What a long, strange trip it's been!

Last Thanksgiving my parents surprised my sisters and I and told us we would be going to Jamaica for my cousin's wedding.  We were all so excited.  We visited Jamaica about 5 years ago and had the best time.  We were all looking so forward to this trip that we would take with the entire family, children and all.

We left on Saturday, March 14.  The plane ride was so easy.  Rebecca slept part of the way and watched her DVDs the rest of the way.  As soon as we landed, Rebecca felt really warm.  We thought that maybe she just got overheated waiting to go through customs.  It was extremely hot, crowded, and long.  (Everything in Jamaica runs on island time.)

Once we got to our villa, Rebecca's temperature was 103.  This is the highest her temprature has ever been.  You would have never known she was sick.  She acted happy as could be.  Her temperature continued to go up and down for the next 24 hours.  On Sunday she started pulling at her ears.  We decided that she had an ear infection, so we took her to the hospital.  We waited and waited (island time) for a doctor to look at her ears and give us an antibiotic.  

We felt good going home because we thought that we had everything figured out.  Rebecca would start her medicine, it would help her ears and the fever, and she would be feeling better by Monday afternoon.  Boy were we wrong!

Rebecca woke up Monday morning barking (coughing) like a dog.  John, Rebecca, and I stuck around the villa all day thinking that Rebecca just needed a day of rest.  She continued to cough, but it did not get bad until about 4 o'clock.  By this time, the rest of the family had gone to visit our cousins at their villa.  I called Mom at the other villa and told her I was worried.  We thought we should go back to the hospital.  

By the time that the family returned with our driver, Rebecca was struggling to breathe. Every time she would cough, she would cry and say "Momma!"

John, Rebecca, Momma, and I jumped in the van and Chris, our driver, rushed us to the hospital.  It was the scariest drive of my life.  Traffic was bad.  We were already far away from the hosiptal, and Rebecca was getting worse by the minute.  I kept praying that we would make it to the hospital.  I never prayed so hard in my life.  I was so worried that Rebecca would stop breathing.  She was fighting so hard for each breath.  

I had Rebecca out of her car seat as soon as we hit the parking lot of the hospital.  We ran into the hospital, right up to the counter, and I said, "My baby is having trouble breathing.  Her fever is 103."  The lady behind the counter told me to wait.  

WHAT? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?  

We had to wait probably 5-10 minutes before we were called back to the emergency room. Again with the island time.  Even in life threating situations, they are still just so laid back!

We got back to the emergency room and waited some more.  There were probably 3 or 4 doctors standing at a desk, while I was holding my struggling-to-breathe, burning-up baby.  I was just about to go postal on all of them, but one of the doctors decided to come to Rebecca's rescue.  

He listened to her breathing and watched her chest go up and down with each breath.  He got a worried look on his face and said frantically, "This is serious!  We have to give her a sponge bath to bring down her fever before she starts seizing.  We need to get a chest x-ray.  We need to take blood and get a urine sample.  We have to do it NOW!"  

As if John and I were not already worried enough.  We said, "Do whatever you need to help my baby!"

The doctor said, "Okay, one minute."  Uh-oh, island time again.

By this time, Rebecca was still struggling to breath, but not as bad.  After about 20 minutes they took her back for an x-ray.  Then the ER doctor tried very hard to draw blood.  It took him 3 tries.  John couldn't handle this part, so he had to go and sit with Nannie in the waiting room.  I was so mad at the doctor for not getting a vein with the first try.  I could tell he was super nervous  about working on a child.  

Luckily he called a pediatrician in to help out with Rebecca.  While we waited for her, Rebecca got an IV of fluids and finally her sponge bath.  She hated every minute of it.  She kept crying out, "Mommy, Momma, Mommy."  It broke my heart that I could not be the one who was so sick.  

After the sponge bath, I curled up with Rebecca on the bed and she fell asleep.  I do need to mention that our "room"  was actually in the hallway of the ER with a stretcher as a bed, and a curtain drawn around us.  Not the most private of rooms, but Rebecca was so out of it, she did not seem to mind the hustle and bustle of the ER.  

She slept for the rest of the time while we were there, only to wake when a doctor would come in and poke and prod her. She would look at me and say, "Mommy, Mommy."  It was pitiful.   The pediatrician, Dr. Gilbert, finally showed up.  After looking at Rebecca's x-ray, blood work, and checking her out, she confirmed that Rebecca had the Croup.  

Rebecca was then given a steroid shot and three breathing treatments.  It was so hard to wake her up each time to give her the treatments.  I had to hold her down so she wouldn't move and hold the mask to her face.  It was torture for her.  It was miserable for me.  

Finally after 6 hours in the ER, we were released.  

The next few days, Rebecca was still super clingy to me.  Finally about Thursday, she started to pep up.  By Friday, she was feeling great.  

Other than the hospital visits, Jamaica was great.  I loved being with my family.  We ate incredible food and a lot of it.  Breakfast was 3 courses.  We had a light lunch.  Dinner was 5 courses.  It was so fun gathering around the table with the whole family to eat.  

We went to the beach a couple of days.  Rebecca loved the water.  She was not scared at all to just walk into the ocean as far as she could.  She loved playing in the sand and digging with her cousins.  

John, Carrie, and Mae were great with Rebecca.  They were all so sweet to include her when they played.  They were very careful with her.  It was so sweet to watch them all cuddled up watching The Wonder Pets together.  

The whole reason we went to Jamaica was for my cousin's wedding.  Thursday night we took a boat ride for the rehearsal dinner.  Rebecca loved being on the boat.  It was neat to see a huge cruise ship leave port, and the sunset was unbelievable.  

Friday was the day of the wedding.  Carrie, Mae, and Rebecca were the flower girls.  Their dresses were to die for.  Rebecca refused to take pictures with Heather, the bride.  She would have nothing to do with walking down the isle.  We knew it was a gamble to even try with her, but Carrie and Mae did such a great job, that no one missed Rebecca.  

Rebecca, however, did have fun dancing.  She was a dancing queen.  It made me so proud to she her shake her groove thing.  

I'm glad that she finally felt better so she could enjoy her first trip to Jamaica.  Yeah, mon!

at the beach at Round Hill

enjoying a beautiful sunset on the boat ride

 

yeah, mon!

waiting for the 2nd course of a 3 course breakfast

playing pool with the girls

swinging a few hours before the trip to the emergency room

chillin with Daddy

Nannie and me

the flowergirls

the world's BEST nephew, John

dancing with Pop Pop

dancing queen

 

Mr. and Mrs. Richardson and me