Hand Foot Mouth Disease

Last week was pretty hectic for the Davenport family.  Poor Campbell came down with Hand, Foot, Mouth disease which, according to the internet, is a "mild childhood virus".  Nothing about what Campbell went through would be considered mild.  It all started on Friday.  I didn't notice anything amiss until that evening but looking back there were signs she wasn't feeling 100% earlier in the day.  She had a very hard time listening during her morning swim lesson.  That afternoon I took her to Red Robin for lunch where she hardly ate any of her mac and cheese and kept laying down in the booth "pretending" to sleep.  I should have known immediately that something wasn't right when she didn't eat her lunch but I kept attributing everything to her being tired from our big day the day before.  Here is a picture of her at lunch, the last picture I took before her health plummeted.

Friday evening she wasn't acting like herself and I decided to take her temperature.  She had a low grade fever so I gave her some Tylenol before bed and didn't think much about it.  She got up a few times during the night but never complained about how she felt.  She got up because she needed another hug and kiss, she couldn't find her bunny, etc.  Saturday morning I could tell immediately she wasn't well.  Her eyes were a dead give away.  That morning she had a fever, no appetite and was complaining of a sore throat.   As the day continued her condition got drastically worse.  Her fever spiked to 103.1 and we started to notice a slight rash on her hands.  She also had a bleeding blister on her butt that had not been there the day before.  By 3pm she had a definite rash on her hands and feet and these blisters were popping up everywhere.  She was still complaining of a sore throat but her itchy feet were causing her the most discomfort.

I called the on-call doctor on Saturday as Campbell became increasingly uncomfortable.  The doctor said it sounded like a text book case of Hand, Foot, Mouth Disease.  She also said the rash shouldn't be itchy and that Campbell probably didn't have the vocabulary to correctly describe what she was feeling.  I love the doctor and I know that this tends to be true MOST of the time but this was absolute hogwash as far as Campbell was concerned.  I watched Campbell on the monitor at "nap time" (which lasted about 3 minutes) and there was no question she was itchy.  She could not stop scratching her feet!  She was wiggling around the bed like she had ants in her pants, doing anything possible to take the itch away.  At one point I watched her start clapping her feet together to help the itch.  She was becoming increasingly uncomfortable and increasingly agitated.  The doctor said there wasn't much we could do besides giving her Tylenol and Motrin to ease her pain so we really were just trying to ride out the storm.  By Saturday night Campbell was full-blown miserable.  The poor thing was in so much pain and she was so itchy!  NOTHING was bringing her any relief.  Ryan laid in bed with her that night and scratched her feet for an hour and a half.  Needless to say it was a loooong night of Ryan and I taking turns trying to help our little girl.  

I did a lot of internet research that night and Sunday morning I sent Ryan to the store with a laundry list of requests.  He came back with Aveeno Soothing Oatmeal Bath, Children's Benadryl, Calamine Lotion, milk and donuts.  Anyone that knows my daughter knows she cannot turn down a donut.  The longer the donut laid on her plate untouched, the more concerned I became.

Sunday proved to be as painful, if not more painful for Campbell than the day before.  We tried everything to keep her comfortable but she was impossibly miserable.  She had a sore throat and painful blisters but her biggest compliant by far was her itchy hands and feet.  The rash around her mouth, hands and feet was becoming more apparent.  And again, nothing we did brought her much comfort.  It was so difficult to watch my daughter in so much pain.  My heart broke for her.  She was literally screaming.  Screaming.  No words, just screaming.  At one point when Ryan and I were doing everything we could think of to ease her pain she yelled out, "WHY IS NOBODY HELPING ME?!"  I felt so sad for her.  Here are a few pictures from our Sunday.

I don't know how but we somehow made it through Sunday.  She was able to sleep Sunday night with the help of Children's Benadryl and woke up Monday feeling much better.  She was still slightly itchy, lethargic and had a fever of 101 but she was no longer screaming in pain.  I took her to the doctor that morning and he confirmed the Hand, Foot, Mouth Disease diagnosis.  I had to carry her in and out of the office because her feet were covered in blisters and we couldn't get shoes on her.  At the end of our appointment I overheard the doctor tell the nurse it was one of the worst cases he had ever seen.  She had blisters covering her whole body including in her throat, mouth, nose and ears.  Although she was feeling better, physically she looked worse on Monday than she did the day before.

