It was a beautiful day here, and we had lots of fun in store for us. We had made plans to meet up with some special friends and play at Chuck-E-Cheese. We borrowed Dad's car (for the extra seating), and loaded all the boys up for a little pizza and games. After a 30 minute car ride, which evidently seems like hours to a 4 year old, the Burtram basketball team met up with the new Brown family of FOUR!
We played a few games before our food was ready.
We ate a little pizza, and most of the boys were off again playing games...
but not Cameron. He's still eating.
Ethan is enjoying a game of Deal or No Deal.
Evan and Kayden are deer hunting.
And, Cameron is still eating.
He takes a short break to ride this ride.
All the while, Sam is smiling and watching from the stroller.
At one point, we spotted our friend Cian. All we were missing was his mom, Becca.
Wish you could have been there to play with us Becca!
And, Cameron went back to eating.
It sure was great to finally meet this tiny tot! We have been praying for you a long time, little Brodie, and we are so glad you are finally home with your forever family.
The Brown Family is even more special with you in it!
After an action-packed hour and a half at Chuck-E-Cheese, we loaded back up for home. When I put Sam in his carseat, I sure thought he felt hot...too hot. So, I decided to unload everyone when we got home, take Sam's temperature, and call the doctor. By the time we got home, Sam's temperature was 102.5, not good. I called the doctor; he's out of town. We were told to go to the ER with a temp that high. So, I put Sam back in the car, Ethan asked to come too, and off the three of us went.
No waiting, so we went straight to triage where Sam was still smiling, laughing at Ethan, and showing off all his new tricks to the nurses...just with a temp of 102.9 now. They took us straight back to the observation room where the doctor gave him an elephant dose of Motrin to break the fever and requested bloodwork. I should add that four nurses have stopped by our room by now to play with Sam. The bloodwork nurse, Deborah, was so great. 40 years of experience really pays off. She did say she had a little trouble spotting a good vein to draw blood from because of all those rolls on his arm! :)
Needless to say, Sam was not a fan AT ALL of drawing blood, but I had a bottle ready and Ethan pulled out all the stops on distractions. Funny dancing, peek-a-boo, the karate chop game, he did it all for the sake of a smile from Sam. Turns out Sam had a really bad ear infection that had gone undetected for a while. Sam's just not a complainer, so it's hard to know something is wrong with this happy baby. The doctor decided to give him 2 shots to jumpstart his system and strong antibiotics to fight the infection. More needles, more crying, more dancing, peek-a-boo, and karate chop game.
We had to stay an hour after the shots for observation and ensure no allergic reactions to the meds. Again, Ethan played and laughed and distracted Sam. Finally, Sam had gotten so tired he fell asleep in my arms, but since he was still sooo hot, I couldn't hold him long and I decided to lay him down on the bed. And who crawls right in the bed with him??? His big brother Ethan.
I couldn't have been more grateful for Ethan today. He brushed little teeth and hair, he changed diapers and tied shoes, held little hands through parking lots. He helped cash in tickets for prizes. He buckled carseats. He chose to go with me to the ER. He eased the tension of a scary experience for this first-time momma. He's a really special kid with a sevants heart. His compassion is extroadinary, and today, he was my hero.
