I penned a secret note to our new allergist to make the visit easier on everyone.

 

Since she freaks, and I mean FREAKS at the doctor during a routine check up, and cries for 30 minutes at the dentist before letting anyone touch her, I felt it imperative to warn them. So the doc was really sly about how she did it and got it done quickly. We soon found out as Tay's arms reacted to each and every board they poked her with, that she will probably need her own bubble like Mr. Travolta.



Trooper, this kid.

When I asked the Dr. what she was allergic to she said, "Pretty much everything." And by everything she meant nuts (big time), grass, trees, cats, weeds, and just about anything out in nature. While we were relieved to hear she wasn't too allergic to dogs, it was a little unnerving to find out that she's been allergic to so many things and for so long. I started having flashbacks of the last 7 years. Field trips to the pumpkin patch and trips to the park when she was little and miserable, and it all started making sense. She has a line across her nose from rubbing it so much, and watery eyes every day. Mother of the year over here. It took me almost 7 friggin' years to figure it out.

 

But most of all I was just thankful that we got this far without her ever taking a handful of nuts at a Christmas party, or having eaten nuts at a friend's house.

 

Now that we've sort of solved the puzzle, she gets her dose of Claritin every day and has felt much better this summer than she has in a while.

 

My only question now is, how do we find out what Corinne is allergic to?

 

Here are  some unrelated pictures of this summer, so I can feel as if this blog is totally updated.

Oh, yeah. The cuteness is ridiculous.



Zip line!!!

 

 

Our beach house for a week. Complete with playground in the backyard. Such a memorable and wonderful vacation and so thankful my mom hooked it all up. I hope the kids remember it forever.

Ventura Harbor, my favorite stomping grounds.

There are dogs EVERYWHERE in Ventura. I think it may even be a law that you have to own a dog or you can't live there. So of course, the kids were in heaven.

Uncle Bryce, shredding.
 

Feeding the giraffes (obviously) at the Santa Barbara zoo. I don't think I'll ever be able to go back to the LA Zoo after being to that one. SO much better and cooler, and the animals are actually awake and active.

So cool!

Petting a real baby dinosaur. winkwink

Apparently if you give kids torn up boxes and a hill, they will have the time of their lives. Who would have thought it?

The dinosaur show was a hit. We waited an hour to see it, because it's all Taylor talked about. Corinne saw these crazy life like puppets at the Natural History Museum, so she wasn't as terrified as she was the first time.

Our scooter gang, headed down to the beach a few blocks away. I would LOVE to live in Ventura permanently.

A little afternoon digging. Seriously. I NEED to live by the beach.

Crazy gorgeous, this one. Even with make up that Nana applied, running off her eyes.



My take at an "Endless Summer" poster. Nana and Corinne.

We just love my cousin's daughter, Samantha. Love, love, love her.

We were so happy to share our little beach vacay with my niece and newphews, and the Morales girls. They spent the day with us at Marina Park, then came back to the house for tie dye shirts and play time. It made the girls SO happy.

This is how the cousins and friends surf. Wait for it....

Avery started to walk, I believe, a week after this. Such a cutie.

My mom brought packaged shells from the craft store, and Nikki and I planted them down the beach. We called the kids over to collect them. They didn't catch on that they were fakes, and were so proud to show them off.

Yes, it was overcast that day, but isn't that a beautiful fake sunset?

Taylor's 2nd grade/new school clothes pics. When did she grow up?

And of course Corinne threw a hissy fit that I took pics of Taylor and not her, so off to the park we went one afternoon. We did the best we could with crappy lighting and a very tired and uncreative mommy behind the camera.

I didn't edit these yet. But it was so funny how she chose her own outfit, and told me how she wanted the pics done. Diva.

We love Nana.

Saying goodbye to Sam. So sad. Why does Utah have to be so far away?

We had a lemonade stand! And the Andersons were some of our first customers. Thanks, Rachel for making their day!

They had so much fun with Zoe putting this together. They were so stinkin' adorable, the three of them. And I think they made about 20 bucks.



This picture cracks me up. Yes! Keep Calm and Drink Lemonade! Our summer motto.



The kids didn't want to take our picture, but we made do with this one.

Corinne loves music. She needs a break sometimes, and this is how she takes it. I don't mind one bit.

The door bell rang one day, and this is what was on the other side. It wasn't my birthday yet. I'm just lucky to have a husband who works his butt off, and who appreciates what I do while he's gone.

Happy birthday, Katie!

And happy birthday Maddie, even though she was too sick to go to her own birthday party. Saddest thing ever.

Grandpa to the rescue! School shoes. Check!

A little foosball in the living room of our beach house with Uncle Bryce.

Making everyone hot chocolate at the beach house.



Corinne has been writing a bunch. It's so fun to see her blossom. She said this says, "I love you dad, here's my airplane."



A lot of crabs on the beach. Ick.



From Corinne. A family picture with our names for my birthday.

Grandma brought me cupcakes on my birthday and watched the kids while Wes and I went out for sushi. I've never had it before, and surprisingly I loved it!



Poor Grandpa. The human Barbie doll. They "did his hair" for about an hour.

Busy Bee café!

Wow, can I ruin a selfie or what? Love Nikki, anyhow.