Ear Thermometers - Good To Know!

Summary: Ear Thermometers don't register correctly over 102/103 degrees.

Katie's been sick, and at bedtime her temp went up to 104. We gave her a bath, continued the Tylenol, and she went to bed. at Midnight, it was still high, but then at 4 AM it registered at 105.7! I immediately took my own temperature to check the thermometer, and it was correct: 97.7. Another bath for Katie, plus more medicine, but it wasn't going down.

We called 338-kids and talked to a nurse. After a long conversation, he recommended the ER. She also had stomach pain and a cough. Thinking it might be RSV or Pneumonia, Lee took her into the ER. (Take no chances with high fevers and teeny babies in the house!)

At the ER, her temp was 102.8. A quick change in only 15 minutes. As it turns out, the doctor explained that ear thermometers don't register accurately above 102 or 103 degrees, and they get a lot of scared parents, thinking their child might have brain damage or serious issues. And that is also why we can take our own temp and think it's working.

After a chest X-ray and throat swab, she was thankfully sent home with just a virus...

Which I would have KNOWN had I used a standard thermometer. I never would have taken her in with just a 102 fever. She gets that a few times a year. But 105? That's just scary.

So, from now on, if it registers over 102, I'll pull out the good old under the tongue thermometer that takes an entire 60 seconds to read.

I thought this was very valuable information and wanted to pass it on! Before freaking out about an insanely high temp, try taking it the good old fashioned way first.

Today is the Day

My prayer for Today:

Waiting for Labor

I didn't write this, but wish I had... enjoy :)

Waiting

Dear Baby, here beneath my heart,
I thought that you might come today;
The timing seemed just right.

But the stars are out
And the moon is high
And sheepishly I wonder why
I try to arrange the plans
Of God.

For now I know
You will not come
Until the One who holds eternity
Rustles your soft cocoon
And whispers in tones that I will not hear,
"It's time, precious gift."

"Now it's time."

-by Robin Jones Gunn

Boredom Buster!

It was a boring Saturday night. We've been home a lot lately, and we'd already played, painted, and goofed around all day. We watched a movie at rest time and were at a loss as to what to do after dinner.

Lee and I stared blankly at each other, knowing that if we didn't think of something, the kids might destroy the house... or each other.

So I came up with an idea to fill a good hour. We played a "10 Minute Game." Here are the rules:

1. Put the names of all family members in a hat.
2. When someone has their name drawn, they get to choose what the family does for 10 minutes.
3. Set a timer, and go at it! Everyone must participate in some way. They then draw who goes next.

So an hour later, we had gone through everyone, and we had a lot of fun! What did we choose to do?

Abby: Color
Katie: Pretend to be dogs (which included puppy wrestling piles)
Nathan: Wrestle
Daddy: Marco Polo
Mommy: Eat Ice Cream :)

So, we'll probably pull that idea out again... hope it helps the next time you're at home and wondering how to fill the time, without just throwing in a movie.

41 Weeks

What else do you do when 41 weeks pregnant to pass the time? You play in Photoshop! At least I do...



This is for you, Jenna! You can see more on FB.

A Time To Be Born...

I am 41 weeks pregnant today, and so I’m caught in yet another round of waiting. I started blogging about waiting a couple of years ago, and since then, I’ve realized that it’s just a normal part of life. The good news is that I’m getting better at it! It’s not always easy, especially if I have to find something that fits to wear to church one more time… and I can’t help but feel a little like a watched pot by all the people I know and love… but God is faithful and I’ve been really encouraged by praise songs such as “In the Waiting” and “Everlasting God.”

“There is a time for everything… a time to be born.” Ecclesiastes 3:2.

So while I wait, I play with my kids, get together with friends, organize my home, go on extra dates with Lee, get small projects done I wouldn’t make time for ordinarily, and enjoy the feeling of a baby growing inside of me. It really is a miracle, and I’m so thankful to be blessed to be a part of it.

“Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him.” Ps 37:7a

Baby Names

We are having a really tough time with a boy's name. I know he'll be here soon, and usually we have a short list we're working off of by now, but we keep shooting down every name we sort of like. We like it for a few days, and then instead of growing on us, it becomes worse and worse in our minds.

Of course I'm hearing a lot of names of girls that I really like, and I could have a really long list of options, but perhaps because it's not a girl I'm more open to the girl names... since I know I won't really need one.

This is the first time we've found out if it's a boy or girl, and it's been the hardest name discussion ever. I wonder if that's connected somehow? Or it could be that it's the 4th child. Or that we're just being really picky.

We went to a baby name genie online (a cute app) and it kept spitting out the "perfect" name. It was funny, because every time we pushed "try again" it would say something funny like, "That was a good one. You are incredibly hard to please!"

We either don't like the way the name sounds w/ our last name, or it isn't strong enough, or you can't make a nick name out of it, or we don't like the potential nick name, or we've known too many people with that name, or it doesn't match the other kids' names... on and on it goes.

I feel bad, because when friends and family suggest possible names, my immediate reaction is almost always to scrunch up my nose and say "Nah...." Everything from classic strong names like Michael and William to more trendy ones like Parker and Harrison... names always on my short list in the past that I really like.

So... we might have a baby named "boy" for awhile. I didn't think of Abby's until the day I went into labor. My devotions that morning were about Abigail in the story of David and I thought, "Abby! That's cute!" So maybe we'll see what my Bible Reading brings me that day.

Time will tell! :)