'Little Emergency' is an oxymoron.

Saturday morning, Lily woke up with some red bumps on her body. We called the pediatrician who said it could just be a mild reaction to the 1-year immunizations she had earlier in the week, and that it was nothing to be too concerned about. By 3:30 Saturday, she was covered in large, red welts and her eyes had swollen shut. One frantic rush to the ER later, we were able to reduce the swelling and get her comfortable. (Side note - I am so grateful for church family and Uncle Alex who were able to sweep in and help out with Gabe. Tim was stuck in NYC at a gig.)

The easy answer to what Lily has is urticarial erythema multiforme. Meaning that she is allergic to something that is in one of the vaccinations she received.

The more realistic truth is that there is no real way to figure out what caused such a severe reaction in my little mama. We hadn't introduced any new foods, new detergents, new anything. The UEM is a real possibility, but until we give her another round of shots (which will happen individually, as opposed to cocktails), we won't know if that was the cause. And if it is the cause, how can we address the reaction so she still benefits from the vaccine w/out having suffering like this?

We are so blessed that this will be temporary and that our children have enjoyed overwhelmingly healthy lives. But, I'm frustrated not having a clear answer.

For now, we are treating Lily with Benedryl and oral steroids. The steroids seem to help her skin a lot, but they make her really hyper and super hungry. She has slept a grand total of about 10 hours since Saturday - and she's eaten about 3 times more food than normal.

Gabe is very concerned about Lily and asks frequently to take her to the doctor - though this may have more to do with the fact that there are 3 elevators at the doctor's office and he is the designated 'button-pusher.' (Literally and figuratively!)

Lily about 4 hours into our CHOP visit. Her face is still quite puffy, but the redness is greatly improved from the steroids.

She alternated between being distracted by all the activity, and being truly miserable. A downside to not having Tim (there were many downsides, this is just one to mention) with me was that I was carrying her for hours and hours and hours - and she weights about 23 pounds.

This is Lily on Monday. Gabe called it a halloween mask. Her face was completely red.

Tuesday when she woke up from her 20 minute nap, her belly and thighs were bright red and hot to the touch. She was not happy.

It's been a challenging few days, but God is good and all will be well. Send some positive thoughts towards Sweet Lily!