A feverish weekend

We were planning a very relaxed Women's Day and weekend this past weekend!
(Murphy?!)

Little Missy started with a runny nose, and by Thursday night we were struggling with fever.
But not enough to prevent us from going to Decorex on Friday, our yearly inspiration! (And desperation!)
(I had won two tickets through Twitter's Stavey Vee! Yay!)

We dosed Little Missy with medicine, and for the most part she was sleeping in her stroller.
(As a matter of fact, Little Missy gets dosed by any medicine, so it is not on purpose that we "dose" her. We need to give the Panado or the Celestamine on occasion.)

(Dad got a lot of smiles from all the ladies while pushing her)

It was cold and rainy, but definitely not enough to keep the crowds away from Decorex.
I never knew I needed that thing, until I saw it right there!
Now our house and its interior decoration needs a complete overhaul!
We will be chasing that rainbow (see top photo), after all! *Wink smile*

Friday night had us up with the fever again. The Panado and suppository just before 12 did not help.
She was waking us up with fever dreams: "Hold me!" "I'm scared!" (Eyes wide open, but not awake! Afterwards she told us there was a HUGE FROG who touched the sky...)

While busy running the second bath of the night to cool her down, I followed my own rule:

"As soon as you begin to think "Should you take her to the doctor, or not?" - Take her!"

So we walked into emergency at 2 am on Saturday morning.

Not feeling well at all with red cheeks

20 minutes after the hospital's suppository kicked in!
Up and about!

The fever was dealt a definite blow, and up until now we are only struggling with the runny nose. I did not give her the antibiotics that was prescribed...

The rest of the weekend we tried to recover from the lost sleep, and spend some time with the family!


How was your weekend?

The pout

Lately the toddler has been walking around with a pouty mouth. She pulls her mouth into pout while she is busy playing or calling the dog, or mermaid-speaking... Luckily it is not an expression of unhappiness! (I hope!) Maybe it is the teeth; that same teeth that get blamed for everything when our Precious One is feeling out of zinc.


Like now! She’s sick again. Only three weeks after the last bout of upper respiratory infection. It is the same slimy stories again... We are getting sick and tired of it! She is coughing with a runny nose, wheezy chest, and vomiting because of all the phlegm. We are exhausted already, because the fever rears its ugly head during the night!

I am beginning to think that the day care plays a big role with Mieka getting sick on a regular basis. Woking mother complaint, again! But we will just have to deal with it. I remember that the teen also got sick quite a lot, but when she started with school, she had built up an immense immunity. She did not get sick during the important school years.

Powerwoman, and Hubby, will just have to deal with it in the meantime. Luckily we share in the sickness duties as well. (Thank you, thank you, thank you, Hubby!!)

We went on a real date today. We dropped Mieka off with my parents, and the teen went to see the boyfriend playing rugby. We went to see the popular Avatar. It has been showing for ages (and ages), but we eventually got there. In 3D! It was a blast. The last time I saw something in 3D, we got the paper goggles. Today we got real plastic goggles! (Pandora makes earth look bleak in comparison. We GOT the environmental lessons as well! Amen!)

Afterwards we said to each other: We loved going to the movies on our own, but maybe we should have gone home to sleep... that elusive sleep!
Thumbs for sleeping tonight! (Wishful smile!)

Medicine and the toddler = mission

It is a mission to give the toddler any medicine. When she sees the medicine or the medicine “injection-type” of feeder (forget about using a spoon), she starts to complain. When I pick her up, she starts kicking, throwing back the head and shutting her mouth with a mean conviction.
It feels/looks like we are doing something incredible horrible to our loved one. I have her in a vice grip, with a cotton nappy draped over my shoulder and near her chin, with dad or sister holding her head. I then have to force the medicine into the side of her mouth, sometimes blowing on her face to get her to swallow. She tries to get it out of her mouth again by trying to spit it out again. Very traumatic – for her and for us! There must be a better way?
Luckily the toddler is much better. She had the last antibiotics last night. (Phew – sigh of relief!)
My parents looked after her on Tuesday. My child illness leave for the year has been used up – we get five days (which is a big bonus already). At one stage when I phoned them my father was sitting with her sleeping in his arms. They were getting worried because she was sleeping for quite a long time... worried about not getting enough hydration or food. She kept them busy with her demanding pointy finger for the whole day! Thanks Mom and Dad for looking after her and being there when needed!
Now, we must try to find a way of giving medicine without having to feel like the meanest parents every time!

We sidestepped the hospital! Yeah!

This morning we were seriously worried. Our little toddler was very lethargic, with the runny tummy and the fever. When all a little one wants to do is sleep, you know there is something seriously wrong!
We landed at a paediatrician, a Dr. Tsigambe, at Flora Hospital in Florida Hills. I was seriously impressed. It transpired we were not supposed to give her antibiotics – we were on our second course already. It doesn’t help for a viral infection, and it exacerbates the runny tummy.
Why do the doctors give it as easily as they do?
We had to make the call to have her booked into the hospital, or try beating it ourselves. With lots of fluids! We made the decision to try a last time. She started to perk up at the doctor already. We forced the hydrating stuff (it is really awful!) with a medicine dropper down her throat. She must seriously hate us for it! She begins to scream as soon as she sees the medicine dropper. Luckily she loved the coke, and by this afternoon we got a smile, and she was walking around again. (Sighs of relief!) I hate the hospital, and especially for a little one who doesn’t understand yet...
Why I was impressed with the doctor? It seems he has time for his patients. Some of them phoned him while he was busy with us. I did not mind even a little bit, because I know it may someday be me. And there was actually a receptionist who knew the people coming in, calling them by name. And commenting on all the little ones and how they have grown. She also did not mind it when the little ones wandered off into the offices, or played with the water. She took in her stride...
Tomorrow I am going to stay with her – the breast feeding is the lifesaver which keeps up the fluids!
(She is sleeping now!)

A stomach bug and the dreaded FEVER

We have been struggling for two days with our little toddler and a bad stomach bug. With it came the fever.
She has been cranky for the whole weekend, and on Monday the day care phoned to say that she had fever. We spent Sunday night struggling with it as well, but I thought she was better. We had her at the doctor on Monday afternoon, and she prescribed the necessary medication.
I hate fever, especially if it doesn’t comes down with medication. That’s what we’ve been doing today, trying to get the fever down: Giving suppositories, paracetamol, putting her in a cool bath, cooling her down with wet cloths and a fan. At five it started to work. She has been in our arms, and hanging on my breasts for the past two days… Apparently there is not much more that you can do for a fever!
Does anybody know of more remedies against fever? (Neurotic me even phoned the doctor again today, but we had to give it 24 hours…)
Sheweee! It has been rough!
I hope we get some sleep tonight!

(Photo: Mieka today when she felt a bit better)

The baby is sick

Mieka is sick! The fever kept us up all night. Between 12 and 1 last night we were bathing her to get the fever down. At 3 I thought I finally won the battle when I could put her down in her cot. No, not so! It wasn’t long before she was back in our bed. The recollection of a night like this the following day feels like trying to recollect a bad dream. It is all bleary and broken bits of deprived sleep torture.
She got her first course of antibiotics at the doctor and after the first suppository she was a happy baby again. Phew! We are lucky that we don’t have much of these.

Dries and I look like the zombies we feel today!

Photo: At Doppio Zero on Saturday when she turned 11 months. A fav restaurant! She was sleeping on the couch in the restaurant.