12/23/05

What a day! A trip to the park, added a new family member, a trip to Pediatric Urgent Care, I'm spent!! Here's what happened; Ben and I went over to hang out with Carrie, Gavin and Ezekiel, we went to the park and had a great time. Ben was fine, nothing out of the norm. Later on my friends Heather and Chrystal came over, while Ben was down for his afternoon nap, with a Christmas present for our family - the cutest baby tortoise ever! His name is Tiny, it's fitting because he's the size of a silver dollar. So cute! Anyway, Ben wakes, we play for a bit, go for a walk, come home and have a snack. All is fine until about 5pm when he gets whiny. I thought maybe he was tired since he didn't take a very long nap. I turned on a Veggie Tales for him, but he was still inconsolable. I picked him up and he was burning up, I took his temperature and was shocked to see 104.5 register on the screen. It's never been that high before and I was scared! I call my mom and Carrie and my neighbor who all say the same thing -Tylenol, luke warm bath, Ibuprofen and liquids. I call the doctor who says to take him into the Pediatric Urgent Care. I took his temp before we left and it was down to 102. When we got there the waiting room was FILLED with sick kids, REALLY sick kids. I thought to myself, if Ben isn't sick now he surely will be by the time we leave. I signed him in, we were tenth on the list. We waited in the lobby outside the waiting room. By this time Ben was crawling/walking around, laughing, playing, eatting a snack. He didn't feel as hot and so after consulting Mark and Carrie I left. When we got home I took his temp and it was down again to 100.2. Much better. He ate a good dinner and went to bed without a peep. I know the medicine is what's making the fever go down and he may still show signs of being sick tomorrow, but I am so thankful that as of right now, 10:15, he is sleeping soundly and doesn't feel hot when I touch him. Please pray with me tonight and tomorrow that Ben will continue to be on the mend, that he won't get any sicker and that Mark and I will be protected from whatever it is he has. I want this Christmas to be special for Benjamin and I especially want him feeling great on his first birthday. Thank you, in advance, for your prayers!

Today I am thankful for...
1. the good advice, caring words and support from my mom, Carrie and Kelly - my neighbor.
2. having a real nurse, and a "practically a nurse" in the family.
3. the "baby hotline" at Hoag.
4. my neighbors for bringing over medicine for Ben and urging me to call them at any hour if I need anything.
5. Mark's prayer that Ben would be "instantly healed". ( The prayer of a righteous man IS powerful and effective.)
6. modern-day medicine that helps give comfort.
7. the doctor on call who seemed as if she really cared about me and Ben, even though I'm sure I caught her right in the middle of dinner and my call was the ump-teenth "my baby has a fever" call she had gotten today.
8. the reassurance that God is in control and knows Ben's body better than anyone else does, even me.
9. my dad being willing to come down to my house at a moments notice, if need be.
10. the comfort I have in calling Carrie and how she always listens really well and gives me advice based on what she as a nurse would do and what she as a mom would do, the two aren't always the same.
11. the ability to jump into "mom-mode" as soon as I knew Ben had a fever. Heather and Chrystal were still here and I'm sure it was an interesting sight to see me change just like that - mid-conversation. Shoot, I'm just thankful I even have a "mom-mode".
12. I really am thankful for little Tiny. He is a great gift, something Mark and I have wanted but never bought. This tortoise will live to be over 100 years old, should everything go smoothly for him, so I'm thinking this will be a great pet to pass along down the family tree.