The worst boo boo

This has been a scary week for us with our little Benjamin. Saturday we went to a cookout with friends, Sunday we had his birthday party, and Monday we went out to the park, but by Monday night he had a fever of 103 and he looked like this:

We gave him a bath to cool him down, gave him some Motrin, and by bedtime he was running around and playing with the other kids like he felt just fine. Tuesday morning he woke up happy and cool and asked for the popsicle we had offered him 40 times the night before when we were trying to get fluids into him. I sent Nathan this picture and said, "I think he's all better".

But the fever came back, and each time it was in the 102-103 range. Of course as the fever rose he felt worse and worse, but Motrin would always get it down for a couple of hours. He also had these 2 weird looking bug bites, one on his arm and one on his chest, and I felt like the fever may be related. Online searches brought up everything from Staph infections to MRSA, so I didn't want to just wait and see on this one. I called his pediatrician about an hour before they closed and asked if we could come over. They decided to run some quick blood tests in the office, and they had to stick him on 4 different fingers. He cried, but was always quick to go back to his usual happy self.

The reason they had to stick him so many times was that 2 results didn't go through at all, but one did. It was so concerning that the doctor wanted to run it again to be sure. She told me she even had another doctor come in and check it just to be sure - and she had to act based on what the results said. She repeatedly said, "I hope I'm overreacting and this is nothing", but she also said things like, "I just felt sick when I saw those numbers.....my heart just dropped....this is very serious". She told me we had to go straight to the hospital, and not the smaller one near our house, but the big one downtown because if we went to the other they would just send us downtown in an ambulance. She told me that based on what she saw, we needed to be prepared to hear the word Leukemia when we arrived there. 

Of course I was terrified and crying, but I wanted answers, so we went. They re-ran his blood work, this time from an IV in his arm, gave him Motrin since his fever was back up, and we sat in triage for a few hours and waited for the results - way too much time for a worried mama to sit and play out worst case scenarios in my head. Just as I was mentally gearing myself up for what might be a several year battle for Ben's health, the ER doctor walked in and said his labs looked fine and we could go home. His white cell count and his platelet counts were low, but that's to be expected when a child is fighting off a virus. They looked at the bites on his chest but didn't really know what they were and they said maybe they were just sort of inflamed bug bites. They were sure that the bug bites, the fever, and the low numbers on the blood work were not related, and they said we were looking at 2 different issues - the bites, and some unknown virus that was making him sick. I was so relieved that the blood work numbers went up, in fact I cried more from that than anything else!, but I still couldn't relax until I knew what was making him sick.

The next morning we went back to the pediatrician for a follow up. She agreed that his numbers looked better even though they were still low, and she said we just need to wait and see how he does. They tested him for strep throat and that was negative, so there was nothing else they could really do for him.

She wanted us to have his labs redone that same day at the smaller hospital, just to be sure they were correct and that his numbers were going up. Poor baby was already so tired of being stuck with needles. As we drove there he kept yelling, "But I feel good now!" and when we pulled into the parking lot he begged me to just take him somewhere else. Heartbreaking.

That night our doctor called to tell us the results were about the same as the day before. Not great, but not a huge drop either. But right before she called I walked over and just sat next to him on the couch to snuggle. I touched his back and he was burning up. I was shocked to see that his temperature was almost 105! We immediately gave him some Motrin and a lukewarm bath, and he cooled down to 102.5, which our pediatrician said was okay. By the time we went to bed, he was staying in the 100-101 range.

