Grandma Patty Saved the Day(s)!

As you may have noticed by my previous post, our family has been sick over the last couple of weeks. I came down with a horrible virus almost 3 weeks ago and it has slowly made its way through our entire family. Last Monday, at our urgent care visit, Britten was diagnosed as having pneumonia and an ear infection, Ella didn't have pneumonia but needed a nebulizer to help her breathe and also had an ear infection, I had a chest/sinus infection, Andy had a nasty virus and Chloe was just starting the cold, but handling it well. Unfortunately, through all of this, my husband had to leave town on Wednesday morning for a business commitment, just as Chloe was getting really sick. My wonderful mother-in-law, AKA Grandma Patty, offered to stay with us while Andy was away, but I thought I could manage on my own. By Wednesday morning, I knew I couldn't. While Britten and Ella seemed to be getting better, my poor baby, Chloe, just kept getting worse. Her cough shook her little 2 month old body so hard, it would cause her to vomit, leaving her limp, tired and whimpering in my arms. I put my pride aside and called my mother-in-law, who promptly packed her things and drove 5 hours (one-way!) to help me care for the kids. By Wednesday night, I took my first trip with Chloe to the ER (well, technically my 2nd, if you count the ER trip with Ella's fainting session last week). After examining her and taking a chest x-ray (which, as a mom of an infant, is the hardest thing to witness!), they determined she had the beginning stages of pneumonia. They prescribed an antibiotic and sent us home at 1:00am. Through the night, Chloe became worse. By morning, I knew I had to take her back to the ER. After re-examining her chest and taking blood, they determined she had bronchitis, not pneumonia, and a virus, which was likely RSV. They gave her a dose of steroids, to help with the inflammation, and a nebulizer, to help with her wheezing. Fortunately, this really helped her, and instead of admitting her to the hospital, I was able to take her home. I have to continue giving her antibiotics, to fight infection, and a dose of steroids for the next 5 days, to help with the cough. For as much as I hate giving my baby girl so much medicine, it is really making a difference and making her feel better. We had a much better night last night and I believe she'll only improve from this point on. Through all of this, I could NOT have done without Grandma Patty's help and the prayers of my family and friends. For as hard as the last fews days have been, Grandma Patty has held down the fort and has taken great care of Britten and Ella. Their Daddy is home now, and we're VERY happy for that, but Grandma left this morning and will be greatly missed by all! Thank you, Patty!