Better (?)

Sorry sorry sorry, I intended to update much sooner today. I didn't mean to leave you with the crashing minor chord.

Patrick is much better. Or Better, if you prefer. His headache finally went away and he assures me that he feels terrific. I'm skeptical - mostly because his lips are still scarlet and his eyes are sunken and he is running a consistent nonfever of 99.change (he's a 97 degree person in the general run of things) - but in the absence of any actual symptoms I let him go back to school today. Somehow the fact that I think he looks a little funny didn't get past Steve's Severed Limb School Absence Acceptability flowchart (you know the one: Does child have severed limb? If yes - stick a bandaid on it and go to school; If no - why are we even having this conversation) and Patrick was anxious to get back to class.

So he's back to normalish but I am watching him (one might saying hovering) because he just seems Off. You know? Why are his ears red? What's with the nonfever? What is up with the lips?

In other news Edward expressed a desire to not wear a diaper today. We set off some fireworks and threw an impromptu ticker tape parade and life was one technicolor dance spectacular after another for about fifteen minutes until...

let's just say that the only thing to do was throw him into the nearest body of water and start pouring bleach on everything else in a thousand meter radius.

He was the only one who found the situation hilarious.

Comments

[Lise]

Whew. I'm so glad that Patrick's better. And that you have hot and cold running water in your house.

[Kirsten]

So glad he is much Better even if he is still Off. I had become convinced you were at Children's and they did not allow internet access, so "better while still off" sounds great by comparison!

[tgsdmom]

So glad Patrick is (somewhat) better. I'll be hovering over your page though, until you put an update picture with normal features.

Edward is adorable! How come my kids were never happy to have water on their faces?

[Camilla]

I recommend Dr. Bronner's castile liquid soap, for both Edward and many of his surroundings. I had a little routine with the hose on the back patio, and the Dr. Bronner's on a rag, last summer.

Also, even though I know I am supposed to only use special dog shampoo on the dog, I can say from experience that she came out soft and fluffy, and smelling not at all like regurgitated fish carcasses, after I broke out the Dr. Bronner's.

[unexplained]

Oh, thank goodness. I was refreshing obsessively, thinking the worst... I support your hovering given his tonsils performance.

[Heather g]

Yay for both of you. I get odd rashes with viral infections. Swollen red ears (not lips). As a child no idea what it was, as an adult think it is some sort of autoimmune thing with skin and joint involvement.

[elana]

so happy to hear from you. glad to hear patrick is feeling better, although i'd like him 100% please!

[Jennifer]

I'm glad that Patrick is improving, but I know that you are worried. It is difficult when the symptoms, the diagnosis, and the conclusion are unclear. My third one has been nowhere near as sick as Patrick and yet is on day seven of her malaise (negative for strep and flu, yet she has a fever of 103+, stomach pain, body aches, headache, sore throat, and a cough with runny nose) and there comes a point when a medical professional needs to declare an urgency or it simply needs to be OVER. I am most impressed that neither Caroline nor Edward has gotten sick. Wishing you a definitive recovery, a lack of extreme poop clean-ups, and a little bit of personal time...

[Keri]

I'm glad Patrick feels better, and on the positive side of the Edward Incident, at least there's willingness and he's not taking it to heart if he's not quite there yet.

[karen]

We are also members of red lips/ears, swollen faces with fevers club over here. No idea what it means. Freaks me out like crazy every time.

[Karen]

Phew. Glad to hear it! I hope this is the trend. For Patrick, not Edward.

[halloweenlover]

Hurray! Here's hoping he is 100% soon!

[Alexicographer]

So glad Patrick is doing better, and, yay, you have a child-ready sink (and, from the look on his face, a sink-ready child: a match made in heaven)!

[kate g.]

So glad to hear things are getting better. I was sure you were at the hospital. This is such better news!

[yasmina]

just found out that you were not in the top 50 babble's best mom blogers. how is that possible, given how many comments your blog receives every entry? wher could we vote, you know?

[Mizasiwa]

My littlist sister get those red lips when she comes down with anything viral and always lands up with the non temperature only looking slightly off - its very very weird!! My daughter too never comes out with a proper fever its very irritating when I think shes sick but no one else does I hope he gets 100% soon! so not funny but hilarious at the same time - Edward is brilliant what a smile!!

[Mary]

I just hate it when my kids hover between and between. Makes me feel helpless.

[Mary]

Very glad to hear that Patrick is getting better. What a great photo of Edward!

[G]

So glad Patrick is better. Hope he soon becomes well.

[Steph]

I would hover to . . the picture of Patrick on the couch with the twins . . is pretty telling of how sick he was/is??

Glad he feels better . . just keep your eyes peeled.

