Strep Throat

Annabelle and I both have strep throat.  This is yet another first for Annabelle (and I wish last, but that is doubtful)!  Annabelle has apparently had it since last Saturday or at least that is when the symptoms began to show.  Though I didn't realize until yesterday when my own sore throat and fever were not lessening that we both probably had strep.  (I started getting sick myself on Wednesday).  I checked her throat and noticed it was red and swollen with white spots and I was completely convinced.  I called the doctor immediately without hesitation which is very odd for me to do as I very much do not like to spend $80+ to find out my children have a virus.

I forgot how absolutely horrible and painful this can be.  Though apparently I am the only one in complete misery!  If only adults could fight illnesses like a child...running full speed ahead with a temperature of 100+ degrees with only the occasional complaint of a sore throat.

Annabelle's symptoms started last Saturday when she woke up at 4 a.m. complaining of a tummy ache and sore throat.  She then spent the next six hours vomiting.  And then she seemed fine besides the typical puniness.  I thought her throat had been sore from the vomiting since she only had acid on her stomach when she first started vomiting.  Apparently I was wrong!

She gradually got better, then she got puny again after her ballet dress rehearsal on Wednesday.  But she still didn't complain of a sore throat again.  She even performed beautifully for her ballet recital on Thursday!  I guess the dose of Tylenol an hour before the recital did the trick.  I never would have exposed all of those children if I had known she had strep throat!  I really didn't understand what was going on because the only time I ever noticed a fever was Saturday night when she woke up from a night terror.

But now we are both attempting to recover with our free meds of Amoxicillin from Publix!  Thank goodness for free prescriptions!  There is nothing worse than paying $118.45 for a visit to the doctor for yourself to get a prescription when you already know you have strep throat because your daughter was already diagnosed earlier that morning.  The kicker is that my rapid strep test actually showed up negative!  Fortunately the doctor still prescribed the meds since he said it looked just like strep throat.

Annabelle's pediatrician also checked Sophia which I wasn't counting on.  The rapid strep test showed up negative for her.  I should have just refused as that will just cost me another office visit for her as well.  Apparently, children under the age of 3 rarely get strep throat.  It is more common in children between the ages of 5 and 10 years of age.

Aaahhh!  The joys of a school age child!  $250+ later!

Though I sound like I am complaining the entire post, I do actually see the silver lining.  I am still in a lot of pain myself and my patience with the kids is absolutely horrible, but I know if Annabelle had not shared the love (as the lab tech at the pediatrician's office asked her), I would have never known she had strep throat until she only got worse.  I guess God does work in mysterious ways!

In a Nutshell

Here is a recap of our week:

1. Annabelle had skin tests done on Monday to test for allergies. As I suspected, she is allergic to pistachios. Cashews actually came up clear, but we'll still stay away from those as the doctor said the two nuts typically go hand and hand. In other words, if a child is allergic to cashews, they are more likely than not allergic to pistachios. The coconut skin test also caused a tiny mosquito type bite as well, but the doctor didn't seem too concerned and said that a coconut allergy is very rare. He said she is one of the rare few who is allergic to a tree nut, but not allergic to all tree nuts. Most kids are allergic to all tree nuts if they are allergic to one. I have to schedule to have some blood drawn to confirm her allergies to the tree nuts though. That should be fun.

2. The allergist wrote her a prescription for an Epi-Pen which I am thankful to have based on the last time she actually had a pistachio. I didn't think she was allergic to them because she had them in the past, but after a sample at Sam's, she started getting a rash around her lips along with a cough, and her throat started to swell. I called the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta hotline, and they told me to call 911 immediately. I had already administered Benadryl, but the nurse said we needed to hang up, dial 911 and to not attempt to even drive her to the hospital. Fortunately, the swelling of her throat was already decreasing when I hung up the phone, so we didn't end up dialing 911. However, after a scare with cashews while visiting Andy's Granny in TN, I am thankful to now have a prescription for an Epi-Pen. After we had all been snacking on some popcorn, I looked at the package and noticed that it contained cashews. His Granny lives in the country, and I had left the Children's Benadryl at home. Fortunately, she didn't have a reaction at all.

3. Annabelle also had skin tests done to test for allergies to molds, cats, dogs and dust mites. He tested for dust mites since I told him we lived in an older home and that it seemed to me she is allergic to something in the house. Unfortunately, she showed no signs of allergies to any of those. I say "unfortunately" because I was really hoping she would be allergic to cats.

4. Annabelle has been doped up on antihistamines all week to reduce the itching caused by her extreme case of eczema. On Friday of last week, the dermatologist diagnosed her with nummular eczema which he said is difficult to treat. She also has Gianotti-Crosti Syndrome. It sounds rather life threatening if you ask me, but it is actually just a rash caused by a virus that she has apparently had recently. Per the dermatologist, it just has to "run its course." The rash related to the Gianotti-Crosti Syndrome could last for 1-2 months.

5. Annabelle's behavior is quite extreme as a result of the antihistamines. Atarax to be exact. The dermatologist wants her to continue on this medication until we see him again in January. I may lose my right mind! Her terrible behavior is really driving my patience. 4 year olds are not supposed to act like this on a daily basis.

6. Sophia's first tooth shined its way through officially on Tuesday! It is her middle, bottom, left tooth. If you are looking at her, it is her middle, bottom right tooth.

7. Sophia was very constipated Wednesday night. I called the Children's Healthcare hotline again when it seemed she was never going to push that mess out all on her own. The nurse on call recommended Fleet Pedia-Lax which is a liquid glycerin suppository. Since it is for ages 2-5 years, we were to use only half of it. I sent hubby to the store while I stayed home and tried to comfort a screaming Sophia. She finally fell asleep nursing in my arms. But, it did make administering the suppository that much easier. We went through this with Annabelle too when she was a baby, but Annabelle wasn't even in quite as much pain as poor Sophia. It is either that or Sophia is just a wimp! Poor baby! I hate to see them hurting! With Annabelle, the rice cereal caused her constipation. But, Sophia didn't start having constipation issues until I started her on the sweet potatoes, squash and green beans. Now does that make any sense at all?

8. Sophia is such an angel baby! An angel baby with a very definitive temper! I'm not sure what that means for her toddler years. Of course, her nights are still rough, so she ends up in the bed with us before the evening is over. I've never really wanted my children to co-sleep with us, but Sophia is making her way into our bed very quickly as her Mommy needs a little shut eye!

Beautiful Eyelashes

Those long and luscious eyelashes are going to get Annabelle in trouble one day! And, today was absolutely no exception.

Annabelle and I were both in her bedroom this morning. I was folding clothes directly from the dryer in her room, and Annabelle was lying on the floor looking at a picture. Sophia was awake and starting to fuss from her swing in her bedroom.

Then Annabelle started crying and yelling, "I can't open my eye! I can't open my eye!"

I looked down to see Annabelle rubbing her eye. I knelt down beside her and tried to help her open her eye. I couldn't!

And, her top eyelashes were literally sealed underneath her bottom eyelid and on top of her eyeball. No joke! Have you ever seen that? How does that happen?

I freak! Calmly and quietly on the inside though. I ran and grabbed a wet cotton ball and literally tried to help Annabelle pry her eye open. It would NOT open!

I see blood! I freak some more! But again, calmly and quietly. I thought she had poked herself in the eye with the picture.

I called hubby. "Um, I think Annabelle has poked herself in the eye with something."

"Do you need me?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied.

I grabbed Sophia who was dressed in a diaper only and placed her in her car seat. I called out to Annabelle the entire time. "Keep your eye closed. I'll be right back. I am going outside to get Sophia in the car."

Then I come back for Annabelle who is, by the way, staying very calm. She is crying, but thankfully not screaming. She was a brave soul! I carried her to the car, still in her pajamas with bare feet.

Both kids are now in the car ready to go. I am still calm. Worrying about the worst, but still fairly calm.

I called her doctor's office quickly from outside of the car and spoke with a nurse. She said since they didn't have an appointment open immediately that I should go immediately to the ER since I thought I saw blood.

So, I crank the car and off we go. But, wait, I don't know how to get to the ER closest to our house! I called hubby again.

"We're off to the ER. How do I get there?" I asked.

He calmly gave me directions (even though I knew I had him scared to death).

As we near the Chick-fil-A at the first light leaving our neighborhood, Annabelle has stopped crying. I started asking her questions, but I continued to ask her to keep her eyes closed.

Mommy: Did you poke yourself in the eye with something?

Annabelle: No.

Mommy: Are you sure? Did you poke yourself in the eye with the picture you were looking at?

Annabelle: No. I was just rubbing my eyes.

[Pause]

Annabelle: Mommy, I see different colors. Yellow, orange and black.

Mommy: [Again, freaking a little.] Really? Well, just keep your eyes closed. Are you sure you didn't poke yourself in the eye with something?

I didn't think I could stand to see blood in her eye while driving down the road.

Annabelle: Yes.

I look back again after we had made a few turns. And, her eyes were open. And, I did NOT see blood!

I called hubby and asked where he was. He was only a block behind us! Someone used excessive speed to get home (if you ask me). I told him I was about to pull over to check out Annabelle's eyes as they were now open, and I didn't see blood.

I pulled over, and she was absolutely fine!!! I guess the blood I saw was the normal blood from the inside of her eye.

I have no clue what she did, but she freaked me out a little. I have learned the following.

(1) I need to drive to the hospital myself so I know, without a doubt, how to get there in case of an emergency.

(2) I need to plug in a phone to our home phone jack in case of a serious emergency where I need to call 911. We do not have a home phone, but the phone service cannot be disconnected completely as it is required that 911 still be accessible from home. I have problems locating my cell phone when in a panic, so I think this is a must.