That night was horrible. He slept for a few hours after we tucked him in, but then he woke up crying for me. He usually calls me mom like the older kids do, so I knew he wasn't good when he was screaming, "Mommy! Mommy!" from his room. When I would go to him he would tell me to leave, and when I would leave he would cry for me to come back. He couldn't get comfortable and he would flop around and yell that his "boo boo" (bite) hurt and cry over and over. He was saying things that didn't make any sense and he was just out of it. He slept in about 5-10 minute increments that night and I watched my clock as I would leave my room and then come back to bed - 1:20am, 1:33am, 1:40am, 1:47am...and on and on until morning. He kept yelling that he was scared and he was hurting, and I just didn't know what to do. He finally fell asleep for a couple of hours, but that morning he walked in our room hot with fever and crying. I pulled up his shirt to look at his bite and was shocked. Overnight it had grown and now it was bright red with a big angry arch over the top. The dot that had been white in the days before had turned almost black. No more wondering what I should do. We got dressed and went right to the ER. I won't scare you with a close up, but you can sort of see his bite in this photo.

They could tell immediately that he wasn't doing well. They ran his labs (again) and all agreed that he needed to be admitted to the downtown hospital for observation. Because he was stable, they let us drive him in our car. Poor baby was so floppy, and we were so grateful that they let us take him with his IV port in place so they wouldn't have to redo it when we arrived.

We checked in and got settled. This picture below is how he looked for the first 24 hours. He was just a shell of our normal Benji. He didn't talk, he didn't cry or even move. He just laid there with his eyes half open. Although he was hot with fever, he really wanted the comfort of his Cars blanket.

They started him on constant IV fluids, strong IV antibiotics every 8 hours, and pain meds as needed. A doctor and a team of medical students came to check him out and just like all the others, no one really knew what was wrong with him, but now they all believed me when I said the bites and the virus like illness were related. Ben put a blanket over his head when they came in, and I couldn't blame him! Because they didn't know what was going on with his chest, whether it was a bite or a skin infection, they all put on gowns and gloves every time they walked in our room. They also called in the Infectious Disease team and they were really great. They were determined to figure out what it was and they spent a long time talking to us and examining him. They even took photos and had me sign papers saying they could use the photos in medical education. Probably not a great sign because it means it's something unusual!

After many (many) more tests and exams, they decided it was most likely a spider bite. Based on the black center and a small puncture mark in the center, they felt it was very possibly a brown recluse spider that got him. The biggest bite was on his chest, but he also had a small one on his inner arm, and they said it was almost as if he smashed it there and it just bit him as he did. They were watching the black spot very closely to see if it spread. If you've ever googled "brown recluse spider bite" (don't do it!), you've seen how they can just destroy large areas on your body. Doctors used to think they should just cut out the affected area before it spread, but they have found that often causes more harm than good so it was just wait and see. They continued the IV antibiotics, although antibiotics won't help a spider bite. Since they couldn't be 100% sure that's what it was, they just wanted to be safe. And clearly he had some sort of infection based on his fevers and blood work. Luckily they were able to tell that no infection had gone to his blood. By the end of the second day, one of  the Infectious Disease doctors told me they were quite certain it was a spider, that they had ruled out the "big dogs" like Leukemia or MRSA, and that he was going to heal and be fine, even if it took a couple of weeks. Best. Words. Ever.

The next morning he woke up and wanted his dinner pudding cup for breakfast. Whatever you want, baby! He had lost 2 pounds, so I was happy to see him eat anything at all! They circled his bite area with marker so they could tell if it spread from day to day.

That afternoon they decided he was eating and drinking enough to be taken off of his IV fluids. He was SO happy to be able to walk around the room and go over to the window.

He took all of his things and the sweet gifts people had given him and organized them in this little closet next to his bed. He spent hours that day organizing and reorganizing.

That night he had the most energy I'd seen from him in days! He was walking all around the room, talking nonstop, asking for snacks...it was SO good to see him act like a normal 4 year old again! 

Glow stick party that night thanks to his aunt Rachel! It was actually nice to be worried that he wouldn't settle down for bed.  :)

Sunday morning he saw his 2 teams of doctors again. They were happy to see that his fever had stayed down all night and that he didn't need strong pain meds overnight like he had before. Plus he was talking their ears off - a great sign! They ran labs every day while we were there, and his numbers were low, but stable, so they told us we could go home. We were so happy, Ben even did a dance! I was just feeling so so grateful that we weren't looking at anything life threatening. From hearing the work Leukemia on Tuesday, to "he will heal and be fine" by Sunday, I just felt so fortunate. I couldn't stop thinking of all the moms and dads who don't get that good news. Still can't.

