SICK BABY VIV

Poor Vivi showed signs of illness a few days after Thanksgiving. There was no doubt in my mind that whatever Finn had, Vivi had it too. There were some positives to knowing that Finn had had it first because Vivi got SICK. Way sicker than Stella has ever gotten, and Ashley had taken Finn into the doctor already. He was diagnosed with croup, so it was good to know what Vivi had and also the time frame of how long she was going to feel terrible. She was sick with a high fever for a full week (from November 27 to December 1). There were times I just felt lost and didn't know what else to do for her. It was so scary. She would just sit on the couch and watch Mickey Mouse and then sometimes she would doze off. She also coughed like crazy as per the usual of Vivi's illnesses in the past.

The whole experience was interesting for me. (Vivi had just been sick a few weeks before, so she spent most of the month of November sick.) She would wake up in the night and I would get her and keep her in my bed and let her watch shows on the tablet until we both dozed off. I was exhausted and worried. I've never really felt like taking pictures of sick kids before, but I kept doing it with her because this illness felt a bit monumental. The whole time I was taking care of her I just felt so honored to be her mom, and to be the person that was around and ready to take care of her. I kept thinking of her being sick like this in China, alone with no one to care for her in the night. I was just so glad she was with us and that she was getting cared for while she felt terrible. I'm generally a sub-par nurse with very little patience so it was interesting to see how easily I was able to be a nurse to Vivi during this week. It just showed me how much I love her and how she has simply become, no questions asked, my baby.