Paging Dr. Carter to the ER

Our weekend got off to a rough start. We went to bed late Friday night, knowing we had a full day ahead of us with Emily's party and our out of town family coming to visit. At 2:00 A.M. Owen woke for his first nighttime feeding, and he was burning up. Dan took his temperature (it's his official duty; I can't bring myself to do rectal temps), and Owen was running at 101.5. My handy literature from the pediatrician's office instructed me to call if he ever was over 100.4 this early in life, so that's what I did. I nursed the little guy while waiting for the doctor's office to call back, and I was rewarded by being puked on for the umpteenth time that week. Because his fever was so high, the pediatrician's office told us we needed to take him to the ER. So, mom and Ron came to be with Emily, and Dan and I headed off with Owen.

First of all, as a longtime fan of ER the television show, I was expecting something a little more. I'm sure that York Hospital's clientele is always a bit sketchy, but on a Friday night, you seem to get the real winners. There was the kid with the broken foot who was laughing because he ran into a tree with his car after leaving a party drunk. There was the guy who came in with 3 of his friends because he'd drunk too much and thought he needed his stomach pumped (although he left before he went back...I guess after throwing up, he felt better). My personal favorite was the woman who came in with a baby in a carrier. She put the baby and her diaper bag on a chair in the waiting room and then WALKED OUT OF THE HOSPITAL! That's right, I suppose the rent-a-cop manning the door was a reliable babysitter, so she left for a little while. All this time, there was no one in sight who resembled Noah Wylie, John Stamos, or George Cloony - what a letdown.

Anyway, after getting called back, we were told that because Owen wasn't vaccinated yet due to his age, he'd have to undergo an array of tests. This involved needles and catheters and x-rays, which seemed ridiculous since we were sure it was simply the same stomach flu Emily had earlier in the week. But, rules are rules...so we settled in for the long haul. After hours in a little room trying to ignore the bed that wasn't being used (Owen was in his carrier sleeping, and I had to physically look away from the blissful hospital bed - I didn't think it would look good if I was sleeping soundly in it when the doctors came back), we had our diagnosis....stomach flu.

In the end, although we were tired, Emily's party was a success. I will post pictures later. And after a night and morning on Sunday of me getting the dreaded sickness, I am happy to report that our family is now (mostly) healthy.