Poor Zachary

Poor Zach has been sick for 3 weeks now. His symptoms have included: puking, diarrhea, difficulty sleeping, loss of appetite, and sometimes grouchiness. With it all he really has been a really good sport and has been his happy, crazy self most of the time.

My symptoms have included: Lack of sleep, overexposure to toddler bodily fluids (and the smells that come with them), painfully dry hands (from so much cleaning and laundry), and lots of worry. Being 2nd trimester prego doesn't make things easier.

It's really hard to be the mom when your little one is so sick. It's hard to see them so miserable and not know how to make it better. It's hard to see Zach get skinny when you're doing your best to feed him foods his body can handle. Zach used to be an amazing eater but has recently become extremely picky and scared to even try most things we offer him.

We've taken Zach to the doctor twice now and ruled out several possibilities.

• It's not contagious - it's a great blessing to still go play outside when he feels up to it
• Though he's gotten pretty skinny, he hasn't lost enough weight to worry the doctor
• It's not a bacteria infection, ear infection, or pneumonia
• It's probably not a food allergy - His diet is already restricted enough with his being allergic to wheat, dairy, eggs, and peanuts.

Right now, the doctor thinks that Zach had a viral infection in his intestines. These can last 1 to 2 weeks and leave enough damage that the body can take up to a month to fully heal. Zach hasn't puked since last Wednesday and this goes well with the current theory. He gave us a special diet to try to help Zach's intestines have a chance to heal. If Zach isn't better by Thursday we call back and the doctor will do further testing. We're really praying this diet works and would appreciate any additional prayers for Zach.

Derrick has been wonderful through all of this. He gets up with Zach and me in the middle of the night so one of us can clean and comfort Zach while the other cleans up the rest of the mess. He helps with dinner and gives me chances to get more sleep when he's got to be exhausted too. He's also been a shoulder to cry on. Derrick does all this while in the last semester of his master's program, working part time, and serving as the ward executive secretary. He's a wonderful husband. My sister Melissa has also been an amazing help through all of this as well.