Too sick for home

At the beginning of March Sophie caught a cold and within a few days wasn't doing well at all.  We took her to her paediatrician when she developed a high fever and he checked her out but at that point it seemed to be all viral and we would have to wait it out.  

Only two short days later we were in the ER after 48 hours of crying and moaning and an inconsolable girl. We were giving her Advil and Tylenol around the clock and it wasn't touching her pain.  We knew she had gone down hill very quickly so off we went to the ER first thing in the morning.  We knew that her heart rate had been very high for a number of days, we found out she now had a double ear infection, sinus infection, UTI and some other infection going on, they suspected she was going septic.  So with super high white blood cell counts and a heartrate in the 160's she was admitted right away.  Sophie used to be regularly tachycardic, in the 220's + when she was a baby, but this was not her norm anymore.   

We had hoped to come home with IV antibiotics like we had in the summer with her bad pneumonia but they weren't willing to send her home and it was the right decision in the end.  So we waited for a bed up in the unit.  Her ear infection was so bad that her eardrum burst while we were still in the ER.  I think that actually caused her some relief from the pain but it was shocking it was that bad when she had no sign of an ear infection only two days before.  When Sophie gets sick she loves to do it in style.  We spent four days inpatient and her fevers and heart rate weren't more under control until the end of the third day.  She had been on two IV antibiotics to kill the infection and she was finally smiling the day we were able to go home.  

I have stayed inpatient with Lucas twice in the new Children's hospital here but not with Sophie before.  She has always been in the PICU when here over the last few years if not just in the ER.  The new hospital is go great and our nurses were awesome.  One of the nurses had cared for Sophie in the community when she was a baby so it was so nice to have her on days for two of our four days.

It was so nice to come home and try to get back to a bit of normal.  Jason and Lucas were in Florida for three of the four days that Sophie was in hospital so it wasn't great timing but we got through it with help from our moms.  I am hoping that is our last inpatient adventure for a long while.

Told her we were going home

Valentine's Day sweetness

Sophie is always up for a fun holiday celebration.  She loves opening presents and receiving gifts as much as her brother does.  Valentine's Day is no exception.  Since Sophie does not eat anything by mouth it isn't as easy as buying her some candy or chocolate for this holiday or any other holiday.  There are always alternatives though that are often much better anyway!

Sophie loves Elmo, almost as much as her beloved Wiggles.  So when I found this little Elmo Valentine book I knew it was perfect for my girl.  It also has some touch and feel elements which makes it even better.

Lucas is all about the speed of opening his gifts.  How fast can you get to the candy.

Sophie was happy to give Lucas the Valentine she made for him at school and Lucas thought it was very sweet.  Sophie received Valentine's from all of her school friends, along with many stickers that she can use to make crafts with.  We are so lucky to be surrounded by so much love, not just on Valentine's Day but everyday of the year.

Florida, we made it.

My Sophie always has had a knack for getting sick right when a holiday was coming, or a vacation or special day.  I don't know how she does it but it is quite amazing.  It was no different a few weeks ago when she came down with a cold and then, bam, the day before we were leaving for Florida she develops full on pneumonia.

Recuperating with Nana

I think I was in denial at first but I really did know that I had to take her in to be seen.  Her sats were really bad and her heartrate was even worse, all declining overnight.  So I took her to our local Urgent Care centre first thing in the morning.  Of course it didn't take long for them to diagnose pneumonia with the assistance of x-rays and I thought we would be on our way with some antibiotics.  The Dr. had other plans and let me know that she couldn't go home and they were ambulancing her to Children's Hospital.

Now, she wasn't looking great, but she certainly wasn't the worst I have seen her so I was taken off guard when all this started to unfold.  But it reminded me that Sophie is a complex little girl and many doctors just aren't comfortable or experienced enough with kids like her to have her in their care.

So off she went with the paramedics and I met them at Children's and we got everything sorted.  We knew the doctor that was on that day from previous visits and he got her sorted with antibiotics and other orders.  They would have kept her longer because of her heartrate (in the 150's) but they understood that we were leaving to catch a plane that night and we had a Dr. and night nursing set up for once we arrived.

Sophie did really well on the trip down south and was a real trooper.  She was sick for the majority of our 10 day trip but she was certainly able to enjoy her time in the warm weather regardless.  We had to add in a few breathing meds to help her out and she had a couple seizures but all in all she did amazing.

We had planned a trip to Universal in the middle of our Florida stay, which unfortunately wasn't great because she was so sick.  But we got through it, we had a wonderfully caring night nurse there and Sophie got to sleep in her first hotel!  All the staff at Universal were very friendly and very accommodating for us.

Lucas loved Universal, there was so much to do and see.  Of course this also meant it was very overstimulating and overwhelming for Sophie, but we did our best to make it enjoyable for her as well.  This really wasn't the best side trip for Sophie because it was just too much.  One day would have been just right for her instead of three.

Sophie loved the Dr.Seuss land and really enjoyed the show they put on.  All the characters had their photos taken with her after and were really sweet on her.  She got to ride the Suess carousel which I think she liked but it was hard to tell.  It was a lot of movement and sound for her and she was taking it all in, it may have been too overwhelming but we were just so happy we found a ride she could go on!  Sophie did not like Barney.  Enough said.

Our last day in Orlando was cold and a bit rainy so we didn't mind that that was the day we were heading out.  We had seen almost everything and had enjoyed two nice dinners by the hotel pool watching Little Rascals on the big screen one night which Lucas loved.  The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was amazing along with so many other parts of the two parks.  I am glad that we were able to go and experience it all as a family!

We were happy to get back to Nana and Opa's house and relax with them.  Sophie was finally feeling well the last three days of our trip and was able to enjoy it more.  She did have another seizure the last night we were in Florida but I am sure that was just out of exhaustion by that point.

I can hardly wait until next year when we are back to paradise again.  Even though this trip had it's challenges we still had an amazing time and it sure beats being sick in -30C weather!

January chills and thrills

This is the coldest January I can remember for most of my life.  When I lived in Montreal for a couple of years we regularly had days with -40C to -50C wind chill in the dead of winter but it isn't the norm here.  We had a record -26.5C at the beginning of the month and it is heading that way again it would seem.

Sophie has been having a great winter so far even though it has been so crazy cold and lots and lots of people have been sick in her school and in our community in general.  Influenza is quite rampant as well as gastro bugs and colds.  Then this weekend Sophie got sick with a cold.  She stayed home from school today and seems to be feeling better than yesterday.  She also had a seizure last week which may have been the start of this bug or it just could have been due to exhaustion.  She had been doing really well in the seizure department for a few months so I hope it was a one off.

We have been keeping busy inside with all the new toys from Christmas.  A week or so ago we had a glow dance party one night, Sophie and Lucas thought it was awesome.  We had on the music and pretty much every glow/light up object we own turned on and Sophie was up dancing in her HOPSA.

The photos are horrible because the kids were moving to the music and it would have totally ruined the effect to have the flash on.  So the photos are more to get the feeling of the night then to see it in any photographic glory.  :)

On the subject of photos, I am happy to report that I have some of my photos in one of the University galleries right now.  They are in a show as part of the photography club that I am a member of.  It is the debut show of our club and I have to say it is exciting even if not many people will see it.  I have been getting great feedback for the four photos I have up though and I am very proud of how they look!