Sick Little Guy

We have a sick baby on our hands. Bless his heart.

I am so thankful to God that Tyler has been a fabulous sleeper since he was about 6ish weeks old. I can't function without my sleep, so I prayed an awful lot for a baby who would sleep well enough that I could get plenty of sleep, too. So, when Tyler was awake and crying at 1:30 a.m., I knew something was going on.

A quick check of his temperature indicated a 101.7 degree temp. As a precaution, I gave him some Tylenol and rocked him until he fell back asleep around 2:30 a.m. At 3:30 a.m., Danny was waking me up and telling me that he had already been to Ty's room twice and it was my turn. Again? Now, I was really worried.

That time, he was just awake and playing in his crib. I changed his diaper, played with him some, and rocked him until he was drowsy.

At 4:30 a.m. I woke up again to his crying. This time I asked Danny to fix him a small bottle, even though "they" say not to do this because it can cause kids to revert back to night feedings. Well, I know my baby, and I needed him to rest. A bottle was the best quick fix. He ate, burped, and slept until 9 a.m.

At 10 a.m. he became very fussy and fidgety all of a sudden. As I was taking him to his room to change his diaper, I noticed that he felt warm. I checked his temperature again and it read 102.4...definitely a fever. As I was changing him, I noticed him shivering, so I knew he had a chill with his fever. That's always miserable to experience, and I can't imagine what it must feel like when you don't know what's happening.

I called the doctor's office and, as is typical of military medicine, they said they'd have a nurse call me back. She did call back...three hours later.

Luckily, they were able to see Ty this afternoon. His ears are clear and his throat looks fine. The doctor said he might have a little virus that he's fighting, or it could be the beginning stages of an ear infection or strep throat--the symptoms just haven't completely become evident at this point. If he's still feverish on Wednesday, I am supposed to take him back for a recheck.

So, long story short, I have done a lot of cuddling and rocking and singing and whispering in ears today. Obviously, I would never want my baby to be sick, but this was one of the most precious days of being a mother to date. I totally ignored every chore on my list and lost myself completely in loving Tyler. Though I didn't get any pictures to show it, my heart, tonight, is filled with more pride and joy than I thought possible.

I sure love that little guy.