08 December 2012

Post-Thanksgiving update

Hi blogfans. It's been too long, I know, since my last post. My apologies. We've had a busy few weeks. I'll do my best to give you a quick summary.

The week before Thanksgiving, I went up to Philadelphia for a conference and then, that weekend, Harvey  bravely flew up with the three girls to meet me there. 
Unfortunately, upon their arrival Lela started feeling pretty sick. So the next day, while Harvey and Resli and Kennedy were off visiting Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell with Uncle John, Lela and I went to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
They took great care of us, but we discovered through a chest x-ray that poor Lelita had pneumonia. She started antibiotics that day though and within a couple days was feeling much better.
We then went up to NY to visit Grandpa and Eleanor and had a lovely lunch with them at The Boathouse. No photos, unfortunately.
The next day we drove up to Rochester, where Nana and Aunt Meliss both live. By then though Kennedy wasn't feeling too well.
We took her to the doctor there where they suspected that she too had come down with pneumonia, so she started antibiotics too. 
In the midst of all this came Thanksgiving. It was wonderful to see Adam and Amy, Meliss and Mathias, Atticus and Emmeline, and Nana. Even in spite of ongoing health issues.
It was nice and cold up there, but we bundled up to go see Lake Ontario - couldn't pass that one up!
And we prepared to say goodbye to Nana and head back home.
Alas, Kennedy wasn't getting better, only worse. So we went back to the pediatrician there (for the third time) and he decided that this wasn't at all good. He sent us to the hospital there, Golisano Children's Hospital. Kennedy was feverish, dehydrated, on not breathing well, so they started an IV and ordered a chest x-ray. 
Somewhat to our surprise, Kennedy did not have pneumonia, but rather something called Respiratory Syncytial Virus. Unfortunately, because it can be very dangerous in young children, they admitted her to the hospital.
She was not well...
Harvey and Resli and Lela went home, a few days later than planned, because they had to get back to their routine, and Kennedy and I stayed. 
Kennedy's school friends all missed her and sent us a picture of the sign they made. I was very touched.
Slowly but surely, she got better and better, and on the third day they let her leave the hospital.
They did not, however, give her permission to fly until several days later. Lucky for us, that this misfortune had a silver lining - we got to spend four more days with Nana.
(And Ollie.)
So it was quite an adventure, but at last we are all back home, mostly healthy, and very grateful to be both of those things. 
Someone asked me the other day what we were doing for Christmas. My response: "Nothing. Absolutely nothing." We've had enough excitement for one holiday season!

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