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Poor sick Gracie!


(Multi-tasking is my middle name! Two snuggle bugs often need my attention at the same time, like at this bridal shower a few weeks ago!!)


Gracie is recovering well from the surgery after a miserable weekend. She is apparently allergic to codeine so she spent the entire weekend without adequate pain control at home and was so extremely itchy that she scratched herself bloody. (we can't give benadryl because it lowers the seizure threshold so she would be more likely to have a seizure.)

By Sunday night, I was really struggling with not being able to help my sweet miserable daughter who was arching and whining and fussing constantly. I realized, as I broke down and Josh sent me to bed, that I hadn't slept more than a few hours since Wednesday! I slept 12 hours, Gracie (mercifully) slept all night, and I went to work all day Monday. Monday night Gracie developed a fever above 103 that took hours to get down with tylenol, motrin, washcloths, and pacing our tiny living room with Gracie stripped to her diaper trying to cool her down (without waking up Josh and Ana with her fussing). By 5:00am, when Gracie finally fell asleep and I lay next to her waiting for a seizure from the fever (which she never had!! wow!!!), I realized that I was going to call in my first "sick day" to work so that I could take Gracie to the doctor's without bothering Josh who is completely swamped with his seminary courses this semester (Hebrew and Hermeneutics) on top of preaching, teaching, leading the music team, and discipling!

My worries about a post-operative complication were quickly dissolved when the doctor found a nasty ear infection! horray for ear infections! Just amoxicillin and we're on our way! (who's ever been happy to have an ear infection?!)

Today, I got to be "the doctor" for Gracie's preschool class as part of their "community helpers" series! It was so fun to go in dressed as the doctor that I am and talk to a class of 4 and 5 year olds! The best question I had, though, was from a kiddo who said, "If you're Gracie's mommy, why is your skin white and her skin brown?" I love it! :) All the adults loved it and were smiling as I got to explain adoption to the kids and when I said that Gracie was born in Africa, one of Gracie's friends said, "whoa!" Cute!

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