NOT SUCH A BIG BOY

Besides the anniversary post it has been a while since I have updated. Yes, we have been busy. Thanksgiving was wonderful. We were so blessed to have my entire side of the family over at our home. It was great! My aunt Ret came over the evening before to help me with my first turkey and it turned out great.

Just one short week later we had my office Christmas party at our home and then Grayson's big preschool auction fundraiser which I was a volunteer for. It was a huge success.

We have also had Christmas shopping and decorating to do plus the regular goings on of life. In addition our little guy has kept us busy. Since October 25th Grayson has had a regular periodic fever. The fever comes, lasts about 2 days and then returns in five to seven days after leaving. Grayson has had a few other symptoms along the way (congestion, upset tummy, decreased appetite), but no matter the symptoms the pattern remains the same. Last Friday after running a fever the Friday and Saturday before (yep, that was 6 days) Grayson started with another fever. This fever came with spots on his feet. We go to the doctor and he is diagnosed with Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease. Okay, we can totally handle that. I ask the doctor is that is what has been causing his frequent fevers. She says no, this virus wouldn't last that long.

Now, let me go back a bit. Each time Grayson runs a fever it is typically around 102-103 the first day and then between 100.5 and 101.5 the second day. Tylenol will keep it down for the most part and if not alternating between Tylenol and Motrin will. EACH time I call the nurse hotline at Grayson's pediatrician. Each time I explain the repetitive nature of his fevers and each time I am told that it is probably just a virus, but if he is running a fever in 3 days to bring him in (FLU). Well, Grayson is never running a fever by that third day so we keep going. Let me say again this has been going on since October!

Am I frustrated? Yes. Am I worried? Yes. Do I trust our pediatrician? Yes. Did I talk to another professional? ABSOLUTELY!

Last week I spoke with another pediatrician I know who has a lot of respect and admiration for our doctor. She listened to my explanation, asked a LOT of questions, and then completely validated my concern. She said although it is common for kids Grayson's age to catch lots of viruses it is not common for it to happen in such a patterned manner. She also mentioned that most pediatricians are swamped right now and the nurses are really trying to weed out the kids that must be seen from the viruses. At quick glance it does sound like Grayson may just have another virus, but when you look at the calendar and patterns it looks VERY strange.

So, what are we doing? We are giving it a chance to make one more cycle. When we went in with hand, foot, and mouth the doc also gave a prescription for some antibiotics because Grayson had been dealing with some congestion since fever one in October. At that point I was thinking Pneumonia. He finished his antibiotic on a Tuesday. Monday evening he had a fever. Fever left on Wednesday. I am expecting that if the pattern is significant then he will run a fever on Tuesday or Wednesday of this upcoming week. We are praying not!

In other news Grayson has a big boy bed in his room. When he returned from his Nana's today it was there and all made up for him, but his crib was still in the room. Our plan was just to move it in there for a month or so and if he wants to sleep in it, great, if not, oh well. In another month or so the crib is going out. Well, he acted like he loved it. He got ready for bed and pointed to the new bed like that was where he wanted to sleep. We moved it over in front of his crib because the initial location wasn't ideal being right under the light switch where he could stand up and turn the light on and off. We put him in and read a story. He was all cozy and excited. We start saying his prayers and he stands up and starts tossing his bears into his crib. We try to get him to lay down and tuck him in. He started crying and trying to climb into the crib. Okay so he isn't ready. FINE with me. I wasn't ready either. So he gets to be a baby boy for a little longer.

However he doesn't get to be the baby for too much longer. For those who don't know yet, we are expecting our 4th baby in July. No, not a foster baby. We are pregnant and super excited. Grayson is going to be a big brother again and he will need to get into that big boy bed soon enough.

We will continue to work towards our foster license and leave that in God's hands. He has it all worked out anyway. No need for us to try to figure it out on our own.