Monday we rested.  Campbell actually slept on the couch, which NEVER happens.  She began drinking some fluids and I could tell we were on the road to recovery!  

Tuesday Campbell woke up with an appetite, spunky personality and NO fever.  If you were blind you would have thought she was a completely healthy little girl.  However, her rash looked awful!  Her blisters and rash were a darker red and some of the blisters were starting to ooze.  

Over the next few days the blisters slowly started to heal and fade.  By Friday, exactly one week since this awful illness had begun, Campbell was well enough to swim in her Nana's pool during our 4th of July celebration.  This is when we first noticed the peeling skin around her toes.  By the end of the day all her fingers and toes were wrapped in tape because all her skin was peeling off.

We were both a bit freaked out about the dramatic peeling skin situation… thank God for Daddy!  Sunday morning he trimmed the dead skin off her hands and feet as she laid there patiently allowing him to do so.  

By Monday morning my little girl, who had been through hell and back over the previous 10 days, was ready to return to school.  She said she was nervous that the kids would laugh at her because her blisters were still healing and somewhat noticeable.  On our way to school that morning we practiced what to say if someone asked her about her "polka-dots".  Her response was going to be, "I got sick, I was brave and now I'm all better."  We get to school, I walk her out to the yard and what's the first thing that happens?  A little boy runs over to her and says, "Hey!  Why do you have those dots all over your body?"  Campbell grabbed onto my leg and before I could coach her into responding the boy ran away.  

Ready for school!

The good news?  That's the end of my sad story.  Campbell came home from school that afternoon happy as a clam.  She had a wonderful day and although I don't know if anyone else commented on her dots, if they did it certainly didn't bother her!  I am so glad this experience is now behind us and I hope we never again have to deal with HFMD! 

The End. :)

Movie Day

Campbell and I went to see her very first movie today. It was awesome. Since she learned about this event two days ago she has continually asked, "when will it be movie day?"  Today was finally the day and she was so excited. Because we were going to see a princess movie Campbell wore a princess dress.  She put the dress on before breakfast in anticipation of the day. We were a little early meeting our friends so I snapped a couple of pictures of my princess in front of the theater...

When we went inside we found this fellow who Campbell was not too keen on ("he's not going to hug me?") but after some coaxing got close enough for me to take a picture...

Once we got into the actual theater I could tell Campbell was a little nervous. Before we found our seats (we preordered and had reserved seats) we decided to go back out and get some popcorn. This was going to be key to getting Campbell to sit through the entire one hour and 48 minutes of movie. When we returned with the popcorn the previews had started and I was worried it was going to be too dark and too loud for Campbell but she was a trooper. Sat down and immediately started chomping down popcorn.  Didn't stop chomping for the next two hours. 

During the previews she kept yelling at me, "I like this movie Mama!" and I kept telling her it wasn't the movie it was like a commercial but she would say "no it's not", so that was that. 

Overall I was very impressed with Campbell's attention span during the movie. A few times she stood up and turned around to watch the audience but they were short lived breaks. For the most part she sat, watched, and ate popcorn.  My very favorite part of the entire experience was the handful of times Campbell turned to me during the movie and said, "I love you Mama".  Melted my heart. 

We got one group shot after the show of the three girls sitting together. Movie theaters don't have the best lighting for pictures but you get the idea...

Finally we all left the theater and stopped by this guy one last time for a few more pictures...

Our first movie adventure was a success!  

And Then There Were Three

It's been a long time since my last post! Since then this happened

Which has now turned into this

Welcome to the world Reese and Reagan!  In a future post I will share all the details of the journey that brought us to where we are today... a family of five!  

Can You Hear Me Now?

I love projects.  Whether it’s preparing for an upcoming holiday or planning the next birthday party, I like having a purpose. Something to focus on. Something I can eventually cross off my "List” as something I’ve done. Only problem being, I can’t multi-task. 

