One Marmot Sick, One Marmot Marches

Last Saturday was the Marmot March, the kids' "run" that goes along with the big Bloomsday run on the first Sunday in May each year. This year, both squeakers were scheduled to march. But sadly, Declan wasn't up for it. After recovering from his ruptured eardrum/infected ear two weeks ago, he came down with a fever last week. A quick check at the pediatrician last Wednesday showed two normal ears. The fever got worse and was soon accompanied by some bad congestion and coughing. After three straight days of a fever, I took him to the ER Saturday evening. Sacred Heart Medical Center, where both squeakers were born, has an excellent children's hospital and a special section of the ER for kids. An hour and a half later, we were home with a prescription for an antibiotic for—you guessed it—his badly infected, painful ears.

So Maeve and Brian marched on their own this year. Well, not totally alone—they were joined by our friend Mike and his son Devin (Maeve's future boyfriend!):





Update on Declan: He wasn't eating much at all, so after two solid days of the antibiotics, with no decrease in the fever or fussiness, I took him to the pediatrician on Tuesday. Not only did he have the same viral illness from last week, but his ears were horribly red and infected (that is, very painful!). Still. And to add to his (and our) misery, he has four teeth coming in at once. And all this explains why he's not eating well and why he has lost one full pound in the past week. The pediatrician changed his antibiotic, recommended more frequent use of the pain-relieving ear drops, and said he wanted to see us back in 48 hours. The good news? Baby D. is already doing much better. The fever seems to be gone (fingers crossed), and best of all, he's nursing and drinking his bottle again!

—posted by T