Our 1st ER trip

Yesterday started off as a normal day. Aidan and I went for a bike ride and ran some errands. Very mundane. Then around 11am, he started to act funny. He stopped eating and drinking, then he got really tired. Next thing I know he has a 100 degree fever. After some Tylenol and a nap, things were about the same. I talked to the pediatrician's office and elected not to take him in as his symptoms were so new. In retrospect, I regret that decision and will, from now on, listen to my mother's intuition at all times. Because, then he got cranky. All he wanted to do was lay on me and sleep, or cry. And the fever went up. To 104.1 to be exact. After an after hours call to the doctor, we decided to take him to the ER to be safe. This is the time I should probably point out that Julien left for a week long business trip on Monday morning and he is currently 1000 miles away, literally. Why do these things always happen on business trips?? My absolute saint-like neighbors Jen and Mike filled in for Julien and drove us to Cardinal Glennon's Children's Hospital in St. Louis. I didn't know exactly where it was and was a mess anyway. Driving wasn't a great idea. We arrived at the hospital at 9:30pm. Since the doctor called in to ER for us, we went back almost immediately. The staff was incredibly nice and tried to reassure Aidan as much as possible. They were also very timely. We didn't sit in the exam room for long before the doctor came in. So overall, the staff was very helpful and courteous. I will definitely use their ER for all pediatric emergencies from now on. Aidan wasn't as happy with the ER though. He was upset that he couldn't walk around from room to room and all the equipment scared him. In the end he got a Mr. Freeze-It Popsicle and that made up for everything. As for what caused all this? Seems the antibiotic he was on for a sinus infection wasn't working as he got an ear infection. So now we have a new antibiotic and some children's motrin. At 10:40pm we walked out of the ER and headed home. Quickest ER trip I've ever had! And in a major metro area. I was very impressed. So, today things are much tamer. We're getting back to normal. Mommy's nerves are mending. So are Daddy's. I feel much more prepared for the next crisis. My lesson from this was to 1) Always listen to your gut instinct, it won't steer you wrong 2) Know where the ER you will be using is and how to get to it 3) Have back up support ready if you're going to be flying solo. It really helps, even if it's just moral support. And to my back up support, you've been officially upgraded to Aunt and Uncle status. Thanks so much for all your help. You won't know how much I appreciated it....until you have kids of your own. :)