After Ben’s first round of antibiotics (Amoxicillin), he was doing much better. No more chesty cough. He was back to his usual giggly self. However, the rash which first tipped us off to Strep persisted.

We had given him Amoxicillin in the past and it didn’t work, but it was to clear a bacterial infection. We were told by the doctor’s office that for Strep, Amoxicillin was quite effective.

So, last weekend Adam asked me to bring Ben back to get another Strep test. They looked in all the cavities in his head and they looked fine. Then she looked at the rash. She said it wasn’t the normal look of a Strep rash. However, his bumpy, goose pimple-like skin was. She gave him the test again.

It came back positive.

I was surprised, so was she. She said she almost never sees it after a dose of Amoxicillin, but perhaps he caught it again or maybe he’s a carrier.

At this point we looked at Ben. He was laying on his stomach licking the floor of the doctor’s office.

We are now finished with another round of antibiotic (Azithromycin). At first it didn’t clear the rash, but we were also given a topical steroid cream (Hyrdrocortisone) and it seemed to work. I’m not even sure the two were related (the rash and Strep) but I’m just glad that we live in an age where these things are easily rectified.

Finally Ben is sleeping well again at night. I’m not getting woken up until somewhere between 4 and 6am. Given the past month, it’s considered a windfall.

Of course, as soon as that situation was solved, another one surfaced.

Last night just as Adam and I were going to bed, Jack woke up and threw up all over his bed. Nothing like having a sensitive nose from pregnancy and be bombarded with the stench of puke.

Unfortunately it didn’t stop. I sat upright on the couch while Jack slept on me, waking up every hour or two to puke. (Jack felt better in the upright position.) Adam got up and cleaned the various puke filled blankets each time. At 4am Adam and I switched. Just in time for Ben to wake me up, but I settled him until 7am. Adam didn’t get so lucky and was basically up all night.