Cycle 3, Day +9: Spring Fever

Today marks the first day of spring, the vernal equinox.

One of the things we are missing about San Diego is our trips to see the vernal pools near our house. We don't know how the pools are faring this year, depends on the amount of rainfall. We like to hike there with the boys and their friends (watching for rattlesnakes, which are definitely out this time of year). The pools are full of fairy shrimp and tadpoles, it's a great little after-school hike with the kids.

At Sean's school, the first grade class ushered in spring yesterday by taking a walk to a local park and flying kites. I was priveleged to be able to accompany him and his class, it was a pleasure to be with all of them on such a beautiful 80-degree day.

Spring in Memphis has been very strange weatherwise to us Californians. The last three days in a row have seen temperatures in the 80's, with warm nights (last night it was 70 degrees at 10pm). Today it was 85, then cloudy, then thunderstorms and flash floods (my car was almost washed away in a torrent of water pouring through the street), going down to a low of 45 degrees tonight, tomorrow night it is supposed to go below freezing. Needless to say we don't leave our house without first consulting the weather report.

Sean's bout of nasal congestion last week and Steven's congestion on Wednesday seem to have finally caught up with him, Thursday night he got into bed wearing his pajamas, a knit cap, socks, a heavy robe with a hood, and his dad's robe over the top. He pulled up the two comforters and two quilts on his bed, then asked Sean for his double-layer fleece blanket over the top, then he started to cry because he was too cold.

I decided it just might be time to check his temperature, it was 100.2, and his blood counts are zero at the moment, no white cells.

St. Jude considers a temperature to be anything over 100.4 degrees, so I put him to bed, then checked him again at 2am. His temp was 101.4, so it was off to the hospital.

Doug kindly offered to go so I could accompany Sean to his field trip. Sean woke up in the morning to take his shower, I heard him head off, then run back to my room saying, "Mama, mama! Steven is gone! Where is he?"

I told him that Steven had a fever and we had to take him to the hospital so they could give him medicine, but Steven is really OK, the medicine will get rid of the fever. Sean crawled into bed with me and cried for a bit, then resumed his preparations for school.

Steven is feeling better after getting the antibiotics and his spirits are good. We've further cut down on the antinausea meds and he seems to be doing OK. They will keep him until his blood counts come back up, most likely Tuesday or Wednesday, hopefully it will be sooner rather than later.

- Kathleen