Baby's first illness

I knew that eventually it would happen. I would have to see my little girl get sick. I just didn't know that it would happen so soon.

Just a few days after arriving in Ohio, little Sierra started to look and act differently. I wasn't alarmed at first, but when I noticed that her personality -- upbeat, smiling, and cooing -- was lacking, I began to worry. She looked tired and agitated. She cried a lot and started feeling warm. That's when we decided to get a thermometer. She was at 101 degrees.

I know kids get sick, get fevers, but it was really hard to see that she was sick. What do I do? Do I call the pediatrician? Do I get her some baby Motrin? Should I call Chrissy, who was at work at the time? Maybe I should let Sierra nap and she'll wake up fine. It was hard to see Sierra this way.

She got worse. She was very warm; she was sweating. She looked like she was in extreme discomfort. It's very hard when Sierra can't verbally communicate what's wrong. By the time Chrissy got home from work, Sierra's temperature had risen to 102.5. We called the doctor, who told us that if the fever rises above 103, we need to take her in to a hospital. Other than that, simply alternate between doses of baby Motrin and baby Tylenol.

For three days, we watched Sierra vomit. We watched her cry while trying to sleep through a fever. But at the same time, we watched Sierra fight. You could tell that she wanted to be better. It was great to see this little girl fight through this stomach illness and come out just fine.

Now, Sierra is back to her old self again. She's full of energy. She's rolling across the floor. She's fine again, which means that I'm fine again. At least until she gets sick again.