And The Award Goes To...

Cylynn for "Mother of the Year!"

I just assume that I win this award because of everything that has been going on in the past week. So let me explain and then you can vote to determine if I really deserve the award.

Kekoa has had a persistent cough for a couple of months. I have taken him to the doctor multiple times and each time I have been told that it is probably a cold or something to do with his lungs due to premature birth. However, the cough continued and even worsened so I took him to the doctor last week, we were on breathing treatments every four hours, steroids for lungs and scheduled for a return appointment on Monday.

We returned on Monday only to have a chest x-ray to rule our pneumonia and a nose swab to confirm pertussis. He doesn't have pneumonia but we can't rule out pertussis. We are on more steroids this week to help with his lungs and antibiotics to treat the pertussis.

Oh and just because it wouldn't have been as entertaining if something else didn't go wrong; the doctor found a tick behind Kekoa's ear and had to remove it. I thought he was going to completely remove the skin from behind Kekoa's ear but he assured me that "Those ticks can really get in there." He also had to warn me to watch for a high fever and a rash on Kekoa's hands and feet which would mean that he caught Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever from the tick which can be fatal. Awesome!

When we got home from the doctor's office I noticed that Makaio was pretty warm. I kept an eye on him just in case it his warmth was a result of not enough air circulation on the ride home and unfortunately that was not the case. Within a couple of hours of returning home from the doctor's office Makaio had a temperature of 103 degrees. I was getting nervous at this point because his last febrile seizure was at 104 degrees. At this point I was diligent about alternating Motrin and Tylenol with high hopes of getting his fever to break. No luck. I bathed him multiple times during the day with the same goal in mind and still I couldn't accomplish what I had set out to do. So I had to call and set up an appointment for him the next day.

When we got to the clinic the next day everyone was confused because they thought we were back for Kekoa. Nope, we were there for my other child. Makaio had to get immediate "magic" Motrin (the kind that the hospital uses that can break a fever in minutes) because his fever was 105 degrees. I am sure that I looked like an amazing mother when they asked if he had a fever and I said, "Yes but it is much better than it was yesterday." It turns out that statement was false. The fever was actually worse than the day before. Oops.

Makaio went also had a chest x-ray to rule out pneumonia but instead of ruling it out, it confirmed it. He also had an urinary tract infection which I had suspected when I changed his diaper that morning...STINKY!

So my two days spent at the doctor's office were miserable but at least my children now have the antibiotics to help them heal. We have had a lot of fighting over who gets to sit on mom's lap but I am okay with that. We are finally on the mend. Kekoa acts as though he is feeling 100% but Makaio still gets worn out. I hope that they both get to feeling better soon so that I can take the time to take care of myself. I guess that is one of the sacrifices you make as a mother and I am happy to do it. Luckily Sterling hasn't had anything besides a little sore throat. If we can keep one of the parents feeling well then we WILL be the victors.