Eli's Rough Week

There are things that are simply impossible to prepare for.  Those moments in time that no matter what you think or know, reality is somehow different.  Mostly this is called parenting.

There has been nothing that's prepared me for what it's like to watch Eli be sick.  As hard as it's been to deal with club foot, in some ways, Eli being sick is worse.

Pittsburgh, city of champions, and the Pirates

It all started last Thursday when Eli started to get fussy.  We didn't really think too much of this.  He sometimes gets annoyed that he has to wear braces to bed.  Let's face it, who wouldn't?  And in typical Eli fashion, he waited to start crying until a few minutes after I left to go to the Jimmy Buffett concert.  Which meant Heather was with him for a solid 6 hours to listen to his crying.  Not easy. 

When I (finally) got home, I took over while Heather rested (well rested as much as you can when a 9-month-old baby is screaming at the top of his lungs.)  Usually Eli is pretty happy if he's moving.  So I tried to walk him around the house.  This didn't work, so I immediately escalated to Defcon 2.  Otherwise known as "going for a drive."

I drove Eli around town not once, not twice, but 4 separate times.  During that time we learned a few things.  First, Eli only likes highway driving, not city road driving.  Every time I slowed down for a light, he would wake up.  Secondly, there are a lot of scary cars on the road at 3 AM.

By the time I realized driving wasn't going to work (4 AM) I was starting to realize something more serious than a cranky, overly-tired baby was going on.  And that's when I picked him up and for the first time felt his fever.

Day 1: At the doctors

It was a warm 102, high, but not not outlandish for a baby.  My first thought was that he was simply sick.  But it was late, and he was finally ready to go to sleep.  The next morning (which was really only about 2 hours away) Heather scheduled a doctor's visit for Eli.  We expected to learn he was simply "sick."  Turns out he had a full blown ear infection.  His first.  And let me tell you it's a lot less fun than it sounds.

We were happy though.  We knew what the problem was, got Eli on antibiotics, and he was clearly turning the corner.

Things looked good.  Until Sunday when the wheels came off.  Eli's fever spiked over 103 degrees.  So while Isabel slept, Heather took Eli to Children's hospital.  Where they told us (after a VERY long wait) that Eli not only had an ear infection, but a bladder infection and a sore throat initially diagnosed as Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease.

Since then Eli has only slept a few hours, and eaten even less.  He's miserable.  And exhausted.  And hungry, but in too much pain to eat or drink.  In fact you can see just how much weight he lost between "Day 1" and "Day 4."

Day 4: "Mommy, I don't feel so good..."

The good news is that after 5 days of all this misery, he seems to be turning a bit of a corner.  After another rough night, Eli was willing to take some milk and food this morning.  We still have a long way to go, but for the first time since Thursday, Eli seems to be moving in the right direction.

A new toy makes everything better though!