10,000 Reasons

 Yesterday we sang one of my (and Sarah Beth's) favorite songs. 10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman. I couldn't help but tear up during the second verse thinking about my sweet Annie and how thankful we are that she is healthy. My "moment" was interrupted when we got to the chorus and SB started yelling at the top of her lungs "BLESS THE LOOOOOORD oh my soul, OH MY SOUUUUUUUL." (Note to self: have a talk with SB about the difference between singing and yelling and disrupting worship time). After I and the people around me got over the giggles, I went back into thankful mode.

We had kind of a scary week with Annie earlier this month. When I took her to the doctor for her 15 month check up, the doctor wasn't pleased when I told her that Annie is a vegetarian. Not because I showed her one of those gross food documentaries but because she refuses to go near anything that looks or smells meaty. The doctor recommended we check her blood to see if she was anemic. I would have been amazed was she not.

 But first she listened to her heartbeat. Then she frowned, moved the stethoscope around and listened some more. Heart murmur. Not happy news. She assured me that anemia could cause that and not to worry yet. Everything else looked fine, so after giving her a shot, another nurse came in to draw blood to check her iron levels. SB also had to have a shot, so it was Scream Fest 2012 in that exam room.

 As soon as I walked in the door at home from the doctor's office, my cell phone rang. It was the doctor. She said that Annie was anemic, which I had pretty much expected to hear. She suggested boosting her iron to take care of that and then see if the heart murmur would go away once we got her iron levels up to normal. I was okay with all of that. Mary Beth had already assured me that it probably wasn't anything to worry about. It is during times like these that it really pays to have a sister who is a nurse. Specifically a nurse who works in a pediatric cardiac wing of a large hospital.

 Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of the conversation. The doctor then asked me if I could come back in to the office.

Right now?

Yes, right now.

Could I come tomorrow instead? I just got home and we live half an hour away.

First thing would be best.

This did not make me feel good. I asked what the problem was and she told me that Annie's white blood cell count was pretty high. This made me feel even worse. Had she been sick lately, the doctor wanted to know. Not so much as a sniffle or a sneeze. No fever. No nothing. Everything had looked fine at the office that morning. Ears, nose, throat - nothing looked suspicious. The only thing left for me to fear as a terrified mother was the worst case scenario. The c word. I put in another emergency call to nurse sister. She calmed me down a little.

 "Emily, don't look for a zebra when there is a horse standing in front of you." My meltdown only lasted about an hour before I pulled myself together. A horse, of course. Back to the doctor on Thursday to run more tests. We spent the whole morning and then some in that office waiting. I'm pretty sure Annie remembered her experience there from the day before (shots and drawing blood) because she went nuts every time a nurse or doctor came in to see us. The doctor was certain that since everything else looked fine, she must have a bladder infection. She sent us home that afternoon with an antibiotic and another appointment for Monday morning.

 Monday arrived and the doctor came in with the news: no bladder infection. I had actually spent the weekend praying that Annie had a bladder infection. Simple explanation, simple fix. It was at this point that I began to panic. Why on earth had I not accepted my mothers offer to come along with me to that appointment? The doctor was at a loss for what was wrong with my baby. She had no more ideas regarding what could be causing the infection.

 So she suggested that we check Annie's blood again and go from there. After being on an antibiotic for 4 days at this point, maybe her white cell count had come down. Another finger prick and she sent us home to await results. MERCIFULLY we didn't have to wait long. She called me soon after I left the office with the good news. The number had come down to almost within normal range. The antibiotic was working. We would probably never know what caused the infection, but at least whatever it had been was going away.

 Just one more reason to add to our list of 10,000. That reminds me, I need to have a chat with SB.

 Thanks to those of you who prayed for Annie that week! And if you didn't even know about it, don't feel bad. I didn't tell anyone because I wasn't ready to sound the alarm bells. Jack told several people who were praying, and I believe that made all the difference.