thirteen...

Noah was born on Friday, March 13th, 2009. Yesterday, April 13, 2010, he turned 13 months old. I really did not want Noah to be born on Friday the thirteenth because of the "negative" vibes surrounding the day. But Noah, and God, had a different plan, and the 13th it was for his birthday.

I have not really thought much since Noah's delivery about the "thirteenth" thing, until yesterday. Yesterday, April 13th and Noah's "thirteen month birthday," I found myself thinking it was a "jinx..." that number thing.

Yesterday, I got a phone call from Noah's daycare saying that he had a very high fever of 103 and that we should come pick him up because he was not himself and they were "concerned." This phone call started the most exhausting and the scariest 36 hours of our "parenting lives." Once Doug picked up Noah and called me to say that something was definitely "wrong," I had made an emergency appointment to see our pediatrician after hours. I met them at the office and when I walked in and saw the concern in Doug's eyes and then observed Noah myself, I truly had a feeling in my body I cannot explain and I do not wish on anyone. His symptoms were making me think things like head injury at daycare, trauma at daycare, and thoughts I cannot put into words were crossing through my mind. Our minds were racing with "how can a thirteen month old seem completely normal in the morning and then have a 103 degree fever and be completely unresponsive and lethargic by afternoon?!" Noah would not even lift his head and look at me. His body was listless. He would not acknowledge us or smile or anything. It was painful to see. I was almost into panic mode. He vomitted once and then went right back to sleep on Doug's shoulder.

The pediatrician's final diagnosis was a virus with the lethargic signs being from the high fever. He warned us to be prepared for a night of vomiting and diarrhea. But, we did not have that with Noah. He slept all the way home from the doctor's office, slept at home and then slept through the night. So, I thought that today he would just need rest and start to perk up. He did not. By mid morning our nanny (who I LOVE!!!!!!!!!!) called me to say he was still very lethargic and not really drinking and his fever was at 103.7. After my phone call back to my pediatrician, they wanted us to take Noah to the ER immediately for blood work.

Then, the panic set in.

Phoning your husband, who is already uncharacteristically worried, to tell him that you are being advised to rush a child to the emergency room is not a feeling I would like to go through again. We got Noah to the ER and spent the next 6 hours of our lives there and worrying what we had missed that led us to this point.

I have to say, our ER docs at UNC were fantastic and very thorough. Probably too thorough for poor Noah. They poked and prodded, drew blood, hooked up IV fluids, catheterized him (THREE times!) and shoved meds down his little throat. He was a trooper, but pitiful. We have been through illnesses with the boys, tubes for both Cameron and Bryson, adenoidectomy for Cameron, and Bryson's hernia surgery, but this was so different today. This was the "unknown" and the feeling of "did something happen at his daycare that we did not know about?" I cannot describe the feeling I had when the attending in the ER asked me at the end of our "discussion about Noah's symptoms" if I had any concern for abuse. My head spun so fast when she said asked that question I almost felt sick. That is just something no parent should have to really THINK about, I mean really think about.

The end result and Noah's official diagnosis today was dehydration and acute viral pharyngitis ( a severe infection of the throat). It was, honestly, the best news I had heard all day... just dehydration and a viral infection. I mean to go from thinking your child has had some type of head injury, or problem in the brain, to just a viral infection is like slamming on brakes at 110 miles per hour!

So, tonight,I would just like to say that if you are a mom of any age child, take a minute to hug them tightly and tell them how much you love them because sometimes we never know what our future holds.

I love you Noah..... my thirteen month old!