Road Trips & ER Visits

For those of you who have followed this blog you know that things have not been particularly easy for me lately. A hundred things go wrong for every one good thing. Okay, I really think the odds might be worse by now but I digress. So I finished one full week at work. I have to say I really loved it. I loved the fast pace and the challenges. It was also so nice to have the other employees (not the other 20 some odd temps) talk about how I know my stuff and go to their manager asking her to let me do what they're doing because I can do it better than the others. It felt good. I really hope in time that I can be hired on full time. I know that in all honesty if they do hire someone full time from the temp group that it should be me if they base it on experience. I fit in well with those there and it's a good group of girls.

So yesterday I had plans to meet Maria, my old neighbor, halfway in Greenville. Mackenzie was going down so she could be there for their birthday party today and is staying until next weekend. We agreed to meet at noon at the Cracker Barrel. First of all I was exhausted yesterday morning. I am always ready to fall out on Fridays when I've been working. It's like you go go go all week long and then crash. On top of that I didn't eat dinner and I guess that effected me somewhat. I'm thisclose to going to sleep when the power goes out. The winds were 50-70mph and knocked it out. The kids freak out and my mom lit candles down stairs. A little later when it still wasn't on she brought these tea light looking candles w/ batteries up for us. The kids fell asleep on the floor in my room and Avery and I passed out soon afterwards. I think this was around 9.

I woke up around 1 or 2 and saw that the power was back on. Avery was moving around the bed fussing and she felt really hot. So I got up to go to the bathroom and on the way back to the bed I got out the themometer and tylenol. Yup, she had a temp of 102.6. I gave her tylenol and tried to feed her. Well she wouldn't eat. Now when I picked her up from daycare Friday the girl told me she had been fussing and had eaten at 11 but had refused bottles and food ever since then. She didn't know what was wrong with her because she's usually so happy. So I had this in the back of my mind when she wouldn't eat during the night.

Avery finally went back to sleep and my wonderful son Jackson woke up at 5:48 and excitedly announced that "the power's back on! the power's back on!". He went downstairs to announce to my mom it was back on and apprently he was walking around downstairs for a while. I was in such a heavy deep sleep, the kind where you can't really move your arms, face, an eye wouldn't even open. I told him to be quiet and play in the bonus room. I remember threatening him several times but either he didn't hear me, didn't care, or I was so dead asleep I just drooled the words instead of saying them. Avery and I finally got up around 6:30.

She wasn't fussy or anything and the kids and I got ready to leave. Around 9:15 I took her temp and it was in the 101's. I gave her some more tylenol and tried feeding her. I mean surely after not eating for 12 hours she'd be starving. Ummmmm... negative. The crazy thing is she was happy. Now she kept pulling the bottle to her mouth but wouldn't drink it. She'd chew on the nipple and that was it. So we load up the car and head to Greenville. Wow, we picked the wrong time to go. First of all it was monsooning on us and then on the interstate it seemed everyone decided to travel that morning and at some points we were crawling at 30mph. It was ridiculous. I also had 3 kids in the car who all talked non-stop and trust me I wanted to book it there.

So we're about 15 mins away from Greenville when Maria calls me to tell me she's just leaving. Ummm... what? She had gotten a 2 hour late start anyway but when she left she thought her mom gave her the wrong directions so she turned back around. So I gave her directions and then the kids and I had to kill time from 12 until 2:15. Okay, so I'm past the point of exhaustion, have 3 kids and I'm shakey from not eating for 24 hours. We go into Wally world and get formula and snacks. We sit in the car for a few hours and they finally arrive.

It was worth the headache and wait. Both the kids were so excited to see Stella and Emily and Stella and Emily were so excited to see us. Jackson was just as excited as Mackenzie was. Maria couldn't believe how much Avery had grown and Emily just wanted to hold her. I missed them so much. They were great neighbors and friends. So we had a long lunch at Cracker Barrel and caught up and just had a good time. We finally get out of there at 4pm and we head back home.

So at this point Avery still has not eaten. She has only had 2 wet diapers so I'm slightly concerned about her. I call the Dr. office and eventually the nurse calls me back. I explain it all to her about tell her about her not eating at the daycare either. She said protocol says go to the ER but she wants to check with the Dr. on call. We get a call back as we're getting in B'ham and we're told to go to the Children's Hospital ER. Oh what joyous fun! So around 6 we get there and I have to say I'm so glad they have free valet parking for the ER.

They check her temp rectally to get an accurate reading and it's 101.3 and she had had tylenol only 2 hours prior. They give her some motrin on top of it. We go back to a room and wait. Oh and we wait. And we wait some more. Then guess what happens? She finally decides to drink her bottle. Now I am conflicted about this development. I'm glad she did on one hand because she needed to but at the same time I wish she hadn't of because then the Dr. might think I'm nuts. I notice after she drank her bottle that she had ulcer looking places on her tongue. Yes, the same tongue she refused to let me see earlier in the day.

Finally a nurse comes in and then he leaves after apologizing for the wait. A resident comes in and takes a look at her. The verdict. Hand and mouth disease. There is a really fancy name for it but hand and mouth it is. It's a virus she got, from daycare (don't get me started), and it causes fevers and the ulcers in her mouth. Once she gets it she won't get it again but they told me it's going to get worse before it gets better. That is why she wouldn't eat because it hurt so much. I was so upset because she got this the first week of daycare. The Dr. told me that she tells parents that either the kids are going to get sick when they first start daycare or kindergarten and I can't prevent it in it's entirety.

She wasn't dehydrated but it happens so quickly that I have to keep an eye on it. It's contagious and will last for a week or so so no daycare. So they tell me I'll be discharged. We wait and wait some more. Finally we go in the hallway to wait for someone to discharge us. I finally ask a guy about it and he tells me that the attending has to sign off on it and may want to just look her over. We go back to our room and play the waiting game some more. The attending came in and looked her over. She was super nice and talked to me some more about it. So we finally got our papers to go home!

So by now it's 9:30 and Jackson, Avery and I are so ready to go home. We finally get home around 10:30 after getting some dinner and getting some motrin and tylenol. Avery finally ate another bottle around 11. She woke up in the night upset but wouldn't eat. It's 8:30 now and she still hasn't had another bottle but I guess we'll just have to wait until she's ready and starving. Last night she ended up sucking down 10 ounces because she was so hungry.

So I'm tired. I'm exhausted. I've been up yet again by 6 due to Avery. I've got work tomorrow and still haven't figured out if my mom is going to help me with her or if I have to miss work. Mom and Dad are going to Dothan for a reception for Ben and Elizabeth and won't really be able to ask her. Jana volunteered to watch her but we thought my parents were spending the night in Dothan and I don't think she feels comfortable watching her in the house when my mom is around. I can understand. It's awkward. So I don't know what I'm going to do about it. I just know I better figure it out soon. Real soon.

So this is my adventure for the week. I'm waiting for another disaster to happen. I'm waiting, just waiting. I know it's going to come.