It's Getting Better

Various members of our household have been sick for over 2 weeks now. It's been rough. Fortunately, Eliza is back to her normal self again and feeling happy.  She is dancing around the house in her various costumes and acting like a typical two year old. Although her illness was traumatic for me, I think she enjoyed some aspects of being sick, like sleeping with Nathan and me, drinking chocolate milk several times a day, and painting Nathan's nails whenever she wanted (we were desperate for ways to cheer her up!).

Nathan is going to kill me.

She even begged for her "bubblegum" medicine this morning. She obviously enjoyed taking it three times a day and insisted on giving it to herself.

On Friday, we took Ezra and Elliott back to the doctor because they both had horrible coughs. Elliott was unable to sleep because he was coughing so much and choking on all of the phelgm. Fortunately for Nathan and I, our Aunt Dee stayed a couple of nights and tended to our sick boys so we could rest for a few hours. Friday morning, she also noticed a change in Elliott, and I was anxious for them to be seen as soon as possible. At our appointment, neither boy had a fever and their lungs sounded clear. The pediatrician told us to use Eliza's nebulizer and give them each breathing treatments. They both looked miserable, but I was relieved it was nothing more serious.

We began the treatments that day, but Elliott did not sleep at all that night. Additionally, Aunt Dee caught our sickness, which made us feel awful. I was still feeling completely exhausted from the pneumonia and Cheryl was even worse than me. Thank goodness (yet again) for Nathan! He was with Elliott throughout the night, but our little guy was miserable and could not be soothed. 

We continued breathing treatments for the next 24 hours, but by Sunday night, I knew something was wrong. Elliott had to be held sitting straight up or else he cried and moaned. He had completely stopped smiling (he always smiles) and was not eating. Additionally, we could only force him to drink about 6 ounces of milk over a 12 hour period. When he awoke from a brief nap burning up with a fever and gasping for air, we immediately rushed him to the hospital. He had a 103 degree fever and his cough sounded awful. I was, of course, beside myself with guilt for not bringing him in sooner and a sobbing mess as he was examined. We had taken his temperature only a couple of hours earlier, and it was only 99 degrees; It's scary how fast things took a turn for the worst.  The doctor decided to run some more tests and do an x-ray to make a firm diagnosis. Nathan held him, and I texted friends and family to maintain sanity.

An hour later, we were told Elliott had croup and bronchiolitis. He also had an ear infection, which was causing the fever and overall discomfort. His ears had been checked just two days before and "looked good," but I guess that changed pretty quickly. Thank goodness for amoxicillin! We have been consuming mass quantities of that miracle drug for days now. Three days later, Elliott is still coughing (and so is Ezra), but he is acting more and more like himself. He actually started smiling again today, so I know he must be feeling better! I can't get over how much his face has changed in a few days. He lost over a pound this last week and now weighs a couple of ounces less than Ezra, which boggles my mind. Elliott has always been the bigger baby, so it is strange to think of Ezra as the chunkier one.  Cheryl joked that Elliott had some weight to lose (his double chins were out of control), but I miss his chubby baby face.  I can't wait for him to be healthy (and fat) again.

The stress has gotten to me, but I feel more like myself today. I think we have officially exited survival mode and that is the best feeling in the world. I've learned that I am fine with babies who eat every two hours. I would rather have hungry, healthy boys than sick little ones who are too tired to nurse and refuse to even eat an ounce or two. It's easy to overlook health as a blessing, and I feel like I have definitely learned to appreciate the miracle of thriving children. 

Happy four months, Ezra and Elliott!