Red Flippy Lids of Happiness

Justus, our about-to-be-seven month old, is a polka-dotted mess. The good thing is he doesn’t know it, so he just hums and blows bubbles and sings his nonsensical bah-bah-bah melodies while little pink bumps spread across his skin.


He is, as it turns out, allergic to drugs in the penicillin family–a non-shocking discovery given my husband and 2 of his 3 siblings have the same allergy.


When the doctor prescribed the amoxicillin, we mentioned the possible allergy of course. There apparently was no “allergy-test” for this one though, so we were instructed to give it a try and discontinue use if he broke out.


Two hundred little pink dots later, we’ve cut him off the wonder drug.


And so, while Momma keeps a running to do list full of things to be frantic about, Justus carelessy flaunts his speckled self to the world, complete with diaper rash and a small fountain of drool from two emerging teeth that feel like python fangs despite their tiny size. His main concern is not his sloppy fall-a-part condition or the maintenance of his toys, but whether or not Momma will let him hold the empty Sweet Tea cup when she is finished drinking from it.


Its shiny white plastic exterior with bright red icons, its flippy round red lid, and bendy straw are the home remedy of the tiny invalid’s dream. And as it turns out, the empty Sweet Tea cup is the cure for anything.

His allergic reaction is clearing up, the diaper creme is triumphing over the diaper rash and who can bother with having a tooth ache when one has a flippy round lid to play with?


This is the kind of person the world needs more of.