Where We Are

There is no hiding that Jayce is a high strung baby. He has been since birth, and I am certain he will be for the rest of his life.

Again I will say, he is not a bad baby. He is cuddly and loving. He can be goofy and sarcastic. He is just a needy little guy. He needs touch. He needs attention. He just needs more.

Around here we know this about Jayce. We are aware that he is difficult to keep happy. But last week we hit an all time low for Jayce. It all started with a fever. It was a bit high, roughly 103.5 F, so I knew something was up. Teething can cause a fever, but not a high one. Not that I have experienced at least. So, I waited and watched for more symptoms to reveal themselves.

3 days went by.

Nothing.

No runny nose, no cough, no evidence of an ear infection... nothing. Yet the fever continued and would spike throughout the day. Ah ha! Diarrhea, a new symptom, but nothing that pin points to something specific. Then all of a sudden he had a strange rash around his eyes. Hmmmm, weird.

This fever it getting crazy! Why in the world would a child have a fever for this long with no real other symptoms. Oh and did I mention that Jayce was more miserable than usual? He was just whiny, whiny, whiny. I could do nothing to make him happy. Literally nothing. Not to mention he had not been eating well. At this point I was one tired, frustrated Mommy.

So I prayed. I prayed for patience and answers. I prayed hard and all day. Luckily it worked. I was so patient with him (and Lula Mae for that matter). More patient than I have been in a few weeks, or months even. I felt so at peace while caring for him.

Then the rash started. It was this weird raised rash. I could tell it wasn't his eczema. It started off small and then began to cover his back, legs and stomach. He was inconsolable all day long. Strangely though, his fever was controlled. Weird. All night long he cried and tossed and turned. I researched a little and was certain I knew what I thought was wrong with him.

Morning came today and the rash was worse. The fussiness was worse. I called the doctor right away and got him seen within the next hour or so. She quickly confirmed my suspicion and diagnosed Jayce with roseola. Praise God we have a reason for all this mess. I told my husband that if we went in and they told me it was "teething" that I would cry... and I was very, very serious.

Now we just have to ride this out. There isn't much we can do for him, besides comfort him and love him. It is all he really needs at this point. I am so grateful that it was not something serious.

But every cake needs icing, right? While at the doctor we were informed that Jayce has fallen off of the growth chart. He is below the 5th percentile at this point, still weighing in at 18 lbs. We now are faced with the realization that he is categorized as failing to thrive. He is small, we have known that for a while, but I never really thought he was not thriving. Kinda makes me feel like I am not doing something right for him. So today they sent us over to the hospital to have some blood work done on him. They are checking to be certain of the roseola diagnosis, and also checking for a vitamin D deficiency. When they run a panel on your blood I assume they check more than just that, but those were the ones we talked about. We have a follow up appointment in a few days to go over everything. I am not a parent who never takes my kids to the doctor. I am one who believes that my doctor is a great gift to me and can be used in lots of ways. I am so grateful for the doctors God has put in our lives to help us.

I know my little guy is healthy. I know that God is handling all of this wonderfully and that I have no right to worry. And somehow, I am not worried. Me... the-one-who-worries-that-leaving-the-house-while-the-dryer-is-running-will-burn-down-the-house, is not worried. I feel God in this situation and just know that everything is fine. While Jayce was having his blood drawn, I stood in the doorway and prayed for him. He barley made a whimper the entire time. he was calm, I was calm, the nurses were calm.... everything was fine. God is in control and that is such a great feeling.

Pray for Jayce as we get through this next few weeks. We don't know what they hold exactly, but that is just fine by me. One day at a time.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7