the last few days at our house

Has it really only been a few days since I last posted? Because it sure feels like it’s been a lot longer. Here’s how they’ve stacked up at our house:

*Sometime on Wednesday, Garrett’s runny nose decided to take on the unfortunate side effect of a raging temperature. During that sleepless night it peaked at around 104.3. Blake gave him a Priesthood blessing, but by morning, it hadn’t gone down much. His congestion was making it hard for him to breathe, not to mention making his sweet voice sadly squeaky, so I made an appointment for him to see the doctor.

*He woke up Thursday morning burning hot and feverishly sweaty, so I put him right in the bathtub. Just like the day before, he started making his pooping faces. Not wanting to have to scrub the tub again, I whipped him out and put him over the toilet…and just in the nick of time, too. And now, at age 9 months, Garrett has gone like a big boy.

*A little later, while giving him his reflux medicine and another dose of Tylenol, I felt something noticeably sharp sticking out of his lower gums. Yes, everyone, Garrett has (finally) taken his first steps into the world of chewing, tearing, and dentist appointments. His bottom left incisor is here, and by the looks of things, will be getting a neighbor before too long.

*At his appointment, Garrett was checked by a doctor at the practice who we hadn’t yet been seen by. After a thorough examination, it was determined that yes, Garrett was very congested. He suspected bronchiolitis, and sent us home with a nebulizer and a prescription for antibiotics, a hydrochloride solution (to be inhaled through the nebulizer), and a probiotic to counteract the diarrhea the antibiotics might cause. Because he wanted to rule out pneumonia, he also sent us to a local imaging lab with a referral for a chest x-ray.

*Turns out this new doctor is really and truly fabulous. After I was essentially turned away at the imaging lab because I didn’t have a male with me to hold Garrett on the x-ray table (apparently it’s against the law (though, more likely, just a company policy) for mothers, even if they are wearing a protective shield, to hold their own children in the event that they end up being pregnant while exposed to the radiation), I called the doctor back and asked him what he wanted me to do. He said he’d call the lab and talk to them himself, and a few minutes later I was being told by the receptionist that he was on his way over – he was going to hold Garrett himself. Can you believe this? Because I couldn’t. This doctor is currently ranking very high on my People I Love list. Garrett screamed through the x-ray, which broke my heart as I stood helpless out in the hallway. But happily, the x-rays looked good: no pneumonia. The doctor seemed relieved, but warned me that if Garrett doesn’t start to improve soon, he would likely end up being admitted to the hospital. He told me to come in the next morning for a follow-up appointment.

*I stopped by Rite Aid on my way home from the lab to pick up the prescriptions I’d dropped off right after the appointment. After spending a small fortune, my sick, cranky son and I headed home, toting with us what felt like the entire contents of the pharmacy. For the record, Garrett does not like being nebulized, nor does he find amoxicillin very tasty.

*The rest of Thursday is a daze. We spent most of the day wiping noses, dishing out medication, checking his temperature, and waiting, trying hard not to let my heart break into a thousand tiny pieces over the pathetic sounds of his sick little cries.

*The TV has been on quite a bit over the last few days in an attempt to distract me from getting inconsolably worried over Garrett’s health. Here are a few highlights:

• Our turn came to check Enchanted out from the library, so we watched that Wednesday night. I’d wanted to see this, even though I was pretty sure it would be stupid, because everyone kept giving it such rave reviews. Turns out it was pretty funny.
• I caught a little snippet of the Today show yesterday where they talked briefly about safety in NYC. The reporter was talking about the radical change this city has undergone over the last 30 years, citing that, “One recent statistical survey places New York right at the top of the list of the safest American cities – right up there with Provo, Utah.” That gave me a good chuckle.

*Our new bed was delivered yesterday morning. I was too drained and exhausted to help Blake set it up last night, so that will be a project for the weekend. I’m excited, though, to have a pretty bed to sleep in!

*Garrett woke up this morning a changed baby (thank heavens!). His fever broke while he slept, and his babbling (though still squeaky) smile has come back. We went to our follow-up appointment and the doctor was as pleased as I that Garrett is looking better. We’ll continue with the nebulizer and the medicine for the next ten days, at which point the antibiotics should be all consumed, and then we’ll head back to the doctor for another follow-up (to make sure that it was, in fact, antibiotic-curing bronchiolitis and not RSV or something else awful).

Garrett’s still a sick, sick little boy, and I’m completely worn out, but I think we both seem to be on the mend – or at least headed in that direction. Hopefully by the next time I post, we’ll be doing even better.