Luke's first ear infection :(

about 4 days ago luke started tugging on his right ear, naturally i was suspicious but he had no other symptoms so didn't think much more of it. 3 days ago i notice he's tugging a lot more, but only around nap/bedtime so i pretty much chalk it up to being tired (again, no other symptoms). yesterday he woke up a fussy baby (which is so out of character for him), nothing soothed him (not even the remote control or my makeup bag!). checked his temp and yep, running a low-grade fever. called the doctor (thinking i'm overreacting of course) and take him in. sure enough, infection in his right ear (redness and swelling - no puss yet, thank God!). his left ear and throat checked out ok, good, and the doctor prescribed amoxicillin and said to bring him back in 2 weeks to make sure the infection has cleared.

two doses into the antibiotic and Luke has this nasty, bright red rash on his bum with what looks like budding blisters (not severe, yet). i wipe him up - poor baby squeezed his cheeks because it hurt, and put desitin (the original paste/purple tube) on and covered him up. called my mom, sis, and sil. stuck luke in the bath (not 20 minutes after changing his diaper) and whatdayaknow?! the dang rash is GONE! DISAPPEARED! seriously no trace of it. i don't get it. i start double guessing what i had just seen and call my mom, she says she's never heard of such a thing. anyway, long story short the pharmacist says the zinc oxide can definitely be a miracle worker if caught early (desitin = savior). but seriously guys, i'm not exaggerating. luke has never had a rash so have nothing to compare it to but it was very red/splotchy with raised bumps (somewhat bubbling) underneath areas. when i tried to sit him on his bum after changing him he cried and rolled over. i know it had to hurt. odd right?! miracle!

the pharmacist said to continue the antibiotic (since the rash had vanished), pay special attention for possible reactions and contact his pedi in the a.m.

all of this happened to a very sleepy boy with only 1-hr of rest throughout the entire day. my niece graduated from 6th grade so luke missed his nap. and can you believe that my otherwise-crabby-sleep-deprived-baby-boy actually was a champ throughout the almost 2-hr ceremony and let mommy run around snapping pictures?! hubbs and i are always so amazed at how happy this boy is, running on empty WITH an ear infection! after the ceremony i nursed him and put him to bed but that was a complete fail. between the infection and teething forget about it.

here are a couple of pics taken at the ceremony. he stayed chillin' in his stroller, peep-free, for the entire ceremony. love this boy! doesn't he look so tired (or can only i see that with my mommy glasses on?!).