Well, I must say - our first Thanksgiving with Cosette didn't turn out quite like we were planning.
On Wednesday afternoon, Cosette had a fever over 101. She wasn't too fussy - just a little clingy. So I gave her some medicine and an extra feeding before bed, hoping it would blow over.
She woke up at 3 in the morning with her fever down a bit - in the 100's now. I gave her some more medicine, fed her, and put her back down.
When she woke up later that morning, she was really congested, but her fever was down to around 99.
Jeff and I were going back and forth, trying to decide whether to still join my family for Thanksgiving dinner at my parent's house in Springville. Cosette was happy and babbling, and I thought the worst might be over. So we called my parents and told them to still plan on us coming. After talking to them, I started preparing the sweet potato dish that I was bringing for the meal. But soon after that, Cosette's fever went back into the 100's and she was wheezing more when she breathed.
So we called my parents back and let them know we would not be coming after all. (Unfortunately, I had already mashed up 3 cups of sweet potatoes, so I was committed to making the 9x13 dish for just Jeff and I.) With the combination of fever and labored breathing symptoms, we decided that we wanted a doctor to see her and rule out anything more serious (like rsv, croup, or pneumonia).
We went online to find out which places were open on Thanksgiving, and found out that there were 2 Insta Care centers open in our area - one just 10 minutes away. But when I called to ask if they had a pediatrician on staff, they informed me that they were very busy and it would likely be an hour and a half wait. What?!? I don't want my sick child waiting in a room full of sick people for that long! Fortunately, we discovered that a Kids Care center was also open. They were 20 minutes away, but they were able to schedule an appointment for us to be seen as soon as we could get there. Much better (I'm glad it wasn't Jeff or I who were sick...).
After listening to her breathe, the doctor thought that she might have croup, so she gave her some medicine to help her throat from closing up too much. We continued to monitor her for the rest of the day, checking her temperature (it stayed in the 99's) and giving her extra fluids.
Jeff and I were a little sad about missing Thanksgiving dinner, but we knew that Cosette's health and well-being was more important. I didn't want to cook dinner, so we ordered some take-out from Mimi's.
Sadly, Cosette woke up Thursday night around the time that the medicine from the doctor wore off, and she was MISERABLE. The only time she wasn't crying was when she was eating or sucking her thumb, so I'm guessing that her throat was bothering her. Jeff and I were at our wits end, not sure what to do for her. I HATED holding a crying baby and not being able to soothe her. She finally fell asleep with me in the Lay-Z-Boy, and we slept fitfully together (I thought it would be a good idea for her to stay upright so she could breathe easier). After a few hours I put her back in her crib and went back to bed.
Over the next few days, Cosette's temperature held in the low to mid 99's, she's congested, and her coughing has gotten worse, but she has continued to be happy and sweet. Fortunately, we only had the one bad night. And her congestion never got to the point where she had to struggle to breathe, thank goodness. Maybe getting the medicine from the doctor so early helped, or maybe it was never a bad case to begin with. Either way, I'm grateful that she's had a pretty mild case of croup.
Jeff and I had our Thanksgiving meal on Saturday. Jeff's work gave him a turkey, and I was planning on making a smaller second Thanksgiving dinner for us on Saturday anyway. I'm proud to say that I have now cooked a turkey. Thank you, Jeff, for all of your help. I feel like I've reached a milestone of becoming an adult. In addition to the turkey, we also had sweet potatoes (of course), mashed potatoes, gravy made from scratch (another first that I'm very proud of!), and store-bought rolls.
So, while it wasn't the Thanksgiving weekend that I was expecting to have, it was certainly one to remember. I'm grateful that Jeff got a turkey from work so that we were able to have a Thanksgiving meal at home. I'm grateful for the medical advice I've gotten from family. I'm grateful that Cosette stayed happy throughout her illness and never got super sick. I'm grateful that we only had the one bad night. And I'm grateful for the time we were able to spend together as a family this weekend.
