Sickie still
Wow, it’s a powerful feeling being able to comfort a child!
Laelia will pout and say “Mama” until I pick her up or sing to her. She likes to rest her cheek or forehead against my cheek. Even when I give her the yucky medicine, she seems to know I’m doing something necessary for her. She complains and then goes right back into my arms.
I feel like I’m chronicling my night with a sick baby that will be familiar to every mother. And that makes it feel normal. Having to deal with her special needs, or being up all night when her casts hurt, was a far cry from dealing with her sick. While she’s sick she’s consolable. When she was just in pain from casts or after surgery she was a mess. But it’s probably at least partly due to the fact that she’s a little older now.
Her fever still hasn’t broke, but it’s come down. She was up every hour or so all night long. It’s crazy all the dreams I remember because they were interrupted! People really dream a lot at night!
Lali and I are tired. I am getting a sore throat now and am hoping it’s temporary (or lack-of-sleep related). Laelia also smells different. She smells “hot,” like burnt meat. I have a feeling that I’ve kept the temperature down by sticking her by air conditioners and the like, but not because her internal temperature is raging any less. I just pray that triage nurse knows what she’s talking about. I am terrified of being solely responsible for this little human being and her temperature!
Even though we’re both exhausted, Lali looked up at me after I gave her some medicine, smiled and said, “Na na ma ma ma?”
I’m in love. 
September 16th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Hopefully, by the time you see this, the fever will already be broken and she’ll be on her way back to health, but-
My parents have often told me about the first time I got a really high fever. They called the doctor in a panic and he told them that they should do the same thing he had to do with his three kids: cold sponge baths until the fever breaks.
Maybe you could rubbing her head and chest with a cold, wet face cloth to see if that brings her temperature down any faster. It might be more beneficial than the cold dry air of an air conditioner. I would expect too much air conditioned air would tend to dehydrate her.
Also- you might try echinacea with vitamin C for yourself. Most times that I’ve felt like I might be coming down with something bad, it seems to head it off.
Oh well, enough quack medical advise from doctor B- I’m praying for you guys!