By the time Ryder awoke on Friday morning, his face and neck were red and puffy and he had little oily blisters on his arms.
We’ve dealt with poison ivy in our house before and the blisters on his arms looked like that to me so I wasn’t panicked about a food-related allergic reaction despite his puffy-faced appearance. I felt confident he was exposed to some kind of poison ivy and/or oak and my mom (also a nurse) and Les thought the same.
There is poison ivy and poison oak in the yard of the home we’re currently renting (we found a bunch after Ryder’s reaction) and I distinctly remember Ryder running behind tall bushes while playing outside on Thursday afternoon and believe that is how his face was exposed to the poisonous plants. Yikes!
I had an e-visit with Ryder’s pediatrician who prescribed him a steroid which helped quite a bit with the puffiness and overall discomfort. Even with the steroid and hydrocortisone cream, Ryder had periodic bouts of intense itching and discomfort (mostly in the middle of the night on Saturday night) and we just felt so bad for him. It seems miserable at times and the redness seems to fade and then intensify again which is so odd to me! For the most part Ryder is handling it like a champ and does the best when he’s distracted and playing. Thankfully it is not at all contagious.
We kept our Friday night low-key for Ryder’s sake and hung out at home with my in-laws, making my cilantro lime shrimp to enjoy on top of a chopped salad for dinner.
Saturday
Ryan’s Half Ironman training is officially in full swing so he was out biking, running and swimming in the lake until around 7:30 a.m. (Bless Ryan for knocking out his workouts super early so he can hang with us in the morning!) The big kids joined Ryan in the lake at the end of his workout and loved getting in an early morning pre- 8 a.m. swim!
After early morning swimming, everyone toweled off, ate breakfast and then I took the boys to a birthday party while Ryan, his mom and Les went to brunch. (Ryan had plans to celebrate a friend’s birthday Saturday afternoon so I encouraged him to hang with his family while we were at the birthday party so he wouldn’t miss a whole day with them.)
We celebrated Dane’s third birthday party at Sweetwater Farms and the kids had a blast! I especially loved catching up with some of my friends and missed them a ton while we were in Florida.
I think Rhett liked the birthday doughnuts…
We made it home around the same time Ryan, Diane and Les wrapped up brunch (followed by a pit stop at the new house — I owe you guys an update!) and then I got Rhett down for a nap while the big kids played and Ryan headed out for an afternoon birthday celebration for his friend Tony.
Once everyone was awake and Ryan was back home, we headed off to the pool for an early evening swim followed by a poolside dinner.
It was seriously such a wonderful Saturday night and we had the best time swimming, eating and sipping drinks with Diane and Les!
We couldn’t resist a trip to Andy’s for frozen custard after our swim and clearly Rhett could not be deterred from stealing some of my ice cream to smile for a pic.
(These super-soft jammies are forever my fav! I just ordered the long-sleeve version for the boys for fall!)
Sunday
Sunday was a pretty laidback day. We desperately needed some time around the house we’re renting to unpack from our big move and get organized so that’s exactly what we did until after 10 a.m. By then the kids were restless so we headed out on a walk around the neighborhood before heading home for lunch and naps for Rhett and Ryder. (No, Ryder doesn’t typically nap anymore but he clearly needed a nap on Sunday and slept hard for a few hours!)
The rest of our day looked like lots of hang out time at home and swimming in the lake!
Diane and Les were kind enough to offer to take over dinner for our gang on Sunday and made a delicious spread of steak with watermelon, biscuits and corn. Yum!!
Now I’m off to sneak in a little work while Chase is at school and Rhett and Ryder are at a mom’s morning out program for a few hours this morning. This afternoon and evening will be spent soaking up time with my in-laws before they head back to Florida tomorrow morning. I hope to check in with you guys later this week and, as always, appreciate you making my blog a part of your day!
Have a great Monday, my friends!
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I’d recommend researching “August” and “hay fever.” It sounds like that is what your little one has an allergic reaction to August pollen/weeds, not poisen ivy/oak. I experienced it this year for the first time every and it’s the swelling/itching of the cheeks and eyes. I also have poisen ivy bumps on my arms and it’s not the same thing on my face. Just sharing what I’ve learned this year! Benedryl knocks it down.
Oh interesting! He doesn’t have itchy eyes and the itching is limited to the areas where he has the rash. All of these reactions just sound miserable! I’m sorry you had hay fever this year and the itchiness as well!
I have poison oak right now as well. Mine also seems to be intense itching. I can go hours without noticing and then it flares up. Calimine lotion has helped. I feel for the little guy. I hope he gets better soon. It is miserable!
Yesss! The on and off itchiness was unexpected and it can really seem so intense at times! I hope you get relief soon!
I hope Ryder feels better soon! I wanted to tell you that I just read Megan Miranda’s new book, The Last to Vanish. It took me a little while to get into it but then it got really good!
I recommend having a bottle of Tecnu on hand – it lasts years! Removes the oil from poison ivy and oak, vs just treat the symptoms. Good luck!
Hopefully Ryder feels much better soon. I just wanted to say I love how much you and Ryan make family a priority while still supporting each other’s goals. That is so cool Ryan is training for the half Ironman. It will be fun to hear about the day when he competes. I loved reading your blog about his last race and how you and the boys were there to cheer him on. Have a great week Julie.
Wow chase looks so tall in that last pic by the pier! School starts for my first grader in one week. Have a great school year!
I feel for Ryder. I just had poison Ivy and it was the worst. I had it as a child and I don’t remember it being so bad. I ended up getting oral steroids as well as cream. I hope it clears up quickly!!
Poor Ryder! That’s the worst! What a champ! I’m not sure if it’s okay for kids, but worth checking out for poison ivy/oak…it’s called Tecnu Extreme. It’s a scrub. You can find it on Amazon. It worked wonders for my husband’s poison ivy. I hope he’s feeling better! I’m always amazed by how much you maximize your time on the weekends! So great!
Love those jammies for the boys! And also love that the company also has fun socks for the kids. I always love giving my kids crazy socks for the small holidays, St. Patricks day, Valentines day, etc. Thanks for sharing!