Sickness.

Last Sunday, we were walking into the chapel ON TIME, (that VERY SELDOM happens in this family), when all of the sudden Mr. Braden acts like he's about to throw up! Thank goodness he warned us, I grabbed a garbage can that so happened to be right next to me and he puked all of his breakfast. My poor little man! Scott took him home and Brielle and I stayed, since I was in charge of running things in nursery that Sunday. He slept pretty much the whole day and had a fever. We gave him Motrin and his fever was kept under control. On Monday he woke up and was pretty energetic...I thought that it might just have been a 24-hour bug...he was a little hoarse but I didn't think it was much of a big deal...

Scott had school that day and the kids and I got ready and decided to take him all the way to D.C., generally, there is hardly any traffic going to D.C. on Mondays...since we were already in D.C., the kiddos and I headed to the Marine Corps War Memorial, they also call it the Iwo Jima Memorial...I have been wanting to go there since we moved here and I never could figure out how to get there and I didn't know what it was called. But somehow, I figured out the name of the place, I plugged it into GPS and made it!

That statue is so INCREDIBLY HUGE and it captivates so much emotion. I've always seen it in pictures but seeing it in person was just amazing!

It is such a beautiful big open area, the kids ran around and explored for a while...

It was the perfect day to just be outside...

Braden was enjoying it too...until he started to complain that he wasn't feeling well and that he was thirsty...he started to tell me, "hold me, hold me mom. I don't feel good."

I picked him up and he was so hot...right then, I decided that I had probably pushed my little boy too hard...what a terrible mommy...I just didn't want to waste such a beautiful day inside the house...

We headed home right away, I had him on fluids the rest of the day. I kept checking his temperature and by 4 it had reached 104.4...and he was also coughing, it sounded like a croupy kind of cough...you know those barking kind of coughs? That's how it sounded...I didn't want to freak out, so I gave him some Motrin and called the pediatrician to see if I could get him in but they were about to close, so I made an appointment for the next day, hoping that his fever would get under control with the Motrin...I gave it about an hour and a half and by 5:30pm. his fever had gone up to 104.8!!! Almost 105!!! That's when I called Scott and told him that I was headed to the ER. Scott told me that was probably a good idea, since 105 is pretty bad...

We got there and they tried to give him Tylenol (cherry flavored) which he HATES! He would not take it, I tried and tried...got Tylenol all over my hands because he'd spit out any that would get in this mouth...finally the nurse brought a suppository! My poor boy! He cried so hard...but by the time the actual doctor came by, his fever had come down to 103.

Thank goodness.

The doctor ordered tests for RSV, strep and pneumonia. He was a trooper through it all...he even got a rectal reading of his temperature!!! It was so sad!!! I felt so bad for him! He was so cute though when he had to go get x-rays of his chest...he did everything the radiologist told him to do...while we waited for results we watched movies and ate popsicles...he was acting a lot happier than he had been before...

Two and a half hours later...every test came back negative!

What a relief!

By the time of discharge, his temperature was down to 100.5...It sure scared me though, when I saw 104.8 in the thermometer at home!!! The doctor diagnosed him with bronchiolitis, which is basically a virus.

For the rest of the week, we just took it easy at home. He had hardly any appetite but was willing to drink fluids. He has been so needy and cuddly...more than usual!:) By Friday, he was acting more like his usual self...it was so interesting throughout the whole week to watch Brielle...she seriously did NOT know what to do without her healthy little brother to play with...she'd go to his bedroom and try to get him to play with her but he was so sick, he did a lot of sleeping...Brielle missed him. They are such good friends...

When my kids get sick like Braden did last week, I feel grateful for modern medicine and the accessibility that we have to it...and for the blessing that overall I have two healthy children.

{Today, I feel thankful.}