So Hot, So Miserable, So Swollen

I'm done with you, Summer. Done! Can't we have a cool day every once in awhile? Is Al Gore right?

We're all very miserable. It's been so hot that our air conditioner hasn't been able to keep up with the heat (which is what happens when your air conditioner is rated for an area that is 400 square feet less than your home's square footage (and why did no one tell me this when I bought the damn house?)). When I put Zed to bed tonight at 9:00 PM, it was still 78.6 in his room (What? Doesn't everyone keep thermometers/humidity sensors in their children's bedrooms?). It was so hot, Zoey requested her Xmas CD when she went to bed. It's so hot, we can only play in the backyard during the very early morning and after dinner.

Strike that. We can only play in the backyard in the very early morning.

Apparently, Zed has a slight problem with mosquitoes.

Two weeks ago, we were outside on a humid night. The next morning, Zed awoke with mosquito bites all over his body. Mosquito welts would be a better term. The little guy had H--U--G--E red welts all over his body. We put cortisone on them and in a few days, they went away.

Last night, we went outside again. This morning, Zed woke up with the same red welts all over his body. This time, however, he had them on his face as well. By mid-morning, his face was so swollen that his right eye was half-closed. Poor little bastard looked like Rocky Dennis.

So I took him to the doctor and he prescribed an oral steroid. I asked the doctor what I should do to prevent this. "Keep him inside during the early evening hours." As I didn't want to be under house arrest for the rest of the summer, I asked if he could recommend a repellent (we had slathered him head-to-toe in bug cream before we took him outside (we're not total idiots)). "Just keep trying different things until you find something that works."

So just keep torturing the poor lad until something finally sticks? Sound advice, Doc!

Actually, I shouldn't be surprised his skin is so sensitive to mosquito bites. His skin is sensitive to EVERYTHING. We have to use special wipes, diapers, and detergent or he'll break out in a rash. Zoey's the same way. They both inherited their mother's whiter than (white, snow, rice, fill in your own cliché) skin. Since I'm more dark-complexioned (which isn't saying much; Casper is darker than Ella), I have no problem with the sun, bugs, or scented detergents (the horror!). I just have to make sure the other members of my family are not exposed to any of these dangerous items.

It's like I have my own little family of vampires or something. And I guess that makes me one of the Hounds of Hell.

See? It's so damn hot my brain is melting.