(3) Get everyone dressed from head to feet as soon as possible every morning, including teeth brushed! Otherwise, an ER or doctor's visit may be a little embarrassing. We were all still in our pajamas. Well, I had thrown on a pair of shorts since I sleep in t-shirts, and our front door has windows where people can see inside if they are simply knocking. But, I wasn't looking too hot to say the least in my t-shirt, jean shorts and TN orange flip flops! Of course, I haven't looked too hot since Sophia was born!

My Saving Grace

Hubby out of town all week.

A bad case of eczema for one little girl with one tube of steroid cream to administer 3 times daily (for a possible skin infection) and another tube to administer 2 times daily (to tame the eczema) along with the application of Eucerin cream as much as possible. Do you see her poor legs? Can anyone guess how long it takes to lube up a toddler all over with Eucerin and apply steroid cream? 15 minutes if she's cooperating the entire time! That is just another hour and 15 minutes out of my already crunched for time day (around the nursing every 2 hours, diaper changes, tee tee wipes, toddler meals, snacks and drinks, clothes washing, and the list goes on and on and on).

The above picture was taken to document Annabelle's first shower because the doctor recommended we keep baths to a minimum (5 minutes at the most) to help keep the eczema from flaring up again and again. Ha! That is probably hard to do with any toddler much less my Annabelle.

A viral infection with an awful croupy cough for the same three and a half year old. At least we hope it is a viral infection as the diagnosis for strep is still on the table until 48 hours from 10:00 a.m. on Saturday.

And an awful rash caused by the viral infection because my poor child has skin and allergy issues and her body overreacts to illnesses. Annabelle is rarely ever sick, but this will be the third time her body has reacted with a nasty itchy rash. The rash started earlier in the week, and the doctor and I both thought it was just a flare up of eczema on her face. I should have known better since she has not had eczema on her face since she was a baby. But then it spread to the rest of her body in tiny little bumps. And then it flared up to look much like a sunburn on Friday.

We made a special visit to the doctor's office on Saturday (surcharge for that I assume) because she woke up looking like the above. And, that was after we gave her a dose of Benadryl the night before. I am so glad that hubby took the above picture on Saturday at the Peachtree Dekalb Airport's Air Show because this one time I failed to get a picture, and she is finally starting to look a lot better.

Thank goodness we have already met our deductible for the year because I don't feel so bad taking my children to the doctor for every little thing. Thank you Sophia!!! Did you feel the sarcasm?

And a CRAZY, weird child when doped up on Zyrtec.

But, this folks, this is my saving grace for the week!

Sophia normally will only sleep during the day when snuggled up against me in the Baby Bjorn. But, I decided to try something new on Friday. I swaddled her and then placed her in the swing on the highest setting. She normally hates the swing, but this time it worked! She will sleep for 2-3 hours straight in the swing when she is swaddled.

Thank you Dr. Harvey Karp (The Happiest Baby on the Block)! You are a genius!

Annabelle's 3 Year Checkup

Annabelle had her 3 year checkup with Dr. Calk this afternoon. Yes, it was a few months late, but I waited to book it until early November, and I couldn't get in with Dr. Calk until January. Since he's seen her for all her well visits since birth, I preferred to stick with him even though he probably does not remember either of us. But, for the most part, I've been very happy with him.

Here were her stats for the visit at her age of 3 years, 2.5 months:

Height: 37 3/4" (50-75%)
Weight: 35 lbs (90%)
Blood Pressure: 92/58
Heart Rate: 104

Two nurses walked in with us to the exam room. I thought, "Oh great! We get another nurse in training!" It turned out to be a very pleasant experience though.

One nurse took Annabelle to weigh, measure and take her blood pressure and heart rate while Lauren, the other nurse, reviewed her list of questions with me and discussed any concerns I had to discuss with the doctor. It actually made me a little sad that Annabelle was so quickly to follow the other nurse without me there to tag along. I just like to watch everything my sweet girl does, and I missed out on how she acted when they took her blood pressure and heart rate for the very first time. I don't think they've taken it in the past.

Then, after Annabelle had returned and while I was still speaking with Nurse Lauren, another nurse showed up to take her for her vision test. Vision test! I never dreamed they would check her vision at 3 years. But, apparently, she did well, and she was so proud because they gave her a sticker with a tiger on it wearing glasses that said, "Lookin' Good!"

Yet again, she followed that nurse without any problem at all. She's growing up so fast! My baby no longer needs me for everything in her life any more. It is definitely bitter sweet!

As for her wellness visit with Dr. Calk, I came prepared with my list of questions. He always takes the time to explain most everything to me. And, today, it seemed as if he took an extraordinary amount of time. But, he didn't act rushed at all, and he answered all of my questions in full detail.

And, Annabelle was awesome! She wasn't scared at all. I had told her that I didn't think she would need any shots today because they had told me that she wouldn't, but I warned her that I could be wrong and they may need to insert a needle to give her a shot. She seemed okay with it, but fortunately, I was right. She had no shots!

Here are details regarding my list of questions for Dr. Calk.


Eczema

Since Annabelle was a baby, she has always dealt with problems with eczema, but this winter has been to the extreme for her. I believe one of her wakings last night was related to this eczema.

Poor baby has splotches of the raised, bright red nastiness all over her body. It has been bothering her for a good 2 months, but I've been able to tame it with fewer baths, lots of Eucerin and Calydryl on the really bad spots. Honestly, the Calydryl and fewer baths has seemed to help the most.

She had another bath last night though, and that seemed to set off another bad case of it. Her little legs turned red while in the tub, and she started itching and scratching before she was even out.

Dr. Calk said that the eczema is generally worse when it is cold outside. I already knew that though. He also said that I really didn't need to cut back on the number of baths, but instead may try a little salt in the bath water. He said that some people believe salt helps to heal the sores, but he believes the eczema is a direct result of the humidity levels.

He did say she would need a steroid cream to heal those sores, so he prescribed Cutivate cream. He said to apply it once daily for 7-10 days. I just wonder how much that cream is going to cost me since our health insurance changed to a high deductible health plan, and we no longer have copays, so the cost is ours up to our deductible. But, the good news is that we will most definitely meet our deductible this year with the birth of our second child, so I'm not too worried with the excessive cost of a prescription. You know me though, I will still try to find the cheapest option.


Labial Adhesion

Yet again, she had a slight labial adhesion. I already knew it though because I've been watching that one like a hawk since she's struggled with that since she was only a few months old.

And, honestly, she hasn't had a problem with it in months, but I noticed it again at the beginning of this week. Naturally! Just in time for another checkup!


Speech

And, my biggest concern for Dr. Calk was her speech. Most people have a very hard time understanding Annabelle, and I have to repeat everything for her. But, once she started talking, she has NOT shut up. She talks non-stop! Some people don't realize she talks so much though because she tends to be quiet and shy around those that she doesn't know or doesn't know very well. Get her alone, and you cannot get a word in otherwise.

Thankfully, she did open up to Dr. Calk immediately. He mentioned something about the Hello Kitty socks she was wearing, and she said, "Yes, I like dose Hello ditty dat socks. I have another pair at home with, with, with, only one Hello ditty dat on it. Dose are my best favorite."

His response: "She's a little chatterbox, isn't she?"

You think!?!?! Is it a girl thing?

He did immediately ask if she had seen a speech therapist though, and he recommended that she see one. He was very positive about it though, which made me feel much better. He said that some people believe in early intervention with speech, but he didn't feel like it would have made much of a difference in Annabelle. He said that a 3 year old is much more cooperative than a 2 year old, and she's going to get a lot more out of it now than she would have a year ago.

I cannot even tell you how good that made me feel because I have really been beating myself up for not acting sooner.

And, he also mentioned that he isn't concerned about her developmentally at all with her speech. He said that she just needs to work on her articulation. He recommended that I write down all of the sounds she has trouble with before we meet with the speech therapist. He said that 2 out of 3 kids her age that he sees have problems with L's.

He said that her vocabulary and ability to process her words into complete sentences was actually very advanced for her age. He said that was actually a 4 year milestone. Whew! Again, it helped ease my feelings as I've really been blaming myself for her speech problems. Maybe I am doing something right! Too often I feel like I am doing everything wrong.

As for easing the cost, Dr. Calk mentioned that speech therapy is no rocket science. He recommended that I take her for a few sessions and really listen to the speech therapist and ask a lot of questions. He said that I am the best person to help Annabelle since I am with her every day. Of course, he doesn't know my daughter, does he?

I have really been trying to work with her to teach her to sound out all of the syllables and sounds, but she gets tired of me, and she'll say, "I don't want to say dat any more!" But, working together, she has transformed "Bookie" into "Cookie" and "Dannabelle" into "Annabelle." So, I know she can do it.

In all honesty, I do know her speech problems are directly related to me. I think she cannot articulate the words because she has "heard" me say a word one way for so long that she cannot change her thought process to say the word correctly. I talk so fast that she has always heard me differently. I mentioned this to Dr. Calk, and he said that a lot of children with speech problems have parents that talk very fast.

As for speech therapy, I am hoping it will be covered by our health insurance. As I mentioned, we will most definitely meet our deductible this year, so if speech therapy is covered, then this is the year for Annabelle to get the most appointments in as we will then only be responsible for 10% of the cost. If it isn't covered, whoa be unto us!


Diet

My next biggest concern is Annabelle's diet as I don't feel like she eats a well balanced meal. And, it isn't always because I don't feed it to her. But, I've felt for a long time that her attachment to apple juice has become the problem. She used to be such a great eater too, until she got closer to 2.5 years of age. I'm not sure what happened. Independence on her part maybe?

She's had issues with constipation since she started eating solids at 6 months of age, and at that time, the doctors we saw all recommended apple juice to help with the constipation. I think it used to work, but it has gradually become a habit for her. So much that if you offer Annabelle water instead of apple juice, she will completely refuse it and go without anything to drink all day.

But, I have been refusing any apple juice or milk until she eats her meals first. If she drinks anything, she just will not eat. Then, she is starving and a pill to be around within just a few hours.

