Archives for 2006

How can a child get the stomach flu a mere 5 days after recovering from it? Not sure, but we’ve managed it. Except now it’s pouring out the other end (her mouth).

Yes, as of Tuesday morning, Miss Emma’s tummy throws everything back at us, including formula and Pedialyte. The only time she can keep anything down is if it’s in quantities of 3 oz or less, yet she is crying because she is thirsty and hungry. To be honest, I am absolutely stressed right now. Not that this is about me – because of course it isn’t – but I just feel like MY stomach is also in one big knot.

I really don’t feel like going in to all the details (like I usually do), so I’m just going to give you the summary (which come to think of it, may actually make many of you happy…). Anyway, fever hasn’t gone over 99 and there really isn’t diarrhea, so this is different than the other flu, yet it seems too close to not be related. But after sitting through a 2.5-hour doctor appt yesterday (another story all together), my pediatrician thinks it may be allergy related…

Um, WHAT??!!! As if we haven’t limited her diet enough, now she may be eating something that is causing her stomach to completely reject everything. Wonderful.

So he’s ordered blood work for her to test every possible food allergen out there. Of course, these test are rarely conclusive in children this little, so it may be one big waste of time, but I remain hopeful. The only new thing she’s eaten in the last two weeks is a chicken & sweet potato dinner. That would make chicken the most likely culprit, but come on — can she really be sensitive to this much stuff? And other people had the first round of the flu — heck, my mom caught it from Emma — so isn’t a strange coincidence that she got it too? Or that she got it right after getting over the flu?? Meanwhile, she has lost weight since her appt. a mere week and a half ago.

Do you see why I AM SO STRESSED??!!! What the heck is going on with my poor little bunny? SOMEONE TELL ME! Is she just sleepy because she’s exhausted or is she starting to dehydrate? Do I wake her in her sleep to give her fluids or let her get the rest she needs? Is she crying because her tummy hurts, or is she hungry? Or thirsty? Or just plain ticked off that she can’t go out and enjoy the sun?! As you can see, this is what the inside of my brain looks like: ???????????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Breathe…]

Okay, now that I’ve made myself look like a total crackpot, rest assured that I am in regular contact with her doctor, so don’t worry too much — just pray. I know nothing is seriously wrong with Emma — and for that we are very blessed — but that’s all relative when you’re a parent. It’s all stressful, no matter what the situation.

Well, our first 4th of July with Emma was certainly, uh, explosive. But not in the firecracker way… more like in the never-ending dirty diaper kind of way. ‘Member that fever I casually mentioned in my last post? Well, that was the start of a week-long battle with the stomach flu. And need I tell you how much fun that has been??

Well, okay, if you insist:

The first indication something was up was the fever last Wednesday and Thursday. I was hoping it was just that fourth tooth coming in (FINALLY!), but there was no drooling or runny nose, so I was a bit suspicious. Then there was that fountain of peas and pears Emma’s stomach decided to give back to us after dinner on Thursday. Friday was better, but she was gagging when eating and had VERY smelly diapers that I won’t describe (just in case you’re eating, thinking about eating, or will be eating sometime today…). She was also very exhausted, which meant some lovely, long naps during the day, but constant night waking in the wee hours. I took her to the doctor on Friday and he confirmed the stomach flu. He said to keep her on a liquid diet and to just watch her closely.

Saturday seemed like she was on the verge of recovery, so Sunday we went to church and then made a stop to Gram and Gramps after her afternoon nap. It was there we got the lovely gift of regurgitated peas again. (Note to self: DO NOT feed peas to a tummy that might be even a bit sour. Yes, this seems obvious, but she has a limited diet and had been eating sweet potatoes and squash for days… Excuses aside, lesson learned.)

That’s when the explosions began…and never stopped. Day, night, you name it, there was always a present waiting for me in that little covered butt. And trust me, the smell was enough to let the neighbors know that Emma’s diaper needed to be changed. When I wasn’t changing diapers, I was throwing Pedialyte down her throat. It felt a little like when she was first born — feed, change, feed, change, feed, change, nap and so on.

And then came Tuesday. The day when the impossible happened… Emma slept in until 9am. This child has NEVER in her entire life slept past 7am, and most of the time is up at the crack of dawn, so what should have made me the happiest mother on the planet totally freaked me out. Finally, we woke her up (yes, you read that correctly), and she was so limp it was scary. Thinking she was just exhausted from the virus, we brought her in our bed for cuddling, which to our surprise, she actually cuddled. This also NEVER happens. Not good. She was so weak that when Jeff lifted up her arm, it fell straight down with a thump. Uh, let’s get this kid some fluid NOW!!!!!!

So we did formula and she seemed better, but was back to limp noodle in 45 minutes. Then we did Pedialyte and the same thing happened — so we called the doctor. He told us she sounded dehydrated and to get her into the emergency room. “If we start IVs now, we probably won’t have to admit her.” I’m sorry, you say that like that’s GOOD news! Needless to say, I was a complete basket case on the way to the hospital. Total melt down. Poor Jeff — I was NO help at all. I just felt so responsible…

Anyway, we gave her some more Pedialyte on the way there and she zonked out until we went to Triage. Here, Emma decided that she did not want to have her rectal temp taken, so instead decided to pee all over the nurse while screaming and thrashing for the whole hospital to hear. Not that I blame her, the poor baby had the worst diaper rash in the world. It was so very sore, I could hardly look at it. The only good news was that the pee meant she was probably better than we thought. And it was a good thing she did it because it was the ONLY thing keeping me from killing someone since we didn’t see a doctor until TWO HOURS after we got there. Yes, it was a holiday, but it was 11am and empty when we arrived. Um, we’re here because our daughter might be dehydrated and you have a sit around for hours while she could be at home DRINKING FLUIDS?! Don’t get me started.

