Knowing this, we continued on with our plans and packed the kids up for the seven hour drive which goes to show we are moving past the fear of illnesses. The first day was rather uneventful but beyond that, Adeline was battling a fever and cough that were eventually joined puking. I was very surprised that it hit her so hard. She was a tough patient to read because she perked up nicely at least once a day and was in pretty good spirits even if laying on her daddy's shoulder. The fever always spiked with sleep and did a number on her heart and respiratory rates. Yes, this is a typical reaction but was accentuated by her prematurity. Just when I was ready to tell Alex to hook her up (to the pulse ox), I realized that we forgot it. I was very surprised. So I laid by my girl while she slept and watched her chest rise and fall, her chin tuck into her chest, and nostrils flare with each breath. She was contracting at the top of her sternum but between the ribs seemed fine. Her heart was beating out of her chest too. It would have been much easier to hook her up and KNOW that she was fine and not headed down the road of hospital admission but I finally have the confidence in myself to know. Dr. Chidekel has used the, "you will know," phrase time and time again and a few years ago, I really doubted him. He was right. I knew. I knew she was fighting to breath and her heart was working double time but I also knew that she wasn't in a dire situation. Just for the record, I would have been much happier with the pulse ox and, subsequently, strapped it on her the moment we got home. In between the coughs and dry heaves the little girl said, "on my toe," in a very faint voice when I pulled it out.
I guess we aren't footloose and pulse ox free yet. . .
Here is a picture of Adeline after driving through the night to home, puking and dry heaving in our bed all morning, and fighting a fever to boot. She was pretty confident that she could take her temperature without any help from me.