Dr. Calk mentioned the Rule of 2's: We can go 2 days without fluids, 2 weeks without food and 2 months without something else, but I cannot remember what he said.

He said that the apple juice was acting as a high glycemic food. He mentioned that high glycemic foods (including fruits) makes us feel good immediately, but then sends us down and we get hungrier sooner. However, if I stick to feeding her leans and greens, it may take longer for her to feel better, but she will stay fuller longer. He recommended snack foods such as yellow bell peppers, carrots and sugar snap peas.

Dr. Calk also mentioned that she needed 3 square meals a day with a snack in the afternoon. He said that all of her meals and her snack should include a high protein which could be milk or a dairy product. He said she needs 10-15 ounces of dairy per day to meet her calcium needs.

As for her refusing to eat, he said to only offer her water, no apple juice. And, provide her with her meal, and if she doesn't eat it, don't give in and give her any snacks. He said she will eventually eat when she is hungry. And, just for the record, I am actually not big into giving her snacks. And, I am a big proponent of "she'll eat when she's hungry." The apple juice has been my weakness because I hate when she gets so constipated because it hurts her so much. But, she is at an age where I can explain this to her.

Reason, reason, reason: This is one thing I love about this age! You cannot reason with a 2 year old, no matter how hard you try. I still think it is important to "try" at age 2 even though they'll never get it, but eventually, when they get closer to 3 years old, they truly do understand, and you can reason with them. And everyone says 3 is harder than 2! The problems I have with my 3 year old are a direct result of my parenting at age 2...such as rocking her to sleep every single night after she gave up naps!

So, tomorrow is another day. I know she heard everything Dr. Calk said, and I know she understood it too. So, she may start hating visiting the doctor for fear of him changing my parenting style! Forget the shots!


Growth and Development

I was a little alarmed that her percentile for her height had jumped down while her percentile for her weight had jumped up. I did mention to Dr. Calk, but he said that he isn't worried about it right now. He said that they typically don't see signs of obesity until a child is between 4 and 6 years old.

However, he did mention that when they look back, the higher percentile in weight compared to the lower percentile in height is common among obese children.

But, he said that she is just built "thick." He said that she doesn't have any fat in her belly that is not normal, so that is why he isn't concerned right now. And, I brought this issue up with him. He didn't even mention it to me.

As for her being "thick," please, please, please, if you know someone who has a child that you consider "thick," please do not refer to that child as "thick" in the presence of that child (or the child's parents for that matter), especially if the child is a girl. Just keep your comments to yourself! Of course, I am not upset with Dr. Calk for calling her "thick" because he had no other way to explain it to me since I had asked. But, girls are self conscious enough during their adolescent and teenage years, so don't add to the drama by calling them "thick." They pick up on this stuff much earlier than you would think, and "thick" in a girl's eyes refers to "fat."

Vitamins

Dr. Calk recommended she start taking a multi-vitamin once daily such as Centrum Junior Chewables or Flintstone's. He did mention to stay away from the Gummi ones though. He said the dentist hate those as they aren't good for the teeth.


Miralax

Per Dr. Calk, I can continue to give Annabelle the Miralax once a day, if necessary. However, once every 2-3 days is sufficient enough for her (going on experience alone). Otherwise, it is very runny and she doesn't even realize she's gone poopy sometimes. Not a good thing!

He also mentioned that she should start getting a bowel movement once a day once she starts eating more balanced meals. I beg to differ with him on this one as she used to eat very well balanced meals, and she still had problems with constipation.


Dentist

And, per Dr. Calk, she is now ready to start seeing a dentist. He did recommend a pediatric dentist so that her dentists experiences would be pleasant.


4 Year Checkup

It will consist of another round of shots including the following: MMR, Vericella, Dtap and Polio. And, of course the flu shots if I opt for them, but she hasn't had a flu shot yet, and I plan to keep with that trend. I just don't find them necessary, personally.


Don't most kids hate going to the doctor? For some reason, Annabelle has never been scared of going. Maybe because we rarely go, because (knock on wood) she is rarely sick. She did such an awesome job, and I was so proud of her.

She told me later, "When da doctor put dose tangs in my ears, it didn't hurt, it hurt just a ittle bit." She's a trooper, isn't she?!?! She didn't cry one bit.

Of course, she felt the need to empty my entire purse right in front of the doctor and pulled out my gum which the doctor could have mistakened for medicine.

My favorite part...as we were leaving, she pulled me towards the lab where she had a strep culture done back in August or September. The lab tech saw her, smiled and said, "Do you want something?" I laughed and said, "Yes, she's been asking for a band-aid." Annabelle said, "Yes, a sticker." So, the lab tech let her pick out a sticker. She picked a princess sticker. She apparently forgot that she had asked for a band-aid.

Relapse

I don't think I can take any more. I remind God of that every evening, and this past weekend, I really thought He thought, "Boy, you are right! You cannot take any more! Let me make you better, quickly."

Well, apparently, I was wrong!

I feel a relapse coming on, but this time, the congestion feels worse. Not good! I have seen my most vulnerable and weakest side these past three weeks. I used to think I was a pretty strong woman. Heck, I had that sweet child of mine naturally, no meds! And, yes hubby, I will always have bragging rights on that one and I will always remind you and her, but especially you because you didn't think I could do it!

But, honestly, motherhood has been the most humbling experience. I honestly thought I could do anything I wanted until I had Annabelle. Cocky? Yes, I probably was. Too bad I didn't realize it then! But now, right now, I feel my weakest! Motherhood is not my expertise, and homemaking, well, we won't even go there on that one.

I'll just keep praying, but in the mean time, I'm sure He'll keep hitting me with his best shots. And, I mean absolutely no disrespect with that comment. We all know (or at least tell ourselves), the Lord will never give you anything you cannot handle.

And, as my grandmother, Mama Gordon, used to always say, "This too shall pass and be replaced by something much worse!"

Okay, so I don't think I ever heard her say that, but my mom says she did. She was a very optimistic person in my eyes, so I have a hard time believing she really did say that.

Anyhow, this is to hoping that my sweet child will actually sleep through the night tonight! I swear she's woken up almost every night for the past week between 2 and 3 a.m. And, she always insists that I rock her awhile. Then, "a ittle bit more" when I stop to lay her down. Maybe her waking at 8:53 p.m. this evening was her one time for the evening!

Good night everyone!

Life

Life has a way of knocking you down flat sometimes. I guess that is just God's way of saying, "Slow down!!! Those things that you fret over daily are just not that important."

I feel like I'm still recovering from my illness from last week. We are all still coughing. Annabelle a little less than the two adults in the family. And, I'm still very, very weak. But somehow, I've managed to work 5 hours total this week at night on major deadline tax returns. It is amazing how much I've accomplished just working from 8:30 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. or so every night, and I haven't had to even go into the office. It occurred to me just how much I procrastinate on these things! Now if I could only find time to finish my own tax return before the October 15th deadline! Just like the cobbler's kids have no shoes, the CPA's family has no tax return!

Annabelle never seizes to crack me up though. Hubby taught her how to cough into her arm to not spread the germs. Not sure why hubby explaining it to her clicked, but it did. I've only been trying to teach her that since her very first cold! And, she'll tell me, "Daddy showed me to cough into my arm." She's so very proud of herself too!

And, sometimes when I'm at home and in my pajamas, I'll pull my shirt over my mouth and cough into my pajama shirt. Probably not real sanitary, I know, but I only do it at home in my pajamas. Just seems a little easier for some odd reason.

Well, if Annabelle is nearby, she'll say, "No, no! Cough into your arm like dis!" Then, when I obey her command, she'll say, "Tank you, tank you!"

Sicklings

We've been a family of sicklings over the past week, and frankly, life has really stunk (to put it nicely)! I am NOT a big fan of putting my daughter in front of the television for even 30 minutes, but Annabelle and I have watched a lot of cartoons over the last week. So much that she seems to get bored and asks to watch t.v. See what t.v. does to your kids people? It makes them bored, very, very bored.

Just learned that the lovely swine flu is widespread in only two states, Alaska and Georgia. Yes, you read it right, Georgia! Why? Why does it have to be widespread in the state I live in?

Have I mentioned that I absolutely despise germs and it ticks me off beyond all when you bring your children around my child while they are still sick or have been sick in the last 24 hours? It makes me quite livid, so people, please respect others and keep your sick children home or tell others if your child has been sick before getting together. You never know what other people are going through, and some people just cannot afford to get sick from their own sick child when it can be helped.

Work deadlines for both hubby and myself is hanging over our shoulders now! And, for me, these are major deadlines with money consequences for my clients if the work is not completed on time. Not to mention, I am a full-time, stay-at-home mom and work a part-time schedule (for pay), so if I miss that one day of work, it is very hard to catch up!

So, I digressed, I know, but if you don't already, please respect others!

Fortunately, I don't believe any of us had the swine flu. Although, Annabelle and I did wear masks when we visited the doctor's office last Tuesday. Again, out of respect for the other patients, nurses and doctors. Why? Because the sign (as we entered the doctor's office) specifically said if you have a fever and cough or fever and sore throat, please wear a mask. Forget that every other kid was hacking around us, and they weren't wearing masks! And, I know they had to have had a fever or why else would their parents have brought them? We looked pretty silly, but everyone stayed clear of us!

The best part of recovering from this awful illness is my sweet girl. We've all had a terrible cough that just won't go away. And, whenever I cough crazy, Annabelle walks over, hugs my leg and says, "It's alright sweet Mommy, it's alright."

She's such a sweetheart! I love that sweet voice despite those lovely germs she spreads my way.

Have I mentioned I hate germs? And, have I mentioned that I HATE when parents bring their sick children around my otherwise very healthy child? If not, I should have. Keep the peace with your friends and family people! Stay home when your child is sick!!!

