>mebelire all back at home safe and sound.  This week certainly turned out differently then we had planned.  Monday morning Sharmalia was jumping on her little bed with her friends and having a great time.  Around noon she came to me and said, “Mommy, I want my blankie and my binki.  I want to take a nap.” I thought this a little strange but she had had a very busy weekend so I thought she was just worn out.  She woke up from her nap an hour and a half later and I went to check on her.  She asked me to lay down with her.  I was surprised that she didn’t jump up and want to keep playing.  When she rolled over and cuddled up to me I realized that we were in trouble.  Her hands and her head were burning up.  We spent the next couple hours trying to get her fever to drop so that we wouldn’t have to take her to the hospital, but to no avail.  Finally I began packing us up.  I was running around gathering everything and praying and crying.  Even though Sharmi was not feeling good she was still worried more about me than her.  When Dean was holding her she said, “Daddy, take me to mommy so I can wipe her tears.”   Her temperature kept fluctuating between 101F and 103.9 F at home, but we thought we had her stabilized at about 102 F when we left.  I prayed for her with the group before we left the house, but when Dean carried Sharmi to the car she said that she wanted to pray.  She prayed for the herself and for the angels to keep her safe and for the doctors and nurses.  It melted her fathers heart. 

We were barely a mile down the freeway when she threw-up her all over herself and her car seat.  Our friend John was still at the house, so he rushed down with some basics to help clean her up.  I was hopeful that her fever would break after she threw-up.  However, while we were waiting for John we stripped Sharmi down and set her back in the car.  I reached in to check on the diapered little girl and she was boiling.  I yelled at Dean, “get her out of here!” (since it was cooler outside).  I grabbed the thermometer and it read 104.9 F.  The sudden change was very terrifying.  We kept praying. I thank God that by the time we were ready to go it was back down to 102 F.

At the ER she was initially doing fine.  She seemed perfectly normal, but then she crashed and slept on Dean for several hours.  They drew labs, gave her Tylenol, which didn’t have much effect on her fever, and they started her on very high doses of antibiotics.  When we were admitted to hospital we were betting that she had a UTI and a kidney infection.  We were told that a treatment for a kidney infection could keep us in the hospital for up to 2 weeks.  We obviously weren’t looking forward to this. However, the next morning her labs came back negative.  Her ANC however was at 10,000 so her body was clearly trying to fight something off. 

The next morning I brought a ton a things from home preparing to stay awhile, including birthday presents.  Her birthday was yesterday, but we celebrated Tuesday evening because her Grandma and Grandpa were both able to be with us.  By this time the drugs had done their job and Sharmi was feeling much better, so it was a wonderful party.  Even the hospital gave Sharmi generous gifts.   

Tuesday night Chantel woke up crying with a fever also.  I don’t know if it was perspective, exhaustion, or experience, but all I did was lay her down next to me, strip her down to a onesie, uncover her, I went back to sleep.  I woke up and felt her head several times during the night, but all seemed fine.  Since Chantel was sick she was not allowed in the hospital, so my wonderful dad went and helped Dean with Sharmi, and we were pleasantly surprised that they actually discharged Sharmi last night with just some high doses of antibiotics to take at home for the next week. 

Today everything seems to be going fairly well.  Everyone is tired and cranky, but all in all I am greatful that it wasn’t any worse. 

Thank you so much for those of you who were praying. 

Cheris