The past 2 weeks have been tough. Last Saturday, March 26th, Parker had a slight fever. Nothing too high, and I didn’t even give him medicine to lower it, as I believe fevers are there to fight off sickness. He wasn’t uncomfortable or anything, so I just let his body to its job, but his fun little personality was missing. We had to miss church because Sunday morning he was still feverish. Monday I began to worry that he was developing ear infections, which were the culprit of his last bout of fevers. We had him checked out and sure enough, his left ear was showing signs of an infection.
Monday (the 28th) we started him on a Z-pack, and by Thursday, his fever was not only still around, but peaking at close to 105. (A few times by forehead reading it was 105.6, and I almost panicked until I took his temperature in the most invasive way possible… that revealed his temperature was closer to 103.8.)
I took him in to see his pediatrician, who said that his ears had cleared nicely. Z-pack was working on what it was supposed to correct. But there was obviously something else going on. Because the fever was so high and he was so lethargic even the doctor was concerned. They did a strep test and it was negative. They also did a catheterization to run some tests on his urine. That was tough to watch but the nurse and doctor were so caring and efficient that it was over very soon after it started. Because they had ruled everything else out, they determined that it must be a virus and we just needed keep him hydrated and comfortable. Can I be transparent here? As as result of Brynnley passing away in January, I spent quite a bit of time praying that Parker was going to be fine. I was more nervous about this sickness than I normally would be, and the fact that his fever stuck around 9 days had me quite on edge.
Sick Parky
Heartbreaking
Sick baby.
On Matt’s birthday, April 1st, he woke up with a fever and we weren’t able to go out to dinner as we had planned. He was fine by Sunday morning and we were so glad to be able to get back to ChapelNext again! And that night Matt finally got his Chinese food fix as we ate dinner at Mayflower in Mainz-Kastel. Parker seemed to be almost back to normal.
I had to get ready but he wouldn't let me leave his side. So, I put him in the sink and got ready.
Every day this week he has shown more and more of his personality and I am praising the Lord for His healing. As Parker approaches 13 months, Brynnley’s age at the time of her passing, I am counting every moment as a blessing. I do pray for her family as they transition from Hawaii to Kansas for a new chapter in life.
Today as I was feeding Parker his lunch of butternut squash, he was absolutely FULL of personality so I grabbed the closest video camera: my iPhone. He learned how to sign “Please” recently but last night he altered it slightly. Now he reaches around and pats his bottom instead of his chest. No clue… I wanted to post this video here for you to enjoy, but apparently that’s not a free option on WordPress.
Just in case, I’ll post it to the old blog and Facebook and if you aren’t on FB but want to see it, I’ll email it to you. It really is cute (but I’m partial). (Update: It looks like I got the video to work, but I’ll leave these others up as well. WHOO-HOO! Thanks, Jonelle!! Awesome tip!)
Click here to go to the old blog to see my silly personality.
Can’t wait to see the video. I am SO relieved that little Parker-Man is okay once again. And, I know exactly what it means to have lost a friends’ baby and then have your own celebrate a birthday – having been the same age. That happened with our son, Todd, (now 46 years old). When he and our friends’ baby were 2, their little one died of chicken pox. (It hadn’t “come out” but stayed inside his body – especially his brain area causing his death). To this day – when it’s Todd’s birthday, I think about little Markie. We praise God for Parker’s return to good health and realize fever isn’t anything to ignore – as you know. You did the right thing – once again. Love you all.
Checking on two things: 1. Did you get this reply? I wonder if you get the replies to your comments via email or do you have to just come back and see if I replied? 2. Did you ever get to see the video?
I’m so glad he’s okay! I would have been freaking out with a fever that high, too!
Babies do not come any cuter then that. I watched this is my office and I bet the rest of the cadre was like, “What is she laughing at.” Too funny. Give lots of hugs and kisses to all the boys. Glad Parker is back to himself.