P.S. Thank you, thank you, thank you Grandmama and Granddaddy for bringing me vegetable soup and corn muffins last week to soothe the pain! It was a blessing well received, and honestly, I don't think I would have made it through the week without those nutrients. You are definitely God sent parents! I love you both bunches!!!

If only the hubby would cook something besides carryout when he's actually feeling well and I'm not! Oh well! You cannot teach an old dog new tricks, and I do appreciate all of his help emptying the dishwasher and cleaning the dishes pretty much all week. Thanks hubby! I couldn't have made it without you (and my vegetable soup of course)!

And, most of all, thank you hubby for NOT suggesting anything to eat last week! Your "get-well" foods are always the "please puke" foods. For example, would you like a Beef-n-Cheddar (when you already feel like vomiting)? How about suggesting Campbell's chicken noodle soup next time? Still love you though!

Got Cashews?

If you do, please don't give any to Annabelle! Or, she'll start looking like this.

I know, this doesn't look all that bad, but it looked worse in person. And, she didn't even actually eat a cashew! She had peanuts (which she is not allergic to), almonds (which she is also not allergic to) and M&M's from a bag of trail mix at Nonnie's house. I specifically pulled out the cashews since we had an emergency room visit for ingested cashews a year ago. Nothing serious last year, and Benadryl would have probably done the trick, but the hives and rash covering her entire body freaked me out, and I completely forgot to give her Benadryl. Instead, last year, we hopped in the car with her with Tylenol in hand. Can anyone say moron? But, now we are a little more wiser (and grayer).

So, apparently, this is what you get when your child is allergic to cashews and eats something else with cashew dust on it only 2 hours before this picture was taken. It didn't take long for the rash to start though. I noticed it on our drive home, while she was napping in the car, only 30 minutes after she had the trail mix. I made sure to stir her to make sure she was still breathing and open her mouth to check for any swelling while she napped in the car and hubby drove. Fortunately, the Benadryl quickly kicked in after we gave her some at 7:00 p.m., and the rash was completely gone before bedtime.

Does anyone else think it is a little ironic that we nicknamed this child "Cashew" while she was still in the womb?

Spare Teddy Bear to the Rescue!

Thank you, thank you, thank you Grandmama for the spare teddy bear you bought for $2 the other day. Although hubby and I were cursing you this evening, the spare teddy bear "frum Grandmama and Granddaddy" did finally work his magic!

It has been a rough few days for both Annabelle and me! Annabelle had her first dose of a stomach virus Thursday night (Friday morning at 3:30 a.m.)! Diarrhea preceded it with the worst poopy explosion ever during naptime on Wednesday! And, I'm not even kidding. Even as an infant with very explosive bowel movements, she has never had one this bad!

I got my own dose of this lovely bug for almost 24 hours straight beginning Thursday night around 11:00 p.m. My head was in a bucket pretty much every 30 minutes from 11:30 p.m. on Thursday night until noon on Friday. And, my head was in a bucket because I couldn't make it to the toilet! Sorry for the lovely picture, but I know you've all been there too!

The best part...hubby was out of town again! The out of town part I am really learning to deal with, but honestly, he has been out of town I believe every time that Annabelle has been really, really sick. Of course, that is no fault of his own, but it sure makes life really interesting, especially when you aren't feeling too great yourself. Thank goodness I had decided to spend the evening with my parents that night! And, honestly, I had almost decided to go back home after we had visited for the day. My parents definitely were my lifesavers during this illness! My mom held and cared for Annabelle while she puked most of the morning. If she hadn't, neither of us would have gotten any rest!

So, Annabelle woke up this morning quite lethargic. My concerns are still wondering between bladder infection or dehydration, but while I was on the phone with the nurse, Annabelle perked up and started singing her version of the ABC song. The nurse said, "Is that her I hear in the background." Hubby recommended that next time I just tell her that I am going to call the doctor and instead call some 1-800 number where I don't actually have to speak to a person. Do they just sense that you are calling the doctor?

She seemed better later this morning, but by 1:30 p.m., she was ready for a nap as she layed her head down on the table while she was trying to finish up her macaroni and cheese, which she had requested, and then ate. This is honestly the most she has eaten since Thursday afternoon. And, she didn't even eat one Kraft Easy Mac Single Serve Packet before her head was on the table and her eyes started closing.

So, off to bed she goes, but not without reading her two books (and a diaper change)! The diaper change was not needed because she has barely wet even one diaper all day long. Yet another sign of dehydration, right? But, she has been drinking somewhat today, and I've been watching her closely for signs of dehydration.

By the way, her temperature has been around 97.1 degrees F all day long, even after the episode you are about to read.

While Annabelle napped, I ran to the office to work for a few hours. I called hubby around 4:30 p.m. as I pulled away from the office only to learn that she was still asleep! She went down for her nap at 1:45 p.m. He said he had been going in to check on her though. I was feeling a bit concerned since she had been sleeping for so long.

So, I get home, wash my hands to get off those nasty germs from office doors and shared keyboards, and I'm about to walk in Annabelle's room to feel her head for a temperature. Instead, Shadow, our black cat, wakes Annabelle up with her entry into Annabelle's room. I guess she was concerned about Annabelle too.

The next thing I hear was hubby, "Mommy!" Actually, hubby called me by name. Then I hear my sweet little girl leaving her lunch behind all over the crib. Lovely!

She's crying and reaching for me with puke covered hands. Hubby said, "What do you want me to do?" I said, "Grab something for her to throw up in." What did he bring her? I probably shouldn't tell you because you'll never eat lunch or dinner or anything at my house again! But, I'm going to because I thought it was rather funny. He brought me a tupperware container. You know, the ones that everyone uses to store leftover food.

I took her to the bathroom and removed her clothes and washed her off with a warm wash cloth. I then held her as she cried. I asked Annabelle if she would allow hubby to hold her while I cleaned up her bed. "Noooo!" she cried. So, again, hubby said, "What can I do to help?" I finally asked him to remove the sheets and throw them into the washing machine immediately. He did as asked without any complaints, and I didn't hear any puking from him. Although, he did complain of an upset stomach later on in the evening, which he was way over by 9:00 p.m. I think that the simple thought of cleaning up puke made him sick to his stomach. I will still give him kudos for helping me though! It isn't fun cleaning up puke!

This time though, Teddy Bear did not make it unscathed. And, I didn't want to wash him with the really nasty sheets, so we washed him with a wash cloth temporarily. Fortunately, he wasn't covered, and she needed him for comfort very shortly after she had thrown up.

However, after I felt that Annabelle was finished throwing up for the evening, I decided to give her a bath and wash Teddy Bear along with some of her pajamas and clothes. She was not happy during bathtime, and shortly after bathtime, she decided that she needed paci and Teddy Bear right then! Uh oh!!!

I asked hubby to bring the spare Teddy Bear that Grandmama bought and just blogged about recently. When she saw the spare Teddy Bear from Grandmama and Granddaddy, she just cried, and said, "Noooo! My Teddy Bear!" as she kicked him away. I tried to explain to her that Teddy Bear was taking a bath, and I even showed her that he was bathing in a pillow case in the washing machine. She watched the pillow case spin, and she understood because she's seen me wash Teddy Bear in a pillow case before, but she still wasn't happy.

Finally, she settled down for the evening. We read books to her. She was so tired that she wanted to lay down in my lap as hubby read her a book and he stood up so she could see the book, and then I also read a book and held it for her to see, all while she layed down in my arms.

As I was singing her bedtime songs to her, she said, "Teddy Bear dat Grandmama Grandaddy gave me." I grabbed the $2 Teddy Bear from Grandmama, which I had just earlier hidden after she had settled down from her tantrum and seemed to "forget" about her own Teddy Bear.

She put her arms around his neck, and she held him until we finished singing her bedtime songs. Then, I laid her down in the crib, and she rubbed his fur between her little fingers. At last, she was comforted by another bear!

Grandmama, hubby and I were cursing you earlier in the evening, and it wasn't because you purchased a $2 spare bear. It was because you didn't purchase a twin for Teddy Bear when you bought him for her 1st birthday!

But, this time, the spare Teddy Bear saved the day! Thank God for miracles!

Prayers Needed

I'm hoping I can write this blog quickly as I need to "try" and go to sleep this evening. I am very worried about Annabelle, so we need all of the prayers that we can get! I'm hoping I am just being an overprotective and over worried Mommy.

Annabelle developed hives this weekend after visiting the Yellow River Game Ranch (a petting zoo). I originally thought the hives were mosquito bites or an allergic reaction to a lotion or something that her Nana Janet (a friend from Boston) was wearing.

On Saturday evening, she fell and skinned her knee. It was nothing serious. It was a short cry, and I cleaned it with Hydrogen Peroxide and then put some Polysporin on it after we got home (about 30 minutes later).

She woke up on Sunday, and the hives had spread. Her eye lid was swollen as well (not swollen shut though, and not swollen very badly). So, I gave her some Zyrtec at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday. Dr. Calk had recommended this with the last rash she had. The Zyrtec seemed to work as the hives diminished shortly after she had the Zyrtec.

This morning when she woke up, her hives were no longer, but she now had a rash that had spread all over her body, but mostly on her face, inside her ears (where you can see by just looking at her), and on her bottom area. So, I gave her another dose of Zyrtec. The rash began to diminish again, but it did not completely disappear.

So, this evening, I checked her out again, and I noticed that the rash seemed to be getting worse again, but it was slowly getting worse. So, I decided to get her ready for bed, and I decided I would check on her later this evening after she had fallen asleep.

I left her in her crib around 9:05 p.m. She was fussing, but I let her cry a little because it wasn't a bloody scream, and I seriously thought this child was learning how to manipulate me to allow her to sleep in our bed with me again (since hubby is out of town). She got to sleep with us on Saturday night because she had a very long day, and she would not let me lay her down without screaming. However, last night (Sunday night), she slept in her crib.

