Contagious

Last weekend was Olivia's NICU reunion. We attend the festivities every August/September and then head to the zoo for the day. The NICU gives us passes and we can't pass up a "free" day at the zoo. I put the free in quotes because by the time we're done paying for the pony rides, the carousel, the boat ride through Australia, the air lift over Africa, the food for the ducks/fish, and the gifts at the gift shop, it doesn't so much feel like a free day at the zoo.

This year, I invited my mom to bring Jaxon along. I knew he'd have at least as much fun as Olivia and it's just nice to pass along the joy.

When we met in the zoo parking lot, my mom told me he'd been feverish the night before but the fever had gone down with a dose of children's Tylenol.

We went about our day.

Monday morning when my alarm went off at 5am, I realized that Olivia felt REALLY warm lying next to me. Her hands were hot, a sure sign of fever. I got up and she followed. I gave her some children's ibuprofen (she's ALWAYS taken medicine without a struggle. Just opens and lets me dose her up...) and let Tom know that he'd need to keep an eye on her.

At 4:40 that afternoon, Tom called me at work to ask me how late the pediatrician was open. I asked why, thinking he was over-reacting to a little fever.

He thought maybe Olivia had an ear infection. She was cranky, feverish and pulling at her ears. *sigh*

I called the doctor, they got her in a half hour later and I headed home, waiting for his call about the diagnosis.

He finally called when I was twenty minutes from home. She didn't have an ear infection (yay!) but she does have Strep (boo!)

I got home about five minutes after Tom and the girls and settled in on the couch with a sad, sick Olivia and a hoppy, energetic Alyssa. The doctor had checked A's throat too, just to be safe. No sign of strep in her.

Tom headed back into town to get O's prescription of antibiotics.

He told me the doctor had warned him that O was contagious for the next two days. No one was to eat or drink after her and I should wash the sheets and pillow cases she'd used. And Alyssa shouldn't sleep next to her the next few nights.

*Backtrack* Those who ducked, expecting the Karma kite to come along and knock me in the head for saying that Olivia always takes medicine very, very well...No worries. I wrote that days after realizing that she doesn't take this particular antibiotic well.

She hates it. I have to hold her down, put one arm under mine, use my other hand to hold her other arm, my elbow to hold her knees and bend her back over my knees to keep her still while I force the medicine between her lips and into her mouth with a dropper. It's not fun, but it's effective and I'm not going to let her whine her way out of her medicine.

But she's on the mend. Only six more days of fighting her to take her medicine. It should be fun.