Off To The Doctor's--Again

Thanks for all of your good sleeping vibes because Grace has been sleeping great. But I guess I should have clarified that good sleep must be accompanied by good health. This morning I got up around 6:45 and since Grace was quiet, I hopped in the shower real quick. Still no peep so I made lunch and put the coffee on. Around 8am I hear Grace crying softly so I go up to get her. I knew something was wrong immediately because when I went in she was just laying there on her belly softly whimpering. This is quite a change from her running laps in her crib and using it as a trampoline.

I notice her nose is totally disgusting with green boogers everywhere. I took her into the bathroom to get her some medicine and she starts to make a bad wretching noise. I got her over the sink and deftly sidestepped this terrible looking green phlegm. I prided my self on not getting nailed by the throwup but a second later I was hit. So much for starting the day off clean. . .

Poor Gracie was a ragdoll in my arms. Her head was amazingly hot so we took her temp and it was close to 104. Not good. We got her downstairs and I noticed her breathing was kind of shallow and rapid. My husband and I talked about it for a while and decided since the doctor's office would be opening soon, we'd hold off on our first ER visit. The office said to come in immediately so off we flew. So I'm in panic and our favorite doctor puts me right at ease. Seems the breathing problem was from the fever. "Just like a dog on a hot day," he says. Pheeewww. . . . .The guy has a great disposition and I think he sensed I was really worried. He explained that until she's about 3.5 she won't be able to blow her nose. Little boys, on the other hand, don't apparently learn how to blow their noses until 18. Ha, ha. . . .What's funny about this is Grace is showing him how she already knows how to blow her nose. She puts a tissue in her mouth and blows away. Until they can blow it, they're prone to infections. She's got a sinus infection and, from the look of things, was headed for bronchitis. We eagerly took our prescription to the pharmacy and Grace was feeling much better by tonight.

I know I've said it before, but there is seriously nothing scarier than when your child is really sick. I can't explain it but it's almost as if I feel something very primitive when I see her struggle. I don't know if it's adrenaline or some kind of maternal instinct (or both), but I get this amazing drive to protect my child. What makes it so frustrating is that I can't fix it for her. I can get her to the doctor's in record setting time. I can try to soothe her as she screams bloody murder when we pin her arms down for the doctor to look at her. I can grab her close even when she just puked all over me because she's shaking with fear. It's amazing what being a parent can do. I just saw this quote and it nailed it for me: "Before you were conceived I wanted you. Before you were born I loved you. Before you were a minute old I would have died for you. This is the miracle of love." While maybe a little dramatic, this pretty much sums up how I feel.