And so it begins AGAIN . . . :((

I am so stressed out right now, that I am sitting here shaking and feeling nauseated and I have a cold, wet washcloth on the back of my neck. Seriously.



The past 24 hours have been HELL.



Andrea is sick--very sick. I had mentioned on Facebook that Kevin and I had been hit with the first major infection of cold and flu season. Up until yesterday, I had hopes that it might actually bypass Andrea. Ha--wishful thinking. Kevin and I are feeling about 70% better. We felt miserable for a few days, but it was nothing very serious.



Of course, this being Andrea, every little virus and infection turns into a major health crisis.



So, at around 1 a.m. this morning, I was calling 9-1-1 because Andrea had a fever of over 101F, she was vomiting non-stop for about 20 minutes straight, and she wasn't able to breathe properly. We had given her Advil and her Ventolin puffer a few minutes before, but it didn't seem to be working. She was so violently ill--all over herself, her bedroom floor, Daddy, the bathroom counter and floor--and every time she tried to breathe, a horrible raspy, gasping noise came out. I can't tell you how terrifying it was.



But as quickly as kids can turn for the worse, they bounce back, too. By the time the ambulance arrived, she had calmed down a bit. This helped her to breathe better. And her meds had started to kick in. The EMTs were great, though; they checked her all out. Her temperature had come down, her oxygen level was good, and her lungs sounded okay. We discussed options about going to the hospital, staying home, etc. We decided it would be less stressful (!) for everyone if we stayed here, since she was doing better. The EMTs assured us we could call again if she got worse. Luckily, although the night was rough, and we didn't get her back to sleep until about 3:00 a.m., Andrea did okay.



Kevin--bless his little heart--slept through the whole thing. In fact, he had a record sleep of 10 hours (7 p.m. to 5 a.m.).



***


Today has been pretty wretched. Andrea has been coughing non-stop, which hurts, so she is crying a lot. Sometimes she sounds like she is drowning, because there is so much mucous in her throat and lungs. It is awful. She won't eat anything, but I've been coaxing her with a variety of drinks--ice water, milk, orange juice, Crystal Light. At least she is sucking down those liquids! And of course, there is a constant round of meds; I have started a list on our whiteboard so I can keep track of everything!



Daddy is exhausted. His work schedule has been nuts. He's had all these last-minute emergencies (in accounting? who'd have thought?) and business meetings, which means long days and late nights. Today was no exception. After a sleepless night with Andrea, he worked until about 7 p.m. tonight.



And Mommy? Well, you heard at the start of the post. I am a wreck. It doesn't help that Daddy's so busy, but I can hardly blame him, because I know he'd rather be here, too.



I just feel so helpless when Andrea is this sick. I want to make it all better for her, and I can't. There is nothing worse than seeing your baby so sick, and she's crying, and she doesn't understand what's happening to her, and you try to comfort her, but it's just not enough. :(( I am praying so hard for her to get well fast--or if anything, just not to get worse. I don't want any trips to the hospital this year. But it's not looking good--cold and flu season just started, and I've already had to call 9-1-1. (Sob.)



Okay, I've had my rant. I am still an exhausted, nervous mess. And I can hear Andrea coughing and whining in her sleep (so heart wrenching). But it's time to pull myself back together, take a few deep breaths, and get back into Mommy mode again (calm, caring, and competent!).

***

She's a typical 2-year-old: doesn't understand that she needs to rest. But she did pile all her favourite toys on and around her comfy (couch) as close at hand as possible. Poor baby!