We left the hospital with a week's worth of strong antibiotics and orders to see his pediatrician on Tuesday. Last time we had blood work done in the office it was wrong. This had also happened when he was about a year old, and we had spent that day also thinking he had some awful illness until we had the labs redone. Our pediatrician was honest with us, and told us that if we did blood work in the office it would likely be wrong again and we would be driving back to the hospital again. So we opted to skip the office and just have them send a blood work order straight to the small hospital. Apparently squeezing a finger for a blood sample can clot the platelets and then the count is artificially low. I remembered this from when I had gestational diabetes, so it made perfect sense to just go straight to his arm. Hated to do it to him, but we wanted the results as accurate as possible. 

He hadn't had a fever since Saturday and his bite just continued to look better and better, so we were hopeful that the results would be good. Sweet boy even found a silver lining to his multiple hospital bracelets - they can hold cars!

They were supposed to call with the results last night but they never did. This morning he had his standard 4 year checkup and they were going to check his bite too. I was SO anxious to hear what his labs looked like. I could tell the bite was healing, in fact the black area that we feared would leave a scar has now turned a very pale purple and looks like soon it will be gone altogether. The redness and swelling is just in one small area, and his doctor feels it will be gone soon too. The best news of all is that his labs looked fantastic. A normal white cell count is anywhere from 5-15, and his had been at 4. But today it was almost up to 7! Normal platelets should be at least 150 and his had been in the 90s. Today they were in the 190s!!! We decided to hold off on his normal 4 year old shots today because he has just been through so much lately and he needed a pain free doctor's visit! I even let him have 2 suckers as we left. The nurses said he earned them.  ;)

Such a HUGE answer to prayer. He's going to be okay. He's going to run and play and enjoy the rest of this summer and then he's going to start preschool like a normal 4 year old boy. We are so thankful for his health, and this scare has made us appreciate it all the more. Thank you to everyone who helped with the other kids and who prayed for him, we really know it made all the difference.

Now we're just praying for a really boring rest of the summer!

Turtle Sitting

Last week we had a play date with one of Anna's little friends, and his mom asked if we would be able to watch their turtle while they're out of town. This, of course, was the best idea that Anna had ever heard, and we were happy to do it. 

He's just about the most low maintenance pet you can have. He eats a couple of scoops of turtle food and a few worms a day. Anna actually enjoys scooping the worms out of the box to feed him, and although at first she was sad to watch the worm die, watching the turtle eat it was so interesting that she got over that pretty fast. 

His name is Boxer the box turtle, and Anna loves him. First thing every morning she runs out to see him, to feed him, to get him out of his little enclosure in the yard and let him run around a bit. As much as a turtle can run, anyway. Kate thinks he's pretty neat too, but she doesn't want to touch him...just watch from a distance.

And then give up on the turtle and move on to her new obsession, the little slide. She will go up and down this thing 400 times per minute.

And didn't I tell you he was the sweetest boy? Ben always offers to hold her hand on the way down. New minion shirt from his mammaw.

Yesterday Anna took some self-narrated video of Boxer, so I'll have to share those soon. I have a feeling one day we will be watching them and talking about how they were just the start of her career with animals.  :)

Benjamin is four

How is my teeny baby a big four year old now? Yesterday was his birthday and he has made many sweeping statements since then since then such as, "I don't paint walls anymore because now I'm four." and "Let's not talk about when I was a baby, because now I'm four". For weeks he has also been telling people that he's 10 years old and now he's old enough to eat pizza, but he's yet to actually try pizza. He uses his man voice when he tells us these things, because he is so big now. Four is not a little baby.

Yesterday was his party and he's been looking forward to it for months. Really, for months I've been counting the days so he could know how many more. He wanted a minion theme, which was super fun for all the kids, and just like his last birthday he picked out a super fancy grocery store cake. We've looked at the picture of this cake every time we've gone to the grocery.

