Meant to Be: Cell 792

Carter had been having some issues. Snotty issues. He had so much snot that he would gag on it when we'd give him the amoxicillin that he was taking for the UTI, and sometimes on food, and other times he would just gag on air. Last Sunday it became such a problem that he threw up just about everything we'd give him. So, to avoid dehydration, we headed up to the Children's ER. We checked in at 1 o'clock and they immediately took us back and checked his temp - what do you know, a FEVER! curious. They took a urine sample to check for UTI - hey guys, we've been on meds for 7 days for a UTI!! still checking. they never addressed the fact that the reason we were there was for SNOT! we were a little frustrated, and Carter was quite fussy. They started an IV and fluids since he hadn't kept much down in a day or two, and we waited for the dipstick results to come back. UTI. duh. so we checked in to room (cell) 792 at about 8 o'clock. Thankfully, we love 7NW. There are some great nurses up here. And even more thankfully, Nurse Emily has been ours this week during the day, Heath for swings, and Christy for mids - SCORE! It turned out to be a completely different bug this time - totally different gram of bacteria (gram negative/gram positive blah blah). Which is great, because we were a little worried that the antibiotics just weren't working on the old bacteria. However, this new bacteria is best treated with IV meds, so we've landed ourselves a 10 day stay at the Chilton. The plan is for us to make a prison break on Tuesday after our meds at 8am. We managed to sleep two nights in our new house and stock the pantry and fridge with tons of food, before we left the new-unorganized-goodness of our humble abode. Carter is much more mobile now than our last stay here, and he is pretty much going insane not being able to get in the floor and roll around. His crib is more like a jail cell for him. He immediately rolls onto his tummy and starts spinning in circles if we lay him down and he's not tired. He's also decided that the crib's metal bars are quite tasty... that or the cold metal feels good on his gummies. He was miserable the first day, but after hefty doses of antibiotics and a couple bags of fluid he is his active, happy self again. His eating has picked back up, and he's now been vomit-free for 2 whole days. As far as the snot problem, we've been using saline and suctioning him quite often, which results in alot of screaming, restraint, and tears. We've been taking him on frequent walks to keep him busy. His Meemer (my mom) came up Wednesday with Greyson to visit. After living with them for almost two weeks, they were going through withdrawals from their sudden and extended separation from him. She brought his rocker up so he'd have somewhere besides the bed to play. They kept an eye on him while Josh and I got out of the hospital for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. I'm pretty sure I've gained back alot of the weight I'd lost, as the cafeteria doesn't have many delicious healthy options. I can do healthy... but only if it's at least semi-delicious. The lack of real-life vegetables is the hardest... so we usually pick something up for dinner. Yesterday I made a quick trip home for a few items and a decent shower (water pressure isn't so great in cell 792), and was reminded that my house is still a disheveled-move-in-mess. While I was gone Josh took Carter to the Harbor to see Mickey and Minnie Mouse... he said he liked to look at them from afar, but when Mickey spotted him and came over, he wasn't too thrilled :) He likes to look out of our top-floor window at what dad calls "freedom" and enjoys the crosswalk to the Harbor for the same reason. Tomorrow dear Joshua will go back to work, and I will rough it alone with the little man. My parents may be making a visit, and also some of Josh's family. Monday we'll draw labs again, and Tuesday morning will be our last dose of meds before we escape. Now that I've gotten the details out and my complaining, I'll add that while being in the hospital sucks, at least we get to room in, and we are definitely in better shape than alot of the kids here.

If you don't know, I'm a little bit of a bird fanatic. Not real-life birds... I think they're gross... but birds as art, and the idea of birds. Today, I found a blog that tells the story of a small miracle, whom her mother refers to as Little Bird. http://rachaelsanko.blogspot.com/ Her blog is witty and entertaining (beware of mature language). She is an amazing mother of six children - most recently, Little Bird. This tiny miracle was born almost 14 weeks early, weighed 1 lb 13 oz, and will be at the top of my prayer list as Carter and I pray for sick babies and he giggles and coos about it. She should be at the top of yours, too!

Below are some pictures, and a video, of my sweet man during our stay in cell 792.

sleepy boy