Pink&Green Thursday July 22nd, 2010

Oh, my dear readers, I am so sorry that I have not been present in

blogging,

catching up on your blogs,

commenting,

emailing,

etc.

Just as soon as I felt like I had gotten all caught up from our little summer trip, we had back-to-back illnesses in our house.

First, my sweet Pretty Little Bare Feet had what her pediatrician concluded was just a mild case of roseola. She ran a little low-grade fever off&on for four days consecutively last week. & then on the fourth day, she had the

faintest little

lacy,

pink

rash on her belly. She wasn't particularly "under the weather" during all that - just cuddlier than usual (which was actually kind of nice!), & lacking a bit in appetite. Over the weekend I thought we were home free, as she seemed back to her usual spunky self.

But Monday morning I went to get her little late-sleeping booty up for playgroup, & she was a hot little firecracker there in her crib. Y'all, she had a fever of 103! I know most of you mamas have been there, done that; but the highest temperature my Pretty Little Bare Feet had ever run in her eighteen months (before this week) was 102.9. I was scared out of my bloomers!

The pediatrician was able to get us in pretty quickly, & he gave her a thorough exam. We were assured that Pretty Little Bare Feet had caught some awful little virus that is going around here, completely unrelated to last week's sickies.

(Although her little weakened immune system could have been what led to contracting it...who knows, apparently?)

That day she was about the most pitiful I've ever seen her:

hot to the touch

(but with cold little feet);

lethargic&weak;

no appetite;

quiet & not really crying

(just whimpering, & y'all mamas know how much scarier that is than actual wailing!);

squinting & not really waking up good all day

(just sort of lingering in that not-quite-awake-yet phase);

whiny

(but not fitful or throwing tantrums)...

The pediatrician had been seeing cases of this viral booger for the last couple days, but he advised us to keep an eye on her & call him if anything else developed. The general plan of attack was just to treat the symptoms by

keeping her at home & cuddling her;

& keeping her full of

juice,

Pedialyte,

water,

& alternating infants' Tylenol & infants' Motrin

(the generics, of course, because of the darned recall).

Since her appetite was virtually nonexistent, the pediatrician said Pretty Little Bare Feet could eat whatever she darned well pleased, without heed to nutritional value. So she has been enjoying a diet primarily consisting of

Nilla wafers,

Pirate's Booty,

& Sargento cheese SunBursts.

Her fever did spike up to 103.6 that afternoon...

(I thought I was going to faint when I saw that thermometer reading!)

...but after the longest day ever, she broke the fever at about 9:30-10pm that night, all sweaty in her little crib & shivering up under a blanket.

Whew! Sweet, sick little girl = emotionally&physically drained little mama!

Since we noticed a new little rash on her Tuesday night, I took her back to the pediatrician yesterday, which was the first time I heard him use the words viral meningitis. Of course that was probably the same "little virus" he'd been talking about on Monday, but those awful words sent shivers down my spine. So yesterday afternoon while Pretty Little Bare Feet napped, I learned all about the vast differences between bacterial & viral meningitis.

(Basically, one is scary; the other, not as much. One is relatively preventable with vaccinations; the other is random. Yikes. This world of mamahood has something new to teach me every single day, it seems!)

Anyway, our lives are progressing back towards the realm of the average daily routine, so I promise I am headed to check out all of the great blog posts I've missed - & to get acquainted with all of you fabulous new followers that I am so excited to have!!! =)

(& I have an award or two to share, too!)

But today is Thursday.

(Isn't it? I'm not sure anymore.)

& this means it's my favorite bloggy day of the week...

I've been noticing a lot of cupcake photos popping up within the Pink&Green Thursday posts on the blog hops lately. & not only has it made my sugar tooth ache, it's also inspired me to just revel in a whole post inspired by...

Cupcake Apron in Pink by Carolyn's Kitchen

(via: Hanacakes)

Cupcake Party Invitation by Belle Announcements

(via: CupCake FabuLous)

Cupcake Roll-Up Kitchen by EvelynKate

(This is such a cute idea!)

mint julep cupcake

from

Booze Cakes by Krystina Castella & Terry Lee Stone

Green&Pink Polka Dot Cupcake Liners by Hey Yo Yo

(via: Lairy the Cupcake Fairy)