[Erika]

I got the extreme poop cleanup situation ALL THE TIME with my first son. He decided he didn't want to nap anymore at about 2. If he was quiet in his room around "nap time" you could pretty much guarantee that he was UP TO NO GOOD. Lo and behold, 15 minutes later the smell of UGH would start to permeate the hall outside his room. I will never recover from the shock of the worst one. I opened the door and it was literally EVERYWHERE - child, crib, walls, door, carpet, baseboards, electric outlets, you name it. To this day I don't know where he got the VOLUME. It was traumatic for all involved. *shudder*

[azita]

very happy to hear that your Patrick is better

[Ana]

has Patrick been tested for cmv.

[Dara]

Little late here on diagnosis, but was mono ruled out? My husband is just getting over it, he had the same red eyes, and lip thing as well as low platelets. Turns out our oldest daughter tested positive for it, no symptoms. Just thought I'd mention it...glad he's feeling better.

[Tine]

I thought you were at the hospital too. So glad it's actually Better than that. Good heavens that Edward is adorable!

[Amy]

So glad Patrick is on the mend. Fingers crossed that bug is now well and truly over.

My almost-3-year-old also announced his intention of ditching the diapers last week. 3 days, no on-the-potty successes, and 37 pair of soaked/soiled training pants later, we went back to them. I keep telling myself no one ever went to college in diapers, but my husband then cheerily reminds me that there's a first time for everything.

[Amy]

So glad Patrick is doing better. I know the feeling of hovering when they're better, but you know they're still a little off.

Potty Training is challenging. My 3yo is in preschool three days a week and I keep hoping the peer influence will eventually rub off. He's mostly interested in the potty when he's procrastinating at bed time and just before we have to leave to go any where.

[Sarah]

I'm sorry Patrick is still not well. I hope you and he figure it out soon.

As for Edward, I've never seen a kid happier to have water pouring down his face. My boy would be fa REAK ing out. It's awful.

But he's 2.5 and I bribed him to ditch diapers by telling him I'd take him to ride a BIG real choo choo. Ten minutes later he was in underpants. It took him oh, four days, to realize I meant forever on the underpants. :) Meanwhile he was dry but had trouble with poop. We aren't even at 7 days and poop is better but pee is less so. Whatever, I'm sticking with it until it's mastered, no going back this time!

Good luck!

[SarahB]

Glad things are improving!

[Chris]

Thanks for the Patrick updates. I was behind in my reading and went through his entire illness scrolling on my cell phone last night after the kids went to bed. Hope he's feeling better!

[Shawna]

I'm glad Patrick is better!

And I love your granite and undermount sink too!

[Kirsten B]

Yay! I'm so glad Patrick is coming good!
(I can indeed understand hovering though, he was so sick in that last picture you posted.)

[Beth Yancey]

Hey Julia,

I am an EMT and I live in Arizona and if Patrick continues on his "ucky feeling" path (all the while professing good health), you may want to have a simple blood test done to test Valley Fever. I know you guys were just here, and it is a long shot, but we do see cases of it climbing into and out of my ambulance. Just a suggestion, TAKE CARE.

[Crystal]

You remind me that my (somewhat uptight) beloved loves to tease me about a certain incident in John's early days.

John used to get terrible diaper rash. One doctor pointed out little boys almost always pee in a warm bath, and you get to know their bowel habits, so pick a time that is not... his usual time, and give him a bath, and let him air dry crawling around his room for half an hour or so.

This was in the early "pull up, and try to cruise" days of his infancy. Lee thought the idea a spectacular example of pure lunacy, he was certain he would make a mess. I reminded him of our much-loved bottle of Folex and the raw nature of his son's tender bits, and told him on no uncertain terms to get the heck over himself.

So we bathed John, and he crawled around, Lee covering his eyes and moaning and wincing, and for 10, maybe 15 minutes, it was all roses and cherries. He crawled behind the shaker style rocker in the corner, pulled up, squatted down, repeat, repeat, and Lee, at a fever pitch, began to bellow. "He's going to take a dump! Do something!".

"He hasn't yet, it's fine. Mellow!".

No sooner were the words out of my mouth than he squatted one last time, and neatly deposited a steaming pile on the carpet behind the rocker.

Lee said nothing, but the look on his face was somewhere between triumph and murderous.

Thankfully it was a solid, if steaming pile, no... um, bodily fluids accompanied the offering, so it was all tidied up quickly, and never repeated again.

But forevermore, he will have the upper hand. Nothing he can do will ever allow me to live that one down.

Damn doctors and their crazy ideas. :)

Since Patrick was at school, and Steve... ahem... I'll guess Patrick continues to be... better. If he seems off... trust your gut. You know him best, Mama. But I'm glad he's better.