ER Visit

It was Friday night and I had just returned from an hour away at the store. Bo had given me some time to get out of the house because being at home 3 weeks straight with sick kids was beginning to take its toll on my sanity. So, I went to Kohl's to shop for a fun outfit for our date the next night...our first night out since we had Drew.

When I got home, it was time for Drew to eat. Over the course of the past day I had been keeping an eye on his temperature per the doctor's orders because of his congestion. Low and behold we hit the magic number...100.4 and then some. So, I called the doctor and they suggested we take him to an ER to be seen because of his age and the fever. I had been dreading the fever because I knew it meant lots of unfunny things for Drew to go through. I had heard about blood work and nasal swabs and spinal taps for young infants and I certainly didn't want to have to go through all of that. Instead of going to the ER close to home, we opted to go to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite because that's where children go if they are sick. And we weren't taking any chances with Drew. We got there and they valet parked our car for free...which I LOVE. Such a nice service for parents with sick kids. And after we got checked in, we were called back to a triage room so they could get some stats on Andrew. His fever had risen to 101.3, so I was glad we were there. His blood pressure and heart rate were fine so that was comforting and his breathing was fairly normal...with the exception of a cough every now and again. Then we were transferred to "the room" where we would see the doctor and deal with all the tests that surely were coming our way. We met Dr. Johnson and he was super nice. He wanted to run a few tests, but assured me they would only do a spinal tap to check for meningitis if absolutely necessary. They did draw blood to check for a high white blood cell count...which Drew did very well at. And they sucked out some junk from his nose to check for flu and RSV. Last, they took him in for a chest x-ray to rule out pneumonia and other chest related illness. When the results were in, it was official that Drew had RSV...something worse than a cold, but not nearly as bad as pneumonia or meningitis. So...thankfully for now, there is no spinal tap. The doctor gave us plenty of instructions on how to deal with the illness that will likely last another 2 weeks at least. He said if we could get through this weekend and the early part of next week without Drew's breathing becoming labored and him becoming dehydrated, then we would probably get through this without hospitalization.

It is now Sunday and so far we are hanging tough. Drew really has a hard time with meals right now. He eats well and seems very hungry, but his pathetic little cough causes him to lose most of what he eats. Thankfully he still has wet diapers and real tears, so I know he's getting something of value. We're allowed to give him Tylenol for his fever, but that's it. The fever comes and goes. Yesterday was a great day...no fever and he kept most of his meals inside. Today has been a challenge...slight fever and not one meal has stayed down. I have more laundry piling up from just him that I can't even keep up right now. Nights are worse than the days. The coughing is really bad at night, but I tell myself that it's his way of getting the junk out. Sleep is a thing of the past and my latest prayer is that he get well SOON and we do what we can to get back to the fantastic schedule we were on before all of this hit. It's been a week since he's slept in his crib because the bouncy seat is much better for him since it is elevated. And I have slept beside him on the couch for the week because he tends to cough and puke a lot at night.

Through all of this, Bo has been such a huge help. He takes care of the girls and lets me sleep if and when I can. And, despite it being spring break, we are glad to have this time to get caught up on rest instead of plugging through a normal work week. We are much looking forward to the day when we can put this episode behind us. I just keep telling myself...It won't be this way for long.

Wittle Guy is One Month Old!!

Drew is one month old today!!!

We had our doctor's appointment today and other than having some congestion, Drew is doing great!! He has gained tons of weight and is now up to 10 lbs. 8 oz. The nurse accused me of having ice cream for milk...which I will gladly take as a compliment. He has grown to 21 3/4 inches long. And he has hit all of his 1 month milestones...tracking an object to midline, focusing on an object, recognizing the sound of my voice and random smiling. Poor kid had to have a shot today. Thankfully it was just one. Next month we get four!!

Unfortunately, we had a bit of a scare the past 2 days, so I was thankful for the doctor appointment today. The girls have been sick for the past 2 weeks and I have done everything in my power to keep Drew from getting the crud. But, even some things moms can't prevent and, of course, he has a touch of something. Fortunately it is not accompanied by a fever. But, he has some major congestion that has made life on us hard. I forget that there are things that come so naturally to us that babies don't know. Coughing, for instance, is one of them. With all the mucous this poor kid has had inside him, he's been choking and gagging and having trouble breathing for the past 2 days. After getting some saline solution to help dry him up, he has finally figured out how to cough and get his airway clear. Big bonus for us, but that means more puke as well. So...he's been extra spitty and had some issues with Ally-type reflux. But, I am sure that will all subside once he gets rid of this cold. And after 2 solid weeks of sick kids and no rest for me, I am so ready for him to be well.

All in all, the first month has been a huge success. Drew has created a niche in our family and filled a void we had no idea we had. It is so fun to watch him grow and sad at the same time. Nonetheless, we are enjoying every minute of it. He's just our "wittle guy".