Today's Highlights

I went to my Baby and Me Yoga class sans baby. Very relaxing.

Liz got a Valentine present from Daddy. Apparently he slipped a new book (and card) into her bookshelf before he left. So cute. He even tied a bow around it.

Alaina seems to be improving. In the tub tonight she kicked her feet, blew raspberries, and "talked" to herself. It was a nice change from fussing and lethargy.

Overdid it

Since my Mom was here to hold Alaina, I tried to do as much as I could. I overdid it. I'm exhausted.

Lainey sick status: about the same as yesterday except today she didn't throw up and she had no eye secretions (so technically that's some improvement).

A highlight: I went to lunch in Old Town for fun/visiting teaching and saw this amusing sign. I love it when religious leaders/churches have a sense of humor.

Reinforcement

My mother arrived yesterday evening. Thank goodness. I was pretty much out of lounge-around-the-house clothes (thanks to Alaina's various bodily secretions). Another day of snot, vomit, and whatnot and I would have been slacks and a button-up. Thankfully with Mom's arrival, I was able to finally slip away to do laundry.

Lizzie was really excited to see her Nana. She was pretty fed up with my recent neglect. Sunday evening she dissolved into tears, saying "You don't want to be my Mommy anymore. You just want to take care of Alaina." And yesterday morning, Elizabeth announced, "You're not the Mommy I want. I'm going to live with Nana."

I'm glad there is someone around to pay attention to Liz now, or even someone to hold Alaina so I can pay attention to Liz myself. Either way, I'm hoping things will go smoother the next few days. Already I have been allowed such indulgences as picking up Liz at her friend's house, cooking dinner, pumping milk, and five hours of sleep without having to simultaneously attend to a sick baby.

Cutest Little Patient Ever

Day 2

This morning my friend/VT took Liz to church for me. Thank you Carrie.

While Liz was gone I suctioned, wiped, slathered, changed, monitored, held, and tried to feed her little sister.

After church Lizzie went to Wendi's (again) and I went to the ER. This wasn't absolutely necessary, but Alaina's breathing had worsened and eating decreased and I was nervous, so off we went.

I have only been to an ER for myself once and I came off an ambulance so I got a straight shot to a room.

This was my first time taking my child. I geared up for a long wait in a dreary room, but really it wasn't too bad. I liked the Pediatric ER and really, I wish we could have spent the night there.
Nice docs and nurses, cheery atmosphere, Pedialyte samples, televisions pumping cartoons to each triage bed, less wait time than I expected, and a tiny little hospital gown for Alaina.

I thought it was silly to put babies in hospital gowns until Alaina vomited and I had something to catch it with. Lainey fell asleep in her second gown so we got to keep it as little souvenir.

I felt kind of silly going to the ER in the first place and I worried that the staff would make it clear that they felt the same, but that wasn't the case. Everyone was super nice and I felt better so in the end it was worth the trip.

At home I called my HT, Bryan, and asked him to give Alaina and I blessings. He was here with another guy in a jiff and post-blessing I feel a lot of comfort (that will hopefully translate into sleep).

At the end of the day I'm thankful for: friends, family, medical advances, the Priesthood and worthy, accessible Priesthood holders.

I told Drew I would post pictures of the girls, but I can't figure out how to get them off this old digital camera I'm using now, so no shots of the wee one in her hospital gown, but here are some pictures from last week's dress ups. It was a happier, healthier time that I expect to experience again real soon.

My Day

Take Drew to the airport

Intermittent sleep

Take Lainey to the Doc

Liz to Primary Activity

Me to Pharmacy

Lunch at home

Showers for all

Nebulizer

On-line RSV research

School 100 project

Call to the on-call doc

Pack up to go to ER, then decide Alaina's probably not sick enough to go so we do dinner at Panera instead.

Window shopping

Home again

Nebulizer

Play ponies

Spit/Throw up that necessitates a wardrobe change for Laina & I

Dreaded Bedtime

More research

More watching

More counting breaths

Too afraid to sleep

And sprinkled throughout: coughing and diapers and drooling and coughing and spitup and nose suctioning and coughing and worried calls to Drew and praying and trying to stay awake and coughing

Sick Again

Andrew is in Utah now.

We got up at 3 a.m. to take him to the airport (thanks to Wendi who had Liz spend the night so we only had to drag one girl out in the cold). Before he left he gave Alaina a blessing. The diarrhea and eye gunk have cleared up, but yesterday her cough seemed to worsen and her little voice became raspy. In the blessing Drew said something about Laina needing medical assistance or attention or something like that. I definitely remembered the word medical and took that as my cue to take her to the doctor's when they opened this morning (again, thanks to Wendi who kept Liz while we were at the doc's).

I seriously love our pediatricians. Long hours (6 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m. to 12 noon on Saturdays), friendly service, and I have ALWAYS been able to get a same day appointment.

But back to Alaina. I knew there was something wrong (more than just the common cold) when the doctor spent a long time listening to her lungs. I'll admit a slight feeling of validation. No mother wants her child to be sick, but if the mother senses that her child is sick enough to go to the doctor it's nice to get confirmation, that yes, the child is actually sick and beyond that, there are treatment options.

Alaina suffered through a prolonged appointment, nebulizer treatment, nose swab, and the usual pokes and prods. Oh, and the doctor had to use a special spoon to scoop out ear wax before she could examine Laina's ears. Poor baby.

Diagnosis: RSV

I seriously don't remember Liz having such fragile health. She had chronic earaches (and was "one ear infection away from tubes"), but that didn't start until she was 15 months old. Alaina is only five months and already it's been cradle cap, eczema patches, days of diarrhea, eyes cemented shut from conjunctivitis, and now the dreaded RSV. What's next?

When the nurse handed me a nebulizer, I said "Do I need to bring this back or do I keep it in case we need to use it again?" She said, "You keep it. I'm sure you'll use it again." Please, no.