WARNING: This post is really long. However, I've decided not to forego any of the details, because they are what etch this experience into my heart and mind forever!
Where in the world do I start? This past weekend was much different than we expected it to be.....to say the least! Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start! :)
On Thursday afternoon, we took the girls to have their seasonal flu vaccines and for Claire to also get her 12 month shots. I say "we" because I was not brave enough to take two children for shots at the same time, so I had arranged for Kevin to meet me there. Turns out that Chloe got the flu shot and another vaccine that she had not gotten and Claire got the flu shot, the MMR, another Hepatitis A, and another Pneumoncoccal vaccine......so she got 4 shots. She had run a very low grade fever Thursday morning, which I attributed to the 4 molars that she is getting. Her fever went away, so we went ahead with the vaccines as scheduled. By the time we got to the office, she actually had a low-grade temp again but not enough to deter the nursing staff from giving the vaccines to her. After the shots, we headed home to get both girls in the bed for naps! I had a meeting that I was going to that evening and needed to grocery shop so Kevin just came home and sat with the girls while I went back to town. I got home around 5:30 and Claire really didn't feel good. I took her temperature and it was 101.5 so I gave her Tylenol and we kept on with dinner and the regular evening activities. I gave both of the girls a bath and told Kevin to just leave everything in the kitchen and we would clean up after they went to bed. So, he and Chloe started watching a movie and Claire and I snuggled up on the couch for her to sleep and try and feel better.
About 8pm, I realized that she was still pretty warm, even after Tylenol and a bath. I had begun to think that maybe I should get some Motrin in her so Kevin and Chloe were getting their shoes on to head to town and get some Infant Motrin. Just before they left, Claire woke up and started crying. As she laid in my arms crying, she began to seize. I don't know that I've ever felt more helpless than I did in that moment. It was heart-wrenching to hold my sweet little one and watch her body convulse. I yelled to Kevin that she was seizing and to call 911. He jumped into action and sweet Chloe started to sense the panic in the room. She began to whimper and ask what was wrong with sister. I told Kevin to hand me the phone and for him to call our good friends that live behind us and have her come and get Chloe immediately. At that point, I began conversing with the 911 operator who very calmly directed me to take Claire's clothes off and get a warm, wet towel on her. She stayed on the phone with me until the ambulance arrived at our house. She was great and I wish that I knew her name! The paramedics arrived to my (by this time) crying baby and advised that we take her to the hospital to be check out. They offered to follow us to the hospital so that she didn't have to ride in the ambulance.
When we arrived at the ER, Claire's heart rate was 214 and her temperature was 105! They gave her both Tylenol and Motrin and started doing all kinds of tests to find out what was going on. As the medicine began to work in her little body, we finally got her calmed down and to sleep. Around midnight, they admitted her to the hospital for observation and put us in a room on the pediatric floor. Claire ended up being in the hospital until Sunday morning because her fever continued to spike over the next couple of days. They were also administering IV antibiotics in an effort to combat the fever and the possibilities of anything else in her system. Late Saturday evening, we finally got the last of the test results back to find out that all tests came back completely clear, leaving us to believe that she had an adverse reaction to her MMR vaccine. The vaccine caused the fever, and the rapid rise of her fever on Thursday evening caused the febrile seizure.
The entire experience was extremely scary and exhausting, however we are so thankful for Claire's good health and for the care that she got over the weekend. During this time, there were several significant things that I was reminded of that I wanted to share........simply because I don't want to quickly forget them. I want to always be able to go back to this time and remember these things. I won't say that I learned these things, because all of them I already knew. However, I was acutely reminded of their significance in my life. Interspersed throughout the rest of the post will be a few pictures of our weekend. Thanks for your care of our family!
1. God cares about every little detail of our situations and is sovereign enough to put them all together. Those of you who know me well, know that I am a detail person! And I was reminded this weekend that I serve a detail-oriented God! And that my detail-oriented God takes care of all of my details, because He knows that it's important to me. A couple of examples for you......on Thursday night, my friend Shauna was immediately at our house to get Chloe. Chloe never saw paramedics rush into our house and never saw an ambulance........therefore, she was not scared and not traumatized. She went home with Shauna and played and went to bed. For this mama, that was a huge detail that my God took care of......he protected the memory of my ever-observant 3 year old. My parents rushed straight here that evening and ended up taking care of Chloe all weekend...........we couldn't have done it without them! Another example was on Friday morning. I headed out of our room to go down and get a sippy cup from my mom who was waiting in the parking lot. As I passed the nurses station, I heard the voice of the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner that I use and trust. She never makes rounds at the hospital, but happened to be filling in for another doctor on Friday. She was able to see us and advise us and the nurse staff on Claire's situation. Again, for this mama, that was a detail that my God took care of f0r us.
2. My husband is committed to our journey of life together.....and is a wonderful daddy. At first, this might sound kind of "cheesy." However, what you need to know is that Kevin could have come home (10 minutes from the hospital) and slept in our bed every night this weekend. But he didn't, he stayed there with me and Claire and only left to go to McDonald's one morning. He slept in a crazy recliner that was far from comfortable, just so I didn't have to be there by myself (and because that little girl is becoming quite the "Daddy's Girl" I might add). I know that he is committed to our journey..........and knowing that makes me love him even more.
3. We work with an amazing staff at our church. As for the men and women that we serve with at NBC, we could not be more blessed. Our pastor and his wife were at the hospital about 15 minutes after we arrived. They stayed with us and prayed over our sweet baby as they poked and prodded her to try and relieve her fever. They brought us dinner on Friday night. They called and texted us several times each day to check on us. They did not have to do any of that, but chose to......and we are forever grateful. We are privileged to serve alongside this couple. Our music minister, his wife, and our children's director were also all at the hospital on Thursday night. There is a man that does some part-time maintenance at our church......his full-time job is that he is one of the supervisors for Tift County EMS/EMA. He heard our 911 call Thursday night and he walked into our house right after the paramedics! He also followed us to the hospital and stayed with us until they got Claire situated in the ER. These people are so special to us and did such a good job loving on us this weekend.
4. We have GREAT friends! Our friends brought us meals, ice cream, and toys for Claire. They called/texted us to check on Claire. They sent flowers and they visited. They helped with Chloe. We have GREAT friends and we appreciate you all so much!
5. Being in a hospital with an infant is NOT fun! This is probably the most "no-brainer" of this list. However, when this becomes a reality, you can't help but be reminded of how hospitals are no fun. Claire was tethered to her IV until Saturday night, which made our stay all the more interesting. We made lots of laps around the hall dragging our IV pole behind us. I hope that I never have to do that again.
6. There's no place like home! Being at home, in my own bed, with all my children under my roof and my husband beside me............sigh.......there's no feeling like it. I never want to take that for granted!
This was one of the last pictures we took before heading home......she was finally drinking her juice and had gotten her IV out!
