Eliza - 6 months old

Look at that big girl sitting up!

*Elz had another cold and we'd been doing the nebulizer and suctioning at home.
* December 19th, Eliza woke up with her eyes completely sealed shut, congested/wheezing, feverish and she could barely hold her head up. I called our ped. as soon as I dropped my oldest 2 at school. She worked us in around 8:45. I dropped Emory and my nephew at school on the way to the office. When the doctor walked in the room, she was immediately concerned. She said, "She looks really bad!". She examined her and told me that I was probably going to hate her, but that she wanted her back in the hospital. She said she just didn't feel comfortable sending her home when she was having so much trouble breathing. She called and set us up as a direct admit so that we wouldn't have to go through the ER. She also gave me her cell phone number in case we had problems once we got there. She was hopeful that we'd probably only be there for 24 hour observation.
Thankfully, my dad was able to leave work since I still had my youngest nephew with me. He came home and I started packing bags. He dropped Elz and I off at the hospital around 12:15. We were admitted and in our room by 12:30.
It took at least 30-45 minutes before anyone came to our room. They had to do all the vitals and then we had to wait for the orders from the admitting doctor. About 4 hours after we got there, she had to be put on oxygen. Luckily, no IV this time! She was also sent for another chest x-ray. (day 1)
* Day 2: We started out the morning with a visit from the State Troopers. They brought Eliza a State trooper teddy bear. SO cute!
During rounds, the doctor told me that her x-ray had shown a spot on it. She said it didn't appear to be pneumonia so they wanted to re-test for RSV. She was still on oxygen and pretty agitated.
I had to go home that night to get more clothes and it was heart wrenching having to leave my girls AGAIN.
* Day 3: She still sounded junky, she was still on oxygen, and the doctor put in the order for a repeat RSV test. We had the results back pretty quickly and they were positive. So it was back to all the nurses/techs/doctors having to wear gowns & masks every time they entered her room.
I had been trying to finish up a sewing order before Elz was admitted, so I had my dad bring my sewing machine to the hospital. It sure did help pass the time. There's only so much tv and surfing FB a person can do.
* Day 4: They tried weaning her off oxygen that morning. They said that if she could keep her pulse ox above 90 that they might let us go home that afternoon. She lasted maybe an hour before she had to go back on oxygen.
* Day 5: That morning she was still on oxygen. After the resident examined her, she recommended that we start trying some other things to keep her off the oxygen. She had her first projectile vomiting episode that morning, so we had to start suctioning before feeds again.
They had respiratory come in and start saline breathing treatments and chest therapy every 4 hours.
The doctor came back in that afternoon and said she just didn't feel comfortable sending her home. The spot on her x-ray indicated Atelectasis (collapsing of the airways in her lungs) and combined with the RSV she wanted her to be breathing/satting better.
* Day 6 (Christmas Eve): Luckily, Eliza had been oxygen free for 24 hours and we were able to be discharged. We were so glad to not have to spend Eliza's 1st Christmas in the hospital. And her big sisters were probably the most glad.
While we were there, Elz got so many presents. Some group or organization brought her something every day we were there. We came home with a TON of stuff.

* On Friday, we already had an appointment with our ped. for her 6 month appointment. She decided not to do her immunizations and we just used the appointment for her post-hospital check up. She also had another ear infection.
* It wasn't the most exciting New Year's Eve on record, but I rang in 2013 with my littlest lady snoozing next to me.
* Elz had her 6 month well baby on Monday. She weighed 15lbs., 15.5oz. (50%) and 27in. (75%). She's got another cold but her ears were better. I'm thinking she'll probably be getting tubes in the near future. She wants me to try Zyrtec & Nasonex to see if it'll help.
She also has a horrible diaper rash that I can't get cleared up with Nystatin, Desitin, or Butt paste. The ped. thinks it could be a diaper sensitivity so we're going to have to try some different brands.
* She has started reaching her arms out to people when she wants to be picked up. One of my favorite milestones!
* She tried solids for the first time on January 10th - Bananas! She seemed to like them pretty well.
* January 16th, she cut tooth #3 followed the next day by tooth #4.