Up all night

Kelsey had it rough last night. We put her in bed at about 9:30 or 10, and everything seemed all right. As Stef and I sat in bed we heard Kelsey whimper. She had coughed loudly a minute earlier, but we didn't think anything of it. Stef went in to check on Kelsey and walked up to her crib, the smell of vomit hitting her like a sack of horseshoes. Kelsey had thrown up all over herself and the bedding.

As Stef got Kelsey out of her pajamas, I prepared the bath. Tired, Kelsey shook and groaned while Stef put her in the tub and washed her up. She drank a little bit and started to look better, though still a little pale. Kelsey snuggled her head into my shoulder as I held and rocked her. Her temperature felt fine and she was alert, so Stef fed her a little and put her back down in her freshly made crib.

A bit later we awoke to the sound of Kelsey whimpering again. I reached down to pull her out of the crib and felt her soaked pajamas. Again we bathed her and changed her clothes. We didn't have any more clean bedding, so we put down some towels. Stef probed her mom for advice on the phone. This time, she was a little warm, but the thermometer said that her body temperature was close to normal. Hoping that she'd been through the worst of it, it was back to bed for Kelsey. I had a feeling that I should give Kelsey a blessing, but I pushed it aside and we included her in our nightly prayers.

Stef asked me to check on Kelsey during my nightly bathroom visit. When I woke up at 3 or so, Kelsey was once again making noise. Stef grabbed her while I was in the bathroom, and I went to check and see if she had thrown up again. The top towel had a small circle of vomit. We weren't sure what we would do. I helped with Kelsey while Stef again consulted with her sleeping mom. Diana told me that we should take her to the hospital if she got a fever or wouldn't keep any fluids down. By this time, Kelsey was seemingly cheery and wide-awake. I had a big day of studying ahead of me, so I had to get to sleep. I knelt down and said a prayer for Kelsey, hoping that she'd be okay. Stef took care of Kelsey while I tried to sleep, but soon Stef was in the bedroom waking me up. Kelsey had thrown up a couple more times, only this time Stef was holding her.

Stumbling out to the living room like a zombie, I struggled to remain patient. I didn't know if we should take her to the emergency room. I certainly didn't want to--not with a full day of study ahead of me. As I thought about giving Kelsey a priesthood blessing, Stef suggested that we do so. I placed my hands on her head and gave her a short blessing of health. Even though I doubted that she knew what was going on, I had faith that she'd get better. I plopped back into bed and fell asleep.

At 9 in the morning I woke up to the sound of Kelsey. I scooped the out of the crib and looked for signs of sickness. Everything seemed fine. However, I wasn't sure if I had slept through a rough rest of the night for mom and baby. Stef soon got up and I asked her if she slept at all. After the blessing, Kelsey didn't throw up at all. She was able to fall asleep, and Stef was able to get a good chunk of rest as well.

I feel a little guilty for not following the promptings I got earlier. I wonder if she suffered because of my reluctance. However, I still feel very grateful that she is okay and that both Stef and I were able to sleep.