Why is it that time really starts to get away from you during the holidays? BAM… it’s Jordan’s birthday then BAM, it’s already Thanksgiving and you turn around and there’s Christmas. On Friday we celebrated Jordan’s birthday with balloons and cheesecake. My aunt and her son, Aaron, are visiting from out of town so the kids have loved spending time with them! They spent Friday and Saturday night with them at my mom’s house. And my papaw has loved everyone there to have breakfast at his house. Saturday was a day put aside for just me and Jordan to celebrate his birthday. We got up early and had breakfast in the car on our way to the flea market. We went to see our kiddos and visited everyone at my mom’s for awhile and headed home that afternoon. That night was date-night-in. We stayed at home, made steaks, mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables for dinner while we watched the newest Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Sunday was our first Thanksgiving meal at my mom’s. I felt awful– I had a fever and my throat was hurting, mom had texted me and said Koby had been throwing up, and Klara was sick with a fever and sore throat, too. Are you kidding? We got to my mom’s at 12:30 and Koby seemed like he was feeling better, but Klara wasn’t herself at all. She hadn’t moved, drank, or talked all morning. The whole time we were there she laid in the recliner and slept off and on with drool dripping down her little face because she refused to swallow. We ate turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, mac and cheese, rolls, deviled eggs, corn, peas, carrots, fruit salad, and banana pudding. After we ate, Jordan and I decided that Klara should be seen by a doctor. My aunt offered to bring the boys home later that evening so they wouldn’t have to sit in the waiting area. And I was so thankful for that when we had to sit in that waiting room for over an hour. I had even left the building, drove home to get Klara some books to look at while we waited and got her a slushee in hopes that she would drink something. When I returned, her and Jordan were still sitting in the same spot in that waiting room. We looked at books and she tried to take a sip of her drink and spit it back out. She was still holding saliva in her mouth until her cheeks were so full that it would just leak out. When we were called back to a room, they immediately tested her for strep. The doctor came in and asked a lot of questions and told us her strep test came back positive. She seemed concerned about Klara’s drooling, though, and how quickly symptoms came on. She was fine Saturday but woke up so sick on Sunday. She was also concerned about her not drinking, which meant she wasn’t needing to pee. She felt on Klara’s neck and said she was going to leave the room to consult with a senior collegue about sending us to the children’s hospital in Johnson City. She said that she suspected a tonsil abcess and that it could require surgery and that Klara probably needed fluids. She came back into the room and told us that they had called Niswonger and that they would be expecting us. Jordan and I were so afraid. The ride to the hospital was hard. Our baby was in the back seat feeling no relief at all, trying to sleep. When we arrived at the children’s emergency room they took us to a room and immediately changed Klara into a gown. I laid on the bed holding her as they asked me questions. The doctor came in and said that they would give her an IV to start some fluids. Because she couldn’t open her mouth for him to get a good look at her tonsils, he decided that a CT scan would be necessary in order to see if there was an abcess. Watching my baby kick, scream, and cry while the nurses tried to give her an IV was the hardest thing in the world. Jordan and I were both trying to hold back our tears. And because she couldn’t sit still, they kept having to try again. And again. That was the hardest part for me. Once her IV was in, she laid and watched Disney Junior, still unable to talk to us. After she had received fluids, they rolled her down for a CT scan. Seeing the confusion in her big, beautiful, brown eyes broke my heart. She didn’t understand why all of this was happening, but she was too sick to really care. They moved her from her hospital bed onto the bed for the CT scan and she never moved– not her arms, not her legs, she didn’t even turn her head. She barely even blinked. We spent the rest of the time in the room watching Disney Junior anxiously awaiting results. They started her on antibiotics.

