Under the Weather

I haven't posted in the last couple of days...mostly owing to the fact that poor little Elizabeth has not been feeling so well.

It started with a little cold last week and by Friday she had a nice little cough which kept me up most of the night. Interestingly she slept fine--except that she coughed every 15 minutes in her sleep. Every time I went to check on her she was asleep. Although I can't imagine it was the soundest sleep with all that coughing.

It seems Elizabeth is likely also teething. Two white little bits of enamel are peering out of her gums next to her front two teeth.

Elizabeth's cold and teething have combined to create one miserable little girl and one panicked mother. Yesterday she was weepy and clingy like I have never seen her. Every time I put her down she cried. If you didn't let her have one of the many dangerous household items she longed for--she went into a full blown wail. So unlike her. She didn't smile much and what was most worrying to me was the fact that she seemed totally uninterested in food. She refused her formula and lots of other things I try to entice her with. I knew we were in trouble when she refused avocado.

She was also sleeping a lot and at about 8 P.M. I realized she hadn't had much to eat or drink all day--maybe 6 ounces of a water and juice mix, 2 ounces of formula, one banana and a little bit of yogurt. I thought there was a possibility she would sleep until morning. Marty's instinct was to let her sleep since she was obviously exhausted. I, on the other hand, decided to check the source from which I had earned my own self awarded PHD in medical research--the internet! Of course I read that if a child goes more than 3 hours without a wet diaper she could be dehydrated! And dehydration could be very bad. ENOUGH SAID. I did not walk, rather I ran to Elizabeth's room and woke the little darling from a sound sleep.

She was in a good enough mood once I woke her, but still refused any and all attempts at food or drink. Panic set in and I of course kicked myself for not having taken her to the doctor on Friday. So what if I looked stupid for taking her in for a few sniffles...I would rather that then be in a panic on Sunday night (when all medical problems seem to be at their worst) wondering if the little one had some serious issue. Also for me it is worth the effort of taking her to the doctor--One visit to the doctor and I now have a new partner in worry and an expert to boot-and last night I needed it.

At 8:30 I called our friend and expert mother, Kenya and she did a lot to reassure me that it takes a fair amount for a child to dehydrate it also seemed that Elizabeth did not have any signs of dehydration. I suppose I found that information on the internet but hearing it from Kenya made me feel so much better.

So the update at the moment is that Elizabeth went back to sleep an hour and a half after I disturbed her peaceful slumber. The good news is that I managed to get a little more than half a jar of baby bananas into her before she went back to sleeep

I resisted my natural inclination to take her to the doctor on Friday afternoon. I had a oouple of people tell me, "you can't run to the doctor everytime the baby gets a cold." My answer to that after last night's worry fit will now be, "just watch me--especially on a Friday afternoon!"