pneumonia

Jen had the wisdom to call the cardiologist, Dr. Burke, who listened to Claire's breathing over speakerphone and said, "Sounds like she might have pneumonia--better check her into the emergency room at Children's Hospital." So we packed a bag and drove up. Somehow, a sense of calm enveloped us, in contrast to the previous 24 hours of worry. CHLA processed us very efficiently, and everyone was quite nice as well. The nurses were even equipped with soap-bubbles to blow for Claire's entertainment. I think it helped me too. Claire's frightened reaction the first time they put a stethascope on her almost made me cry as memories of the NICU came flooding back. I've heard that babies can develope "tube aversion" from early traumatic experiences. But we all calmed down soon enough. We are very thankful that Claire's first year has been so healthy, with doctor visits mainly being routine checkups up till now. The chest x-rays confirmed the pneumonia diagnosis, but I guess we caught it fairly early. Jen is spending the night with Claire in the hospital. We don't know how long she'll be in. Thanks for your prayers.