Shifts had changed so we now had new nurses and a new doctor. He came in with good news– there were no abcesses so no need for surgery! However, he did confirm that she had strep and tonsillitis. He told us if she would drink something that we could go home, but if she wouldn’t, we would be admitted so she could receieve fluids through her IV. We explained that to Klara and she nodded her head when the nurse asked her if she wanted an orange popsicle. To our suprise, she ate the whole thing and even asked for “a red one,” after she finished the first one. That was one of the first things she had said all day. Her IV was removed, she took some Motrin orally, and we were handed a prescription and were told we could go home. We made it home right around midnight. Monday morning she woke up feeling fine. She asked for a popsicle first thing and talked to me while I got the boys ready for school. My aunt went and got pancakes for breakfast later on and Klara ate a few bites and was even drinking. She had no fever and even said her throat felt better. As the day went on, she regained all of her energy. She was talking, singing, laughing, drinking and eating. We even went to the movie theater to see The Star. She was so happy– and seeing her that way made me appreciate every little thing about life. The same baby that was in a hospital gown just 12 hours ago was the same baby who was running through the house singing. That night my aunt and Aaron stayed with us again so the boys played the xbox, we rented Wonder Woman, and popped popcorn. It was so much fun! Around 10 o’clock we all went to bed. At 10:15 after I had just fallen asleep, my phone rang. My head had been hurting so I just handed my phone to Jordan. I heard the voice on the other end of the line say something about Klara and bloodwork. Jordan, half asleep, replied with, “Yes. Ok. Thank you.” and he hung up. He looked at me and said, “We have to take Klara back to the hospital, they said her blood culture came back showing infection.” I said, “Tonight?” And he said, “Right now.” I got out of bed, tears pouring down my face (because I watch entirelly too many episodes of Monsters Inside Me to know that strep is dangerous and that an infection in your bloodstream is life threatening) and I ran to the living room and told my aunt we had to leave. She called my mom, I packed Klara a bag of her favorite toys, Jordan warmed the car, and we had to go get our precious baby out of her bed and travel the interstate to Johnson City once again. All I could think was– she was fine all day, what is happening? We arrived and this time they gave me an arm band, too, so we knew instantly that we were going to be spending the night. One of our nurses from the previous visit, Anna, came into the room. We were so happy to see her familiar face. Klara was a completely different child than when she was there before and immediately said, “Can I have an orange popsicle?” The doctor came in and said that there was a possibility that the culture was contaminated, especially since she was feeling so much better, but that they wanted to take all of the correct precautions just to be sure. They started an IV, this time they put it in her hand, and took more blood cultures and gave her another dose of antibiotics through the IV. Nurse Anna even brought a goody bag with Playdough and Shopkin tattoos to her popsicle-loving patient. We were admitted until they got results from the new blood culture or until they could determine what kind of bacteria the previous culture was showing. We got to the room and our new nurse brought Klara crayons and a coloring book. I sat up all of the other toys we had brought to make her as comfortable as I could. It was 2:30 am when Jordan finally fell asleep in the recliner and Klara had finally settled down. The nurses kept a good check on us all night. The next morning Jordan went to get bagels and coffee. The princess received room service– pancakes, bacon, eggs, and orange juice. And daddy brought her a bagel. Breakfast in bed while watching cartoons– she was so content! Shortly after, a residental pediatric team came in and explained to us that the results for the first blood culture had came back and that it was indeed contaminated– with bacteria that grows on the skin, not in the bloodstream. That is how quickly God can change your circumstances. They weren’t concerned about her needing to stay in the hospital so they agreed that we could go home! Klara didn’t want to go. In fact, she asked if we could, “bring all of our shoes,” and that someone else could live in our house. Today I am so grateful for so many things. Our children and their health. A wonderful nursing staff. Family that is always willing to help in emergencies. A husband that I can lean on. A God who can change our circumstances and can heal those who are hurting or sick. Tomorrow as we celebrate Thanksgiving, be sure to thank the One who continues to bless you and your loved ones. He loves you, you know. As a matter of fact, He thinks you were to die for. There is no greater love than that.