Our Odd Weekend

It's face painting season again. My sister came down and we took the kids to Draper Days for a little fun in the sun. Except it was so blasted hot, we didn't last very long at all.

We went back to the house and let the kids play in the kiddie pools and sprinklers.

We had a little barbeque, hung out for a while then we were off again to the fireworks. The kids loved that part - even though the adults were very antsy and annoyed that the show started a half an hour late.

Saturday was full of fun and then Sunday we were supposed to head out to the race track to hang out with family and watch Dan race. But instead, we made a trip to the Primary Children's Emergency Room.

Long story short - Elena was sick but was not really showing any symptoms of anything except a couple of nasty diapers (she's also teething which, yeah, leads to NOT COOL diapers). Apparently it was a bug nasty enough to dehydrate her. Severely. Without her showing any symptoms of dehydration at all until she just wouldn't really wake up on Sunday. I was sure to keep her full of water while we were out and about on Saturday, made sure she was slathered in sunscreen, kept her in the shade, everything you're supposed to do. I can do all the rationalizing and justifying and backtracking and feeling guilty I want (trust me, there's been TONS of it), but the doctors all assured me there was no way I could have known or nothing I could have done. Still doesn't make the guilt and the "I should have known!" go away.

(I should point out since I am always talking crap about how evil and what a demon Madeleine is - she was stuck in the ER with us since Dan was gone. She did amazing. She was an absolute angel and so well behaved. I never had to get after her for a thing and the ONLY time I teared up in all the chaos and uncertainty and pinning down of my screaming baby and whatnot, was when I thanked her for being SUCH a big, good girl. I cannot even imagine how scary and boring that had to have been for her. She ROCKS!)

After 4 attempts at an IV, they finally got one in - in her sucking thumb! They took x-rays of her belly. They ran a huge number of tests and they all came back normal which is not typical in someone who is dehydrated. They gave her a full bag of fluid to which she didn't respond which is not typical of a child who is just dehydrated. They decided to admit her for observation and more fluids for the night. Given she doesn't know she has two thumbs, it was a LONG night.

The next day she was much better. She had life back in her, pink in her cheeks, she was smiling and babbling and giggling and wanting to run all over the place. So much so that she was bouncing off the walls when I finally got her home.

And she was so very excited to have her sucking thumb back!

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