Three Sick Girls

Three girls: during less sick times...

I thought I was sleep deprived until this week..
I thought my girls were whiny until this week...

I had read recently about the Enterovirus D68 making it's way through the United States, causing mild to severe cold-like symptoms, and sometimes respiratory symptoms leading to an unusually high rate of hospitalizations amongst children. I didn't think much about the article until my three girls came down with a fever on the same day!  S1's woke up Monday morning with the sniffles. By Monday night she was febrile, and very tired! S2 woke up from her afternoon nap on Tuesday with hot cheeks and a temperature of 38.4. I remember thinking how fortunate it was that the baby was so well and energetic...until bedtime when she was excessively cranky and hot!

Thank goodness for antipyretics! By Friday morning they had all recovered.

I no longer think my girls are excessively whiny...
I now appreciate the interrupted sleep that I normally get.
But most of all, I am thankful that the girls did not need to be hospitalized!

Sick week!

Eating raspberries the fun way, prior to getting sick

Actually, that should read two sick weeks. Over the course of the last 12 or so days, we all got sick.
Here is the timeline:

-First our toddler came down with her first cold in November. Nothing out of the ordinary.
-Next our baby caught our toddler's cold.
-Then I came down with the same virus.
-Nothing worrisome until mid week last week, our toddler developed a 48 hour fever. 2 visits to the pediatrician confirmed the diagnosis of a virus.
- I was thinking how lucky we had been that our baby, at 9 1/2 months, still had not developed a fever or a serious illness...and then last Sunday morning, she started vomiting. By Tuesday she had improved, but still slept a lot, and her appetite has just now returned to pre-sickness levels.
-Next, my husband developed a cold. Both he and I felt nauseous, but thankfully produced no vomitus.
-And just when I thought we were on our way to normal health, our toddler started vomiting Thursday morning of this week. Starting at 3AM, and for every hour for a total of 6 episodes. And as quickly as she got sick, she improved...

Were these all pre-school bugs? Perhaps the cold virus... but what would explain our baby developing a gastrointestinal virus before her big sister? Had I unwittingly brought it home from the hospital, and simply didn't get sick myself?... In all probability, we will never know... but one thing is for certain, there is nothing like appreciating the mundane after 2 weeks of sickness!

Who Needs a Thermometer?

CC having fun at the park

Who needs a thermometer when cranky is the new fever-gauge? At least for my baby.

We were at a local library this past Friday. The Brat was running around, gleefully pulling books from the racks, running up and down the stairs, all the while squealing with delight. Then suddenly she reached her arms up towards me, insisting that I pick her up, and instantly started whining. A quick feel of her skin temperature confirmed my suspicions; she was febrile.

Our baby had gotten her 18-month vaccinations this last Monday. I naively asked the paediatrician if this time around, I could expect less of a response (at 12 months, she had 72 hours of fever exactly 1 week after her vaccinations). On the contrary, she replied. Physiologically it makes sense that the response would be more intense the second time, and I knew that. It was just wishful thinking!

This time around, the baby was her usual self for about 24 hours after her vaccinations, and then her temperature rapidly increased. We are now 5 days and counting of fever, and the subsequent crankiness and decreased appetite. Around the clock acetaminophen and ibuprofen have been controlling her temperature, but Friday morning I decided to withhold a dose to verify whether or not the medication would be necessary...And cranky was back!

Thankfully she won't need anymore vaccinations for another 21/2 years. In the interim, baby Brat #2 will no doubt keep us busy...