Hours to think...in the ER
Today I thought of a lot of things I wanted to "blog", but of course I can't remember any of them, and probably won't, which is why some of my entries are so long and so random!! Today I spent four hours in the emergency room with Joseph. Just Joseph. Nancy kept the other three younger ones, and Jakob and Joshua were in school. It's crazy how much thinking can happen when it is that quiet. Joe developed a rash on Wednesday afternoon. Thursday we went to the doctor and it was decided that this is a drug reaction to the antibiotic he was taking, so we stopped the medicine, and started taking Zyrtec which is an antihistimine to reduce the swelling and stop the itching. By the time we returned home at about 6:30, Joe was crying and had been for about 45 minutes. He couldn't even tolerate being held because he was so uncomfortable, and he had also developed a fever. When the fever was finally under control and Joe was resting comfortably, we had made the decision to call the doctor first thing in the morning and update him on the rash...it had spread more and now it had some purple color to the inside of the welts.
We ended up in the ER because our doctors office is in the middle of a move this weekend and he thought Joe really needed to be seen by someone. Ultimately, two doctors, four hours and 6 blood tests later, we learned that everything was fine, the rash is not life-threatening, and it will go away in time. The fever is an unrelated virus that will need to run it's coarse and in the meantime we just need to monitor and make sure nothing gets worse. I said that it isn't life-threatening...there was a point in the morning that I really wondered if it could be due to the reactions from the 2 consulting professionals, and the concern from our own doctor. Again, there is nothing like quiet time to ponder lots of things...even worst-case scenarios. I don't even know what my life would be without even one of my children. All things are in the hands of God, and that is comforting, but it doesn't stop the wondering and then of course the worrying. Those entire four hours...well all but about 15 minutes anyway, I held Joe. He sat contently in my lap, in my arms...nursed, slept, just rested with his head on my shoulder while I hummed "Ave Maria" in his ear. I wonder if he'll grow up and remember hearing that tune often? It is probably the longest period of time that I've held him for a long time.
I just kind of take for granted that every morning my kids wake up and are here. I realized that it doesn't necessarily happen that way for all parents. Again, what a blessing in my life. Something to definitely thank God for.
Tim was telling me about a message he heard the other day from Mother Angelica...it was about a priest who prayed diligently for patience...three hours solid one day and then proceeded to lose his cool with someone and get upset with God for having given him all that time in prayer, asking for God's help with his patience. God spoke to him at that point and said something like, "Listen, I've been giving you the opportunities to PRACTICE all the time!!" Right, I thought! That is exactly what happens to me every day! God gives me soooooo many chances to practice all of the things that i ask for help with...I just need to remember to see them as opportunities rather than times that noone is helping me. I'm sure that if I could just remember that, I probably would find myself being patient more often, knowing that God is staning by watching to see how I do. If only it were always that easy...to just remember!!!!
On one last tangent...a week of sickos in the house certainly makes for a messy house. A week of not having time to devote to the messy house certainly makes for a long process of getting everything back to par. I think i really need 2 solid days with NO ONE else here to create and KEEP each room clean. I know they won't stay that way, but at least I could get beyond one room. I've had the kitchen cleaned up finally, and by the time I get the living room done, the kitchen is trashed again. Needless to say, I haven't gotten past that portion of the house, so the bathrooms are really in distress and our bedroom? Still has the makeup on the floor from the first day back from AZ! I had to make sure to give Joe a bath this morning so that they wouldn't look at him and decide the reason for his rash is hygeine-related...he did have plum jelly all over his face and in his hair, and when there is jelly there, the hands are dirty as well, which just results in dirt stuck to the jelly. That paired with the snot crusted on his face and perpetually running down toward and often into his mouth probably doesn't look too great!
As I conclude these random thoughts, I should document that the dinner left on the table is a mixture of ketchup, applesauce and ranch dressing...our newest condiments are mixed, and apparently tasty if you poll the three and four year old who are currently screaming at each other about who gets to wipe first in the bathroom...I'd better get in there!!!!!!!
We ended up in the ER because our doctors office is in the middle of a move this weekend and he thought Joe really needed to be seen by someone. Ultimately, two doctors, four hours and 6 blood tests later, we learned that everything was fine, the rash is not life-threatening, and it will go away in time. The fever is an unrelated virus that will need to run it's coarse and in the meantime we just need to monitor and make sure nothing gets worse. I said that it isn't life-threatening...there was a point in the morning that I really wondered if it could be due to the reactions from the 2 consulting professionals, and the concern from our own doctor. Again, there is nothing like quiet time to ponder lots of things...even worst-case scenarios. I don't even know what my life would be without even one of my children. All things are in the hands of God, and that is comforting, but it doesn't stop the wondering and then of course the worrying. Those entire four hours...well all but about 15 minutes anyway, I held Joe. He sat contently in my lap, in my arms...nursed, slept, just rested with his head on my shoulder while I hummed "Ave Maria" in his ear. I wonder if he'll grow up and remember hearing that tune often? It is probably the longest period of time that I've held him for a long time.
I just kind of take for granted that every morning my kids wake up and are here. I realized that it doesn't necessarily happen that way for all parents. Again, what a blessing in my life. Something to definitely thank God for.
Tim was telling me about a message he heard the other day from Mother Angelica...it was about a priest who prayed diligently for patience...three hours solid one day and then proceeded to lose his cool with someone and get upset with God for having given him all that time in prayer, asking for God's help with his patience. God spoke to him at that point and said something like, "Listen, I've been giving you the opportunities to PRACTICE all the time!!" Right, I thought! That is exactly what happens to me every day! God gives me soooooo many chances to practice all of the things that i ask for help with...I just need to remember to see them as opportunities rather than times that noone is helping me. I'm sure that if I could just remember that, I probably would find myself being patient more often, knowing that God is staning by watching to see how I do. If only it were always that easy...to just remember!!!!
On one last tangent...a week of sickos in the house certainly makes for a messy house. A week of not having time to devote to the messy house certainly makes for a long process of getting everything back to par. I think i really need 2 solid days with NO ONE else here to create and KEEP each room clean. I know they won't stay that way, but at least I could get beyond one room. I've had the kitchen cleaned up finally, and by the time I get the living room done, the kitchen is trashed again. Needless to say, I haven't gotten past that portion of the house, so the bathrooms are really in distress and our bedroom? Still has the makeup on the floor from the first day back from AZ! I had to make sure to give Joe a bath this morning so that they wouldn't look at him and decide the reason for his rash is hygeine-related...he did have plum jelly all over his face and in his hair, and when there is jelly there, the hands are dirty as well, which just results in dirt stuck to the jelly. That paired with the snot crusted on his face and perpetually running down toward and often into his mouth probably doesn't look too great!
As I conclude these random thoughts, I should document that the dinner left on the table is a mixture of ketchup, applesauce and ranch dressing...our newest condiments are mixed, and apparently tasty if you poll the three and four year old who are currently screaming at each other about who gets to wipe first in the bathroom...I'd better get in there!!!!!!!
