Allergist Update

I took D'arcy to the allergist today. I was really pleased with the doctor. He was very personable and interacted with the kids wonderfully. They tested D'arcy for 36 common allergens, and discovered....that she is allergic to a lot of things. Most of her allergies are slight. The highest ones are live oak (a tree common in texas), elm, dog dander, strawberries, and pecans. None of these alone caused her to have this continual bout of hives, but the constant presence of allergens have caused (according to the doctor) both the severity of her eczema and this rash of hives, pun intended.
SOOOOO...he is suggesting that she be placed on an anti-histamine long-term. Something like Zyrtec. She will need to take the medication once a day before bedtime. I'm fairly pleased at the answer. It's nothing serious, just annoying, and can be easily maintained without much change in routine or diet. The doctor did not recommend getting rid of Begbie who the kids have found a whole new level of love for in the last couple of months (A blog I intend on writing soon). Basically, he just suggested that we treat the symptoms and try to locate which allergens are the most severe and limit those.
Stephen, on the other hand, is pretty bummed about this diagnosis. He isn't particularly pleased with the idea of D'arcy being on medicine all the time, and he doesn't want to perpetuate the idea that she is allergic to everything. He experiences allergies on occasion, too. I've seen his lip swell up and seen his body break out in hives, and, let me tell you, I've never seen him more annoyed or stressed than when this happens to him. So I can imagine that part of his reaction to this diagnosis stems from his own experiences.
So as parents, we are learning loads of things from our firstborn. She is now not only our first social experiment but also our health experiment. So there's the update, and now we are leaving for our weekly trip to SeaWorld.