I checked on her again between 9:15 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. only to realize that I had forgotten to give her the water I normally give her at night in the crib. She was asking for "Juice Mama, Juice." So, I gave her the juice, but she started doing her swaying and singing, "da da da da da," to let me know that she wanted to be rocked. So, I picked her up and rocked her.

I laid her back down around 9:45 p.m., but when I left the room, she screamed bloody murder. I let her cry for 5 minutes until I heard her at the door crying, "Boo boo hurt, Mommy, boo boo hurt."

When I went in to check on her, she was burning up and sweating. It was as if she had broken a fever, but when I laid her down only 5 minutes before, she did not feel like she had a fever. I can only suspect it was from all of the screaming she had done when I left her for the 5 minutes.

So, I pulled her out of the crib and stood her on the floor. I told her she could pick out some books to put in her crib to read, so she walked from the crib to the book shelf on the other side of the room to pick out a book. She limped all the way. I thought once again that she was being manipulative. Sounds silly, right? Well, we were with her Nana Janet and Papa Bill this weekend, and Papa Bill has arthritis in his knees, so he sort of walks with a limp. They compared boo boos on Sunday and Monday because they both had band aids on their knees. So, I honestly thought she had decided to limp like Papa Bill.

Then, after she reached her crib and put her book in the crib, she would not walk anywhere else. She wanted me to get things for her. When I tried to persuade her to move, she just screamed.

She got a bowel movement, so I laid her down and changed her diaper. I took her temperature then too, and it was 98.7 degrees F. After I changed her diaper, she didn't want me to fasten the diaper back on. And, she would not move! She laid on the floor for an hour without moving. When I asked her what was hurting, she pointed to her knee and said "boo boo." At one point (before I laid her on the floor), she pointed to her tongue and head when I asked her what hurt. She also kept putting her fingers in her ears.

She tinkled while she was laying on the floor too, and she moved her legs as if it hurt to tinkle, so maybe she just has another bladder infection. This is one thought that crosses my mind.

I finally called the doctor's office at 10:36 p.m., and I waited 30 minutes for a nurse to call me back. She ran through her list of questions which included making sure that the rash disappeared when I stretched her skin (which it didn't on only one spot). However, the bump was raised so she said that as long as it was raised, I wouldn't need to see anyone on the rash issue tonight. However, she was concerned about the joint pain, so she wanted me to speak with a doctor.

By the way, it wasn't just Annabelle's scraped knee that was hurting her. If I moved or touched either knee, leg or foot, she would cry and say, "No, boo boo Mama, boo boo." Very strange. And, now that I'm thinking about it, I think she complained that her hands were hurting her too.

Shortly before the nurse called, I moved Annabelle to our bed to sleep. I asked her if she wanted to move to our bed to sleep, and this time, she did not jump all over the chance to move. She didn't want to move at all! She cried for a good 5 minutes after I moved her.

The nurse asked if I had given her anything. I told her I wanted to give her Tylenol, but I had waited because I wasn't sure if they were going to recommend Benadryl, and I wasn't sure if both could be given at the same time. Apparently, you can give them both Benadryl and Tylenol at the same time. She recommended I give her a teaspoon of the Motrin I had on hand though. So, I gave her a dose around 11:30 p.m. She was asleep within 10 minutes.

Candace with the doctor's office called back at 11:55 p.m. She said that she definitely needed to see someone, but she thought it could wait until the morning since Annabelle was sleeping and seemed comfortable. She asked if Annabelle was in daycare or had been around other children. I told her that we went to the library for story time last week, but she hasn't seen any other children since. She said it sounded like Strep. Then she said, "Let's hope it is Strep because that is an easy fix." She said that rashes and sore joints are common with Strep.

So, all that being said, I guess we should "hope it is Strep." However, my motherly instinct tells me that it is not Strep. I guess I hope I'm wrong since that is apparently the easy fix.

However, I pulled out my American Academy of Pediatrics book before I spoke with Candace and then started surfing the internet after I spoke with her, and the other diagnoses don't look too good nor do they look easy to diagnose (for sore joints and rashes). I am really worried that this is something more serious, so we really need all of the thoughts and prayers we can get.

I know Annabelle is a fighter, but I don't ever want to see her in a lot of pain again (or any pain for that matter).

Did I mention that hubby is out of town? He feels awful, and he offered to catch a plane home tonight. I told him that was silly because it could just be Strep as the nurse mentioned. He said he "feels awful because he cannot do anything to help her and make her feel better." He's doing his job supporting a family though so that I am able to be home with her, so he really should not be so hard on himself. He's a great Daddy, and I know he'd be here in a heartbeat (or a plane ride) if we seriously needed him. But, right now, we'll just take one day at a time.

Okay, it is 1:33 a.m., and I am off to bed! I started this blog entry at 1:00 am. (even though I changed the date and time to correspond with yesterday). I'm hoping I can actually get some rest. I just heard Annabelle cry out a little bit, so I hope she's not hurting.

Update: Urinary Tract Infection

It has still been a very hard day for Annabelle, but she has definitely shown some progress. She has wanted to nurse a whole lot more today, but that is fine with me if she feels she needs it.

She only ate maybe a bite or two of cottage cheese this morning and maybe one grape (if that). For lunch, I bought mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese from Boston Market hoping that she would eat some of each, but she wouldn’t eat one bite. She did eat a few of her Daddy’s curly fries from Arby’s, but maybe only three or four of them. For dinner, she wanted nothing except to drop her dried peas into her cup of tea.

Besides the nursing, she does not want to drink anything, and she refuses it completely by pushing it away and saying “NO!” She has not wanted any Jell-O or popsicles, not even one! She did have one popsicle last night (her very first popsicle ever), and she seemed to enjoy it. I actually got some really cute pictures of her eating her first popsicle even though she probably didn’t look her best since she still didn’t feel well.

She woke up this morning at 5:30 a.m. with a temperature of 101.6 degrees Fahrenheit (38.7 degrees Celsius). She felt very hot! I gave her another dose of Motrin. She had been due for another dose at 12:00 a.m., but she lasted until 5:30 a.m., so I guess that is a good sign. When she woke up feeling bad at 5:30 a.m., I brought her into the bed with us to sleep. She either kicked or head butted her Daddy in the head this morning, but apparently, he didn’t remember it very well. He actually gave her a dirty look when she did it, although I don’t think he meant to because he was still sound asleep.

She woke up for the morning around 8:00 a.m., and she was happy and ready to play. She still didn’t seem like herself though since she didn’t want to eat very much for breakfast. I had plans scheduled with an old friend who I haven’t spoken with since three weeks before Annabelle was born. That’s another story in itself, but to make a long story short, she felt that I wasn’t trying hard enough to be her friend because I apparently didn’t call her to reschedule after cancelling with her. Oddly enough, the last time I remembered cancelling with her was the same night that my Grandmother passed away (only two weeks before I became pregnant), and I told her that we would need to reschedule because my Grandmother passed away. I was then exhausted my first trimester, and I didn’t feel like doing much besides going to work and coming home to sleep. I didn’t really feel like going to work either! Then, she said that I didn’t call her until 4 months later to tell her I was pregnant. I think it was closer to 3 months later though as I told her in April shortly before April 15th. She doesn’t believe that she was one of the first non-family friends I called, but she was. I, of course, told my best friend, Kelley, first (after the family found out). But, the family didn’t find out until mid-March, and I got pregnant on January 26th. And, yes, I know the exact date. But, she was definitely one of the next people I told besides family. I never realized she was so hurt with me. I thought she pulled away from me because I was pregnant and happily married. So, anyhow, once again, I had to cancel our lunch meeting, and we haven’t seen each other in almost two years! But, I’m sorry; my children will always come first! And, I am glad I stayed because Annabelle really needed me later in the day. Daddy tried to comfort her, but she still wanted her Mommy.

So, around 10:30 a.m., after I called and cancelled with my old friend, Annabelle fell asleep and took another nap in our bed. I, of course, used that time to blog some more. She woke up around 12:00 p.m. with another temperature. This time her temperature was 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. I tried to feed her lunch as I mentioned above, but she didn’t want it.

I finally got some more Motrin in her around 1:30 p.m. She looked miserable, so I told her that her and her Daddy could watch a movie together. Daddy was excited to be able to watch television while Annabelle was awake, so he picked out a children’s movie, Shark Tale. Annabelle rarely ever gets to watch television! So, this was supposed to be a treat for her. She sat on the sofa and watched it a little while, and I jumped in the shower. Probably 15 minutes into the movie, I heard her crying, “Mommy! Mommy!” Her Daddy rocked her while I finished up, and then I sat next to her in the bed to comfort her. She finally calmed down once I laid down next to her. She never did fall asleep though.

She seemed to be feeling better closer to 2:30 p.m., and I just needed to get out of the house for a little while. I’ve been clamped up in a house since Monday because the weather has been bad due to the tropical storm from Florida, and then Annabelle started feeling really bad on Thursday when the weather turned nice again. So we decided to take her for a walk in the stroller. She was happy to go and she cried when I mentioned it to her and then Daddy said it was too hot, so I told her it was too hot. She really wanted to go outside. She actually enjoyed herself, although she didn’t take one sip of juice the entire stroller ride. It just sat there in front of her where she put it on the stroller tray. I kept asking her to drink some juice, and she would say “No,” every time.

After our stroller ride, she played with Daddy from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. while I took a nap myself. She sounded so happy in there playing with Daddy. I kept hearing her say, “Hi Daddy!” It was so sweet. He would say “Hi Annabelle!” in response every time.

Around 6:00 p.m., I decided to try to get her to eat some dinner, but she wanted nothing to do with it. As mentioned above, she just dropped her dried peas into her tea. She maybe took a sip of tea.

