Freaky Fever Friday

When I went in to wake Ian this morning, he didn't pop his head up at the sight of light creeping in his doorway. There was no pre-wake music playing in his crib, as is typical. He was in a deep sleep.

Rubbed his back. Nothing. Called his name. Nothing. I went for the camera since this might one of my first chances since China to get a picture of him sleeping. It was the flash that woke him. I thought he would find it funny and reach for the camera. He didn't. That's when my smile turned to a frown. Something was wrong.

I had just bragged to a coworker yesterday that Ian had only been sick once since we picked him up in November. He escaped the toddler/daycare cold statistics of Winter 2008. We had a super immune kid on our hands. Maybe it was that 3 months with his birthmother. Surely that short time of breastfeeding did some good. All my bragging did me in. Ian was sick.

I gave him some ibuprofen and he didn't register a fever, in fact he was acting OK by the time the boys were ready to leave. Because I had been home earlier this week for my own sick days and Shawn had an important day of meetings I had to make that excrutiatingly painful judgement call as a mother. Send him to school. I told myself that he would be fine once he got there and they would call if not. I changed my ringtone to something shrill and set the volume to high. I had a feeling it would be ringing.

It did ring, but not until later in the day. Later, as in after I was sick with guilt over sending him. How I wish grandmas lived closer (Trish is saying "why didn't you call me"...I know. I know.). So, the call came. Ian was running a 103.5 fever and had a "pants changing" blowout. He refused to wake from his nap. Come get him.

I was there in 15 minutes. 15 agonizing minutes. 14 minutes and 59 seconds too long. That last red light was a real killer. When I got there, it was the normal room o' pandemoneum, but Ian was curled up on a mat in the quiet area with his blanket, out cold. He was next to non-responsive and very dazed. Looking through me, but not at me. If he could have said so, he would have asked me to get him home to his lovey and his crib. Stat.

A dose of ibuprofen later, we had him in jams and in bed. He looked so relieved to be in his room with his smells and his favorite blanket. Two hours later, he read 104.2. I started to panic and posted questions online, then called the doctor's after hours nurses.

They called back immediately. Apparently, there is little to get concerned about until the fever goes over 103, and then it's not critical that he be seen until 105. His body is using heat to kill a virus. Plain and simple. Let it do it's thing and everything else we do is to keep it from spiking, and to keep him comfortable.

Well, right now he's quite comfortable to sleep, so we're letting him do that, waking him only to take his temp every 2 hours and to pat him with a lukewarm washcloth.

I just took his temp again and it has come down to 103. A full degree is a big deal, so I'll take it.

If he's back up in the 104 range tomorrow with no signs of clearing up, I'll take him in to the pediatric weekend clinic. Otherwise, we're sticking with Tylenol/Ibuprofen, fluids, sleep, warm bath... and lots of kisses.

Think happy thought for our little guy...and for us. I know some parents go through so much of this that it's old hat. For us, this is our 2nd fever event in 7 months and our world is crashing down. (OK, my world is crashing down. Shawn is making plans to go out for breakfast with his dad tomorrow and have a canopy installed on his truck. Must be nice to be able to switch gears like that. We each have our roles, I guess.) I know it won't be our last big illness... And it might take me between now and then to rid myself of the guilt that I sent him to school sick and that I probably gave him the virus!

My sleeping Prince. I thought it was so cute that he was sleeping exactly like the frog toy laying with him.

This is about when it hit me that he wasn't just sleepy. Time to quit snapping the flash in his eyes and see what's wrong.