1st Day of 3rd Grade

Ethan didn't go to school on the actual first day of school because he had an appointment and I didn't want to mess with the first day of school- it was a new school/teacher after all.  Well, that may have been the wrong idea because he was in the worst of moods ALL.DAY.LONG.  Finally, I asked him if he was mad because he wasn't at school and he immediately signed, "YES!".  Oooook, then....

When I woke Ethan up at 6am yesterday morning, he popped up signed "YES!" when I asked if he was ready to go to school.  Um, so I think the boy wanted to go to school, what do YOU think?  LOL 

My Mom bought Ethan his new super-cool backpack (look close- the camo is actually skateboards!) from Potter Barn Kids and I topped it off with the matching lunch tote.  I think the backpack is perfect size for him!  And, he is just too flippin' cute.

We got into class and Ethan was, obviously, ready for Mom to leave so he could go about his day.  I didn't get any calls, so it must have gone fairly well.  That is, until the last 15 minutes of school.  Apparently, they had a fire drill, so Ethan was placed under the shade tree outside so he wasn't in direct sunlight.  Something happened while out there.  He either got bit/stung or he had an allergic reaction to pollen/poison ivy or something outside. 

When I got to school to pick Ethan up, his face was breaking out in hives and his right eye was almost swollen to the point of being completely closed!  I looked at the assistant and asked what happened!!?!?!?  She hadn't noticed.  This led me to believe that this reaction was happening fast, so I zipped him down the street to his pediatrician to make sure his airway wasn't swelling up too. 

Luckily, his heart rate/pulse was good, so Ethan was given Benedryl and then monitored for about a half hour.  Boy, that Benedryl was a miracle drug!  It kicked in fast!  The swelling in his eye was cut in half by the time we left.  We left the office without a clear answer of what Ethan was having a reaction to, but the doctor was on-call for us if we needed.

I put Ethan down to rest once we got home, but he woke up not long afterwards crying.  Ethan's pain tolerance is so high that when he cries, something is really wrong.  He cried for over an hour and he won't let me comfort him.  It is one of the most heartbreaking things- to have a child who does not want you to comfort them when they hurt.  It is like he goes into his own survival mode of having to do it himself.  One day, I pray, that he allows me to comfort him when he hurts...

The Benedryl was wearing off after only 2 hours and we couldn't give it to him again until 4 hours had passed, so we had quite a few episodes of misery last night and today.  It was a looooooooooooooooonng night. 

Ethan did not get to go to school today.  :*(  He got to stay home and have Mommy monitor his swelling and give him Benedryl around the clock.  I went and got some Zyrtec eye drops tonight and I am hoping that they will do the trick for him to be able to have a good night's rest and better day tomorrow. 

I really hope this is not a preview of how the year is going to go!