By Sunday afternoon Nora’s fever had climbed up to 102.1° (38.9° C) and she was miserably uncomfortable.

I talked with her pediatrician and we decided it was best to get her over to Children’s to get some more testing done sooner than later. Plus we “just happened” to have our Sitter Extraordinaire in place to watch the big kids. Another instance of the right people being in the right place at the right time.

Once at the hospital we got right back to a room. The admitting nurse was just blown away that Nora feeds orally and she is as chunky as she is – 17 lbs. 14 oz. It’s in those moments that I am reminded of what a rarity and what a miracle Nora really is.

She had her bouts of fussiness, but we were able to keep her content for the most part. Her sweet little eyes light right up at the sound of her Dad’s voice or his whistling.

In the radiology waiting area there are two birds on one wall –

And the third on the opposite wall (along with a beautiful dragon fly!) –

They took blood, they took urine, they did a nasal swab, they did a chest X-ray, and an EKG. Each and every test result that came back was completely normal. CBC levels were exactly where they should be. Procalcitonin labs did not show anything and there is nothing abnormal in her urine. The only test results we will have to wait for is the nasal swab.

“This stinks!”

“Is it time to go home yet??”

With nothing really to treat but the fever itself, we were given the green light to head home. We’ve become fairly familiar with the doctor who was attending to us through previous ER visits and admissions. When he was finished going over everything, he asked if there was anything else he could do for us. William boldly responded, “You could pray for Nora?” Dr. D. smiled and said he would gladly do that. Then he asked, “Would you like for me to pray for her right now?” Absolutely!! So there we all were with our hands on sweet baby Nora while this awesome, awesome doctor PRAYED over her. It was truly a beautiful moment!

Was it any surprise when we lifted her up and saw a heart-shaped sweat mark from her hot little head?

We arrived back home around 10:00 that night. It was such a relief to be home!!!

Then along came Monday! Nora had an uncomfortable, restless night and seemed to be starting the day off not so great either. She cheered up a little as the morning progressed and after some Tylenol…

…and milks.

I took some time away this afternoon to offer my condolences to a couple of friends from many years ago who just lost their father. We’ve been in touch through FB and I just felt it on my heart to at least go to the funeral even if just for a few minutes. I had intended to show up before the service started and then leave to allow the family that time together. However, the service was starting JUST as I was walking in. I quickly and discretely took a seat in the back row of seats. Initially I was nervous that I’d be noticed prematurely, that my sudden presence would distract from the matter at hand. But I settled down and politely blended in for the duration of the service that I hadn’t meant to intrude on. As I sat listening to the pastor eulogize this man I had never met in this lifetime, I couldn’t help but think that I was meant to be there to hear what he had to say. To hear Psalms 46 read out loud was incredibly powerful, as was the famous 23rd Psalm. I hoped this grieving family was just as reassured by these words as I was. The hairs stood straight up on my arms when the pastor concluded with Isaiah 41:10 — “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Yes, He HAS, He DOES and He WILL!!! K. and C., you and your family are in my prayers and I truly am so very sorry for your loss.

I do wish it were under different circumstances and that I could have visited longer, but I did have to get back home to Nora and her nurse. Back home, things were pretty much the same. Nora was uncomfortable, unhappy and hot. The 102.2° fever warranted another dosing of pain reliever (it was Motrin’s shift), and a lukewarm bath. Slowly but surely her temperature went down and her comfort level improved. Just as we started to breathe a little easier Nora choked up a blob of mucus with a tinge of brown to it. Motrin? Very light orange. Sildenefil? White. Lasix? Clear orange. Could this be blood?? A few phone calls were made and within 15 minutes we were well on our way to the pediatrician’s office with a placated baby girl and a suspicious burp rag in a Ziploc bag.

At this visit we determined that it was indeed blood, but it was such a tiny amount that there was no cause for alarm. It could have been from her sinuses, her esophagus (from wretching), or perhaps the lining of her stomach (maybe irritated by the antibiotic?). It was not fresh blood and could even have been from the nasal swab test which was slightly invasive. Obviously keeping an eye on subsequent pukings.

Also while we were there the nasal swab results happened to come in. (Drum roll without a ‘tada’ at the end…) Everything came back negative. We gots NUTHIN. Again, we are so blessed and thankful that Nora is not suffering from RSV or any of the influenzas, etc. But, as with all the labs, there is nothing showing up, nothing to treat. Just these unexplained fevers.

We plan on paying visits to the ENT, immunologist, and GI to see if they can determine anything.

I probably should call it a night, as I almost squirted saline solution on my toothbrush and stored my contacts in toothpaste.

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 4:19 NIV)