OUCH

Bear has an attractive manner about him. He is pleasantly charming as well as witty and handsome. BUT the part where he is sweet is way too irresistible for the fire ants in our yard.

We have treated our yard and I believe the last time was in Spring/ maybe summer. But since the rains came it has created quite the nesting ground for these pesky varmints!

He always plays by the storm shelter. He goes up the side and comes sliding down the front cement slope. This time he went a bit far; he went trekking over the back side. I was a bit nervous because the grass has been grown up around there for a while and I KNEW of the POSSIBILITY of ants. So I called him to me. He didn't come. I called him again, still no response.

** We have been using this new technique that we just learned in a fun "parenting" class at our church. We call him and he responds "coming" and stops whatever he is doing and comes running and greets us with a smile and says "yes (ma'am, sir)" ... RECENTLY though he has been cutting his TOP molars so here we go again with the CRAZY behavior. He doesn't listen and respond like he normally does when he isn't teething. DRIVES ME NUTS that he can be so well behaved then BAM... one day their little mouth is in pain and they regress back to a 6 month old!**

So anyway. He wasn't responding to my calling him. I start getting a bit agitated that he is not listening and then he starts screaming and comes running around the storm shelter... COMPLETELY COVERED IN FIRE ANTS... HAIR TO SHOE SOLE!

I start brushing him off and then just strip him down in the front yard (good thing for secluded country living ;)) Then I have to find them all over him and start picking them off. They were all in his hair and on his stomach, groin, hiney, feet, ankles, even between his fingers and on his neck.

I brought him inside and dropped him in a vinegar/baking soda cool bath. He freaked out but the stinging stopped and he calmed down finally. I call his dr. the receptionist told me the dr. only was there for a half day and was already gone. So she agrees that I should take him to the ER. We go. They look him over and he has no severe symptoms of reaction. So they prescribe him some Benadryl and Bactriban cream for when they "rupture" to prevent staph infection. I was also given instruction that if it got really red to take him in for a follow up with his dr.. I am watching the area on his wrist right now. IT is pretty red.


It is scary that Bear gets Staph so easily. The smallest spot on him will become a HUGE deal if untreated. So here we sit today trying to take it easy and NOT get into any more trouble!

Guess if it is not raining this weekend we will be treating our yard again!