Pneumonia!

I am sad to report that my cute little baby has pneumonia! He's been sleeping TERRIBLY for the past week and has had a fever almost every night. Last Friday night was particularly bad, so we took him to the Doctor's office on Saturday to find out what was going on. I was sure it was an ear infection, but nope! Our doctor was out of town, so we saw another doctor in the office named Michael Johnson...funny, huh. Anyway, Dr. Johnson told us that it was just a cold and that it's normal to have a fever in the first few days of a cold. He told us to watch him for a few days and if he didn't get better to bring him back in because it could develop into an ear infection. Well, he seemed to be getting a little better with just had a runny nose until last night. We got home from our LONG walk to the library, and I tried to feed Parker dinner, but he was NOT INTERESTED! I got him ready for bed and he fell asleep at 7:00. Around 2 am he woke up with a fever and didn't really go back to sleep until 5 am. He had what felt like a really high fever. I didn't take his temperature until later this morning...it was 102.5. All morning long he just wanted to be held, wasn't hungry, etc. I called and made a Dr.'s appointment, but then decided to cancel it and just watch him (since it was just a cold supposedly). After talking to my mom and sister I decided to call and talk to the nurse. She thought I should bring him in, so I did. She thought it would just be an ear infection. It wasn't, so Dr. Johnson sent us to the hospital for a chest X-Ray and blood test. I was a wreck! I called Joe and my entire family in tears. You know how your mind plays tricks on you and you expect the worst...that was me! Parker was a trooper, but not me! I had to leave the room while they took the X-Ray and I felt so bad listening to him cry through the door. At least I got to hold him while they took his blood...I think I cried more than he did. They sent us home to wait for the doctor to call. He finally called at 6:15 tonight to tell me that Parker has pneumonia! It's just a small infection in the lungs, so he prescribed an antibiotic. I feel terrible...at least I listened to my mom and sister (and my motherly instinct). Joe and I both thought it was just a cold, but deep down I knew better. I think we're in for a long night, but hopefully the long nights are short lived. One more note about how my mind was playing tricks on me. While I was waiting for Dr. Johnson to call me, I was of course still thinking the "what if" worst, so I was sitting feeding Parker dinner and my eyes kept welling up with tears. Isn't that funny how you just think something and your mind thinks it's so real that you actually believe it for a moment? I guess that's why you have to cherish every moment just in case the "what if" actually comes true. I won't be annoyed at Parker tonight when he wakes up screaming...poor guy...I'll just enjoy being able to hold him and rock him since he won't be a baby forever!