Not the First Birthday I Had Imagined

Every time a nurse or doctor asked me her date of birth, I just shook my head and said today. Needless to say, no baby should be in the emergency room on their birthday.

I had thought Maisie's first birthday would be a day where we smile, where we eat a small cupcake for lunch, where we visit with my mom for a little bit before driving home from vacation, and where our drive goes smoothly and uneventful.  

The day started out as planned. Maisie woke up happy and went down for her morning nap just fine, but she woke up with a fever. She was pretty warm, but we were on vacation and I did not have a thermometer, so I am not sure exactly how warm. I gave her some Tylenol and she cooled down a little, but was still acting a bit sick. 

She barely ate lunch and was not into the cupcake I tried to give her. We went for a little walk and headed home from vacation at about 1:30 p.m. She fell asleep instantly.

However, about an hour and a half into our trip she got pretty upset and threw up. We pulled over as soon as we could. I tried to calm her down in some shade holding her and rocking her, but nothing was really helping. I was feeling car sick from the road we were just on, so I figured that she was feeling the same. We got back in the car and were heading toward the closest hospital when she fell back to sleep, so we thought OK let's just try to get home. 

She woke up a few times over the next 2 hours, but wasn't acting upset. 

We stopped at a rest area about an hour away from home to change diapers. Maisie was still warm and acting sick, but was smiling and even giggling at Calan. Bob put Calan back in the car and I bent over to put Maisie in and all hell broke lose. 

Maisie started to convulse and seize up. 

I yelled to Bob to call 9-1-1 and I held Maisie on her side watching her seize for what felt like FOREVER (but what was probably 3 minutes). 

She convulsed, her eyes dilated, and she turned a bit blue. She luckily breathed through most of it and did not bite down on her tongue. 

We took an ambulance to the closest hospital where they watched her for the next 3 hours. It took almost 2 hours for her to start acting normal. I guess after seizures it can take awhile for people to act normal again. For adults, they act confused; for babies, they basically lay not moving at all. 

They did a couple tests to figure out what was causing her high fever and from a chest x-ray, she has the beginnings of pneumonia. 

She does not have a cough, running nose, or wheezing. So, I asked the doctor how I was suppose to know and he basically said I wasn't and that is why they usually do an x-ray to rule it out. In babies, pneumonia symptoms do not show up like adults. 

We were released about 3 hours after we arrived with a prescription for antibiotics and instructions to follow up with our doctor this week. 

This morning, she is already 100% better. She barely has a fever and is smiling and eating just fine. She is dancing and clapping like the happy baby she is. 

Not at all how I wanted to be spending her first birthday, but so glad that we didn't panic and that Maisie is healing quickly. 

We will be taking it very, very, very easy this week. 

Already feeling and acting so much better this morning. Thank God!