I doubt that she has had 4 ounces of fluids (besides nursing) all day. So, I really started to worry about her. I had changed her diaper around 4:00 p.m. and by 6:30 p.m., it was still completely dry. And, when I changed her diaper at 4:00 p.m. it wasn’t very wet, and the urine was very concentrated.

So, I contacted the doctor’s office around 6:36 p.m. (to be exact), and I left a message with their answering service. I still had not heard back from them by 7:30 p.m., so hubby called and left another message. He had a hard time getting through to the answering service though because the line was busy the first few times he called.

Finally, around 7:45 p.m., Dr. Colton returned my phone call. I thought it was odd that Dr. Colton called me back and not a nurse, but that was fine with me. While I was on the phone with him, a nurse did call and leave a message. She called back later, and I told her that I was on the phone with Dr. Colton when she had called.

Dr. Colton didn’t seem to think that she was dehydrated. He said that if she were dehydrated, she probably would not fight me when I tried to give her liquids with a dropper (which she did). Of course, he doesn’t know my child, does he? She’s a fighter! Thank goodness for that or she may not even be with us today! And, she’s a strong little booger (as the nurses even confirmed yesterday after trying to catheterize her). He said that often times children with bladder infections don’t want to drink anything because they fear that they are going to vomit. I don’t think this is the case with Annabelle because she still requested juice on Friday after she had thrown up both times. This is why I became very concerned. I think she knows that drinking causes her to urinate, and she doesn’t want to urinate because it hurts. I hope it isn’t a more serious reason.

He said she needed to get a wet diaper every 4-6 hours. Of course, I told him that I didn’t think she had a really good wet diaper since 10:30 a.m. So, he recommended “dream time feeding” with her for the next one to one and half hours (because she had already fallen asleep for the evening at this point). He said I should give her a teaspoon every 5-10 minutes, and then start doubling the amount as the time continued, and hopefully, she would realize that Mommy isn’t going to stop with the dropper, so I guess I’ll just drink something myself using my own sipee cup. He recommended mixing ½ Gatorade with ½ water. Since I told him I was still nursing, he recommended nursing as much as possible. But, I told him that she had nursed more already today, but I was afraid that she wasn’t getting very much because I had dropped her down to 3 feedings per day over 7 months ago. That is the problem with nursing, you don’t have a clue how much they are getting to drink. He said that if she didn’t have a wet diaper within 2 hours of our phone call to give him a call back, and we could talk about admitting her to the hospital to get an IV. Of course, that is not the route we want to take if we can help it! He said that for someone her weight (approximately 26 lbs), she needed to be getting 1 liter of fluid per day. He wasn’t surprised that she was still running a fever since she’s been on the antibiotics for just a little over 24 hours, and he said she would probably still be running a fever in the morning as well. I asked him if someone would be on call as the Physician’s Assistant had mentioned to me, and he said that he would be in the office from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. tomorrow if I felt that he needed to see her.

So, from 8:30 p.m. until 9:40 p.m., I had been waking Annabelle up to give her a mix of Gatorade and water using the dropper. She was not happy with us at all, but she only told me about it (and not Daddy)! “NO Mommy, NO NO!” I really hated to wake her up, but I know she needs those fluids. And, she never decided to drink from her sipee cup herself until I made a deal with her that she could look at the pictures on my computer (that she so badly wanted to see one time after I woke her up and she realized I had the computer in there with us) if she would take a sip of drink for every picture. That deal lasted for one picture!

Dr. Colton actually mentioned to me that even third world countries could get around dehydration without needing an IV because they didn’t have IV’s in third world countries. He mentioned that it just took a little bit of persistence. He was actually very nice when he said it though even though I’m probably not making him sound nice in this blog entry. He’s always been very kind when I’ve dealt with him. I think it was just his way of telling me to be more persistent. Of course, I still feel like the worst Mommy in the whole wide world. (1) Because I should have taken Annabelle to the doctor’s office on Wednesday when she wasn’t feeling well just based on her symptoms with the mucous on Monday and (2) Because I should have pushed the fluids a lot harder all day long. I guess I just assumed that she was actually getting some fluids through nursing until her diapers were no longer wet. Shame on Annabelle’s Mommy!

So, at 9:30 p.m. when I gave Annabelle some more Motrin, her temperature was 99.1 degrees Fahrenheit (although she felt a lot hotter). Hopefully, based on that temperature, she is making some progress. By the way, these temperatures were all taken rectally, so they should be fairly accurate. And, my sweet baby girl actually didn’t give me too much trouble with taking her temperature rectally. Of course, I wouldn’t have blamed her if she had.

Also, one thing I did not know that Dr. Colton recommended. I had mentioned to him that her fever would rise an hour to an hour and a half before the next dose of Motrin was due, but this last time, her fever started to spike around 6:30 p.m. (3 hours before the next dose was due). He said that I could alternate every three hours between Tylenol and Motrin to keep the fever down. I did not know that, so that is excellent to know. He also said that I could give her some Tylenol three hours before the next dose of Motrin was due even if I didn’t alternate between the two.

I checked on her around 11:15 p.m. because she cried out in her sleep. She reached down to her crotch to hold herself, so I can only assume that she was hurting while she was urinating. I then felt her diaper, and it felt warm, so I knew she had urinated a little bit more. I guess that is a good sign, but I am going to continue to push fluids down her so we can get rid of this bladder infection! I really think she truly understands that drinking causes her to urinate, and urinating causes her pain.

Hooray! It is 11:50 p.m., and I heard her in there talking to herself and moving around, so I went to check on her. Her fever has broken, and she was actually sweating. That is a good sign to me because I haven’t felt her sweat with a broken fever since her 104 degree Fahrenheit temperature broke yesterday evening. Also, I haven’t noticed any tears with crying, and I had read (and heard from Dr. Colton) that it was also a sign of dehydration.

Please just keep her in your prayers, and keep her Mommy and Daddy in your prayers too that we’ll know the best things for her.

Thank you to everyone who is keeping up with these blog entries. I know they are probably very long and boring to you, but I wanted to document everything for Annabelle as well as myself if Annabelle ever has another issue with another bladder infection.

The Hunt for Suprax

When the Physician’s Assistant, Suzanne, prescribed Suprax to Annabelle, I asked her if she could make sure she prescribed something that came in generic as well. She said, “I don’t know if this one comes in generic, but if they don’t have it, just have the pharmacist call us.”

So, after we leave the doctor’s office around 11:30 a.m., we head straight home to get Annabelle settled and more comfortable. She was feeling much better at this point (or so she seemed). Of course, that is pretty typical of this child. Every time I’ve taken her to the doctor for an illness, she perks up again to her happy little self. As soon as we walked into that doctor’s office, she was smiling and laughing again. Of course, she had just had a dose of Tylenol.

She comes by that quite honestly too. The same day I was hospitalized for a bladder infection gone bad into a kidney infection back in 2000, I had visited the doctor only a few hours before. He told my mom when he spoke to her later that day that she needed to take me to the hospital immediately, and the only reason he had not hospitalized me earlier in the day was because I looked happy, and I looked like I wasn’t feeling too bad.

Anyhow, I got Annabelle settled with Grandmama, and I ran to Publix to fill her prescription and purchase some popsicles, Jell-O, Gatorade and fruit. When I dropped the prescription off with the pharmacist, she told me that they didn’t have any of the Suprax on hand, and also that she has called around to other pharmacists before and it was very rare for anyone to carry it. Of course, she said that she was happy to call around. I asked her to call around if she didn’t mind, and I told her that if she could not find it to please just call the doctor’s office and see if there was something else they could prescribe instead. However, I did explain to her that this was Annabelle’s first bladder infection, and the results of the culture were not back yet to identify the bacteria that had caused the infection. Therefore, the Physician’s Assistant was prescribing an antibiotic that would fight most of the bacteria causing bladder infections. So, I thought it probably made sense to find the Suprax (or its generic) if it could be found.

After I finished grocery shopping (and before I checked out), I went back by the pharmacist to pick up the prescription. She told me that she had found it at Walgreen’s at Oak Grove. I asked her if the generic prescription was available, and she said that particular antibiotic did not come in generic.

So, since I had popsicles to purchase and Publix subs for lunch for Grandmama and Granddaddy (and me), I decided to head home first to get the cold stuff in the fridge. But, first, I decided to stop by CVS on the way home because this is normally where I fill my prescriptions, and I thought it would be easier to just have CVS fill the prescription while I went home to get everyone fed. I knew it would probably take longer at Walgreen’s because I’ve never filled a prescription with them before, so they don’t have all of our insurance information on hand. And, I thought they could easily contact the doctor’s office to see if there was another generic prescription that would do the job as well. The pharmacist seemed to think that there was probably another prescription that would work too, but she first needed to contact the doctor’s office.

She told me she would try to contact them, but they may be out to lunch since it was close to 12:59 p.m. when she called them. She was able to contact the doctor’s office, but apparently, the doctor had already left for lunch (naturally). She asked me if I wanted to wait until the doctor returned to see if he would recommend something else, but I told her that I would just go ahead and have the Suprax filled with Walgreen’s since I knew they had it on hand.

On the way home, I tried to contact the insurance company to make sure that Suprax was not a non-preferred drug. I definitely did not want to end up spending $60 - $75 on an antibiotic when a generic drug could be prescribed instead.

Well, that was a fun phone call. I could have sworn the last time I called the insurance company that pressing “0 0 0 0 0 0 0” connected me with the operator. But, that wasn’t the case this time! Instead, I had to listen to them tell me to enter some number that I only assumed was my insurance ID # only to then hear them repeat back the wrong number! Not to mention, I had to listen to “Did you say benefits and eligibility?” “YES!” I said. “Okay, we are connecting you with benefits and eligibility. Please state your [something] number.” Finally, I was connected with the operator, and I’m not sure what I did wrong to finally be connected to a human voice, but I was!

