What a Week

This past week began on Saturday with the birthday of Sarah, my friend Elizabeth's little girl. Sarah had been sick the week leading up to the party so Clint stayed at home with Natalie and I just took Melanie. The doctor had given Sarah the okay for kiddos to be around her. The party was a cute swim party and I think Melanie would have stayed in the pool for 4x as long as I let her and eaten even more cake (my old parapro Sara made the cake and she can make one heck of a cake!).
Then we moved on to Sunday with the girl's baptism. It was a wonderful time for our families to come together and celebrate the girls. The baptism took place at Clint's family's church where if we were to ever go to church regularly we would pick to be members (well, I guess technically everyone is a member but me). The day started off a little rough though. Melanie seemed a little under the weather and my dad's dad (the one who has been battling bone cancer for almost 2 years and who lost his wife to ALS the week Natalie was born) has been struggling the past couple of weeks and my dad got a call the morning of the baptism that he needed to come up to Chattanooga immediately. So, my attention was pulled in two places that morning. After the baptism we were all getting ready to go over to Clint's parents because his mom had made a wonderful lunch for everyone. However, my mom got a call when we left the church implying that we needed to come up also so my mom couldn't make it to the lunch and yet again my attention was divided between two events. So, after a very yummy lunch Clint and I quickly raced home and I packed in 10 minutes (for me and the girls), Clint put gas in my car, and I went back to Lilburn to get mom and head to Chattanooga.
It turns out that my grandfather was given a 90% chance of not making it 24 hours at 4:30 am that morning. There were times that night that I thought he was about to pass away he was breathing so bad. However, he beat the infection and was given some fluids and so he came around some and was able to recognize and talk to all of us there by the next day.
However, that night (we were spending the night at my mom's parents) I slept with Melanie in my bed and Natalie in a crib in our room. First off, I have NO IDEA how parents sleep with cribs in their room. You can hear EVERY noise and I would never be able to sleep through that. But, Melanie kept getting closer and closer to me in the bed. Sometime in the early morning hours she ended up sharing my pillow (even though we were on a queen bed) and I realized she was a million degrees. So, I woke her up and took her in the den to take her temp (yet again a booty temp in which she told me "I'm okay...I'm not sick") and it was 102.9. In my rush of packing I did not pack the medicine cabinet so in my diaper bag I had some infant motrin. So I gave Melanie a little "extra" b/c her weight was not even a choice on the infant drops and stayed up the rest of the morning with her. (We did not even get back to my grandmother's until after midnight so my sleep was VERY limited). Well, it turns out that was just the tip of the iceberg. As my attention and emotions were with my grandfather I was being torn to now 2 sick kids. Natalie's temp went up and Melanie developed a yucky congested cough and runny nose. The next night neither girls slept and my mom and I rotated holding them throughout the whole night. They both wanted me (by the way...Clint had to stay in Loganville to work so it was just me and my mom dealing with all of this b/c my dad was basically staying 24/7 at the hospital) so I would hold that one until I calmed them down and then switch to the other one. They both had temps and were so hot to hold. Natalie would only calm down if she were nursing so I think she got a weeks worth of food in one night b/c I basically had my shirt up all night. At one point Melanie fell asleep with my mom and I changed Natalie's diaper and took her temp and gave her medicine on a dog bed (it was large, I threw a blanket on top to do all of this b/c the changing stuff was in the room where Melanie was sleeping) and Natalie stopped screaming and was content. I was like whatever, I am delirious without sleep for 2 nights, emotionally drained, so I pulled up a pillow and slept on the dog bed for a couple of hours with Natalie. What a trip!
By the end my grandfather was semi-stable and it looks as if his kidneys are failing and they may be was eventually causes him to pass away. The doctors tell us as death goes, this is not a terrible way to pass. So, that apparently may occur anytime between now and the next two weeks. So, mom and I had to get back (partly for our work and partly b/c my grandparents that we were staying with had to go back to work and they were our childcare while we were at the hospital each day) so I was able to tell my grandfather goodbye and we were able to tell each other we love each other. It was quite difficult for me and later on my dad's brother and then my dad to tell him bye knowing it would probably be the last time we see him alive. My grandfather is very comfortable in his religion and does not cry and tells his sons not to cry. He knows he is going to Heaven to be with his wife and that he will see us all again.
By the time we got home I thought the girls were starting to feel a bit better. However Thursday morning Natalie woke up with an awful cough (Melanie's had been awful but Natalie had avoided it). So I freaked out and took them both to the doctor. Let me just tell you, that event solidified the fact we are only having 2 kids. I have NO IDEA how anyone takes more than 2 sick kids to the doctor themselves. I'm trying to carry a diaper back, the baby carrier and Melanie...anyone who wonders how new mom's lose weight quickly there you go...and they are both crying and coughing. We get situated and go to triage. Melanie weighed 28.5 with no temp and Natalie weighed 14 with a slight temp. So we see the doctor. Natalie has a this point broken out with a full body rash and she has a virus that has manifested itself into a rash but there is nothing to do for her, her temp or her cough...just let time heal her. So, I wasn't too nervous about Melanie b/c she is pretty tough. Well, come to find out she has a virus that has spread to a double ear infection. Poor thing! It's her first ear infection. She never cried or said her ears hurt and the doctor can't believe when she was checking that Melanie didn't cry or act like there was a problem. Even now you can ask Melanie if her ears hurt and she'll tell you no. So Melanie is on her first antibiotics. So, she wins the award for super healthy...no meds until the age of 2 1/2= pretty impressive...hooray for nursing for 1 year super immunities! Now I am just waiting on both girls to get well (Natalie is no longer sleeping through the night...at all b/c when she coughs it wakes her up...ahhh!).
So, though our weekend started out quite wonderful it turned into an exhausting week both emotionally and physically and I am wishing health and peace for both my girls and my grandfather.
And by the way...THANK YOU!!!! to my grandparents for watching the girls for us. It was a crazy few days of toys, temperatures, snot and crying. I know it was exhausting for them also!