Poor GBass :(

He's feeling (mostly) better now, but poor Meatball was down for the count recently. 

Two weeks ago, we went to gym class and he was happy...

See?  

About halfway through the class he was sorta clingy and didnt want to get on the little trucks they brought out.  I wasnt sure if he wasnt feeling well, or if he was just intimidated by the larger class that day?

I shouldve known it wasnt stranger anxiety or intimidation.  This dude has never met a stranger in his life, offers hugs to all the other parents in gym class, and would go home with anyone else without looking back.  

But I knew he just wasnt himself. 

We picked Whitney up from my parents' house and by the time we got home, his fever was 100.0 degrees.  He was digging in his ears but I wasnt sure if it was his molars bothering him, or another ear infection brewing. 

That night his fever spiked to 104 degrees. Definitely NOT teething-related.  The next morning Eric took the day off work because we had planned to go to Animal Kingdom with my childhood friend and her family.  Instead of hitting up Disney, Eric stayed home with Whitney while Grady and I braved the tropical storm rains to go to the doctor.  

When we got to the doctor, Grady's fever was back down to 100.0-ish, but his breathing was starting to change.  After checking his ears and throat, the doc didnt like the sound of his lungs so she ordered a breathing treatment in the office.  After 10 minutes of wrestling a screaming, ANGRY, sick baby boy, his breathing didnt really improve too much so the doc sent us for an Xray.

She told us that she would be calling an ambulance to transport Grady to the hospital if his oxygen levels didnt stabilize. They wanted his level to be "95 or higher" and he was at 83.  I was SO grateful Eric had the day off so I didnt have to keep Whitney with me.  Grady was a MESS. Flailing, crying, screaming, his voice was hoarse, his breathing was rapid.  It was a little scary but the nurse and doctor seemed to think an xray would show pneumonia and he could be treated with more breathing treatments at home.

So we went next door for the xray where a little more crying ensued but the advil started kicking in and Grady's fever was coming back down after another spike.

The call came an hour later that Grady did NOT have pneumonia and his lungs were clear.  No ear infections, no red throat, and no lung issues.....so what had our boy SO sick?!?

After another breathing treatment at home (which went MUCH better since we had Nemo to keep him busy), some more advil to keep the temp down, and a phone call with the doctor....and Grady and I ended up in the Emergency Room that evening.

Sigh. 

Grady vacillated between waving to everyone who passed by our room, and whining while trying to rip off the cords attached to his heart and belly.  Thankfully, we had a great visit from one of my favorite people, Juliet, who has been camped out in the hospital ICU for a few weeks while her dad recovers from heart surgery.  

Juliet kept us both company and kept me sane while we waited and waited for answers.  As it turned out, Grady was struggling with a "very nasty virus".  No treatment or medicine would fix our poor dude.  Just alternate tylenol and advil and keep him hydrated.  

And wait it out.....

It was not fun. 

We would get moments of happy where we thought he was turning a corner and about to snap back to himself, but then his fever would spike again.  

Whitney was such a trooper through all of this drama! She was the only one who could get Grady to smile and laugh.

Oh, and did I mention that Eric went out of town on a business trip in the meantime?

Thank God for facetime and Whitney's awesome behavior!

So a week after the virus from hell struck our sweet boy, and after we missed church, birthday parties, a kickboxing class, and some more fun....we went back to the doctor for Whitney.  No, she didnt catch the virus...she just needed the last two shots she is required to get before school starts.  So at Whitney's vaccine appointment I had the doctor check Grady's ears.  His fever had gone away and come back a few times and he still wasnt happy again, and sure enough......all the sinus junk from the virus had lead to two gross ear infections. 

We got to try amoxicilan again since his "allergic reaction" was so mild last time.  So far, no signs of a rash or drama, so Im grateful that future ear infections will get the amox treatment :) 

And after the doctor's appointment and because Whitney had been SUCH a good girl while Eric was out of town and Grady was sick, this little girl earned a trip to the ice cream shop!

Mac met us and both kids loved it :) 

Grady is still not his usual happy, sunshiney self 100% of the time yet, but I think we can blame molars for the clingy attitude the last two days. 

He's definitely happier than he was a week ago.

And apparently he thinks he's headed to school soon....

He loved this backpack so I put it on him.  He went right to Whitney's room, looked behind her bedroom door, grabbed her school backpack, brought it to her, and shook his head, "yes" with a big smile. :) 

And since he's ready for school, he assumes he's old enough to kiss princesses, too. 

Silly Meatball!

Im so thrilled to start a new week with Eric home, Grady healthy, and Whitney still behaving like a champ! We started the week off with a delicious dinner at my parents' house for Father's Day.  Back with CUTE pics soon!