Thank Heaven for Small Blessings

Through this past month, a lot has happened. Ashlyn and I traveled to Japan, we survived a natural disaster, hundreds of earthquakes, the panic surrounding the Fukushima - Dai Ichi nuclear plant and possible radiation. However, it's only been the last week that has been really scary.

On March 30th, while shopping, Shannon and I noticed that Ashlyn sounded like she was snoring. I didn't think much of it, except that I'd have to clean her nose when we got home. By that evening, she was not feeling well at all and ended up getting sick all over me. The next day, she had a well baby check up and weighed in at 15lbs 5 ounces, and over 26 inches long. The doctor said that she had picked up a little virus and that it would have to run it's course. Over the next two days, she was miserable and seemed to be getting sick more often, but she wasn't running a fever at all, so I wasn't overly concerned.

Saturday morning, David came home to TWO sick gals! I had caught whatever bug she had and we both felt like hell. Daddy went from one job right into caring for his ladies. Saturday was rough, especially in the evenings since that's when Ashlyn was at her worst. However, Sunday was downright scary. We had been fighting keeping her nose clear so she could breathe, and she was coughing so hard that she would end up getting sick. If she was asleep, she was laying on one of our chests so we could monitor her breathing. It was like walking on eggshells.

Sunday night, I took her into her room to get ready for bed. As I was changing her diaper, she fussed a little and then went silent. When I looked up at her face, she was choking and turning a deep purple. It was the scariest moment of my life. David came running into the room after I hollered and grabbed her and turned her over to smack her on the back, which did the trick. She was able to force up the mucus clogging her airways and got sick all over her bedroom floor. As parents, David and I hit our breaking point. We couldn't take it anymore, she was going to the hospital and they were going to tell us what was wrong.

We got there and they did chest X-rays, a blood draw to test her hydration level, and mucus swab to check for RSV. Everything checked out fine, except she tested positive for RSV. It was what I feared, but I learned that it is FAR more common than I had first thought. We just have to ride it out and watch her closely. Thankfully, she's already looking much better and almost back to her normal, sweet self. She will have a cough for awhile, but soon enough she will be right as rain. Now, if only I can get better!

Through all of this, I'm just very thankful that David was here to help me. I don't know what I would have done without him. The timing couldn't have been any better for him to be home. It may not be for very long, but God knew what I needed. Thank heaven for small blessings...