As most of you know, our oldest child, Will was very sick this past November. Several of you have asked about him, so even though it seems a long time ago, here are some pictures of those days in the hospital.
Soon after returning from our trip to VA, Will came down ill with a light rash on his tummy. Things quickly went downhill in the following days. In this post, I will try to give you a brief synopsis of the week's events. First of all, while Will was sick, we sent Caroline to daycare in an effort to keep her from getting sick.
Doesn't she look smashing! Such a cutie!
Alright, on with Will.
On day 3 of the rash, his fever spiked to 104 and his legs and arms were bright red as if he had been badly sunburned. We were advised to take him straight to the E.R. Thankfully, Mike's mom was there to help take care of Caroline. Thank goodness for Grandmas!
Will was sent from the local ER to another hospital about 1 hour away as a direct admit. His fever would spike high about every 3-4 hours. This is after medicine when he was feeling good. Notice that Teddy is never far from reach.
My little one (and Teddy) passed out. That was his 2nd IV. He was so dehydrated that it was difficult to get IV's to stay without blowing veings. He was so brave!
I slept in a bed next to him. Like most mommas, rules get lax when kids are sick. As with the cell phone, I broke down and let him press the buttons. The little stinker figured out how to unlock the keypad and called Daddy!
With just a little appetite, he enjoyed eating off of mommy's plate like a big boy.
There goes his fever again. After medicine, he always got very sleepy.
After a couple of days in that hospital, Will was transferred by ambulance to Children's Hospital in Atlanta. He was so cute sitting up high on the stretcher. Those wonderful EMT's were able to get another IV going. This time in his foot! As always, his Teddy went along for the ride too.
Will looked so tiny next to the ambulance. Of course, I rode along with him to Children's.
At Children's, there was no grown-up bed. So, at the nurse's suggestion, I hopped in his crib and slept with Will throughout his stay there.
Will loved to play with the balloon his Daddy got for him.
Finally, we were allowed to leave the room and take Will for a ride in the wagon. Faithful Teddy and that darned I.V. pole were always by our side. During his stay Will received several knew I.V's and blood draws. He started running out of veins. It was very hard to see our little man go through this. However, seeing other parents and children at the hospital that were much sicker, made us thankful for the blessings of our two beautiful and well children.
Will thought the TV by the floor was interesting.
Smiling. We are finally on the rode to recovery.
Since we were in Atlanta, several folks were able to come by for a visit. Aunt Michelle was able to come often. That day, Grandma and Grandpa brought Caroline for a visit as well. Good practice for Michelle, because she is expecting her own baby girl in April. This will be her 1st child and we are all just thrilled for her!
Will and the cell phone. What fun!
Yeah! Aunt Michelle crawled in bed too!
Often, Children's had special events for the patients. I took Will down to see some therapy dogs that were visiting that day. He was still pretty sick, but enjoyed getting out of his room.
Finally, home! Will was discharged after a week of being in the hospital. I never left his side, but I certainly did miss my wonderful husband and precious daughter. It was good to be home again.
The doctors determined that Will became ill with a virus called Adenovirus. During his stay, there were many nights of worry and somewhat close calls, but all in all, he came out fine. We have been told that he had an underdeveloped immune system which causes him to get sick easier and more severely than other children. He will outgrow it, but until then, he has been pulled out of daycare and must stay clear of other small children for a while.