It's gotta get better, it's gotta get better

This is what Dane and I say to ourselves over and over ever since Anna was the lucky recipient of Hand Foot and Mouth Disease. Lovely. It started on Monday night when I received a call from Kathy, our daycare gal, at 9:45 p.m. She said that a mom of one of the little boys that goes there called her to say that she took him to the hospital because of some blisters on his hands and it turns out that he had HFM Disease. So she was letting all the parents know to keep an eye out for signs. For those that don't know what it is, it's pretty self explanatory. Sores develop on their hands, feet and in the mouth and can or cannot be accompanied by a rash and fever. Anna didn't get the fever but Monday night she woke up crying several times and wouldn't take her binky when I tried to put it in her mouth. You know something is wrong when she refuses her binky. So in the morning on Tuesday Dane found the first sore in her mouth and since then it's gotten 10 times as bad. She's got multiple sores in her mouth, blisters on the tips of her fingers and toes and a rash that covers her diaper area and legs.

Now, before you get too horrified, it doesn't seem like the rash or her hands and feet are bothering her much, if any. However, her mouth is a different story. Oh, her mouth. The poor girl is on a diet of yogurt because that is the only thing she'll let us get near her...anything else that she tries to put in her mouth results in a heart breaking cry then she promptly pulls it out because it hurts too bad. Even cheese made her cry. The doctor said lots of popcicles and anything else that is cold to relieve the pain. I immediately ran out and bought a big box of popcicles only to have her eat one and then refuse them ever since. She won't eat jello, pudding, ice cream (only a few bites, then is done)...I mean seriously, who refuses ice cream?! She'll drink the occassional juice box and some water out of a sippy cup, but that's about a it. She's going to be so sick of yogurt by the time this is over!

We filled the prescription for Tylenol w/ Codine today and Dane said he gave her some as soon as they got in the car. I was a little horrified when he told me this because the stuff is pretty strong, and I thought we'd give it to her at night only and he said "Jenny, you aren't the one that's been with her all day." "Oh" I replied. Enough said. :) It was a rough day for everyone.

Last night was hands down the worst night of sleep ever...I'm not exaggerating when I say we maxed out at about 2 hours of sleep total. I called into work (at 5:15 a.m. because, why not, I was awake) to say I would be late because I needed to get more sleep..there was no way I was going to function on that. We all slept a little more, but not much. Anna woke up crying at least every half an hour and finally we pulled her in bed with us, and that is when we got our two hours in. Then she started tossing and turning and doing the two step on my head and slapping Dane head with her hands (in her sleep). She would sit up and mummble something and then push me (she's freakishly strong) to the tiniest corner of the bed with no covers while she sprawled in the middle of our bed. Needless to say, the sleep ended there for all of us. Then she woke up and thought it was play time. Wrong. I marched her right back into her room which led us back to the every 1/2 an hour schedule of waking up and crying.

We feel so helpless because there's nothing to do but let it run it's course. It's probably going to be at least a week before we start seeing it get better. Dane is an angel and is so patient. He has been with her every day this week while she's been sick and I know it's very hard on him because she's so fussy, but I just appreciate the fact that we have the option of him being with her. I got home from work today and sent him off to go fishing with a couple of his buddies. It'll do him some good to get re-charged and ready for tomorrow. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers...I think we all need to find the strength to get through this!

I'm utterly exhausted and think 8:30 sounds like a fabulous bedtime.