His haircut makes him look like a big boy.

I bought this little pin the pocket on the minion game, not sure if anyone would want to play, but they all loved it! 

I promise Noah liked it. He only looks sad.  ;)

Cousin David is so good with all of the little kids. He let Ben grab his nose a million times, and Ben thought it was the funniest thing ever.

Of course he was excited for his presents. He loved it all, and today we've had many many RC car races between Ben and Noah. It was a really fun party and Ben went to bed smiling saying it was the best day ever. 

Ben at four is a happy, active, and lovey boy. He still loves all things Lightning McQueen, and just vehicles in general and he still can't get enough time outside. He likes building pillow forts and playing animals with his siblings, and he and Noah continue to get closer as their interests get more similar. He loves sharing a room, and I'll often notice it's quiet and then find both boys in their room building extensive Lego creations and race tracks. He definitely looks up to Noah and tries to be like him.

He is the sweetest big brother to Kate. He was the baby before she came home, and I worried how it might affect him to have a new child on mommy's lap all the time, but overall he has done very well. He has his sad moments, and he's definitely more emotional since we got back. But even if he's feeling the strain of a new sibling, he never takes it out on her - quite the opposite in fact. He's very lovey to her and the few times she has smacked him out of frustration he just cries and comes to tell us - he has never hit her back. He holds her hand when she needs help, he helps her put her shoes on, he brings her drink and snack when she can't reach it...the sweetest. I think the role of big brother really makes him feel big. After months of crying when we would rinse his hair, he now covers his ears and smiles while telling me what a big boy he is and how he doesn't cry anymore. After a couple of times of Kate watching him, she stopped crying when we rinsed her too! He loves to hear how he helped with that.

He starts preschool this fall, and after some early apprehension he now says he can't wait. And I know that's part of wanting to be a big boy. I really think he's going to love it. I'll miss him those few mornings, but I'm also excited to see him go out on his own and make some new little friends. 

He continues to have a great memory, and we love hearing him sing along with the radio in the car. He loves to sing all the time, and I love the little peeks I get into what he's been doing at church or my Bible study. This year he was old enough to go to VBS, and of course he loved it. He came home every day singing the songs and doing the hand motions. Here was one of his favorites, "Walking in the Light of Jesus". You may have to turn your volume up quite a bit for this one.

*video*

I know I've said this before, but he really is pure joy. Even when he struggles or gets upset, he can so quickly turn back into a lovey and sweet boy. More times than I can count he has just walked up to me out of the blue and said, "You're so lovely, mom". Yesterday as I was putting out his party decorations, he got so excited over every one. A plastic tablecloth? "Oh wow, mom! Thank you!". A birthday banner? "Oh I love this so much!". Joy joy joy. And I know he will be for the rest of our days!

Fun at the zoo

This week we have had unseasonably cool weather. The highs have been in the mid-70s which is pretty unusual for the middle of July, but it's perfect for spending lots of time outside. My sister, mom, and I decided we would take all of our monkeys to the zoo and they were happy to go. The cooler temps meant we also didn't have to deal with the splash park they have there - a win for the moms!

Pictures of all the kids were like this even before Kate came home, but it's even more pronounced now. No way will they all look at the camera at the same time and all smile. Now we settle for just the front or sides of their faces. I had another one like this on my phone, where Kate was smiling and the boys were looking over their shoulders at the fountain. Three out of four on this one is pretty good! On a side note, this was Benji's first trip to the zoo without the stroller being just for him. I knew he would be eager to keep up with the big boys, so he didn't even ask for the stroller...until he fell and skinned his knee, poor baby. But he recovered quickly and was back to keeping up with the big kids in just a few minutes. This was Kate's first trip to a zoo in the US. She had already taken a zoo trip in China.

