We started the new year by transitioning Emmett to formula. So far, none of my irrational fears have come to fruition, thank goodness. He's still as chunky as ever and it appears he still loves me; he has entered the phase of babyhood where he loves to plant big, sloppy and lingering kisses on my face. I call them kisses, anyway. Emmett's dimply smile could melt a glacier. I do love him so.
Around mid-January I noticed a few small red bumps on Rolin's face that I immediately attributed to bugs. After they started to multiply, I started to get concerned, but also figured it was a little reaction to climbing trees or maybe even to lime yogurt (citrus gives him a diaper rash...so it was a logical assumption, I thought). As soon as the spots made the hop from right side of the face to the left and began to take on a more blotchy appearance, we headed to the doctor.
Long story short, we stumped the doctors. The rash was confined to his face. It kind of itched, but he wasn't bothered by it. He hadn't ever had a fever... They sent pictures of Rolin to an infectious diseases doctor, became worried it could be a form of measles, then had us go next door to the lab to have some blood drawn for testing. Rolin rocked the lab procedures...left his mask on the entire time we waited, as well as during the test, and he hardly cried at all as they stuck him with a needle to draw samples.
That was a Friday, of course.
At the doctor. He was "getting milk out..."
He'll be angry about me posting this picture someday, I'm sure.
On Saturday he spiked a 102.7 degree fever and was mopey. His dots began to fade, but he also developed a wicked cough and runny nose. At our follow-up appointment Monday, after reviewing the blood work analysis --- he was totally fine; great white blood cell count, etc., --- a nasal swab determined he had RSV. A look in his ear lead to the discovery of an ear infection. His first ear infection ever!
The rash? It was chalked up to just being part of the virus. A mystery, in other words.
Emmett, so far, by then, was ok. He had had a bit of a cough for a couple weeks, but he wasn't wheezy or miserable. With Justin being out of town, the doctor asked if I had any family around who could help me keep the boys separated for a few more days.
I called Gigi on the way home, and she graciously came to my rescue.
We were sent home with prescriptions for Rolin's ears and also for albuterol to use in the nebulizer as a breathing treatment. A few days later, Rolly was improving, but developed a nasty, yeasty diaper rash from the ear antibiotics, the poor dear.
By the following Friday, Emmett was coughing worse. His eyes were watery and his nose ran nonstop. He never had a fever, so I just sat with him in a steamy bathroom and kept the humidifier on at all times. That night he coughed so hard he barfed up his bottle on me. Twice. Justin got called just after midnight regarding an emergency at a store in Tucson, so he had to leave. At midnight.
In the morning Emmett was wheezy...I had my neighbor come over to confirm the wheeziness; partially because Justin was gone, partially because I had had little sleep and partially because I was sort of at my wits' end from all the coughing, barfing, snot, breathing treatments and so on. Emmett had been short of breath for a few days, and I was beginning to worry I'd overlooked too much and he was developing pneumonia.
That's a mom's brain for you.
Wheeziness confirmed, I made my first ever trip to an urgent care center. I was sort of nervous about it, but we received excellent treatment, I couldn't have been happier about our experience! The practitioner who saw Emmett even called me about a week later to see how things were going. #impressed.
Miserable peanut at urgent care.
Go Hawks! Em felt better!
Suddenly, however, the following weekend, his health regressed; he was wheezy again and simply looked miserable. He also cough-barfed another entire bottle all over me, this one going directly down my shirt into my pj pants, down my leg into my shoe. So I called the doctor again.
Yeah, I wear shoes with my pj pants. So what?!
My darling husband offered to take Emmett to the pediatrician where it was confirmed he did in fact have RSV (still...apparently it can last for a couple weeks, with symptoms ebbing and flowing as Emmett's had). Justin took him back mid-week for a follow-up where it was confirmed Emmett now had an ear infection.
I was so grateful for Justin's offer to take Emmett to the pediatrician. I'd been there so many times in the last two months...it was almost too hard to take him up on his offer since I'm the one that usually takes the boys; I knew what I wanted answers to, I knew what had already been asked, I knew what time Emmett had medicine and what he had, I knew the timeline of his symptoms...
But, letting Justin take Emmett was a learning experience for the both of us. I learned to let go a little, and Justin learned that you take a prescription to a pharmacy and that medicine for an ear infection is not administered in the ear.
The boys appeared to be over the worst of it by Valentine's Day weekend, which was perfect timing as that was the weekend Joe and Brianna came down to visit. Whew! Now it's March. After a week of complete health, however, both boys are suffering from either allergies or another cold. Just like everyone else in Arizona. At least, for the time being anyway, no one is wheezy or barking like a seal.
