Finally some good news...

Well, I finally have some good news to report.  Nicolas seems to be back to himself...almost.  Another day or so with a full stomach and we will be back on track.  He is just needing to make up for the days of not eating.

Charlie has had a longer journey but I think that has more to do with the fact that he got hit much harder.  He was very close to needing a trip to the hospital for re-hydration.  Thankfully the pedialyte did the trick and we were able to avoid it.  He starting eating a lot more solids (well purees) yesterday but was still unable to stomach his formula.  I contacted Info Sante (a hotline that puts you in touch with a nurse that can help to evaluate your medical situation) and they reminded me that nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are all side effects of  the antibiotic.  It was more than likely the current culprit.  So, she suggested that I see a pharmacist to find out if they have probiotics that can be given to children.  The pharmacist recommended it before I even had a chance to ask.  So, I started Charlie on it yesterday in his food and his stomach seems much better.  He has not vomited since yesterday morning and his diarrhea is under control.  He still has some but it's much less frequent and probably has more to do with the vast amount of liquids and purees he's been eating.

Charlie ate some grilled cheese at lunch with his big brothers and even drank some water from his sippy cup with out assistance.  He has been playing, talking and interacting with us.  It is a drastic improvement on his state at the beginning of the week.  He woke up early from his nap this afternoon and I decided to try giving him some half strength formula (and only half a bottle).  He took it and here we are 30 minutes later and it has yet to come back up.  I plan on giving him a few more bottles today at half strength and half quantities.  Hopefully by tomorrow we can make our way to full strength formula even if it's in reduced quantity.

This has been the longest month of February ever!  I cannot wait for it to finally be over.  Hopefully the munchins can stay healthy for the rest of the winter.  I cannot imagine how parents who have kids that are constantly sick cope with it all.  I have been so worried and I knew that this was only temporary.  My hat goes off to all those parents that basically live in the hospital or a doctor's office.  I truly don't know how you all do it and I hope i never have to find out!