Fevers, Friends and Fireworks - oh my!

The fourth of July weekend started off with some fireworks, just not the type we were expecting. We had Madeline's 6 month Dr appt and she was so excited to get some more shots :). She was sleepy when we brought her home that night and had a slight temperature, and with the shots that afternoon - Jeremy and I didn't think anything of it. When it wasn't gone the next morning and was creeping higher and higher (and Madeline was getting crabbier and crabbier...) I figured I would at least call the clinic to run by my theory that it was probably just shot related. They instead insisted that I bring her in...so again I figured he would give her a quick look and send us home with some Tylenol. Well after a blood draw (much more fun than shots) with an elevated white blood cell count - we got to spend the day running a battery of tests...a blood draw out of her arm, a urine sample (from a 6 month old - are you kidding me?) a shot of an antibiotic and a trip to the children's hospital for a chest xray to rule out pneumonia...they needed two nurses, one to calm Madeline, the other to calm me! Thankfully, Jeremy was able to meet up with us mid-day to take the place of my nurse in calming me down :). After a quick follow up visit (with another shot) the next morning, she had a clean bill of health and was fever free by Saturday evening. It was short, but one of the more terrifying moments as a parent as all of these doctors were scrambling to find answers - and it was just a virus. I know it will get much worse :). By Saturday, we could tell she was starting to turn a corner...so we decided we all needed some fresh air and a trip to the lake would give Mikko some exercise. And since watching Mikko swim is one of Madeline's favorite things to do, we hoped it would cheer her up after a rough couple of days!

After kicking the fever, Madeline loved meeting her good friends Marcy and Nick who were in visiting for the week. There was some intense grilling, bocce (Mikko wanted to play too) and watching the fireworks. Madeline was seriously fighting sleep, so she got to watch her first fireworks show as well! Fortunately for all of us, her bedtime continues to get earlier and earlier. Thanks for the visit Marcy and Nick - we miss you!