Tainted love

 I'm hanging my head in shame as well.  My photos are kind of crappy this week -- just like sickness, it happens.

As both of my posts earlier this week alluded to, I have a sick child on my hands.  I feel terrible for her as there appears to be nothing that I can do to help her feel better.  I'll give you the quick rundown up to this point...

On Friday, the daycare calls at 9:30, telling me that Finn had a fever of 100.4 and they would check in an hour.  If the temperature rose, I would have to come and get her.  At 10:30, I get the call that her fever was 101.5 and that she couldn't stay at daycare.  With Eain away, I was flying this parenting plane solo.  When I got there to pick her up, she was sleeping on one of the ladies.  I explained that she was getting her first tooth and that is what I attributed the fever to.  Rosa agreed with me, saying that her drooling had definitely picked up in the last couple of days.  Friday, Finn slept.  No joke, she slept for almost 7 hours straight!  We laid on the couch and she would sleep and wake up.  During her 10-15 minute stints of waking up, she was perfectly normal.  She was laughing, smiling and talking -- she just seemed drowsy (which I attributed to her just waking up as it normally takes her a couple of minutes to fully wake up).  I took her temperature on Friday evening and it had spiked to 102.7.

I got nervous, so I tried to call my mom.  When I couldn't get a hold of her, I started doing the googles.  I am very careful about where I get my information on the internet when it comes to serious matters.  All of the educated websites that I had read said that I should take her behavior more into consideration than her temperature.  She was still nursing like a champ and she definitely wasn't Finn the Frightful while she was awake, so I took the wait-and-see approach.  I gave her some Tylenol and we went to bed.

Saturday morning, she woke up without a fever.  I thought we were in the clear.  She was a little fussy due to her tooth -- I could feel it.  It felt like it had broke through already, but upon looking, it was still a little below the surface.  So I thought her fussiness was from the tooth.  Monday, she developed a really productive cough with a seriously runny-snotty nose.  My thought?  In an adult, a productive cough and a runny-snotty nose means that you are on the mend -- that your body in on the upswing of getting rid of whatever bacteria/virus that had attacked it earlier.  The snot was clear, so I knew that at least there wasn't a sinus infection.  I was concerned about her cough -- she would start fussing after a large series of coughs.  I assumed that with all the coughing, her throat might be dry and scratchy.

Her hair is doing this great "rooster tail" thing right now.  It's adorable.

Well, on Tuesday, daycare called again around 10am.  She had another fever (101.4).  It's grant season for E, so still piloting the parenting plane solo.  They said that I could bring in some Tylenol and they would treat the fever as it was a teething fever.  By the time that I was driving home to pick her up, daycare called again.  Her temperature never really went down -- the lowest point that it was at was 99.4.  When I picked her up, her temperature was over 102.  I couldn't bring her back to daycare until I saw a doctor with a note saying that she wasn't contagious.  I made the first available appointment which was the following afternoon.

Early that evening, she had developed a severely foul breathe -- that concerned me.  I smelt it from about a 18 inches away when her bink fell out of her mouth.  I knew that bad breath wasn't good.  But again, other than some sleepiness and a couple fussy bouts, she was regular ole' Finn.  I started doubting and decided to call the nurse-on-call.  I explained the situation to Karen (the nurse-on-call).  I learned so much in the 5 minute phone conversation and am so thankful that I decided to call.  She recommended that we see our doctor the next day (which I already had an appointment).  But she also said that a fever is just the body's way of fighting an infection.  She said that if Finn is acting fine, but has a fever -- I don't necessarily need to give her Tylenol.  But if she has a low-grade fever and is acting uncomfortable and obviously doesn't feel well, that's an appropriate time to give her Tylenol.  She said that giving her Tylenol just because she has a fever isn't going to cure the fever.  The fever is going to come back until it's finished fighting off the infection.  She said that as long as she is drinking & peeing as fevers have a tendency to dehydrate babies, I should be okay to wait until the doctor's appointment tomorrow afternoon.  So after a call to Karen, we spent election night snuggling on the couch.

Wednesday morning, she (of course) wakes up without a fever.  She naps and plays, while I try to do some things around the house that I've wanted to do but hadn't the time.  We head to our doctor's appointment that afternoon.  BTW, I love love love our pediatrician.  Dr. R. is located at the hospital where I delivered Finn at.  So, she was her first and only doctor.  I don't know how she remembers all the kids that she sees -- but she remembers.  Anywho, after a quick examination, Dr. R. said that her chest is clear, but she can hear the junk in her throat that is causing the cough.  Then, it's on to the ears.  Dun dun dun....  Sister has an ear infection!  Holy smack in the face!  I felt terrible that she probably had this ear infection since Friday -- Terrible Mother of the Year Aware nominee right here.  Dr. R. said that she was shocked that Finn was acting so pleasant with her ear infection and that her fever had went away for a couple of days.  We were prescribed antibiotics and have a return check-up (which will also be her 9 month check) in three weeks.  Then the light bulb clicks -- no wonder the poor girl is crying after she coughs.  The pressure on her ear as she coughs is sure enough exacerbating the pain of her ear infection.

Ending with one that looks more like my Finn...

And so the medication regimen begins.  I am hopeful that I have will be sweet, sweet girl back in a day or two as the antibiotics kick in.  In other news, being that I'm the mother and I am allowed to toot my kid's horn, Dr. R. also gave her a big compliment yesterday.  She said that most babies are cute and Finn is cute , but that she is also very pretty.  She said that she is going to a very pretty girl.  Makes this momma grin that I can make such beautiful babies!