My sister got to the zoo before us and when we arrived we saw that we had dressed our girls in the exact same outfits without planning it. Brain twins. Honestly it's amazing that we don't dress ourselves in matching outfits more often, because we tend to buy the same things. Anna had to wear this blue sequined fedora that Nathan got at some Microsoft convention. What you can't see is that it has a small battery pack and it actually lights up. Anna would turn it on it the dark indoor exhibits, and my sister heard her say, "This fedora is hot but it sure looks great", hee hee hee.

Lizard petting area. Noah touched it but was a bit unsure.

Anna loved it of course.

Our first two weeks home Kate wouldn't let anyone but Nathan or I come near her, and she's still pretty wary of strangers who talk to her while we're out. But she has seen my sister about 10 times now, so she's comfortable with her. We joke that all it took was Amy sharing an ice cream cone with her one time, and now they're BFF.  ;)

Okay so this is a lot of pictures of kids in the gorilla cut out, but they were all so cute!

I was surprised she ran over to do this with all of the people around, but she was eager to be like all the other kids. Hee hee, little tiny.

Stop growing, Sam. Seriously, he's taller than my mom now. 

And serious Max. Really, where did these babies go?

Love the tummy on Ben. Reminds me of this other tummy.

Anna kept saying, "My feet are the same exact size as a gorilla's!". I think he's still got a bit on her though.

These boys are too cool for school. Can't believe how big they are.

My sister and I joke that Anna and Max are just two unicorns living on a cloud. They have the same big imaginations and vocabularies, and it is so hilarious to listen to them discuss things - especially animals. Two peas in a pod.

China - Shamian Island and Consulate Appointment

The day after the boat cruise was our scheduled outing to Shamian Island. When we woke up that morning we heard music and someone talking over a loud speaker, and we saw this outside our window. See all those little dots in the corner of the building? Those are the employees of one of the stores across from our hotel. After listening to the man talking they all started doing jumping jacks and stretching exercises.

This, along with many other things we saw on our trip, falls into the category of things you think they only do on TV but it's not really like that in real life...but it is really like that in real life. We saw this in more than one city. Kind of like an employee pep rally to start the day. Not a bad idea.

The bus came and drove our group to Shamian Island. You can read more about it here (that info is a tad outdated but it gives you the general idea). It really was so pretty and it reminded us of Savannah and other cities in the south that we've been to before. Anna had to pose for some pictures when we first arrived. 

There were lots of brides and couples and models having photo shoots.

This statue is very popular and parents always have their new little one stand in between the last two children for photos. Kate wasn't havin' it.

And I can't really blame her. I would have been a little scared of these kids too.

In fact, all of the statues were a bit weird to her!

Ladybug bows and fashion shoes. Man, I love this girl!

This is the famous Starbucks on the island. It's 2 stories and huge compared to the little ones sprinkled all over our cities at home and it's a very popular place here - the air conditioning may have a lot to do with that! We sat in here and had some yummy macaroons and Nathan had a green tea and red bean something or other drink. 

There was a quick downpour while we were there, and when we came out it was sunny again, and men were sweeping up all of the leaves that had fallen from the trees when it rained. It was like this all over Guangzhou too, super clean roads.

This picture made us all laugh. I had started to feel sick that morning, but I didn't want to miss the island so I went. If it had been anything else, or something that I could do again later, I would have stayed at the hotel because I felt pretty awful. The girls weren't sick, but it was a million degrees again so they were pretty tired. Unfortunately I spent most of this day half asleep on a couch at the Starbucks with Anna while Nathan and Kate ran around and took pictures. You know it's bad if I'm sleeping in public, ha! Nathan snapped this picture while we waited for the bus to pick us up, and he laughed when he saw how perfectly it reflected our feelings in that moment!

Unfortunately the stomach bug I had just got worse, and I spent about 24 hours in bed. I never dreamed I would miss it, but I was so grateful that the US Consulate appointment only required one parent to go. No photos are allowed inside the Consulate, so the guide took this one of Nathan and Kate before they went in. I wasn't able to be there, but I still got to pick out her little American flag outfit for her big day. It's kind of cute that Nathan got to do this with his new daughter.  :)