So I got a phone call at work today from the babysitter. She said that Daniel had little red spots or splotches all over his body. His back, his tummy, under his arms, behind his knees.....I asked her to send a photo to my phone (isn't it cool that we can do that?!) and told her that if I thought they looked scary, I would come home. I got the pictures.....and headed home.
These splotches were scary looking! And they were getting bigger and puffier! The skin under his little arms looked like when you burn yourself and your skin puffs up. Scary for a new mom! Luckily, they weren't really that itchy after we applied a little hydrocortisone. (FYI - the picture does not do it justice as he continued to get worse after this was taken. At the peak, all those spots on his back were connected, and about 90% of his back was pink vs. white. Plus, you can't see the scary puffy parts in the pic.)
Anyway, I got more information from Jordan (the sitter) who said that Daniel had been bitten by an ant that morning and that she noticed the spots about 30 minutes after that. So I figured that it was either the ant bite or that he had gotten into poison ivy/oak during our recent trip to Dallas. So I called David and then the pediatrician. I left a message for the nurse and waited.....I waited for 15 minutes.....and then I called the doctor's office again. Remember - the splotches were growing! I talked to the receptionist who assured me that the nurse would call back within a few minutes and that there was no need to call again. I waited....and then I called my mom. I knew that my mom would have no amazing insight into our problem, but I also knew that I needed to talk to my mom! Meanwhile, David was googling everything he could about ant bites, Jordan left to the store to get Benadryl, and Daniel happily ate the extra raisins and crackers I let him have "because he was turning pink." When the nurse finally (1 1/2 hours later - not exactly a few minutes) called back, she said he most likely had an allergic reaction to the ant bite and that the Benadryl should solve the problem in 24 hours or that he had a viral infection that would get better in 3-4 days. So we waited. Daniel crashed for his nap (that Benadryl stuff does work on that!), and when he awoke, he was returning to his normal color. Thanks be to God! I guess it was the ant!
I make this whole story sound like I was this logical mother that took care of the problem efficiently without over-reacting, but I was a little crazier than that and was so thankful to have David, Jordan, my mom, and my mother-in-law to help out. When David came home, he let Daniel have a chupa chup (a very extra special treat) for being brave. Daniel couldn't be happier, and I think he'll sleep well tonight with that Benadryl in his system.
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