The last few days in California, Reagan picked up Colin's (and everyone else's) cold. I didn't worry at first because she seemed to be breathing fine, but after we drove to Utah it just seemed more labored and I wanted to have her lungs checked out.
We picked a pediatrician out of the phone book (Cedar City is a small town so there aren't many!) and made an appointment that day. After a quick nose swab, it was determined that she had RSV and after testing her oxygen levels, they sent us to the hospital to be admitted immediately. I wasn't too scared because she wasn't that wheezy, but I broke down crying once we got there. Of course these things happen when you aren't at home! To make matters worse, it had started to snow pretty hard and I was trying to figure all of this out in a town I am only somewhat familiar.
She slept most of the time and was just so incredibly sweet when she was awake.
This little girl had all the nurses wrapped around her little finger!
Such a little girl in a big bed :(
Reagan and I ended up staying for two nights to make sure she was breathing fine on her own. I was worried to take her off oxygen, but she recovered just fine and by Christmas she seemed almost 100% again.
The hospital stay was difficult, I am not going to lie. It was hard watching our three week old baby get poked, prodded, and attached to a thousand wires and tubes. It was hard listening to the heart and oxygen monitors beep when she labored too much and it was hard watching her lay there without any "fight" in her when they worked on her (like three nurses individually attempting to put a catheter in and failing and she didn't even cry).
Now by comparison, this little sojourn in the hospital wasn't a big deal, but it gave me a tiny glimpse into how hard it would be to have a REALLY sick child. There is nothing more important than good health, but it isn't something that you can always control. I know that I have always taken the good health of our family for granted, but this and my father's trip to the ER (hello pulmonary embolism!) have served as a wake-up call that it can all be gone in an instant.
It makes me want to be healthy and active with my children as much as possible, for their happiness as well as my own. I don't want to be the lazy, too-tired and out of shape mom that doesn't get down on the ground to play with her kids. I want to always be in-shape (and skinny!) so that as far as I am in control, I can be there for them for many decades to come.
I guess that is as close to a New Year's resolution as I am willing to make - be healthy.
