My Hope for an Underachiever

 Thursday afternoon, right after I got home from work. (We took this photo to send to the very worried grandparents, who live very, very far away.)

 Friday. Chris thinks this picture is super creepy. It sort of is, isn't it? Anyway, we always buy Charlotte a toy for being a trooper when sick, taking her meds, and basically, to buy a smile. She's going through a major baby obsession lately, so I got her a baby dolly complete with a jacket, shoes, a pacifier, and stroller. I put it together so it would be waiting for her (non-creepily) when she woke up from her nap.

 A hit! Not feeling stellar, but look what ibprofen can do? I heart ibprofen.

 Such a doting mama. Baby lost her pacifier, so Mommy Charlotte is putting it back in.

Saturday afternoon. Desperate to leave the house, we took a family trip to CVS (about a 1/2 mile away) through the rain to pick up the new prescription. And yes, those are pajamas under her raincoat. Don't judge her.

What day (night) is it? Saturday, perhaps?

As you can imagine, we've been in a bit of a fog as our world continues to revolve around Charlotte's fever, mood, and ear-tugging.

Since the last time I posted, we hit fevers of 105 degrees. We have seen some improvement since then (thank goodness), but Friday night I was suposed to make the judgment call as to whether or not Charlotte was adequately responding to the antibiotics. I decided (along with Chris) that she was not. So, I contacted the pediatrician the way he told me to (he's out of town right now, which is just swell). FINALLY I heard back and learned that a new prescription had been sent to the local pharmacy. Even though it's only a 1/2 mile away, we made a Big Family Trip to CVS. I mean, all three of us had to get out of the house. HAD TO.

Charlotte did better this afternoon, but she's just not as well as she should be by this point. I believe she has also developed a second ear infection, as ear tugging in the right ear has commenced. And that's new.

The pediatrician assured me that I can keep giving her ibprofen at the max dose for a 27-pounder SAFELY for days to come, so that put us more at ease. The child is miserable without it, so we give it every 6 to 8 hours, without fail.

Chris and I are tired (so very tired) and also tired of worrying, but we're optimistic. I do think that Charlotte turned a corner this afternoon, and I think the new antibiotics will seal it.

I asked my mom if this was normal--does every kid cause this much drama with their illnesses? "Oh, hell no, honey," she said. "You kids got sick all the time, but we never had these extremes with you guys. Charlotte is just an overachiever."

A good friend of mine reiterated the extreme, overachieving nature of Charlotte's illnesses. She sent Charlotte the followng email:

Dear Charlotte,
Getting sick is not a competition. You don't need to try and set a personal record with every illness. It's OK to just be normal sick without hospital trips, high temperatures, and resistance to antibiotics. As the child of Hofmanns and Opps, I know overachieving is in your DNA, and I look forward to hearing about all of your successes in the future. But, for now, go for the below average illnesses. Underachieve with relish.

Agreed. Oh my goodness, agreed. Underachieve, kiddo. Underachieve with relish.