Grandma, Do you have any Fruit 'Nacks in your purse?

In May, Quinn came down with what we thought was a simple stomach bug. She got sick on a Thursday and then seemed better but then developed a fever. By Sunday, we were in the ER as our normal, rambunctious 2 year old was very lethargic and not eating.  We first went to urgent care but the Dr there felt that she should be seen in the ER. So, there we went. This was about Noon. The Dr in the ER at ARMC was wonderful. Here was a sick little girl and a very pregnant Mama that was a wreck.  Both Dr's we saw felt Quinn's stomach was distended and that was cause for concern. After some x-rays a call was placed to the surgeon on call who then referred it to Children's Hospital.

By this point, this Mama was a bawling wreck as I thought it was a stomach bug and now they are talking Children's Hospital and surgery. Within 20 minutes of the x-rays Quinn was strapped to a gurney (in a carseat no less) and we were off to St Paul in an ambulance, with lights and sirens. I was a total wreck, bawling my eyes off so hard they thought I was going to go into labor. Poor Chris was having to be the calm one in this whole mess although it was getting to him as well. So, as we were flying down in the Ambulance Chris was running home to get a few things and meet us down there.

Quinn was a trooper during the whole ride. She kept looking out the back window of the ambulance and talking about the siren and how fast she thought we were going. I did my best to keep it together so she wouldn't freak out that I was crying. It was NOT easy to do.

Quinn getting ready to go in the ambulance.  She doesn't even look like herself. 

Getting to Children's at 7pm we were seen in the ER first and in a matter of 30 minutes 4 different Dr's were telling me (Chris hadn't gotten there yet) that they were considering everything from emergency surgery to nothing. Hmm, quite the range of options. This was even more scary for me as I was there with Quinn alone and I had no clue what was going on. Chris finally was able to get through and join us and then shortly after Doug and Annette arrived to sit with us. We all were in shock and not knowing what was going on. At about 10pm, we were told they were going to take a watch and see approach and were sending us up to a room on the surgical floor just in case. The Dr's were coming and going and about Midnight we finally got to try to get some sleep (TRY was the keyword)

I knew that Quinn was pretty sick when she just laid on the bed, not talking or doing much. This broke my heart for sure as this was not my child.  She should be running like a mad woman around and she wasn't. They did give her some morphine in the ER to help her sleep and it did. They had Quinn hooked up to an IV for fluids as they thought that she had some sort of bug that was hanging out in her intestines and that it had dehydrated her.

Grandma and Grandpa Bonnie came to spend time with us the next morning, bringing toys and things to occupy Quinn's time and Uncle Bill stopped by too!

Quinn snuggling with Daddy

Trying her hardest to smile for the camera. What a trooper. 

Trying to be a normal 2 year old while hooked up to an iv pole and having her arm strapped to a board

The resident Dr listening to her stomach. This Dr had us freaked out about Quinn being on a farm recently and apparently cows are disease ridden.  I was freaking out until her boss came in and said "city kids have no idea about farms" and made me feel so much better about it. Farms and Cows are OK, just in case you didn't know that. 

Quinn meeting a therapy dog, Maggie, in the hallway. She wasn't sure about her at first but then liked her and looked for her. 

Snuggling with Mom, or trying to with being 8 months pregnant. 

Her first food or drink in 4 days. It was some weird orange slush stuff, but hey- she ate it and liked it!!

 Starting to feel more like herself

Somebody was feeling better and hoping to go home. 

And we are all set to go home!!!! YEAH!!!!!

After 2 nights of hanging around and Quinn getting more fluids, they decided that she was well enough to go and that it was in fact, a stomach bug, but for some reason it stalled out in her system and made her super sick. We were so happy to hear that we could take her home and by this point she was ready to go as well. We are so glad that this turned out to be nothing major. We are so thankful for the concern that the ARMC ER staff showed and for the wonderful nurses at Children's. If we had to be somewhere, I am glad it was there. They truly are special at what they do.