Where to Begin...

This past week has been CRAZY at the Smith house.  Just crazy.  Pure insanity.  You think you've got a plan and - BAM - God says, "Haha! Fooled you!".  Ok, Lord, I get it.  You're in charge.  Thanks for the reminder, but can you be a little less dramatic about it next time???

Let's start with the good news - Caroline is going to be a big sister sometime in May.  My official due date is May 17th, but this little baby is already measuring 1.5 weeks ahead of schedule.  Did I mention we're having another GIRL!?! I am beyond thrilled because I think little girls are the best, and Luc is happy because it means no new baby clothes to buy.  Lord knows we've got bags upon bags of clothes upstairs for a new fat baby to roll around in. 

Our new baby girl!

My pregnancy thus far has not been fun.  At all.  I was sure that we were having a boy because this first trimester was so very different from Caroline's.  I was sick for a solid 12 weeks.  Yuck!  The sickness has gone away, but the food aversions have not.  Chicken, unless from Chick-fil-a, grosses me out...as does most raw meat.  All vegetables taste like metal.  I am fully lactose intolerant, which is probably the worst part.  No more Culver's custard.  I brings a tear to my eye!  :(  I've lost about 7 pounds so far, but I'm hoping that will turn around soon as my appetite is starting to come back.  My second trimester has been pretty good so far.  I'm very thankful for that!

Big Sister!

 
Now for the crazy news -

Remember way back in February when Caroline had RSV?  That nasty viral lung infection?  She caught it from the gym day care and it never really left.  Dr. S. told us back then that having RSV is like having an open wound that never really heals.  It leaves your body very susceptible to other lung infections that non-RSV kids can easily fight off.  Since having RSV, Caroline has had bronchiolitis and some minor coughs, but nothing serious. 

Fast forward to last Tuesday.  I brought Caroline to the gym for the first time in months (morning sickness made working out impossible).  I enjoyed yoga while she enjoyed germs, apparently.

Wednesday - coughing started.  I thought it was just her "fake" cough, so I didn't think anything of it.

Thursday - the cough got worse so I brought her to see the doctor (not our regular one).  Doc said she had bronchiolitis and to continue breathing treatments.  I was shocked she didn't put her on antibiotics, but trusted her medical advice.

Friday - fever (really high) started, as did Caroline's sleepiness, so I brought her back to see Dr. S.  (meanwhile, in the waiting room, Caroline vomited all over me.)  ALL OVER ME.  She ordered a chest x-ray (where I was yelled at by the tech for being irresponsible and unprepared for not bringing someone with me to hold her, as I couldn't go in the x-ray room because of pregnancy)  and confirmed it was pneumonia.  Dr. S. gave Caroline a strong antibiotic shot and said she'd call and check up on her that afternoon and in the morning.  Her fever got worse and uncontrollable, as did the coughing.  That's when the rapid breathing with retraction started.  I called the on-call doctor and he said to bring her to the ER.  For the second time.

Here's where the fun starts!

We went to Kingwood Medical and they saw her right away (8:00 pm).  She was given some breathing treatments and put on an IV for dehydration. The retraction and breathing didn't get better, so they ordered a series of blood work.  The blood work showed nothing out of the ordinary, except for a really high blood sugar level.  Here's the fun part - the doctor came in and told us we had to be transferred because they aren't equipped to treat pediatric patients with diabetes.  DIABETES!  WHAT?!?  He said she was obviously diabetic, that was the only way to explain her high blood sugar.  He tells us this and leaves.  No explanation, nothing.  (Meanwhile, back at our house, Meghan and Jenny are trying to get things together for a baby shower that I was supposed to host the next morning!  Thanks to my co-hostesses for pulling through!)  Luc left to get clothes for the night and I was left to Google "high blood sugar and pneumonia".  Want to take a guess at what the top entries for that query say?  Deadly!  Causes death!  That's what I started to freak out (11:00 pm).

The ambulance arrived shortly after Dr. Death delivered the news and Caroline and I were on our way to Texas Children's Hospital (12 am). 

TCH is AMAZING!  We walked in and I immediately felt better.  I could instantly tell everyone there knew what they were doing, down to the lady who changed the linens.  I was in awe of their speed and efficiency, their caring nature and love of children.  We were in the ER for 12 hours because Caroline wasn't quite stable and they didn't have room in the PICU or the PCU (progressive care unit).  During that time, Caroline got a 2nd IV line and a nasal oxygen mask.  It was absolutely heart wrenching to watch.  At this point, Luc and I had been up for about 30 hours.  Needless to say, we were so happy to hear that Caroline is far from diabetic and we have nothing to worry about as far as that goes (Thank you, Jesus!!!).

On her way to get a chest x-ray with our awesome nurse, Bola.

Sleepy baby trying to get some rest in the ER.

She was finally hooked up to a nasal high flow of oxygen.  She hated it and I hated seeing it on her sweet face.

Aunt Kayla brought her a bow!  Look how swollen her eyes are.  :(

We were transferred to the PCU around noon on Saturday and stayed until Monday afternoon.  The rooms at TCH are giant so that made it a little easier to get comfortable.  We all slept well the first night because we were so tired from the night before!  I'm pretty sure I told a nurse who came to do the 4 am vitals that I'd fight her if she touched Caroline again...oops!  It was nice sleeping with my little angel, but tough to hold a baby hooked up to so many machines.  :(

This is probably the worst that she looked.  High fever, 4 machines and so listless. 

We watched Caroline go from being hooked up to 4 machines, down to 3, down to 2 and then none.  The IV and oxygen (high flow) were the hardest to see and deal with because the cords were so short and it made moving around impossible.  She was able to get off IV fluids when she started eating and drinking.  That was a relief!  Her fever started to decrease as her appetite returned.  We took her on a walk to see the fish tank at the end of the hallway and that really lifted her spirits.  The nurses were able to remove the oxygen on Sunday because Caroline was absorbing more oxygen.  Yeah!  The NP told us on Monday morning that we were moving to another floor that afternoon, but the doctor saw Caroline running around the fish tank and said she was "too cute" to be in a hospital.  I think it was the bow I put in her hair!  Her vitals were taken again and everything looked good, so we were on our way home before they could change their mind.  We were so blessed that the same awesome nurse who checked us into the PCU was there when we left.  We love you, Sheba!

We took walks to go see the fish tanks on the hallway.

Off of IV and oxygen!  She was so happy to sit in a chair and not the bed.

Minnie Mouse makes everything better!

We arrived home to a clean house and dinner on the table - thanks, Mom!  Everyone took a 3 hour nap and slept for almost 12 hours last night.  Caroline is on the road to recovery and Luc and I are starting to smile again.  :)

So happy to be home and sitting in her new pup pup chair.

I knew it couldn't feel good to be hooked up to that many machines, but somehow Caroline got through it.  She was poked and prodded and held down so many times.  It was heartbreaking, over and over and over again.  The only thing that kept me going was our view out the window - the giant MD Anderson Children's Cancer Center - and knowing things could be so much worse. I counted my blessings each time I saw it and thanked God that our little girl wasn't dealing with something much worse than pneumonia.  It's amazing how a change of view can put things into perspective.


Now for a little comic relief...check out her discharge form...

Anorexia?  What?  Have you met my child?  Apparently they had to put that on there because she didn't each much while we were there.  I literally laughed out loud when I read that.