31 for 21: Feeling as Gloomy as the Weather

Ughh...it has been a long couple of days.  I had Hailey at the doctor last week for her runny nose and congestion.  The doctor gave her an antibiotic for an ear infection.  Ironically she had the exact same thing almost a year ago to the day.  I hate giving any of my kids antibiotics, but sometimes it seems unavoidable.  So we started the antibiotic.  Hailey seemed to be doing okay except for the side effect of extra bowel movements which contributed to a very bad case of diaper rash.  Her nose was clearing up and she was her extra mischievous self.  We celebrated my husband's birthday on Saturday with dinner at a Mexican restaurant and we took the kids to see Disney on Ice (what a great daddy...spending his birthday doing all kids stuff). 

Sunday, Hailey wasn't herself.  Eating was a chore (as you can see in Hailey's pics...eating has never been an issue with her.)  She didn't even want much milk.  She laid around and wanted to be held.  She didn't play and she didn't jabber.  We had to wake her after napping for almost 4 1/2 hours.  I was up with her at 12:30 a.m....which is NOT like Hailey.  She has slept through the night every night since we stopped waking her after her open heart surgery.  She was on fire. 

Monday morning when I woke her up, she was pale and a little limp.  Sitting in her highchair attempting to eat breakfast, it seemed to take all of her energy to just hold her head up.  It was so much out of the ordinary that it had me scared...maybe even a little panicked.  I called the pediatrician's and they got us an appointment within about 30 minutes.  Fortunately, we were able to get Hailey's regular doctor.  He knows her...he knows how she acts.  He checked her out and decided to send us for x-rays to make sure that she didn't have pneumonia.  Her ears were clear, but she was running a low grade fever and still congested.  X-rays came back...good news, no pneumonia.  The verdict...the doctor thinks she picked up a virus and it needs to run its course.  Yesterday was draining.  Hailey did nothing.  She wanted held the entire day.  She didn't want to eat.  She didn't talk.  She didn't play. 

It scared me to see Hailey act that way.  I didn't have anything to compare it to.  Hailey hasn't been sick.  She's had a couple of ear infections and a few sniffles, but they never stopped her.  She kept on smiling and playing.  She couldn't tell me what was wrong.  I might have over-reacted with Hailey being sick.  I am always waiting for the other shoe to drop.  We've been so lucky so far that I'm afraid our luck will run out. 

Today, my baby returned.  Thank goodness!  Her spunk was back.  The twinkle returned to her eyes.  Her appetite was good and she drank her milk.  No fever.  She played and cackled with her brother.  My peanut was feeling much better today and I'm grateful that whatever had her down seems to be leaving.  Guess I now have something to compare other bugs to.  I know how she acts when she doesn't feel well. 

Even the littlest one likes salsa :-)

Love those dimples!

I think this is when she started to feel worse...look at those pitiful eyes.

She crashed at Disney on Ice at 8:05 p.m.

Happy birthday, Daddy!