Then, apparently, I was connected with the wrong department, so they had to reconnect me. Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait as long as I did the first time around. Dave with the insurance company helped me, and he was able to find that this particular drug fell under the $20 copay for name brand drugs.

So, granted, at this point, I am very, very frustrated. Why couldn’t the Physician’s Assistant prescribe something that was commonly carried? It really irritates me more to think that she possibly prescribed Suprax because someone in pharmaceutical sales is pushing this drug. I tried to search online before I left to fill the prescription to find out if the drug was a new drug, but I couldn’t find anything, so I finally left the house around 2:15 p.m. to head to Walgreen’s to get the prescription filled. I really would have preferred a generic prescription, but I didn’t want to spend any more time waiting on the doctor to prescribe yet another drug that may or may not come in generic.

When I arrived at Walgreen’s, there was a wait as they seemed very busy and everyone was either filling prescriptions or talking on the phone with insurance companies. After she gathered all of Annabelle’s information, she asked what time I would like to pick up the prescription. I told her I was planning to wait, and she told me that it would probably take 30 minutes. So, that would mean the prescription would not be ready until 3:00 p.m. I decided to leave and come back because I needed to run one other errand, and I figured I could finish that errand in 30-45 minutes.

I arrived back to pick up the prescription around 3:30 p.m. The pharmacist asked the girl I was dealing with whether or not the prescription was covered. She told him it was, and he told her to look at the price. So, she contacted the insurance company, and she asked me a few more questions such as who is the primary on the card and is Annabelle the child. Then, she asked for Annabelle’s social security number. Naturally, I don’t have Annabelle’s social security number memorized. I guess she could tell I was discouraged because she then asked for hubby’s social security number. I do have that number memorized, so she was able to process everything using hubby’s social security number.

I started to pay my $20 copay, but I then asked her if Walgreen’s still did the deal with getting a free gift card if you had a new or transferred prescription. It never hurts to ask! She walked away for a minute, and then she came back with a coupon. She found a coupon to get me a $25 gift card with a new prescription! Finally, something went right! Of course, I don’t normally shop at Walgreen’s, but I am sure I can find some groceries to spend it on.

So, I left Walgreen’s, and I got home around 3:45 p.m., shortly before Annabelle woke up from her two hour nap. When she did wake up, she was so miserable she could not even stand up in the crib. She just cried for me. When I picked her up, she felt very, very hot. Grandmama held her while I measured out the medicine. I gave her a dose of Suprax (1 teaspoonful) at 3:51 p.m., and I followed the Suprax with a dose of Motrin at 4:00 p.m. I took her temperature before I gave her the Motrin, and it registered 104 degrees Fahrenheit orally! Poor baby! I really hope this medicine does the trick.

And, would you believe that the retail price for Suprax is $199.99! I saved $179.99 because we had insurance on Annabelle. It seems like the insurance companies would offer an even bigger discount (besides a $10 copay versus $20 copay) for generic prescriptions. I would not think that generic prescriptions would be that costly, but maybe they are.

And, one last note of mention. The pharmacist asked if I wanted to add flavor to the medicine for an additional $2.99. I passed on it just hoping that Annabelle would not spit the medicine back out. I think it must actually taste good (without the flavor) because she took the medicine without a problem. And, the medicine smells fruity.

Diagnosis: Urinary Tract Infection

Have I mentioned that I do not like to take my daughter to the doctor because: (1) The doctor normally tells you that it, the illness, is a viral infection, and they cannot do anything for it. (2) It costs me a $40 copay every single time one of us goes.

So, this time, I should have taken my sweet sick baby girl to the doctor (on Wednesday)! Grandmama was right, but I didn't listen because I just didn't feel she was sick enough. I'm not quite sure what I define as "sick enough" yet, but I obviously should have realized that Annabelle was "sick enough" when all she wanted to do on Thursday was sleep and not play!

So, Annabelle woke up this morning and called out to me for "juice, mama, juice." But, I was sound asleep, and I felt her, and she didn't feel hot. She felt warm, but not hot. I'm not sure what time that was.

But, when she woke up the second time and said, "juice, mama, juice" and I looked down at her at 8:00 a.m., I realized that she was holding both ears. She was sleeping as she fell back asleep right away, but she just looked like something was bothering her. I felt her chest and when I did, I somewhat panicked. Her heart was beating very fast! It really scared me, but I did manage to stay calm.

I called Children's Medical Group at 8:03 a.m. to be exact (per my cell phone detail) to schedule an appointment. My doctor, Dr. Calk, was not in the office today. I forgot it is a holiday weekend! So, the first appointment they had available was for 9:40 a.m. at the Atlanta office (near our house). I scheduled the appointment, but I told the lady that I really needed to speak with a nurse immediately because I was concerned that I needed to take her to the emergency room. I was so worried that I honestly kept repeating to the lady scheduling the appointment that I needed something before "8:40 a.m." instead of "9:40 a.m." She finally cocked an attitude with me and said "8:40 a.m." after she had probably already told me "8:40 a.m." three or four times! I apologized and told her that I was just worried about my little girl. I'm not sure why I apologized, but I do understand how annoying I must have been!

Grandmama and Granddaddy were still sleeping, which is very odd because Grandmama is always awake normally by 7:00 a.m. at the very latest. But, we did have her up very late last night around 2:00 a.m. helping with a sick child. So, I ran in and knocked on Grandmama's door. I asked her to check Annabelle out for herself, and she also became very worried. In the mean time, I grabbed the Tylenol and administered a dose. Grandmama (and Granddaddy too) kept watch on Annabelle while I ran around frantically trying to get myself ready to go (shoes on, keys handy, etc).

I also contacted the Children's Medical Group in Suwanee only to find out that they didn't allow the children to float between offices for their appointments. I told her that I really felt that Annabelle needed to see someone sooner than 9:40 a.m., but she said that their first appointment at the Suwanee office was 10:00 a.m. (or maybe 10:40 a.m.). She also mentioned to me that the nurses didn't arrive until 9:00 a.m. so that is why I had not heard back from a nurse yet. I just wish the first lady at the Atlanta office who scheduled my appointment had told me that! Surely they have someone who can return a phone call before 9:00 a.m. If you call after hours, they return your phone call within just a few minutes!

Shortly after I administered the Tylenol, Annabelle seemed to be feeling better, so I also felt better, and I spent a little bit more time grabbing my belongings so I didn't have to make a trip back to Grandmama and Granddaddy's house to gather our things later. We were out the door and well on our way to the Atlanta office by 8:40 a.m. Grandmama sat in the back seat with Annabelle to comfort her while I drove. Granddaddy planned to come later to pick Grandmama back up. Before we left, I told them that she seemed like she was feeling better, so I knew we'd be alright to make it to the doctor's office on our own. Grandmama insisted that she wanted to go though as she was very worried about her only granddaughter.

Before we even pulled onto the interstate at Steve Reynolds Boulevard, Annabelle proceeded to throw up everything she had just drank. It broke my heart to hear her and know that I could do nothing to help her, but I did feel better that at least Grandmama was in the back seat to comfort her. Poor baby couldn't even cry for some reason immediately after it happened so we only assumed that the crying was making her ears hurt so much that she didn't even want to cry. Grandmama said the vomiting was projectile. I've always wondered how I would respond to a child vomiting in my car, but honestly, I did not once think about my car. Well, I didn't at that moment. I am sort of thinking about it right now as I really need to go get that car seat cover and clean it. I think I'll wait until hubby gets home to watch Annabelle before I do that though.

So, since she had thrown up everything, and she was now wearing vomit that Grandmama described as looking somewhat like she had thrown up coca cola (and she had only had some juice and milk since she threw up at 2:00 a.m.), and since she was feeling much better, and because we were way ahead of time, I decided to run by the house to clean her up a little and grab a clean shirt for her to wear.

Note to self: Keep clean clothes and a clean towel (for vomit) in the car at all times!

Did I mention that traffic was unbelievably light? Thank goodness! We must have arrived at our house by 9:05 a.m. at the latest. At that point, Annabelle still looked pretty miserable, but she wasn't shaking. We left the house at 9:26 a.m. to arrive at the doctor's office by 9:39 a.m. Perfect timing!

Fortunately, we didn't have to wait in the waiting room very long. And, I am still trying to understand why they couldn't schedule an appointment for earlier since the waiting room was almost completely empty. There was only one other baby in the well section and one other child in the sick section with us.

We saw the Physician's Assistant, Suzanne, which I didn't realize when I made the appointment, but it really isn't a big deal as she seemed to explain things a little better to me anyway. I really like Dr. Calk, but sometimes he just talks way over my head!

I described all of Annabelle's symptoms to Suzanne, and fortunately, I had made a list of the symptoms before she actually walked in the door. My list (per my note book) was as follows:

Bloody mucous in vaginal discharge
Threw up Tylenol at 8:45 on the way to doctor
Dark color (like coca cola) in throw up this a.m.
Threw up last night around 2:00 a.m.
Woke up holding her ears this a.m.

If I had not made a list, I probably would have forgotten to tell Suzanne that Grandmama had seen bloody mucous in Annabelle's diaper on Monday. Grandmama saved the diaper for me and when I finally saw it that evening, it had turned a light yellow and green color. I really didn't think much of it although Grandmama kept saying that she was worried Annabelle had a bladder infection.

I guess those Moms of ours do know a little something after all! Of course, she should have that symptom down pat as I had my share of bladder infections as a young girl and a young woman. Annabelle comes by it quite honestly, poor thing!

First, Suzanne checked Annabelle's chest, and then she checked out her throat, and then she looked in at her ear drums. She said her ears looked great, and she didn't notice any other problems that would be caused by a respiratory infection. So, she concluded that it was probably a bladder infection based on what we had told her.

She said that she would need to get some urine to make sure it was or was not a bladder infection and that would require a catheter. What? Seriously? You are going to catheterize a 22 month old? Okay. You are the expert. Sometimes I think I trust the "experts" a little too much, but I figure that I don't have a major or any education in the medical field, so they probably know best, right?

