"Just" a virus

I don't usually use this blog to vent, but I'm really frustrated this week because Kaitlin has been sick. She has had a fever since Saturday night. At first, it was just a low-grade fever, but when she came to our room at 2am Sunday morning, I quickly determined that it had increased since bedtime and sure enough, when I took her temp, it was up to 102. Now, I try not to be one of those parents who takes her kids to the doctor everytime they sneeze, so I waited until she had had a fever around 102 for two days before taking her in (this was the pediatrician's recommendation). Of course, by the time we got to the pediatrician's office, her temperature was 98.9 (with Tylenol) and she was bouncing off the walls. The doctor checked all the normal stuff including her lungs (for RSV), ears, and throat and didn't find anything wrong. So, he tested her for the flu. When that came back negative, he tested her for strep throat, just in case. When that came back negative he said "she probably just has a virus." I've heard this before, usually when she has had a low-grade fever for two or three days and it always bothers me. "Just" a virus? Really? Some viruses are very dangerous and I understand that it is difficult to diagnose every random virus out there, but I do get frustrated when my child's condition is minimized to "just" a virus. The flu is a virus, chicken pox is a virus, and then there is rotavirus. All of these are viruses serious enough for vaccines. In fact, the majority of the vaccines that my children are required to have for school, are to protect against viruses. So why is it that if the virus can't be specified, it is "just" a virus? I've come to the conclusion that this is what the doctor says when they really have no idea at all what is wrong with my child. Honestly, I wish that one of those tests he did on Kaitlin had come back positive so that we would know what we're up against and have some idea how to treat it. Instead, we just have to wait it out and pray that this fever goes away soon or that some other symptom pops up and gives us a clue what we're up against.

Sweet Siblings

I put on a video for Ethan while I was making dinner this evening and Kaitlin insisted on sitting with him on the bean bag chair to watch. It was too cute and super sweet!

 

 

Ethan wasn't really watching TV and smiling, he started smiling when he saw the camera - what a ham!

Ethan's One Year Checkup

I just came home from Ethan's 1-year checkup. He weighed in at 20 lbs, 14 oz and is 27 ¾ inches long. The doctor said he looks great and wasn't concerned at all that he isn't walking or using a cup yet. Ethan has had a couple incidents when he cried so hard that he couldn't catch his breath and his face started to turn blue. This freaked us out a little, but the doctor said it's actually very common for babies to have breath holding spells and eventually they grow out of it.

Here are a couple pictures of Ethan with his lion and zebra taken on January 15. It's getting harder and harder to get him to lean back and be still! He has learned to rock the chair by himself and just wanted to keep rocking himself.

Ethan's Birthday

Wow! What a great birthday celebration for our little Ethan. I still can't believe the little man is 1! My mom, sister, niece and nephew were able to make it into town despite the icy weather in Atlanta last week. It means so much to me that they drove all this way to celebrate the life of our little man, Ethan. Kaitlin had a really great time with her cousin Sarah and was very sad to see them go this morning. Robbie and Ethan aren't really ready to play together just yet, but I'm sure they will be good friends just like Kaitlin and Sarah! Here are some pictures from the party.

Toomer's Corner

Everytime the Auburn Tigers win a football game, it is tradition to roll the Oak trees at Toomer's Corner in downtown Auburn. So, as you can imagine, after winning the 2010 BCS National Championship last night, there was a lot of toilet paper in those trees!! And there was also tp all down the streets. We couldn't make it to Toomer's to help roll the trees, but we were able to stop by this morning and take some pictures to celebrate the big win. Kaitlin was hungry and grumpy and did not want her picture taken so we had to sneak it. Ethan was tired and grumpy so he wouldn't smile for any pictures. We actually all have Auburn clothes on, but it was way too cold to take off our coats!

Sharing??

A very rare occasion when Kaitlin actually shared one of her toys with Ethan.