I can’t plan the ultimate bridal shower with an oh-so-clever theme of ‘Cupcakes & Cocktails’ AND create a kick-ass science unit on plants and animals.  I have to choose. Do I inspire the next Steve Erwin but serve boxed wine and Ralph’s cupcakes at the shower?  Or do I throw on a NatGeo video and sit in the back of the classroom attaching red, sparkly “cherries” to the top of each cupcake-shaped place card? 

All of this leads me to my latest obsession.  Unlike birthday parties and bridal showers, this new project was unexpected.  However sudden, my new venture has taken priority over all else.  Google better be ready because Camille is becoming..... wait for it.... a human-ear expert!  H.E.E. :)

Campbell had a follow-up appointment at the pediatric E.N.T yesterday.  She has been several times in the last few months due to her constant congestion, ear infections, and loud breathing.  The loud breathing turned out to be large adenoids (whatever those are) which isn’t a big deal.  The constant congestion is most likely caused by her exposure to viruses at daycare.  And apparently the ear infections are caused by fluid getting trapped behind her eardrum.  From what I’ve been able to understand thus far, there are three main problems with getting constant ear infections at a young age. 

1) It’s not good to be on antibiotics all the time (GI problems, medicine tolerance, etc). 
2) Middle ear infections temporarily impair hearing.  At this age hearing is like the number one most critical tool needed for speech and language development. 
3) Middle ear infections can lead to inner ear infections, which can permanently damage a child’s hearing.  

The last time we visited the pediatric ENT, Dr. Strocker, she said Campbell may benefit from getting ear tubes.  I should say, we were originally referred to Dr. Strocker to investigate the cause of her wheezing.  A few of the doctor’s from our pediatric group had suggested Campbell may have asthma and one doctor even prescribed her Albuteral.  I wasn’t convinced about the asthma diagnosis and I sure as hell wasn’t giving my 1-year-old Albuteral.  So when I was referred to Dr. Strocker for the noisy breathing issue, I was not expecting to begin a discussion on ear tubes. 

I made this perfect, little ear

But that’s where this path has taken us.  Fast forward to yesterday, I am now sitting on a folding chair with Campbell on my lap, staring at a computer screen that closely resembled the Apple I had back when I was playing Oregon Trail.  They put an earplug in her ear that attached to the computer via a cord.  The device measured the waves of her eardrum while we watched a line move across the computer screen directly in front of us.  The bar graph of Campbell’s hearing results from her left reminded me of what my contractions looked like at the beginning of labor.  The bar graph results from her right ear looked like it had been drawn with a ruler.  Perfectly straight. 

So when the audiologist pointed to the bar graph on the wall that resembled a mountain peak and said THAT was what we wanted to see- my heart sank.  For the next test Campbell sat on my lap inside a soundproof box.  There was a big speaker on each side of us and in front of us was a glass window where we could see the audiologist sitting on the other side.  Next to the window was a little toy dog that would yelp and jump whenever the audiologist hit a button.  Once the test got started I realized the dog was to lead Campbell’s attention back to the front after each of the tests. 

Besides the dog and the chair we were sitting on, everything in the box was black.  Noise would start coming out of one of the speakers. Softly and then louder and louder.  When Campbell would turn and look in that direction a box would illuminate and inside was a dancing band of Disney characters.  It was pretty cool, even for the 31 year old in the room! 

Campbell was loving every minute in that box.  She immediately understood the “game” and eagerly anticipated every noise.  Each time I started to hear sound I held my breath waiting for Campbell to hear it too. Every millisecond that went by between the time I heard sound and the time she heard sound was painful.  As the test progressed, so did my tears.  

My baby has a problem.  MY BABY.  And now I need to figure out how to help her. So the phone is off the hook and my scrapbooks have been pushed to the side.  Everything is going to wait.  Project 'Save the Baby' has begun.

Happily-Ever-After

Yesterday my baby turned 18 months old.  One-and-a-half years.  It’s hard to wrap my mind around that number.  I have looked forward to being a mom since I was probably 6 years old.  The older I got the closer I was to becoming “Mommy”.  Motherhood was the measuring stick to which everything compared.  In high school I figured I was still 8 to 12 years away from being a mom.  In college I hoped motherhood would come 2-3 years after graduation.  My future was defined by motherhood.

