Formaldehyde Bomb

Last Saturday, my daughter's skin broke out in a rash. The rash was a random pattern of raised bumps as opposed to a contiguous patch of irritated skin. I'm not sure exactly when the bumps arrived so quietly, but it was soon after a lot of suntan lotion, rolling around in the recently cut grass, and playing in the baby pool full of said cut grass. We weren't worried about it, until it didn't go away but rather showed a little blood on the surface of the bumbs.

So the doctor wanted to see her and her bumps yesterday. The doctor wasn't too concerned but ordered lab tests anyways. We went to one lab where they unsuccessfully attempted to draw blood. They sent us down the road, three rights to make a left, to another lab where we left 1/2 a tube of RBCs lighter. But, while drawing the blood, the nurse asked if she had a fever or was "it just warm outside"? "Warm outside", was my reply.

After a caffeine addiction refill at Starbucks and on the way home, Shea vomited in her car seat. It was a Poltergeist moment, for sure. We got home only a minute later. I was quite efficient in getting her undressed, out of the car, upstairs, into the bathroom dripping chunks along the way. Nice. After the bath, she reloaded with more milk, and fell asleep in her crib.

While she napped, I cleaned her car seat and the back seat of my car. Her car seat was obviously the most affected by the GI assault. I took it apart with two fingers and a wrinkled nose. I carried the pieces into the house, through the kitchen, to the basement dripping chunks along the way. Nice. Washed, scrubbed, rinsed and loaded the fabrics into the washing machine. Filled a bucket for the little pieces and hosed off the bigger pieces in the backyard. Chunks in the grass, breakfast for the birds. Nice.

Then, I returned to the car. Only a little had oozed through the strap holes, down the strap, onto the carseat. I wiped it up with a paper towel and dish soap. Yet, my car still smelled this morning.

I need a self-cleaning car. One in which I could have left the whole mess (toddler too if it were FDA approved) and initiated a self-cleaning cycle. I realize that this might not decontaminate the biological hazardous materials, which is why I really needed a formaldehyde bomb.