All Nighters...

Let me begin by saying that I have never been a person who can do well with little sleep. I am not a person who stayed up all night in college either studying for tests or partying and then slept a little bit and felt fine the next day.  I am extremely cranky when I'm tired, just ask Jason!  Having two children, sleep is a precious commodity that I don't take for granted! All of this buildup to let you know that today, I worked off of barely any sleep.
Logan got her 4 month shots yesterday afternoon at 4:00 and then we came home.  She was not happy about the shots (really, is there an infant who is?) but recovered quickly and did fine with going to bed at her normal time around 7.  I went to bed at 10:30 feeling like all was well. Around 11:30, she started making a strange moaning sound. I figured she had lost her paci, went in to check on her, replaced the paci and then went back to sleep. At 12:30 same thing happened but this time I figured I'd go ahead and feed her since it would be close to time anyway.  Well as soon as I picked her up, I panicked.  I have never felt a body that hot.  Her cheeks were deep red and she wasn't opening her eyes all the way, just moaning. I immediately had flashes of getting both girls dressed and heading to the hospital.  I gave her some Motrin then tried to give her a bottle because by this time she was crying.  She threw it all back up almost instantly and that's when the crying/screaming began. Then I attempted to take her temperature and the thermometer wouldn't turn on, dead battery.  I just used it the other day!  So I woke up Jason and told him to take Logan, I was going to go to the store.  He couldn't believe how hot she felt either.  I drove all the way to Walgreens near Winthrop only to realize my wallet is in the diaper bag from the appointment earlier! Drive all the way back home, try to console Logan while Jason goes back to the store.  (We're at 2:45 by this point).  She fell asleep on my chest but when he got home we took her temp and it was 102.6 under her arm.  She got worked up and upset again then finally went back to sleep until 4:45 when practically the exact same situation happened -- woke up moaning, was crazy hot and red, threw up attempted bottle. I called the answering service for our dr and they said to dress her lightly, give her a larger dose (due to her weight) of Tylenol for fever and basically not worry about it.  Well, with this bout of crying/screaming from Logan, Riley woke up (of course right!) and she thought it was morning play time.  Both girls finally fell back asleep by 6:15, as did Jason and I, only to all wake up again at 7 to start the day with more moaning and crying and high fever.  I made the appointment for 10:10 (soonest we could get in), got breakfast made, got Riley ready to go to work with Jason and then held little lady until it was time to go.  For those of you who know Logan, she does not cry.  She does not get upset.  She is very laid back.  NOT TODAY!  Poor thing was crying, moaning, screaming, frustrated, and sad and it broke this momma's heart!  She cried at the appointment at which Dr. Hansen assumed it was shot related but was concerned with how high the fever was and that it wasn't breaking with the medicine.  He said to watch her carefully for any rash or difficulty breathing and that within 24 hours it would either get worse or get better.  Well I'd already been praying since the wee hours of the morning but I amped it up immediately.  I won't give you every detail of the day but Logan was inconsolable most of the afternoon.  A huge shout out to our neighbor Jessica who let Riley come play with her daughter while I took care of Logan and attempted to nap.  The fussiness continued until Logan finally got a good nap from 2:30 - 4:30 (Riley was awake though - only a short 30 min nap for me) and woke up only warm and in a better mood.  By 6:00 her fever was only 100 and she was smiling, laughing at Riley, and her eyes were open all the way.  She went to bed well around 7:30 and is soundly sleeping as I type this. I have no idea what is in store for tonight but I know that there was an exhaled breath I didn't realize I was holding when I heard her laugh and saw that the fever was dropping!  God is good!
So, my prayer is that everyone involved is completely exhausted enough to sleep soundly all night long and that everyone remains healthy through the night.  Because let me promise you this....I made it through today with purposeful attention to not being cranky due to exhaustion and tried to give as much TLC to both girls throughout the day as I could, but I don't see how it would be possible to do it again tomorrow!  And now, this Momma is headed to bed!

Big Sister Duties

I just looked back through my facebook status updates from the past few days and realized that Riley is getting sort of a bad rap. I've been sharing some of her more dramatic three year old moments, including her claiming that I ruined her night because I wouldn't give her any more shaving cream for her "white pie" she makes in the tub.  She has certainly had moments in the past week or so where I have had to count to ten or let Jason step in and just walk away repeating to myself "I don't believe in violence, I don't believe in violence" but I don't want to put more attention on that than on how proud of her I truly am.
Riley's life changed completely 4 months ago.  We attempted to prepare her the best we could - we read books about it, we talked about it, I prayed about it - but she was 2 and there's only so much we could prepare for before Logan arrived. It wasn't real until Logan was born and home and a full-time addition to our family.  That day was the day that Riley earned a new name - Big Sister.  She is honestly the best big sister I could have ever hoped she would be to Logan.  Some of her Big Sister Duties include:
*singing a morning song to Logan every day when she wakes up (and let me tell you, Logan's eyes light up and her smile is ear-to-ear when she hears her sister's voice!)
*getting Logan's paci when I'm in another room and need it or giving her a paci if it falls out
*getting the empty bottles out of Logan's room from the night before and putting them in the sink
*putting Logan's clothes in her hamper when I'm changing her
*talking/singing to her in the backseat on a car ride
*picking out her socks
*giving her a hug and kiss each night
*playing independently while Logan gets a bottle or is going to bed
and many more tasks that basically involve being a supportive, loving, responsible, helpful little girl and she does all of it with an "ok" and  a "yes ma'am" and for the most part without even having to be asked! And thankfully, even in her moments of tantrums, refusals, and yelling fits, she has never taken anything out on Logan or seemed to be disappointed or jealous.  She has become a Big Sister beautifully and the way Logan adores her and watches her every move is proof that their relationship is already forming a bond that will never be broken. 
Dear Riley ~ Thank you for being such a good Big Sister, for stepping into that role seemlessly and loving your little sister wholeheartedly.  Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you and the love you have shown!