"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16
Happy Easter..or post Easter...everyone! I meant to blog last night but I was just too sleepy. We had a pretty rough week followed by a great, but exhausting weekend. I think my lack of sleep during the week made the weekend even more tiring. So last Friday Scout got her flu booster and her last round of Hep B vaccine. On Sunday night she was a little fussier than normal but no fever. On Monday afternoon she started running a low fever and then at 10:30 pm I woke up to the sound of her vomiting in her crib. We were up with her all night. She just could not get comfortable and was very irritable. My thought was that she had caught a stomach bug at school. I had bragged the week before about how lucky we had been because in 9 months she had only been sick once and it was only for a day or so. Other than the occasional runny nose she is a very healthy baby girl. So I decided because of my bragging I had jinxed us. She finally went to sleep at about 3:45 a.m. and then I had to get up at 4:45 am to drive to Baylor Plano for work. So basically I did not sleep at all. I ended up finishing my case by noon so I was able to go home and relieve Kris so he could then go to work. Her fever went away and she started eating normally by the afternoon. She was very giggly and playful as usual Tuesday afternoon and night so I figured it was just a 24 hour bug and she was getting over it. She had only thrown up once and was drinking a lot and having wet diapers so I knew she was hydrated well. On Wednesday afternoon she started acting a little fussy...but not terribly. She still didn't have a fever so I was not alarmed. She did not sleep well Wednesday night at all...she kept waking up and arching her back like something was bothering her. She has also been teething so I gave her some tylenol. She went back to sleep but was very restless all night. I would doze off for a few minutes, but I pretty much checked on her all night long. I knew she was not acting like herself but I wasn't sure why because at this time she didn't have a fever. Thursday...the fever came. It was 102 mid morning. Luckily I did not have to work anyway so I didn't have to frantically find someone to cover for me. I called the Dr. and made an appointment for the afternoon. I was pretty baffled because she didn't have a cough, she wasn't throwing up...ear infection maybe? I didn't know...I just knew she was not herself at all! She slept most of the day...she wanted to be held and slept on my chest a lot. Anyone that knows my baby girl knows that she does not like to cuddle much unless she is really sleepy or doesn't feel well. If I want to cuddle with her I have to lay her down and wait till she falls asleep and then go pick her up to hold her :) So I knew she felt miserable. I felt so bad for her. She was so lethargic and had no energy at all. She would still take her bottle but was not interested in any kind of baby food. So we spent the day laying on the couch until her 3:45 appointment.
We get to the Dr.'s office and her temperature is now 103.3. (this is after Tylenol). I had thought about a urinary tract infection at one point but I had not really noticed her crying before her diaper was wet...so I really was not sure what was going on. Dr. Wallace checked her ears, listened to her heart and lungs....all clear. Then she said she was concerned she could have a bladder infection and before she even finished talking I thought to myself..."catheter. Crap!" I watch catheters being put in before surgery nearly every day...but I honestly don't think anything can desensitize you when it comes to your own baby. They first tried to insert the catheter but she had peed a little when they were trying to position her so they were not able to get anything out. This was horrible. They had to pin her down which made her mad...but then her anger turned into cries of discomfort and fear...this killed me. I tried to stay calm the first time. I got close to her ear, wiping her tears, telling her it was almost over only to find out we would have to try again a few minutes later. I always make a conscious effort to not freak out about things in front of her or anyone else for that matter. I know she is just a baby...but babies pick up on things and I want her to grow up to be level headed, and when faced with a stressful situation I want her to be able to react quickly and make good, rational decisions. There are enough drama queens in the world and I would prefer her not to be one of them. I learned a long time ago and in more recent years, (in both my own family and also other peoples family) that children learn certain behaviors. Sometimes they do their own thing regardless, but many times they mimic certain characteristics. I want to be a steady calm for her and my family. I don't want to overreact about things and make bad situations worse. I am sure this is something I will fail at from time to time..but I want to be an example of strength for her. That is very important to me. So there I was...trying desperately to not seem too overwhelmed...wanting nothing more than to scream "stop it!" and pick her up and go home...but I knew they needed a sample so I was strong and just continued to wipe her tears and kiss her hot cheeks....the first time. After the first attempt I picked her up and then tried to get some liquids down her. She drank about an ounce