It's Going Around

Lily has a fever of 102.9. That certainly explains her overall crabbiness yesterday. It's hard to comfort a sick child who generally doesn't like to be comforted. "I feel awful and want to be held but PUT ME DOWN NOW." Poor thing makes me so sad, I don't quite know how to help!

I was afraid she had another night terror earlier, but in hindsight I think it might just have been a combination of her being REALLY tired and REALLY not feeling well. She was cry/screaming facedown into her blankets in her crib. I went in there to comfort her and see what was going on (Lily has a very distinct cry, and I had never heard these sounds coming out of her), and was a little unnerved when she didn't startle at my presence. I rubbed her cheek, I rubbed he back, still the cry/screaming continued with her face buried into her crib.

I turned her over and she kept her eyes shut. Her crying slowly turned into hoarse, rapid breathing that I could still hear down the hall with her door shut. 10 minutes later, I was relieved to hear her regular lilting cry, and went in to retrieve her. I picked her up out of the crib, held her in my arms like a baby, and rocked her on the chair in her room. Her eyes were still shut, but at least she SOUNDED normal. She said, "Done!" between sobs after I asked her if she wanted to be put back in her crib, and I had to smile. That normal response was what I was hoping for.

She remained curled up in my arms with her eyes shut as I carried her downstairs to get the thermometer. Jacb meanwhile was screaming on the floor having just woken up very hungry from a nap. I put Lily down and managed to get Jacob into the Ergo on my back to at least get one of them to stop screaming.

After taking Lily's temperature and giving her some baby Tylonol, I carried her back up to her crib, where she responded much more normally. She asked for some milk and cuddled her blanket to her face and sucked away on the pacifier (I think the milk was more for comfort than for drinking). I left to let her go to sleep, and she closed her eyes as I walked away. That was at least 20 minutes ago and I haven't heard from her since.

Poor little thing!

On a related note, a girl across the street is coming over to spend an hour or two with Lily tonight while Ryan and I go out to dinner with some people from church. We'll be taking Jacb with us, but figured we shouldn't take Lily out feeling like this. This will be our first time using her babysitting services, and I figure it will be a good test run. We won't be too far away, we won't be gone all that long, and she won't have the baby. Keep your fingers crossed that it goes well...I see many more date nights in our future!

PS What's the going rate for babysitters these days? Does the amount increase with each child? Does the babysitters age and experience change the rate? We've only ever had family watch our kids so I need some schooling on the matter...