I remember the first day I met Ryan I imagined us having children together.  I remember it because it surprised me.  What I didn’t realize until years later is that I always subconsciously knew my other relationships were going to end because I never could imagine myself having children with anyone.  Ryan is the one and only person I have ever wanted to start a family with.  That’s how I knew he was ‘the one’.

Fast forward to Ryan and I getting engaged.  The joy and celebration of that day was a joy and celebration of the beginning of our happily-ever-after.  Being a mom had always been my vision of happily-ever-after.  However, over the course of my relationship with Ryan, my vision of happily-ever-after progressed from becoming a mom to becoming a family.

I was very prepared when it came to planning the conception.  It wasn’t going to happen before our July wedding.  Technically we could have started trying in August but I didn’t want to have a baby in the summer (I always enjoyed bringing cupcakes to school for my birthdays).  That took away trying in August, September, or October.  Then I got my mind set on having a September baby.  What could be better than having another little Virgo running around the house??  A September due date required a December conception date.  And so it was decided!

My anxiety started the day I took the pregnancy test. Before that excitement hadn’t left any room for anxiety.  January 14^th, 2010.  It’s easy to remember the day because it’s the same day we closed escrow on our first home.  Although it was an exciting day, I spent the whole day preoccupied with getting my period.  I was waiting and waiting and waiting.  As the day went on, the anxiety started creeping in.  My first thought about buying a pregnancy test and I was already getting overwhelmed by the significance of the moment.  I was keenly aware my lifetime of waiting was all cumulating on this very first step.  The thought was too big.  That’s why the anxiety began.  The anxiety grew throughout the day.   For some reason I decided to keep quiet about the ‘situation’.  I didn’t want to tell Ryan.  Looking back I think I did this as an attempt to keep a lid on my fear.  Saying something out loud would make it real and I wasn’t ready for real.  For whatever reason, I decided to go through these first few steps quietly.

I bought the pregnancy test after work and took the test in our apartment bathroom.  After peeing on the stick I put it under the sink and covered it with a piece of toilet paper so I could slowly pull it off to see the result.  It was a digital test to avoid any confusion.  The directions said it would take up to 2 minutes for the results to show.  Oh contrare!  As I was covering the stick with the toilet paper square, I saw the word Pregnant stamped across the screen! 

Wait, what?  The moment I’ve been waiting for literally my whole life.  But I didn’t feel the immediate joy I had imagined all those years.  Instead I would describe my initial reaction as shock.  And the shock lasted a while.  Lord only knows how long I stayed in that bathroom trying to absorb the new information I had just uncovered (both literally and figuratively!).  I know I walked out of the bathroom with the stick in the back pocket on my jeans.  Ryan was sitting on the couch.  He was saying something about curtains.  I blurted out, “I’m pregnant.”  He said “What?” (which coincidently is what I had just said quietly to myself about 5,000 times before exiting the bathroom).  I think I repeated my original comment but what I remember next isn’t about words, it’s about expression.  I remember watching Ryan’s face light up the moment the information hit him.  After all this time that’s still one of the most vivid memories I have when I think back to this day. 

Pretty much instantly Ryan was happy and excited.  But I still hadn’t hit happy yet.  The reality was starting to wash over me like a wave and happy wasn’t on my radar yet.  Shock gradually gave way to surprise and disbelief.  Which may be another way of describing the same thing, I’m not sure.  Either way at some point while we were both staring at the now infamous “stick”, the reality of my fantasy hit me.

About two and a half minutes into my very first MOMumental Moment and I’m already crying.  (It will be an ongoing theme throughout the course of this blog.)  However, these were not the tears of joy I had expected them to be.  These tears came from a deep, pit-of-your-stomach, feeling of fear.  I was scared shitless. 

The fear eventually subsided and I spent the next 9 months obsessing over my pregnancy and anxiously awaiting the birth of my daughter.  There are several more MOMumental Moments to come during the pregnancy but those are to be discussed at a later time.   For now I’m going to go scoop up my little bambino, smother her with love, and enjoy the moment for what it really is… the moment I’ve been waiting for all my life.    =)