of her bottle and then a few sips of water and then she fell asleep on my chest and snubbed. A few minutes later the nurses came back in to try again. My heart sank and I could immediately feel the tears rush to my eye balls. I didn't want to do this again. As soon as I laid her down she began to whimper which quickly turned into a scream. I have not heard her cry really hard since she was a newborn...I haven't heard her scream like that...EVER! To top it off she then decided that it was a good time to say "mamamama" for the first time ever as she is looking at me crying! I was pretty much just bawling at this point. Not loudly...but I had tears rolling down my cheeks faster than I could wipe them...so now I was trying to wipe hers and mine at the same time. Thankfully this time it did not take as long and they got enough urine to do a culture. Thank Heavens! I picked her up and she immediately fell asleep. We had to wait a while for the results so I called Kris who was just heading back towards the house with Kamden. I knew we were going to be there for a while longer and since he was able to stop by I thought it would be good if he did. In the meantime the results came back positive for nitrite, leukocytes, and blood. Apparently this is very hard to diagnose because sometimes the only symptom is fever and crankiness which also indicates several other issues. It is possible that at some point bacteria got into her urethra even though she is cleaned very well...it just happens from time to time. Usually when you urinate..the bacteria is flushed back out...that is what is supposed to happen. Girls are much more likely than boys to get bladder infections because their urethra is much shorter and the bacteria does not have as far to travel. So girls typically get infections easier. Also there are two conditions that could also be the cause. One is that she has a urinary reflux. (Vessico-ureteral reflux )(VUR). This would mean that when she pees some of the urine goes back in and will occasionally cause infection. Most kids grow out of it by the time they are toddlers. Another possible reason is a condition where the tubes connecting the kidneys to the bladder did not properly develop. In this case surgery is the only cure. We are hoping and praying that is not the case. My gut tells me that her anatomy is fine and this was just a random thing.
We have an appointment at Cooks Childrens Hospital on May 6th to do an ultra sound and also another catheter so they can run dye through to see how her kidneys are functioning. I am dreading the catheter already. It has to be done though in order to rule out any internal problems. I really do feel like she is completely normal...but I will be relieved to know for sure. After getting the results Scout had to get a big antibiotic shot in both legs. The nurses came in with their syringes in hand..counted 1-2-3...and did them at the same time. Scout yelled out one big cry and then I picked her up again and she fell right back to sleep. A few minutes later Kris and Kamden were there. We had to wait another 20 minutes to make sure she did not have any allergic reactions to the shots and then we went home. I was completely drained. We both were. The good news is after the shots and only one dosage of oral antibiotics...I had my sweet baby girl back. On Friday she was so much better!!! Not 100%...but she played, laughed, and was in a much happier mood.
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| This is her excited face that she does all the time. It's hysterical! |
On Friday we colored Easter eggs. Kamden had never done this before so he thought it was pretty neat. We made everyone an egg with their name on it.
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| Uncle Lewis got a LSU egg :) |
On Saturday we went to Abilene to visit family and also for Levi and Audrey's baby shower. Sophia Jade will be here any day now and everyone is excited to welcome her. It was a VERY busy day but Scout did great! She has still been pretty clingy. She is fine with other people as long as I am not in sight. (not that I mind that she wants her mommy) She was passed around a lot and everyone had a fit over her! Sunday we went to church and then Mandi and Kelly came over and we cooked a delicious Easter lunch! So the last several days have been a bit of a whirlwind and I don't think Kris and I are really over the lack of sleep and rushing around just yet. Oh yeah! I also turned 30 on Easter.
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| Guess the poop |
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| Her excited face again :) |
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| Sweet baby girl! |
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| The Mommy to be |
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| Getting her Easter basket Sunday morning |
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| So happy! :) |
We leave for TN on Wednesday morning for Mark and Molly's wedding. Friday night we are going to dinner with several friends and enjoying Nashville for a while. I am excited! I love Nashville and I love getting to see friends so it should be fun! Sorry for the super long post but I haven't had a chance to tell everyone what is going on with Scout so I figured this was the easiest way. I hope everyone enjoyed Easter and is having a great Monday...despite the yucky weather.
