Monday, June 30, 2008

Bug Bites

My kids are terribly allergic to bug bites. Imagine how a normal bug bit looks and then multiply it by 10 and that's how bug bites look on the boys. Chloe hasn't had enough of them to be able to tell yet, but hopefully her skin isn't quite as sensitive.
I think I first noticed this hyper-sensitive allergy when Gabe was 2. We were in the airport on a layover coming home from Maine and Gabe showed me this huge lump he had on his arm. It was hard, red and very big, and Jason & I seriously thought about the possibility of it being some sort of tumor due to its large size and hardness. It looked, and felt, like a golf ball under his skin. But upon examination, we noticed it had a small bite mark in the middle of the lump, and figured we'd keep an eye on it but that it's probably just a harmless bug bite. It went away a few days later, but since then, every summer, Gabe get's these gigantic lumps in various parts of his body. He has had his ear bitten twice lately, and it swells up, gets red and warm to the touch and looks like an elf ear. It's kinda funny, but I do feel bad for the poor little guy because it can't be comfortable.
Now Cooper's becoming the same way. His forehead is so swollen on one side that he's starting to look a little like this guy from the 80's:


See the resemblance:

Poor Cooper, we don't want his nickname to be "Sloth" from the Goonies! So hopefully, this bump will heal fast. Couple the bug bite swelling with the bruise on his nose and he really is stating to look a mess!
Here's some more bite pictures:
Cooper has another bug bite that has gotten pretty swollen behind his right ear.

The top of Gabe's ear has been bitten and is quite swollen, and he also sports another bite on the shoulder blade, which is actually quite mild compared to other bites he's had in the past.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Dear Angie,

I was looking to find what it was that bited my husband and found your blog and love it. I read your profile and noticed you are a Graphic Designer like me, how can you manage it with 3 kids and counting...?
I would love to have a chat with you whenever you have time.
I feel a lot of respect for women, mothers and professionals that manage all three things.

Hope to hear from you, I would love to well actualy read from you, get some advice and inspiration.

Good bless you and your precious family!!