When you know you're a parent...

I wish I could say that starting my new job has been easy...because it certainly hasn't. Don't get me wrong...I'm actually really really happy at my new job. It's challenging, I'm learning a ton, and I have a great boss. The company dynamic is great too!!! That part has been awesome!

Other highlights of the past few weeks include a visit from Aunt Kera. When she arrived on the 12th, we hung out with all of our friends from college at Fado's and took Tyler to the zoo on Sunday. We had a blast(enjoy the pics)! Ben, Tyler and I have also been enjoying the park now that Tyler can walk and we had a great bbq with friends on the 19th. And let's not forget Valentine's! Ben and I exchanged small gifts and took Tyler to a" make your own pizza" place that he loved! Those have been some major highlights of the month for us!

But the past two weeks have really thrown us for a loop!

Tyler has ALWAYS been extremely healthy. The majority of his visits to the doctor over the past year have been strictly wellness visits.

Now, I knew to expect runny noses and ear aches when Tyler started daycare full time...they go hand in hand...but I didn't expect things to get this bad. Here's the story...

Tyler started acting cranky on Monday the 21st and running a low grade fever. We thought it was due to teething because he's getting in his back molars. Ben and I didn't think too much of it but I went ahead and made a doctor's appt for Tuesday because Tyler had a fever of 101 when he woke up. The nurse said she thought it was an ear infection. Sure enough, that's exactly what it was. Tyler was prescribed Pink Bubble Gum medicine and sent home.

Ben dropped the prescription off to be filled and then took Tyler home for a nap because he just wasn't feeling well.

Tyler was sleeping for about 40 minutes and Ben was working from home....I was at work (you can't really call in sick for your kid when your only 3 weeks into a new job).

After 40 minutes had passed, Ben started hearing some grunting noises on Tyler's video monitor. He looked at the monitor and noticed Tyler was shaking. He went upstairs to check on him and that's when he saw that he was unconscious and having a seizure. He went into full on panic mode (rightfully so)!! He called 911 and then called me! I raced to my car and drove about 100 mph to get to the hospital. Ben called me to give me updates when the paramedics arrived. I got to the hospital before the ambulance did and was a hysterical mess.

Tyler had what is called a Febrile seizure. Sometimes a seizure is a child's way of reacting to spike in body temperature. Tyler's fever went from 101 - 104 in about 45 minutes...explaining the seizure. Unfortunately Febrile seizures can be hereditary and Tyler got my genes. I had seizures when I was little, but grew out of them by age 6.

After we all recovered from the seizure, things started to get normal again. I had to cancel my trip to Vegas (which was absolutely devastating) but I knew it was the right thing to do. Ben and I enjoyed a quiet weekend at home mending our little man back to 100%.

Well, this past week we were thrown for yet another loop when the daycare called us on Tuesday to let us know that Tyler had what looked like "ant bites" on his body. By Wednesday they had turned into hives, and by Thursday his entire body was covered...along with extremely swollen hands and feet. Also, his fever was coming back. I rushed home from work on Thursday to make sure Tyler didn't have another seizure. We took him to the doctor (once on Wednesday and then again on Thursday) only to discover that Tyler was having an allergic reaction to the penicillin that had been prescribed to him.

The doctor put Tyler on Steroids to bring down the swelling, and we've been on high alert ever since. There have been many sleepless nights over the past few weeks. We've spent many many nights worrying and I've shed many tears because I can't make the pain or itching go away!

But we are coming out on the other end of the sickness funk and I'm hoping and praying that things will be back to normal soon! But it's times like these that you realize you truly are a parent.

I would GLADLY do anything in this world to make Tyler's pain go away. I would lay my own life down for him in a heartbeat and not question my decision for a second. You know you are a parent when your heart physically aches and you have trouble catching your own breath when you know that your child is not well.

It's that love that makes life worth living...