She's gotten past her fevers and diarrhea, thank goodness, but she's not back to drinking or eating at the level she was before she got sick.  

Unfortunately, just as she's beginning to recover from the G.I. virus she had, yesterday we learned that she has pink eye of all things!  Poor little baby!  Where she got that from I don't know but she's got it.  Our pediatrician wrote a prescription which was started late afternoon yesterday.

I have no experience with pink eye.  I've never had it and neither has Oronzo or Snuggle Bug.  We've been told that Baby Bug is highly contagious until at least 48 hours after she started he prescription medicine.   We've been advised to keep her eye cleaned of the goop using wet cotton balls, to wash our hands constantly while tending to her, and to keep Snuggle Bug and Boo away from her face as much as possible.  Oh, and the kids are not to share wash clothes or bedding.  So far, Snuggle Bug and Boo appear to be unaffected but we're not out of the woods yet.

Throughout Baby Bug's initial illness, Oronzo and I made the decision to bypass the CPS worker, who isn't quick enough in her responses at times, and to call Baby Bug's parents directly to provide updates on how she's doing.  They were worried about her and deserved to know how she was doing.  I called them using my cell phone and kept them updated on her progress yesterday.  I encouraged them to call me if they wanted any further updates.  

So, we've given up some of our privacy by giving them one of our numbers but we felt that was the right thing to do, given the circumstances.  It was just too complicated trying to use CPS as the middle man (or woman in this case).  Now they have my cell phone and we have their cell phone, an even trade.

I've dealt with sick babies, Snuggle Bug got fevers from time to time, but having Baby Bug sick terrified me!  I felt so bad for her and there was an added layer of worry.   I worried for her parents too.  What if Baby Bug's illness was more than just a viral infection?  What if something was seriously wrong.  As much as I love her, she isn't my child.  I am responsible for a child of another couple.  What if I screwed something up?!  The enormity of this responsibility for Baby Bug's well being weighed heavy on me last night.

I was up all night with Baby Bug, holding her constantly, snatching bits of sleep in between changing numerous diapers (bad diarrhea) and trying to coax her to keep drinking fluids.

At 6 AM my worry got the best of me and I called my pediatrician and spoke with an on-call nurse.  She assured me I was doing everything right and told me that a 48-72 hour viral infection was going around right now.    She gave me some suggestions and encouraged me to call back later in the morning if Baby Bug's fever got above 101.4.

Today is visit day for Baby Bug.  I had to drop her off to the daycare center by 9 AM.  I documented everything involving Baby Bug's illness and packed up Pedialyte, Aquaphor, a new digital thermometer, and my detailed list involving her illness and the nurse's instructions.  I did not want to hand Baby Bug over, even to her mom, with her so sick, but I had no choice.

Just before leaving the house, Oronzo and I checked her temperature one last time.  It was 104.3!  I called the doctor's office on my way out the door, expecting to be asked to bring Baby Bug in.  I decided that I would stop by the daycare, fill Baby Bug's mom in, and ask her to come with me to the doctor's office.

Amazingly, the doctor's office said they didn't need to see her.  They told me to keep administering the infant Tylenol, push the fluids, and wait it out.  If her fever didn't break within four hours, to call back.  

I had to hand Baby Bug over to her mom, fill her in, and watch as she drove away.  I prayed that her mom would take good care of her until we got her back at 4:30 PM.  I called and emailed the CPS worker, filling her in, and asking that she send someone over today to check in on Baby Bug's parents, to make sure they didn't need anything.  I never heard back from the CPS worker so I have no idea if that's been done.

In about an hour, I can go pick Baby Bug back up at the daycare and make sure she's doing okay.  I'm sure her parents will be quite worried about her too.  They won't see her again until Wednesday.  I'll have to see if I can't convince the CPS worker to share updates with them tomorrow, if she'll ever get back to me!  Better yet, I think I'll call them myself.

Yet another reason why fostering is not always easy.