By the time we saw a doctor, Emma was flashing her famous grin and was getting back to her wiggly self. Still tired, but definitely active enough to make us look like we were crazy for bringing her in. But trust me, I was glad they sent us back home. I was not looking forward to seeing IV tubes coming out of my baby. Basically, she was probably on the verge of dehydration, but that last bottle of pedialyte on the way to the hospital may have pushed her back to normal. We also gave her more in the hospital and by the time we got home, she was fine. Still tired, but the diarrhea stopped, which was good, but that also brought on 2 days of constipation that had Emma screaming last night from 11:30pm until 3am. That was NOT fun. Emma certainly is vocal and will complain, but she’s never been a big crier and has never been inconsolable. I guess there’s a first time for everything!

Today, all functions seem to be back to normal and the spunk is back in her step. In fact, in the midst of all this, she has managed to advance her walking skills (she can now walk clear across the room) and she got that fourth tooth. I think she also added a few words to her vocabulary — she’s been able to say “more” for a while now, but I swear she is saying “baby” and “bottle,” and I am telling you this girl says “nye, nye” at nap time. She is also starting to follow directions. Today she was looking at a baby doll at Grams house, and I told her to give it a kiss, and she picked it up and kissed it. She amazes me.

She also frustrates me. Yes, today I was arguing with my 10-month-old, who was CLEARLY telling me that she wanted to feed herself. And so it begins…

Well, that should about do it for now. This past week has certainly been a long one for this mama, but I get a reprieve this weekend. I’m going to a Christian women’s conference with my mom, my mom-in-law and two sister-in-laws, so I’ll be getting plenty of “me time.” Jeff’s on 72-hour daddy duty, so it should be interesting. I can’t wait to hear how THAT goes! I know he’ll do great, but I will be interested to see how he likes the 24-hour shift. :o)

In closing, I’ll leave you with some photos of our little firecracker — right before the explosions began. Hope you all had a happy, safe and HEALTHY 4th!

**FYI — I made the photos smaller this time to save space. You can click on the photos if you want to see them bigger.**

So proud of her Daddy
After he was installed as a deacon in our church on Father’s Day.

Curly Girl
Courtesy of Grandma and Auntie Lexi. Doesn’t she look like she could be in the Wizard of Oz? NO need to agree…only a mother can say something like this and not be offended! :o)

Sleepy Time
So peaceful. And, yes, she sleeps with her butt up in the air…

Book Worm
She loves her books so much, I wonder sometimes if she thinks she can read!

Shhhhh, Mommy
What’s the secret? Maybe it’s that she was going to get a fever just two hours later that still hasn’t gone away — hence, the tired eyes…

Sweet Blink
I know her eyes are closed in this one, but for some reason I just love this picture. The bow, her eyelashes…it just makes her look like such a little girl. My little sweet pea!

Okay, so those of you who aren’t part of my family will probably gag over this post, but so what. The fact is Jeff, Emma, and I are very blessed to have such a great family. Sure, we have our disfunctional moments, but we love spending time with them and (I think) the feeling is mutual. At least it is when it comes to Emma — that I can say with certainty. The attention and love she gets is overwhelming — maybe even a little bit sickening.

She has absolutely no idea how fortunate she is — she just takes all those hugs, cuddles, kisses, and adoring eyes for granted. But, really, why shouldn’t she? Isn’t that the way the world is supposed to be? Shouldn’t we all expect to receive nothing but pure love from one another?

I believe Emma is in her own little heaven right now. A place full of comfort, security, joy, peace, and, yes, I’ll say it one more time, love. A place where no one around will hurt her — or let anyone else hurt her. And she trusts that this is the way life is — the way God wants it to be.

I wish I could somehow put her in a bubble so that she never knows any differently. But we all know that isn’t realistic, and I guess the world would say it would be “wrong” to shelter her from the evil in this world. She needs to learn hard lessons to “make it” in this world, right? A few years ago, I probably would have agreed. Sheltering your children is a HORRIBLE thing…or is it? I don’t know about you, but I have absolutely no desire to put Emma out there in the “real world,” where there are mean girls, selfish boys, hateful adults and others that will bring pain to her tiny heart. No, I want her here, in my arms, protected from all of that. I don’t want to dry tears from a broken heart. I don’t want to explain why someone would intentionally make her feel unloved. She deserves better. We all do.

Thankfully, my Emma will get to experience her heaven again, and when she does, it will be forever. As a Christian, I’ve always been grateful for that promise, but now, as a mom, I have more peace and happiness than I ever knew was possible knowing that this promise not only pertains to me, but my daughter.

No, I can’t protect her from the sin in this world, but I can tell her all about the heaven that awaits her and the Father that will give her more hugs and kisses than she could ever imagine. My prayer is that she is willing to accept that gift when the time comes.

For now, she’ll have to settle for the circle of love our family has created for her. I, for one, couldn’t ask for more. Love you all!

Just the two of us

In awe of her Daddy

Group shot! (Um, Emma, I said, “Group shot!”…)


Aren’t we cute?!!

Stylin’ in Auntie Sha’s shades


So proud of her uncle!

Awwww!

The reason my mom has gray hair…

Luvin’ on Papa

Is that a halo hangin’ over Jeff’s head, or is it me????

The prettiest blue eyes you’ll ever see