We're alive!

You last heard from me regarding how the summer was flying by, and, now it's almost fall (almost OCTOBER). I don't know if we're doing something wrong, but this whole two kids thing is just not leaving a lot of time for blogging or posting pictures. Here's one, though. Aren't they cute? I think this picture shows how Beck has my coloring (part of this is from his summertime tan), and Nolan has Paul's coloring. Nolan is pretty goofy looking sometimes...he's got this fuzzy hair that stands up asymmetrically all over the place, and that GRIN! Are you kidding me? I've said many times that if it weren't for that smile, which lights up his whole darn face, we probably would have thrown him out the window or traded him for a puppy. Oh, Nolan. I jest, but you really are challenging us.

Seriously. We just made it through about 10 days that pretty much sucked. I'll try to sum it up quickly. Nolan had a cold. No big deal. Green stuff coming from his nose, but he was still fairly happy. Then, two Saturdays ago, he gets a fever. A high fever - like 103.6. He also starts acting like he is in great pain, so we assume the cold turned into an ear infection and I took him to urgent care. No ear infection, but the high fever suggests something is going on, so they take an x-ray to check for pneumonia (nope), and insert a catheter (ouch!) to check for a bladder/kidney infection (nope). We are sent home with the "just-a-virus" diagnosis and instructions to follow up with our pediatrician if the fever isn't gone in three days. Fever is still hanging around on Tuesday, so I stay home with him. I spoke to the nurse at our pediatrician's office, and she suggested that we wait one more day to see if the fever dissipated. We wake up Wednesday - Nolan is still hot and isn't feeling any better (he would be ok during the day if I gave him ibuprofen and acetaminophen around the clock, but holy moly was he miserable at night, even when he was medicated). I take him to the pediatrician. They say his ears could not be more clear, and take another urine culture (ouch again!), which shows no signs of infection. Hmmm...I guess it's just a stubborn virus? Bring him back again tomorrow if the fever isn't gone. Ugh. Fever reaches 106 at one point. We planned that Paul would stay home with him on Thursday so I could go to work, but he was so miserable, and I knew they would be taking blood, so we both took him to the doctor. Shuffle from the pediatrician's office over to urgent care by The Children's Hospital for another chest x-ray (negative), so now they have to draw his blood. We leave, Paul goes to work, I stay home with Nolan and try to keep him happy. Dr. Nagel calls with the blood results - two markers for inflammation (sed rate and c-reactive protein) are quite high and suggest a bacterial infection, rather than "just-a-virus." Head back over to the pediatrician's office for a super-duper dose of antibiotics via a big mean shot to the thigh. Lo and behold, Mr. Fever does not appear that night, and Nolan is still fever free on Friday morning. Phew. Which means "gray area." Was it really just a virus that ran its course, or was it a bacterial infection that responded to the antibiotics? Bring him back in again on Friday afternoon for a second big mean shot to the thigh, just in case. Keep an eye on him. If fever returns, um, lots more tests. If fever doesn't return, bring him back at the end of the week to re-check blood work and make sure markers for inflammation have returned to normal.

So, the fever has not returned. We will likely go back at the end of the week to have his blood drawn, and hopefully everything will be back to normal. Oh, by the way, he has also been teething. And, hoo boy, are these teeth stubborn. I swear one has been moving down, then back up, then down for about a month. Finally, finally, finally his top left tooth poked through yesterday. And last night was the first night in more nights than I can remember that he didn't wake up screaming at some point. He still woke up, but calmly nursed and went back to sleep.

I guess that was a not so short summary, but it feels good to vent a little. Anyway, Nolan seems to be himself again. Beck is doing well. He's almost three, people! He and Nolan are starting to actually play together, and I see glimpses of them that make me think having two boys 26 months apart is not the most asinine decision Pauly and I have ever made. Oh, also, Nolan is crawling, and using furniture to pull himself up to standing, and then walking along the furniture. What?!? His crazy mobility means he falls down about 20 times a day, but I'm pretty impressed with his skills. Okay, I lost my train of thought a little bit here at the end of the post, and I realize there's a lot here about Nolan. How about the next post fills you in on what's happening in Beck's world? Stay tuned...but don't hold your breath...it could be a while.