My little Gaelle started school on Friday last week! She looked amazing in her smart uniform, so grown up and yet, she is definitely still my baby!

In the morning, we completed our first school routine with success, including the 'creaming' and I noticed that Gaelle's skin was amazingly smooth, not a rash, just brilliant! Then Gaelle picked her uniform and she was really happy to go to 'big school' but I could sense that the huge build up to that day had some impact on her: deep down she was a little nervous, I think. Her dad and I took her and Robyn to the entrance, photographed them way too many times and kissed them lots before they disappeared into their classrooms. John and I picked them up at lunch time (there is no school on Friday afternoon in our county ; this is why I don't work on Fridays, by the way).

All had gone well, of course but what a shock when I undressed Gaelle before lunch for her second 'creaming session' of the day! Her eczema had flared up on her legs and arms and on the side of her chest. Her neck was a mess too. These areas were dry, red, spotty and terribly itchy. We tried to think of some possible triggers in the classroom but the eczema strategies are already in place and I really couldn't reach any conclusion. Finally, John and I had a bit of a revelation: could this be due to her high emotions that morning? Stress-related eczema is extremely common and powerful in both adults and children, but we have never seen any obvious evidence of it in Gaelle so far. Until last Friday!

The frustrating thing is that no one will confirm this was the case and we can only make guesses, as usual. Anyway, the result is just the same: treating the symptons ; more creams, more steroids, antihistamines and look out for any sign of infection.

Gaelle's teacher is very nice and we met with her the same day to make sure she understands Gaelle's needs and that everything discussed at the transition meeting in May this year is actually happening. PE time was changed to the last hour of the day so that any extra care can be done at home without missing any class time, creams to be applied at lunch time and our little traffic light system will come in handy when communicating with school. There will also be some medical topics discussed with the pupils this year in order to increase their awareness of skin conditions.

I think Gaelle will love school and will do very well indeed. I can't wait to witness her progress and her personality flourish as she matures over the next few years. I just hope the eczema won't hold her back in any way. To say the truth, what I really hope for is that the eczema goes away all together soon, of course. However, this might not be the case for years (or ever) so we just need to keep trying the best treatments and keep Gaelle's best interest in mind. For example, her teacher offered to sit Gaelle on a chair on the side rather than on the carpeted floor like everyone else (short and well maintained carpet) in order to avoid house dust mite during story time. We disagreed with this idea straight away, as she would probably feel singled out and self-conscious. In that case, Gaelle's emotional well-being (desire to fit in) out-weighs the potential medical reasons. I am sure there will be some challenging decisions to make in the future and I trust Gaelle to make them too!