He's Back!!

I was waiting until I had some definite answers before I posted the next update but since I don't have them yet, I figured that I should just post some pictures :)
Oliver (and Elliott) started on some antibiotics last Sunday and within 2 days, we saw drastic improvements in his skin and his spirit. My mother in law, who had been staying with us for a few days, felt comfortable enough to leave when she saw Ollie bounding from laundry basket to laundry basket and running full speed and crashing into the couch cushions. I have never been so happy to see my kid literally going crazy in our living room...it was very clear that he was feeling goooooood.
Huge sigh of relief :)

Now, at the end of 7 days of antibiotics (must have tasted horrible because I had to battle with both boys day and night to take and swallow their medicine) and a few tubes of steroid cream, Oliver's skin is almost fully healed and a faint red outline of his blisters is the only reminder of his horrific rash. It is truly a miracle. We still have not received any results from the cultures (I have called the clinic twice but no one has returned my call) and the immunology results from the biopsies all came back negative- which is good news, but still gives no answers. Now that it is all cleared up, there is a part of me that doesn't care about what it was but I would like to know so that I can avoid it again or just have some peace of mind that it was treated appropriately. My dermatologist thinks that maybe it was just a very atypical form of impetigo but even she said that she doesn't really know and has not seen anything like this in her entire career. Crazy. We are going to see her this week and maybe by then there will be some new info.

So...starting tomorrow, we are back to regular life. No more quarantine for me!! I am looking forward to taking the boys to the pool and the park and playing with our friends who we have missed so much. I am so thankful to just be moving on from something that I was totally convinced we would be dealing with for the rest of our lives. I cannot believe how much emotion, fear, stress and no sleep could be crammed into such a short period of time only to end so quickly and with so much happiness and relief. I am so blessed to be given a second chance at my beautiful and simple life. Thank you for all the prayers and for just showing me your love for Oliver. I was truly encouraged by the number of you who reassured me that you would continue to love my son no matter what he looked like. Thank you.

Speaking of what he looks like: here are some pics from today!
(And yes, he is almost always naked. I figure that he can only get away with it for a little longer and really, why waste my time doing laundry? ;))

Goodnight!!