Mother's Intuition

So just a quick story. Because I'm delirious after a rush of adrenaline and complete sleep deprivation.

I am SO sick of my kids being SICK. I mean that in a really loving way, honestly I'm sick of watching them go through ear infections and strep throat and RSV and now pneumonia...it breaks my heart when they hurt and I can't help. I mean, technically I can: I am their caretaker. But I can't immediately take their pain away.

Sunday morning Colt woke up and began vomiting uncontrollably. In the 25 minutes it took us to get ready to go to after-hours urgent care, he's thrown up on his bed, our bed, our couch, our chair, the kitchen floor, the bathroom floor, the bathtub, and the carseat. Everytime he moved he threw up. At the time we assumed a stomach virus. But it was accompanied by a high fever around 103.

He tested negative for flu and strep at urgent care and they sent us on to the ER. Already my wonderful, saintly mother had taken Owen and I would not see my precious baby son for 5 days. Because despite urgent care having major concerns about our VOMITING AT WILL, LOSING CONSCIOUSNESS, RAGING FEVER TODDLER...the ER wait was long. Over three hours we waited for blood work and exam. At this point, every stinking sign was pointing to meningitis and I was about to lose it if we waited another hour and got in and couldn't do anything because we were too late. THAT is what was racing through my head.

But as we sat there, and watched 3 people be called back in the three hours we were there, Colt suddenly woke up, drank a bottle of VitaminWater, ate some graham crackers and began running around hysterically. Fine. No fever. And I did not want to wait one more minute, especially when they said that there were still 5 in front of us. So we took him home.

Monday, more dry heaving and really high fever. Called the pediatrician - it's a stomach bug we don't need to see him, let it run it's course. By Wednesday his fever was scary high and it had gone on long enough. I KNEW all along this wasn't a stomach bug, I KNEW something was very wrong. I just knew. Finally got into our pediatrician and sure enough - pneumonia. Covering 3/4 of his right lung. One shot of antibiotic and the next day he was like a new kid.

So, today I decided we needed to bring Owen home. I MISSED that baby's sweet cheeks. He'd stayed at my mom's since until Wednesday, we didn't know Colt wasn't contagious. Pick him up early from school for a treat, get him home and BOOM 102 fever. Welcome Home, Baby! Once again called the pediatrician, once again we were told to "watch and see". And I know that works on kids about 90% of the time. But I was riding high from my "I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH MY PNEUMONIA-RIDDEN BABY" victory. So I marched poor sleepy Owen to urgent care where they found two bulging, bright red ear infections.

I just have to laugh. Smile about my mother's intuition. Laugh about how FUNNY it is that the kids got THIS sick and caused me to miss a week of work after missing 5 days over the previous 2 weeks for snow days. All while John was gone. ALL while John was gone.

I'm freaking Supermom.

And ready for Daddy to come home tomorrow!