was one of the worst nights for sleep at our house. I put the boys to bed and Lucas fussed way more than normal. I had to go back in his room 3 times… something that I don’t generally do. I snuggled him, snuggled him again and finally gave him tylenol thinking all the fussing was coming from his teeth. Finally he settled down and fell asleep.
Around 10:15 I headed back to bed. Adam stayed out in the dining room prepping for a case. Around 10:45 we heard Lucas start stirring. I was just about out at this point so I look over to the monitor and watch him. He’s laying down but tossing and turning like crazy. He would settle down and then cry out and start all over again. I am still assuming this is teeth related but know that I can’t give him tylenol again until at least 12:15… and there is no way he will still be awake then.
*sigh* I should have known better.
Eventually I go in and try to comfort him. I lay him back down and he cries but just for a moment. I lay back down thinking this is it, he’s asleep.
Nope. Starts crying again.
He isn’t standing and crying… he isn’t even sitting. I am watching him desperately try to sleep but he just can’t seem to get comfortable. At this point I am realizing that I should have taken him to the doctors office that morning. Something is really wrong and I waited too long.
Boy did I wait too long.
I can’t even recount the hours because at a certain point I was so tired everything just ran together. I gave him tylenol every 4 hours on the dot… he was demanding it. Even that only settled him for about 2 hours… of which I barely slept because I was so keyed up about him. Thinking he would cry out at any moment, thinking I am a horrible mom for waiting, thinking he’ll have permanent damage, thinking, thinking, thinking. You get the idea.
I walked with him, I sat with him, I patted his back, he fell asleep for a while on me, I brought a blanket and my iphone in and sat, patting his back while he fell asleep on me.
All the time I am checking in with Adam who is working at the dining room table.
At some point Adam came to bed. I can’t be sure what time… I was in Lucas’ room.
By 6:15 Lucas was up again and I got him up for the day. He was miserable. He was warm to the touch, he was visibly annoyed at everything and he wouldn’t dream of me putting him down. I counted down for the next hour and 45 minutes… 8:00 and I could call the doctor and schedule a sick visit.
I managed to get coffee made and drank, 2 bananas into Lucas, cheerios for Chase, myself dressed (barely but I had acceptable clothes on, not pajamas), the boys dressed, the diaper bag packed by 8. Whatever time they said be there, we would be there.
I spoke with the nicest nurse from the office and she set up a sick visit for both boys… for 9. I actually cried I was so happy it was going to be that quick. Seriously, tears in my eyes.
This is what sleeping in 2 hour increments does for a 15 month old…
This is while I was on the phone with the doctor.
This was while I was getting Chase ready to go.
Waiting to see the doctor.
And again, waiting to see the doctor.
And again, waiting to see the doctor.
Sidenote – I know it seems like I did a lot of waiting but I really didn’t. It’s just that every so often I switched positions and he would wake up, be awake for a little while and then nod off again.
We see the doctor and get our diagnosis. Chase has a sinus infection and possible strep (extremely red throat with an ulcer)… they want to do a rapid strep test. Lucas has a definite ear infection and a possible sinus infection. Antibiotics all around! Thankfully the rapid test came back negative but they are still sending it off for the standard test, just to be sure.
While I hate for my kids to be sick, I was very relieved to know what was wrong and be able to fix it. I thought (more than once) how lucky I am to have things like antibiotics so easily accesible. Seeing your kids in pain is one of the most horrible things but knowing you can make it better, amazing.
Waiting to get our strep test done on Chase.
Stopping for supplies and prescriptions at the grocery store.
My poor sweet sleepy baby.
This was just after I put him in the car from the grocery store. I hadn’t even driven anywhere yet… or closed the door for that matter.
Finally home and ready to make lunch and some homemade chicken noodle soup. Of course he wouldn’t stand for being put down… so around my back in the sling it was. Pardon my large old lady bicep.
Perhaps my favorite picture of the day. The around the back shot of Lucas sleeping on my back.
I finally got medication in their system, food in their bellies and soup simmering on the stove… off to quiet time. Lucas, as expected, went down like a lead balloon. Not even a peep as I left the room. Chase played quietly in his room and half passed out on the couch… as much as any mom can with one awake child in the house.
After quiet time and a dose of tylenol, Lucas started to get back to his smiling self. Man did I miss that sweet smile. Actually, so did Chase. Chase went to try to make Lucas smile in the grocery store and but instead it made him cry… which in turn made Chase cry. He wanted to know why Lucas doesn’t love him anymore. *sigh*… take a moment to explain so Chase isn’t devastated, make Chase smile and then move on.
All in all, health wise the rest of the night went better. Both boys now have 2 doses of medication in their system and will hopefully sleep peacefully through the night… which hopefully means their mama will as well!
Oh and the homemade soup was a success! Adam and I loved the taste (Chase and food is a whole other post) and it hit the spot on a long and weary day.
After serving all of us a bowl, here are the leftovers…
All for $13.62.
