Changing Normal

OK, so I'm cheating a little bit...this isn't exactly the pictoral post I promised, but there IS a picture!! LOL :)

AIRFARE IS BOOKED!! And, we're on the same plane as Aunt Di, Missy & Jodi!! :) HOW FUN!! I don't know about Aunt B & Jeanna & Mandie, but I hope they get on this same flight, too!! Won't we be obnoxious!! LOL At 5:30a.m. no less!! LOL ;) Pray for the other passengers...LOL

I AM SO EXCITED!! :)

Now, to get that passport...

Things have been interesting here the last week or so... It's definitely been an adventure, with snow, croup, fevers, coughs, throw-up, you name it, we've had it here this week... Complete with a trip to Urgent Care, transport to the hospital (no sirens), and an overnight stay @ Children's...

It started last Friday night...actually, before that, but that's when the "barking seal" cough started...We had decided to postpone Abbey's Birthday slumber party because of snow...well, that night, she came down with a fever, and was pretty sick-eyed (Mom's know what that mean!! LOL). Anyway, Eli started to cough that night, AND stayed up the WHOLE NIGHT...we didn't officially get to bed until 4:30a.m. When we got up the next day, he sounded worse, and according to our pediatrician's nurse, was wheezing, struggling to breath...SO, Steve took the little guy to see Dr. Matt.

Dr. Matt said it was croup (really bad croup), and gave him a steroid shot to help open up his airway, to make breathing better, told us to keep up with the cold air/cool mist humidifier, etc...

Sunday was worse...

I called the dr. on call & she said she would take him in to be seen at either Children's ER or Children's Urgent Care. For reasons that made sense at the time, we went to Children's Urgent Care. When we got there, there was a 2 1/2 to 3 hour wait...

They called us up to check us in (you know, the preliminary paperwork stuff), and the receptionist, after hearing Eli struggling, asked the nurse to listen to him real quick "before she took anyone else back."

That's when I got nervous...

The nurse then said, "Yeah, we need to bump him up the list."

That's when I got REALLY nervous...

We were the next to be called back.

If you have ever been to an Urgent Care/ER, you know that they tend to move slowly, so we prepared ourselves to settle in after the nurse took all of Eli's vitals...

But that didn't happen. The Dr. came in because she said she could hear Eli breathing down the hall. What she said was that they were going to give him another dose (orally) of the steroid, and a breathing treatment. And, because of the steroid & breathing treatment, he would have to at least be observed overnight at Children's Hospital, but that the ER would make that call officially.

SO, after the breathing treatment & forcing medicine down Eli's throat (I have never seen that boy more upset!!), he immediately started sounding better. So, Eli & I rode to Children's hospital in the transport (yes, an ambulance, but they didn't turn on the sirens), gave him his favorite thing on earth (a green soothie paci...the kind that smells like vanilla), and he drifted off to sleep on the ride over there.

We got to the ER, and they were really nice, and acted quickly. He had another breathing treatment (went MUCH better than the 1st one because he had that green "B" :)), and even started acting more like himself. Steve had gone home to get him some PJ's & some diapers (it didn't dawn on us that we were in a Children's hospital, of COURSE they have diapers there!! HAHA, and the name brand kind!! haha

We saw Peyton lose the Super Bowl...bummer...but, WOW, that Saints guy who intercepted that throw? What a smart play!! Gotta give 'em kudos for that ;) Not that I care that much for football, but Steve immediately changed channels when he walked into the room!! LOL

They moved us to a room in the "Almost Home" ward, so that they could watch Eli overnight & make sure that all the meds/breathing treatments were doing what they were supposed to, and in case he had a relapse, they could take care of him.

Sleeping in a hospital is not restful...but I did have peace of mind that if something were to go terribly wrong, we were in the right place.

He did great overnight, and by morning sounded so much better. All the drs kept telling me that it looked like he would get to go home "today." Which is their way of not committing to a time!! LOL He ate breakfast & lunch there, then we got to go home!!

Abbey had her own little adventure during this whole time. She got to stay the night at Mammy & Papa's house while we stayed at the hospital. Mom told me that Abbey asked her at one point, "Why do you keep calling my Mommy?" and Mom told her that she just was worried about Eli & wanted to check to see how he was doing. She asked Abbey, "Aren't you a little worried about Eli?" Abbey's answer broke my heart when I heard it, "Yeah, I don't want him to die."

*sniff sniff* *bawl*

She got shuffled around a lot on Monday because of work schedules & Mom had to go out of town for the night, etc... So I didn't get to see her until late Monday night.

He's been doing somewhat better the last couple of days. He has been fighting a fever today (103.6, down to 100.3 after Motrin & a tepid bath per the pediatrician's nurse's directions). They said that getting a fever was normal when fighting a virus like he has, so not to worry...

But of course, I do...

He's on the upside of this, now, though.

Well, I'd better go. We're postponing {again} Abbey's Under the Sea slumber party, because I feel like we need a whole weekend to just get over this stuff...and rest!! lol

SO, that's what's been going on here...Did I mention I'm going on a cruise?!?! That makes being snowed in a little bit more bearable :)

Talk to you all later :)

Love ya!! :)