Rough Week for the Littlest

This past week was really tough for Carissa. She picked up a "cold" from preschool, which started with a fever saturday night, which didn't end until Monday evening. I took her to the dr on Monday morning. They did a strep and flu test, both of which came back negative. So we went home to "wait it out" since it was probably just a virus. We knew we would just have to be patient, but we were glad that her appetite hadn't been affected. Then during the night she started HACKING! Not just an annoying cough, but a "shake the body until you are groaning in pain cough". And that lasted all night.....for TWO nights. Not to mention ALL day as well! And now, we had a new problem. She didn't want to eat ANYTHING. Not one single cheerio. Not one bit of toast. Not one single cracker. NOTHING.....for 2 days. Obviously her throat was killing, but she refused to let me look at it. Then on Thursday, when I was about ready to haul her back to the dr, not really caring how crazy I look for wanting to be seen for a "virus", they call me and tell me that the 2 day culture grew "something", but they still weren't sure if it was strep. So they called in an antibiotic (the pink stuff, which Carissa HATES) and now she seems to be doing much better. The cough is persistent, but her appetite has returned!

So this is what our week looked like with pictures.
We started off being silly while I tryed to get a decent picture. (I thought about posting the sticking-out-tongue ones, but I figure that might be all I get in the near future, so I better stick with a good one!) This was friday morning.

We even got outside for a nice walk!

Then this was Monday morning, running a fever and just being miserable. When she wasn't laying across my lap sleeping, she was on the couch watching TV.

When she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer, she would sleep for about 20 minutes at a time, until she woke up coughing and moaning. Look at those poor little lips that were so chapped, because she was getting dehydrated.




And here we are now. Back to her normal messes, and dressing up and throwing the attitute around!



So good to have her back. I don't know what's more exhausting......taking care of her while she's sick....OR.....when she is running full throttle with more energy than I could ever muster! I have yet to figure that out.

Now the main reason I write this is because I want to stress to some people that it is still cold/flu/RSV season. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE.......I BEG you to not bring your sick children to SCHOOL.....CHURCH.......PLAYLANDS........wherever! PLEASE! No I can't protect her from everything, but the little girl that got her sick was coughing quite severely and never should have come to school. Please use common sense and remember that some kids just manage to pick everything up and they just don't have the immune system to fight it off, without first declining almost to the point of being hospitalized. (The dr had told me that if she didn't start eating by the third day, then they would have to send her to Primary's). My little girl who only weighs 26 pounds.....LOST TWO pounds in TWO days! Some kids just don't have that kind of weight to lose. And it will take her a good 2 months to put it back on.



And then to add fuel to the fire.......I've got it too! And now I know why she was so miserable for 5 days!

So this is what I've learned over the past week. Because one mother wanted TWO hours of freedom from a sick child, it cost me an entire week of getting NOTHING done, 2 doctors visits (because I've now been in for a strep test as well) staying home from church twice, missing preschool 3 times (and I still have to pay for those days!) Andrew coming home early 3 days in a row (when he really couldn't afford to), and my daughter losing TWO POUNDS....over a "little cold"! Gee kinda doesn't look like a fair trade!