Sick Baby Girl

My little girl is very sick today. And, this time, she must really feel awful because she has not wanted to play much at all today.

It all started yesterday while I was away from her at work. Grandmama called around 2:30 p.m., and I immediately heard Annabelle screaming in the background. I immediately asked, "What's wrong? Is she okay?" Grandmama told me that she didn't eat very much for lunch, and she was ready for a nap at 1:00 p.m. (after waking up around 8:30 a.m.). Apparently, she had woken up from her nap in a good mood because Grandmama had heard her in there talking between 2:00 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. So, they got her up, and then they decided to see if she wanted some fruit because she had not eaten very much for lunch or breakfast. She was fine until Granddaddy sat her down in her high chair and then apparently the world was just not right with her. She wanted to climb into the chair herself (which is actually very normal). She did not want any plate. "No, no, no," she said. Then, she didn't want any fruit either. So, Granddaddy decided it was in her best interest to have a rice crispy treat because according to Grandmama, Granddaddy said, "She needs something to eat." So, she got her rice crispy treat, I headed home after hearing that my baby girl needed her Mommy and Grandmama and Annabelle headed onto the screened-in porch to play. By the time I arrived home, she seemed happy, so I assumed that Annabelle was just showing her grumpy independent side for Grandmama and Granddaddy. The side of Annabelle where she wants to do everything herself, and if she doesn't get her way, she isn't happy.

Of course, Grandmama did say she felt hot like she was running a temperature, and when I got home, sure enough, she did feel a little warm. But, she was her happy little self again, so I didn't feel the need to inject the drugs into her tiny little system.

Well, we started the bedtime process last night around 7:45 p.m., and I think she was finally asleep around 9:00 or 9:30 p.m. She woke up this morning at 7:45 a.m., but she still looked exhausted after I nursed her, so I laid her back down, and we both slept until 9:30 a.m.! I wasn't planning to sleep that long, but we did!

So, this morning, we all sat down for breakfast, and once again, Annabelle did not eat like she normally eats. She did eat a quarter of a Belgian waffle, maybe a little bit more, but that was about it. Normally, she could probably eat close to three quarters or at least a half of a Belgian waffle.

Well, 11:30 p.m. rolls around, and Annabelle was burning up! I had just told her that we could go play outside, and she seemed excited. She even allowed me to dress her and put her socks and shoes on, but shortly thereafter, all she wanted was for me to hold her. I took her temperature orally, and it ran 103.3 degrees F! Poor baby girl!

Of course, as usual, Grandmama was urging me to take her to the doctor, but I just didn't feel that she was ready to go to the doctor. Instead, I gave her a dose of Tylenol to break the fever, and I laid down with her in the big bed. She closed her eyes and fell asleep almost instantly even though I had already tried to rock her to sleep. She just couldn't get comfortable when I rocked her. She slept until 1:30 p.m., and then she was ready to get up and play.

She sat down for lunch without any complaints. She actually climbed into the high chair herself, and she had a Capri Sun and waited patiently until lunch was served. She ate very little for lunch even though Grandmama fixed one of her favorites, spaghetti. After lunch, she was exhausted once again, so I laid her back down in her pack-n-play around 3:45 p.m., and she slept until closer to 4:45 p.m.

But, she was not feeling well at all when she woke up. Her temperature was running high, so I took it again, but this time I took it rectally. It was 101.3 degrees F. I changed her diaper, and she rolled over onto her tummy and just cried. She felt so bad that she didn't even want to stand up, bless her heart! So, I held her and rocked her a little while longer until she just sat up in my arms closer to 5:30 p.m. When I asked her to lay her head down, she would say, "No." I asked her to tell me what was hurting her. "Does your head hurt baby girl?" I said. "No," she said. "Does your ear hurt baby girl?" "No," she said. "Does your tummy hurt baby girl?" "No," she said. I just wish she were old enough to tell me what is hurting! It breaks my heart that I cannot do anything to make her more comfortable.

So, once again, we laid back down in the big bed around 5:30 p.m. I surrounded her with pillows since she isn't used to the big bed, and she wanted nothing to do with the pack-in-play, and I left the room to let her sleep. She woke up once since then around 6:30 p.m., but she went back to sleep as soon as she knew I was still around. It is 7:45 p.m., and she is still asleep.

Poor baby girl! Please keep her in your prayers. She has never felt this miserable before in her entire life. Well, she probably felt this miserable in the hospital after she was born, but not since then. She's been sick before, but she's always kept going. Nothing has ever slowed her down where she needed to sleep this much. This is the first time that I've actually ever thought, "What if something really bad is wrong with her?" Not that I'm that concerned yet, but it does make you think about it. It probably doesn't help that I listened to children's cancer stories on WSB Radio last week while they were trying to raise money for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta's AFLAC Cancer Center. I was in tears last week after listening to only a few children's cancer stories. And, I think I'll always worry that all of those x-rays Annabelle had in the hospital after birth will cause her problems, medically, one day. I pray they are only worries though and nothing more serious.


Dear Annabelle,

I hope you get to feeling better very soon. I miss my sweet, happy, playful and independent little girl! You've always been such a fighter and a trooper, so I really hate to see any illness bringing you down. I know you are going to get sick in your life, but I hope and pray that you'll live a long, healthy and happy life!

I love you bunches! Please get better soon! I need to hear a belly laugh again really soon!

Love always and forever,

Mommy