We survived our first trip to the ER

My sweet baby Ginny,

We have all been sick around the Calhoun house, all with varying degrees of the same cold.  Well the inevitable happened, we passed this funk onto you (only 6.5 weeks old).  It started in your eyes, creating goopy and weepy eyes that sent us to the pediatrician on Thursday for medicated drops.  We were under strict instructions to bring you back to the office or the ER if your temperature spiked over 100.2.  I had been monitoring your low grade fever all day, but wouldn't you know you spiked Friday night around 8pm.  We quickly called the pediatricians after hour line and they repeated what we already knew, we were destined to spend the better part of the night in ER.  Big sister Ellie packed her overnight bag to sleepover with Nana and Papa, and was most excited for the slumber party with cousins :) 

Daddy and I rushed you off to the ER.  By the time we got there your temp was 101 and they were most concerned, as we got to bypass the standing room only waiting room for an ER room.  The doc was in the room within 5 minutes and ordered a SUITE of tests...chest x-rays, a spinal tap, multiple blood draws, a urine sample, and last but not least a snot sample.  Needless to say you were poked and prodded for the better part of the next two hours, as it took 8 tries to get the needed blood samples.  Listening to you wail and sob was BY FAR the hardest thing I have had to endure as a momma. I sobbed, I sobbed a lot. I couldn't snuggle you, or comfort you, I couldn't take your pain away.  There were serious concerns about meningitis, RSV, or some other nasty bug.  Thankfully your virus cultures came back with the cold virus, and not something more serious. After almost 6 hours in the ER and after we were told you would likely be admitted, the doctor allowed us to take you home under strict instructions to monitor you closely.  You were exhausted, but your fever had dropped and your tears were comforted by a long nursing session following all the needle pokes. 

You managed to sleep the rest of the night and woke up in the morning with no fever, much clearer eyes, but still labored breathing.  I have barely put you down all day today, trying to snuggle you as much as possible.  We love you Ginny, sorry for the pokes, but better safe than sorry.  Don't scare us again like that :)

Love, Momma

Ginny's 1 Month

You are 21 inches, weigh 10 pounds 3 ounces, and your head is 38 cm.  You are sleeping 6-7 hours a night...WOOHOOO! You are so happy and content, even happier than Ellie was at this age.  We love you little scrunch!

Scrunch

Ginny, we call you scrunch because you love to curl yourself into a tiny ball. Now I know why my ribs hurt so much during pregnancy, you were in a tiny ball burrowed into them! You are the absolute cutest all scrunched up when naked, you look like a rotisserie chicken :)

Virginia's Arrival

Mommy is only about month late with this post, but better late than never!

Ginny you arrived at 5:08pm on February 7th, weighing 8lbs 15 ounces and measured 19 and 1/4 inches. You arrived quickly and without too much fuss, despite a room full of NICU specialists. It was only after you arrived that we learned what a miracle you were. You had a true umbilical cord knot, something of a rarity and something that is responsible for late term fatality. Yikes! But you arrived happy and healthy, and momma wept. Momma wept for mostly out of shear joy, but also out of relief. Your 9+ months on the inside were stressful and full of unexpected surprises, but we both made it happy and healthy. Your post birth renial and heart scans came back normal (you were at a high risk for developmental complications given your known umbilical cord abnormality). And we made mommy's goal of you being under 9 pounds...gestational diabetes is no joke ☺

You are a great baby, a good eater and thus a good sleeper. You have blessed us with a couple 7 hour stretches at night...I love you for that. Big sister is absolutely in love with you, so much so that we have melt downs when we can't help with EVERYTHING.

Ginny we love you and can't wait to watch you grow!