Even the best laid plans....

Olivia and I were released from the hospital on Friday, June 24. I was so excited!! All I wanted to do was get out of that hospital bed and into my own! However, late that morning before we had left, my sister called to inform us that James had thrown up during the night a few times and was running a 103* temp. I made an appointment with his pediatrician, Nelda brought him in and the doctor said he most assuredly had a viral infection and to keep him as far away from the baby as possible because if she catches it and runs a fever over 101* then she will go right back in the hospital. Sweet.

So, making plans and changing those plans 100 times started. First we were going to stay another night in the hospital but then we remembered that Jon had an obligation he could not get out of early Saturday afternoon and decided it would be way to hectic to try to get out of the hospital, get home and settled amongst the sickness and get him to where he needed to be in time. Then, James was going to be quarantined up stairs until he quit running a fever for 24 hrs. But what about Audrey? She might be a carrier even if she wasn’t sick yet. And how heartbreaking would it be for the twins for me and Tookie baby to finally come home and them not be able to touch us or even be in the same room as us? So then we were going to send them with daddy and Nelda to meet Jon’s mom somewhere between New Orleans and Birmingham. Then it was decided that me and the baby did not need to go home while the kids were still there so a good friend of mine graciously let us stay Friday night at her house. The next morning Jon decided the kids didn’t need to be so far away from us so he made arrangements for them to go to a church member’s home for a couple days since James’ fever was gone and he’d not thrown up any more. I was glad of that! To not see them for a whole week after getting home would be too much.

Olivia made her grand arrival into her home on Saturday evening around 6 p.m. When I walked through the door the first thought I had was “This has got to be the closest thing to what it will feel like when I get home to Heaven!!” I had only been gone for 3 days but my goodness it felt like 3 months! It was quiet and a little lonely with out the twins but it was nice to get settled before their energy bombarded our lives again! Well, on Monday when Sis. Juanita arrived on our doorstep, she told us that while she was en route to deliver James and Audrey back into the loving arms of their parents, Audrey told her that her tummy hurt and she needed a bowl to throw up in. Jon asked her if she wanted to go back to Sis. Juanita’s for another night and she said “No” and we just didn’t have the heart to send her away. Jon told her that if she stayed she couldn’t touch mommy or Tookie and she still wanted to stay. She crawled in her bed, took a long nap and came out all bubbly and peachy. We thought we had by passed it; NOT! A couple hours later Jon had the kids out on the front porch swing and Audrey says “I’m gonna throw up daddy” so he held her off the porch and said “Go ahead” but she just screamed “No! I have to throw up in a bowl!!” So he rushed her inside and barely made it into their bathroom before she upchucked ALL OVER HIM. A couple of times.

So, he quarinteened Audrey and himself upstairs for the next 24 hours. Monday night I started having really bad headaches and thought they were probably related to the spinal tap I’d had. Jon’s mom arrived Tuesday evening and she was a welcome sight, let me tell ya! But the sick drama doesn’t end there. On Wednesday night James came into my room and said his head and his tummy hurt and of course he was running a fever. So first thing Thursday morning, I called our pediatrician and made another appointment  for the little man. My headaches were still coming and they really hurt so I had previously made an appointment with the OB for Thursday morning to find out what was going on. So Jon, I and the twins loaded up and headed to Tallahassee. Jon dropped me and Audrey off at my doctor’s office and he took James to the pediatrician.

Okay, in an attempt to make a "long story short”: James’ problem was left over virus and he was ordered Ibuprofen and rest with no overheating. After a long day and even longer visit to L&D triage I was sent home with some hydrocodone and ordered to rest, rest, rest and start managing my pain properly. And I did and I have and the headaches have stopped and I feel soooo much better! James and Audrey went home with SuSu on Friday and were doing great until yesterday when Peach threw up 3 times. But the report today is that she had a great night, hasn’t run a fever at all and is eating and drinking.

The “plan” was for Susu and Papaw to bring the twins home this weekend but due to the uprising of some things and the fact that Jon and I are going out of our minds just “sitting” around here, we think the  new “plan” is for Jon and I and Olivia to go to New Orleans on Sunday afternoon to have a mini vacation and pick up the twins. We missed the beach trip this year and Olivia doesn’t need to be out in crowds yet so we are “planning” on leaving Olivia with Susu during the day one day and taking James and Audrey to do some things around the city. But the best thing will be to see, squeeze and kiss James and Audrey again. We miss them way to much.