A Spring Update and Erythema Multiforme with vasculitis

It's been a long time since i've sat down and written. The sunshine was inviting and more recently i've been nursing a sick little boy back to health. But before I share about that I want to catch you up on the Cramer family spring... (this is going to be a long one)

We prepared for Easter with a candle ceremony...

Delighted in home grown wheat grass, husband harvested forsythia, Easter dinner with friends, and  baskets full of thrifted books, natural art supplies, felted and wooden eggs, new cups and mugs, and even some organic candies...

We are still enjoying our wagon and walking copiously in our lovely Princeton spring...

hosting family on four different occasions and having a blast showing off Ben's campus...

playing (and nursing) in our amazing university library...

practicing a bit of yoga...

doing some home improvement projects...

exploring some local historic spots...

 loving watching our garden grow.
Strawberries, leeks, spinach, and arugula, radishes, carrots, chamomile, calendula, zinnias, and sunflowers, romaine, tomatoes, rhubarb, and basil, cilantro, dill, snap peas and onions... so much coming to life.

 Cedar is willing to try anything these days from riding his brothers old tricycle to mowing the lawn.
His especial new favorite is eating dandelions. Thank goodness our lawns are not treated here. Look how happy it makes him! The nurture of all this will hold off my baby cravings this summer as my 10 month old toddles all around me, NOT wanting a hand to hold, NOT needing his mama, (unless of course he starts craving yet another mommy milkshake.)

And we have loved relaxing and reading in this hammock my sweet husband bought for me to prevent me from moving our bed onto the porch when the weather got nice...

My three year old came down with a mysterious and terrible case of hives that was diagnosed as erythema multiforme with vasculitis. I have been further encouraged in my pursuit of a nursing degree through this experience as I have been dissatisfied with my doctors ability to communicate. She spoke quickly using unfamiliar technical terms, diagnosing without listening, not inviting questions, tossing a prescription at me and commanding me not to research his condition as it would only make me worry unduly! 

I would have loved for her to sit down calmly and ask me what we had experienced, what i thought might be going on, examined him, giving me her theories and the reasons for them and descriptions of them, and a variety of treatment options. I would have loved for her to at least try to help me figure out what had triggered the outbreak. I know that she went to medical school and I haven't so she might not feel it time efficient to listen to me but...ugh. My recent pediatric experiences have left me with a terrible taste in my mouth. (My last ped. wouldn't allow us to stay with the practice if we didn't immunize). 

I can't even imagine what it's like to be the parent of a child suffering with worse. I have new compassion.

Has anyone encountered this condition before that could share some knowledge with me? It is difficult to have a feverish little guy shouting at you bc his purple and gray, hivey, legs are so tender he doesn't want to walk on them or be touched. There are only a few square inches on his body that are rash free. I was given a prescription antihistamine and a push out the door informing me that he would start looking and feeing better in a week or two. That is a LONG time to be covered in welts uninformed.

To those who are still with me... thanks :)