Some Hives and a Little Super Glue

Excitement was rising. It was just two days before our day to set sail on our first family cruise! I had meticulously packed and organized four suit cases for our five day journey and felt confident that our trip would be a success. I was determined to have our trip be I Guess Im Due free!

The next morning, my confidence was soon deflated when I awoke to see Lilliana’s face and legs covered with hives. 
Just great. I can’t take her on a boat for four days with an unknown rash. We were staying at my Mom’s before we left for our trip, so going to our pediatricians was out. With the advice from my husband, I took her to a walk in clinic to have her checked out. After spending an hour an half at the clinic the doc prescribed her an antibiotic and assured me that all would clear up soon. Ahh, I could finally breathe again. Our family trip was saved!

The following morning we packed the car and headed to the port. I could smell the sea air already! We boarded the ship and quickly got ourselves settled in our little room. As I got Lilliana dressed for dinner, I noticed that her rash was getting worse instead of better. It had now spread all over her body. Just perfect. Lilliana was having an allergic reaction to the antibiotics. So much for this clearing up quickly. Luckily, Jason had come prepared just in case this happened (yes we were a walking pharmacy). We loaded Lilliana up with some meds to counteract the allergic reaction and prayed that Lilliana’s voyage would soon get better. Twelve hours later she was beaming like her normal self.

I was determined that life was going to be grande on the ship for Lilliana from then on. Between kids camp, swimming, playing with cousins, and fancy dinners, she would have a blast. 

The ship arrived in Cozumel, Mexico on our second day at sea. We gathered our things and headed to a water park resort. This place was truly paradise. Water slides, pools, a wading area, inflatable water obstacle course, beach side lounging, and a water playground. My mother-in-law, Lisa, took the youngest three to the water playground, while I supervised the three older kids at the water slides. After the kids seemed waterlogged from sliding, they decided they wanted to try out the playground area. As I walked towards the playground, I excitedly perused the equipment to spy my little ones. That’s when I spotted Lisa waving me down. In her lap she held a screaming Lilliana. Two paramedics were standing over her as Lisa gripped Lilliana’s bloody chin. Apparently just minutes into playing, Lilliana was so excited that she slipped on a slide and fell chin first, busting it open. Luckily, Lisa, being a nurse, in her calmest voice she asked me to run and get Jason (doctor Daddy).

With Daddy investigating the situation and discussing what needed to be done with the paramedics, I felt like I could finally breathe as I held my injured baby girl. I was so thankful that Lisa was there for the initial incident, because yes, I would have been that hysterical mother. And I of course, was relieved Jason knew what his daughter medically needed (otherwise Lilliana would have ended up in a Mexican hospital with stitches- apparently most physicians in the U.S. don’t use stitches on kids faces.) 
 
Since the paramedics didn't have steri-strips that Jason needed, they patched her up with some butterfly tape for the meantime. Within an hour, and with some hugs, kisses, and a few virgin strawberry daiquiris, Lilliana perked up, played in the sand, and even got a fancy hair braid. 
On our way back to the ship, Jason stopped at a Mexican Farmacia and grabbed some materials he needed to seal Lilliana’s chin. And wouldn’t you know, with a little bit of Mexican super glue and some medical tape Lilliana’s chin was about as good as new.

It’s funny to think (now it is), that most kids come home from a trip with a souvenir, like a trinket or a toy. But not Lilliana, her souvenir, was well, the sweet memories of hives and her newly super glued chin. She’s so proud to tell others that in Mexico her Daddy had to superglue her chin shut- a memory that will literally last a lifetime.

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