Thursday, December 4, 2008

Just Enough Grace......Indeed

Thanks Rebekah over at Sweet Tea with Lemons, I won this book by Heather Nations. The winning of this book could not have come at a better time!

Heather is a wonderful lady, who has fought the Goliath of cancer and won. Her outlook on life and strength, comes from her faith. Her blog can be found at
Red-Headed Rants and Rambles


The reason this came at such a good time because of the week I have had. As you know from my blog, the week before Thanksgiving Christopher was sick with a tummy virus. If only we had known, this was just a mere inkling of what we were about to face. He was quite ill but it was nothing compared to what my wee girls were about to be hit with.

On Sunday, after a couple of days of icky poops (for both girls) Hannah started puking. I went off to church and left my Mama with the girls so I could fulfill my nursery duties. She did NOT seem that ill at the time. Uh.......wrong! I came home to our roast in the crock pot and Hannah still being sick and not wanting to eat. She began to toss her cookies even more and could not hold down even ice chips. At 7 pm my husband and I made the decision for me to take her to the ER. She was that ill. She was not keeping anything down and becoming increasingly lethargic. Lethargic in a 5 year old is not a good thing. The ER at the children's hospital kept her for about 2 hours and gave her fluids and then released us with the regular

. keep fluids going
. follow up with dr if needed
. return if..........yadda yadda yadda.

Return.....yeah......little did I know how QUICK that return would be. I arrived home and settled Hannah on a blanket on the floor so as to be closer to a bathroom and not to wake up her sister. At about 10 pm, over the baby monitor, I hear it. a Cough and a strangling sound, yep, you guessed it, puking. Jennifer began throwing up. This continued every 10 minutes until 1 am when again we made the call something was drastically wrong and we could not wait until morning for the pediatrician. The baby was trembling when she tried to stand and could not hold her head up to throw up. Off I went back to ER a mere few hours since I had left. At the hospital they did blood work, hooked her up to an IV and gave her anti nausea meds. It took two pokes cause her veins were collapsing. Those meds did not work, she continued to toss her cookies. She did not even fight the insertion of the IV. She was admitted to the hospital. I stayed there with her until she was released on Tuesday at 6 pm. I knew Hannah was still having issues but did not know the extent of it until I arrived at my inlaws. I sat down to eat a bite of soup. Hannah began puking in earnest and had not kept anything all down. She almost fell over in the bucket she was so weak. My husband had called the dr at 2:30 pm for meds to stop her vomiting. He was told "she will be fine, just give her fluids and bring her in the morning at 10 am". Yeah......right.

So off I went BACK to the ER! Okay this is 3 trips to the ER and 1 admission now. I get to the ER, they are packed. We are placed in the over flow room and an IV is started on Hannah, blood is taken. (This was NOT done for Hannah on her previous ER trip) and meds given. She too, did not fight the IV. She cried but did not fight. She was so brave, adorably so. She was tossing her cookies while they were trying to insert it. Anyway they got it in and gave her meds. They asked me "do you want us to just tank her up and send her home or admit her". I told them I had no idea but I did not want a return trip as this was visit NUMBER 3 to the ER. I asked for what the blood work revealed.

Normal bicarbonate level in a child is apparently 18. At 15 they will keep the child in the ER and give them fluids and send them home. Hannah's level was 12! Yep 12! I said "ADMIT HER". We got an observation room and did not go to a pediatric floor like with Jennifer because there were no beds. She was released on Wednesday.

This morning, Jennifer tossed her cookies again. Quite honestly I was beyond the ability to comprehend this. I had scheduled a follow up appointment for 9:45. I pushed ice chips and sips of pedialyte and kept it down her but every time she coughed I feared it would start again. We made it to the appointment and they gave her a shot for nausea.

So we are home, the girls are weak, very weak. They are not eating but they are keeping fluids down.

So grace, yes I had enough this week to get me through each event. I had grace as tears rolled down my face on Tuesday night when I was taking Hannah back to the ER for her 2nd trip. I called friends for them to pray and they did.

I had grace when I watched my babies so weak from tossing their cookies they trembled and shook and could not stand. I had grace when I watched my girls basically completely out of it and not even waking to acknowledge vital signs and stuff being done to them. I had grace as I went through it alone because Mike needed to not only work but be with the other children. I had enough grace when sometime on Monday after being awake for some 30 plus hours I began tossing my cookies. Mike came to the hospital and sat by Jennifer's bedside and held her in the rocking chair while I slept for 2 hours. God moved and touched my body and the nausea and vomiting went away. I had grace through the many hours of little to no sleep and I had grace from my King when my dear sweet baby began tossing her cookies again this morning.

I fought the Goliath of FEAR! FEAR so pervasive my heart was racing because my children were so sick and kept being sick. They are recovering. Their weakness is hard for me to watch. But God's grace is here.

And now I will have grace to get my household back in order. Bless his heart my husband tried but he has had to work extra hours to make up for work missed on Tuesday when he had to go home to Hannah while I was at Children's with Jennifer.

So yes..........I had just enough grace to get me through the valley we were walking in. Some people have said "oh it is just a tummy virus"......yes but dehydration can KILL. And it was NOT their child who was too weak to hold up her head. It was not their baby screaming NO in terror as she felt yet another spasm of vomiting come over her. It was not their child who trembles when she walks cause she is so weak. BUT God gave me grace and we are home and my children albeit weak are on the mend. And I praise God for the days they keep me so busy I can't think. Because having them bouncing off the walls is 20 thousand times better than them being so listless and weak they can't function.

I praise God for healing and for the lessons I have learned through this. Be grateful for the little things. Be grateful when your child is well enough to get into stuff because when they aren't IT HURTS your heart in places you cant even fathom.

5 comments:

Barry and Amy said...

My goodness! WOW!

All I can say is take a well deserved rest! And thank God that everyone is okay.

Unknown said...

thank you.....my mil is treating me to a hair cut tomorrow. I am leaving the girls with my mom and doing something for myself....LOL. Yeah.....and you know how the enemy works.......trying to attack with niggling guilt that I am being selfish. I refuse to listen and will get my much needed, deserved hair cut.

Barry and Amy said...

I think you need a hair cut, a manicure and pedicure!! =)

Don't you feel bad at all. Enjoy!

Unknown said...

thanks and it was nice and looks nice. cant wait til hubby sees it. he has to work til 10 pm so he hasnt seen it yet.....LOL. made me feel special.

Barry and Amy said...

Hope you knock hubby's socks off! ;)