So, she sends the nurses into the doctor's office. Three of them! I said something like, "You guys have the fun job!" and "Wow, this must be serious if three of you are needed." I think I said the second line, but if I didn't, I sure thought it!

So, one of the nurses cleans Annabelle up, and before they proceed with the catheter, another nurse prepares to hold my daughter still. Ha! They didn't realize just how strong she is until the process started. Before they started though, one of the nurses said, "Wait! Do you think I should grab a cup in case she starts to pee?" You think?!?! Of course, I didn't think of it, but you think that they would have brought the cup in the room with them before they even started.

The nurses then "try" to catheterize her. Bless her heart! She was really hurting as she just cried and screamed, "NO NO MAMA, NO NO!" "NO NO MAMA, NO NO!" I heard this over and over and over again as tears streamed down my sweet little girls face. Finally they stopped and the nurse said, "Mama, we cannot get the catheter to go in because she has adhesions that are blocking the way." So, I am thinking, "Okay, what do you want me to do about it? Please just hurry or stop hurting my baby girl." I know they were really trying their very best though. I know no one would want to hurt a sweet and innocent child, so I didn't say anything.

Then, Grandmama spoke up and said, "Can you not put a bag on her?" They all thought about it and then one of the nurses said, "Yes. We'll go check with Suzanne." So, they left, and then they came back with another catheter and said, "Suzanne wants us to try again because the bags are not sterile and some of the bacteria in the bag could show up in the urine test." Great!

So, we start this process again, but this time, the nurse who tried the first time held her from the head of the table while another nurse tried to catheterize her. Annabelle screamed and cried once again, and I wanted to scream and cry along with her. Finally, the nurse got the catheter in, and about that time, Annabelle starts peeing all over the table. The nurse who remembered the cup grabbed the cup and put the cup under the stream of urine. She got almost a full cup of urine!

Did I mention that just before they started one of the nurses asked me, "She has had something to drink, right?" Well, you know, I hadn't thought about it, and the Physician's Assistant never asked me either, but yes, she had. I just wasn't sure it was enough. However, I thought that the catheter would go in and then it would stay in there until she actually did urinate. I didn't realize it was supposed to make her urinate.

After that traumatic experience, Annabelle screamed for probably 10 minutes. She just kept saying, "NO NO MAMA, NO NO!" as she shook her head no. And, she continued to say that to me after she was dressed back into her diaper and I was holding her close to me.

And, now that I think about it. The catheter probably hurt her more because she did have a bladder infection. If you've ever had a bladder infection, you know just how sensitive that area can be. Bless my little girl's heart!

While Annabelle was screaming, Grandmama reminded me that Suzanne said that we needed to have Annabelle's finger pricked to do a CBC or Complete Blood Count. So, I decided to go find the nurse to get the second and final pain out of the way while Annabelle was still somewhat upset. They directed me to the lab where the blood is drawn.

In the lab, they let Annabelle pick out her own band aid. She picked some duck band aid, but I cannot remember the Warner Brothers creatures name, but I'm fairly sure it was a duck. I thought for sure she would have picked out the cute Tweety Bird band aid, but apparently, she wanted the duck band aid.

She cried when they pricked her little finger. It was just a very traumatic day for her! Last time she had her finger pricked at her 12 month appointment, she didn't cry at all!

By the way, on our way to the lab, we ran into Suzanne, and she said that Annabelle definitely had a bladder infection, but she would see us back in the doctor's office after the CBC results were back to discuss everything.

So, the diagnosis for today was as follows:

Before Suzanne left the first time, she looked at Annabelle's labia because I mentioned that she still had the labial adhesion that I just couldn't stand to do anything more than put the cream on as directed by Dr. Calk. So, Suzanne looked at her labial adhesion and said that it looked pretty thinned out. She said that I should just apply a little Vaseline on a Qtip after bath time and when I was cleaning her and gently pull down on the thinned out part with the Qtip to slowly pull it apart. Oddly enough though, after the catheter was inserted, her labial adhesion seems to be gone. Poor baby was obviously screaming for several reasons. They had separated the adhesion while they were trying to catheterize her.

Annabelle's urine showed nitrites which is a sure sign of a bladder infection. They then looked at the urine under the microscope and saw a lot of bacteria, so they are certain that she has a bladder infection. However, they have to send the urine off to have a bacteria urine culture done, and they won't know until Tuesday the exact bacteria that caused the infection. In the mean time, Suzanne wanted to get Annabelle started on some antibiotics that apparently fights off most of the bacteria that causes bladder infections.

Annabelle's white blood count did not look too high. If it had been 20,000 or higher, they would have started with an injection of antibiotics right then. And, honestly, I wish they would have just done this now as you'll soon learn about my adventure to fill the prescription in another blog entry!

Suzanne said that if Annabelle's fever does not go down within 48 hours that I should call the doctor on call. If the fever is not gone by Sunday morning, I should call the doctor on call then as it will be close to the 48 hours, and they actually have a doctor that comes to the office on Sundays for a few hours to see select patients. Interesting! Why is it that every time I call after hours to speak with someone that they always have the on-call nurse call me back? And, I have called with things I consider pretty serious, such as allergic reactions to foods. Suzanne said I should call between 7-7:30 a.m. on Sunday because the doctor on call will normally see patients earlier in the morning between 8-10:00 a.m.

Suzanne prescribed Suprax, one teaspoon a day for 10 days. She said that if Annabelle throws up beyond 20 minutes of me administering the medicine, that I don't need to give her another dose, but if it is before 20 minutes, I should give her another dose right away. She said the same goes for Tylenol and Motrin.

She recommend Tylenol (1.6 ML) and Motrin (1.875 ML) for the fever. The dosage amounts are based on Annabelle's weight being 26 pounds. However, she did say that Motrin was better for higher fevers. And, you only have to administer Motrin every 8 hours versus 4 hours with the Tylenol.

Suzanne recommend to give her plenty of fluids (obviously). She said that Pedialyte is great if Annabelle will still take it, which she's never had it. So, she said the light colored flavors of Gatorade would work well too. Also, fruit popsicles are a favorite while they are sick too (again, obviously).

By the way, Annabelle weighed 27 pounds at her last visit only a week or so ago, and she weighed 26 pounds today. Poor baby does not have an appetite!

And, last but not least, Suzanne recommended that since Annabelle has now had a bladder infection that she go to Egleston or Scottish Rite for an outpatient visit to have a renal ultrasound done over the kidney area as well as a VCUG which is a diagnostic for kidney reflux. Apparently, the kidney reflux is an anatomical problem where the urine back flows into the ureter.

I actually had the VCUG done back in 2003, I believe. Unfortunately, they would need to catheterize her again, and then they would insert some die to see if she had the back flow. The nurse asked if I had the problem with the back flow, and I told her that the diagnosis was that I did not.

So, anyhow, she gave me a referral, and then before I left, I stopped by the referral office for them to make an appointment. They are supposed to contact Egleston, and then Children's Medical Group will call me back with an appointment time.

I am now thinking that I do not agree that these tests need to be done. If Annabelle was suffering from recurring bladder infections, then yes, she may need the tests done, but this is her first bladder infection, and she's almost 2 years old! Do I really need to put her through all of that pain again? Not to mention, what problems could the die in her system later cause?

So, there is my eventful day in a nutshell. Ha, ha! Well, it is only part of the eventful day from 8:00 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. There is always a story, and my day most definitely did not end at 11:30 a.m.


Dear Annabelle,

As I write this blog entry this evening, you are feeling much, much better, or so it appears. I hope you really are feeling better and it isn't just the Motrin dropping your temperature for the time being.

I love you so much, and I really hated to put you through all of that pain today! It broke my heart, and I really hope you know that I only allowed what I thought was best. I wonder though why they couldn't just give you the antibiotics without the urine specimen. Was it really worth the pain they caused my baby girl? I know some mothers get antibiotics for their babies for everything (or so it seems), so why couldn't they give you antibiotics this one time without putting you through all that?

It was so nice to see you playing and laughing with your Daddy this evening. He never saw how truly bad you felt, but it still broke his heart this evening when he got home and you immediately started crying because you apparently were still uncomfortable for some reason. Again, you said, "NO NO MAMA, NO NO!" Maybe your earlier in the day experiences had revisited in your little mind.

If it makes you feel better to tell me, "NO NO MAMA, NO NO!" then you keep on saying it. I just want you to feel like yourself again because this little girl I have seen over the past few days is not the same little girl I have grown to love.

Of course, I still love the sick little girl too, but I'd much rather see the happy little girl.

However, it did remind me that you still need me to hold and comfort you. On Wednesday night when I laid you down for the evening, you immediately laid your head down and fell asleep in my arms. That is so unusual for you as you normally lay your head down and then you'll sit right back up and say, "Hi there Mama!" Mommy just doesn't get much snuggle time any more. I actually really enjoyed snuggling with you that evening, but I just wish it had been under better circumstances.

And, then, on Thursday, I laid you down for a nap and bedtime, but you wouldn't fall asleep until you knew that my eyes were closing too. I think you wanted to make sure I was still there with you.

And this afternoon and evening, you slept on Mommy and Daddy's bed at home for a good two and a half hours (almost) from 4:30 p.m. until 6:45 p.m. But once again, you wanted to make sure that I was there with you. After you fell asleep, I grabbed the computer and started this blog entry as you laid next to me. I felt you every so often to check your temperature. You were so hot! You had a temperature of 104 degrees F when I gave you Motrin at 4:00 p.m., and that did worry me, but I knew the Motrin and antibiotic would start to break the fever. When you woke up at 6:45 p.m., your fever had broken.

Thank you for loving me, forgiving me and still needing me!

I love you with all of my heart!

Love always and forever,

Mommy