~ so thankful for our beloved Tobin...in this picture, he's hanging out in his stroller, chewing on his shirt, and watching Josiah and David ride on the big swings carnival ride at the neighborhood lawn party we attended on Friday evening
~ there's something about a child being sick that makes a mother's heart melt and soften, something about seeing one of our little ones in pain that makes us want to cry right along with them (and sometimes we actually do let the tears flow)
~ Tobin, our sweet little Tobin Bear, has been sick this past week with these symptoms:
1. fever of 102.2 on Tuesday (on that day, we gave him a lot of apple juice to keep him hydrated which perhaps led to...)
2. diarrhea (very loose and frequent stools for the past four days, which probably led to...)
3. a HORRIBLE case of diaper rash (the worst he's ever had by far; it hurts him so bad that he screams and cries and tenses up his whole body and literally shakes when I have to change his diaper)
4. continued fever, up to 101.8 (but not constantly that high)
5. at least two new teeth (top and bottom molars on his left side...and maybe a molar on his right side, but he wasn't too happy with my finger in his mouth so I didn't get to check thoroughly)
6. loss of appetite (he's been guzzling milk but has eaten very little in the past few days...because of the diarrhea, I've been reluctant to give him what he would probably like best--fruit--and I've tried to interest him in rice, crackers, things like that...but not with much success...I'm not worried that he's dehydrated because he really is drinking a lot of milk...last night, I even started giving him some Ensure to make sure he was getting some decent nutrition...but obviously, his lack of desire for food is not normal at all)
7. EXTREME clinginess (he is a little koala bear when awake, wrapping his arms and legs around me, laying his head on my shoulder, tensing his muscles if he even senses the slightest degree of letting go on my part...he's been forcing me to rest :) because I can't get much of anything done with him in my arms...yesterday, we spent a lot of time together outside on my birthday swing; and that was oodles of fun...but oh, my heart hurts for him, and I wish so much that I could take his pain away!!)
8. he doesn't want to scoot!...you know he's in pain when he doesn't want to sit down and scoot somewhere! :)
~ one of the frustrating things now is not really knowing the root cause of these symptoms, many of which could be obviously related to each other, but what started it? and what is really the source? and how do we really treat it?...is it just a terrible case of teething? (after all, "they" say teething can lead to diarrhea, fever, etc.)...I really don't think that's all it is though because we have never experienced teething like this with any of the boys...is it some kind of virus?...maybe a malicious combination of things?
~ as far as treatment, we're using Immodium for the diarrhea, Tylenol or Motrin for the pain and fever, soda baths and ointment that's supposed to be super-duper for the diaper rash, also fresh air for the diaper rash (Tobin was showing his little hiney off to the world in our yard yesterday in an effort to dry out that area), and lots and lots of snuggles for the clinginess
~ as much as I wish I could snap my fingers and heal him, I will admit to relishing the extra time focused just on him...even this morning, I'm staying home from our church service to care for him (that's why I have time to write a longer-than-usual post today since Tobin's sleeping right now)
~ I adore my little cuddle bug, and pray fervently that God will speedily heal him and take away his awful pain
~ Tobin, you are more precious than words can say; and on this Sunday (and always), I thank God for you!!!
8 comments:
Awwww the poor little guy. I pray that he feels better soon. That his temp would go back to normal and his poor tushie would heal.
Nothing beats Mommy cuddles when you aren't feeling well. Keep snugglin' :)
Oh, Davene! That sounds terrible! Could the diaper rash be yeast? The only time my little ones got diaper rashes that hurt it turned out to be yeast and you would need anti-fungal to cure it. Just something to think about! My kids rash went away very quickly once I started treating it with the right thing!
Yikes! I hope Tobin starts feeling better soon--and that it isn't some sort of bug to get the whole family down.
I've written a Simple Sunday post of my own again this week. Check it out at the above link.
My little ones react the same way to diarrhea...horrible raw bums. We use Aquafor and Maalox.
the Maalox takes the sting out of the acidic diarrhea and the Aquafor gives a waterproof barrier to help it stay on long enough to heal.
We also do baths with a little baking soda in it to neutralize the ph. ...just in case you wanted to know. ;) It's really really worked for us.
Pawpaw cream is the best nappy and dribble rash ointment I've ever used (and good for just about any skin complaint) -- best of all it's all natural and inexpensive. Perhaps that will help? It is terrible when babies are ill, especially if you also have others that need attention. I hope he improves very soon.
POOR little Tobin! I understand!!! While I was away, Scott was dealing with the same thing with Annabelle. It was so difficult being in another state having to hear about my poor little girl being sick. Not being able to help was hard. BUT I have to say, Scott did an amazing job!
As soon as I walked in the door..."MOMMY! MOMMY! Hold me!"
I hope he feels better this week. Poor little guy!
Davene, I'm so sorry he's been so sick. I hope that by now he's better; I remember too well that stretch of time when both girls and Wayne and I were sick over and over for about 6 weeks. Sarah had the tummy/diarrhea bug that wouldn't go away (it was later that lactose intolerance was dx'd). I cried a lot, but now I can laugh because we lived to tell about it. At the time, I wasn't sure we were, though. You're in my prayers during this last, difficult stretch!
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