Tender Mercies...

So, since pretty much everyone who reads our blog is also my friend on facebook, you are probably aware that little miss Lilley gave us a MAJOR scare a few weeks back. So much so, that i now have her baby monitor glued to my hip and the slightest little hiccup has me calling her Pediatrician. Ive never been the "worrying" type of mom, i had a lot of baby and kid experience before my own babies arrived, but that all flew out the window the night of October 2th. Readers beware, this post might get rather lengthy, but its a great story, and one I have been trying to record in both mine and Lilleys' journals without balling each time. (Note: IVE YET TO SUCCEED AND ACTUALLY FINISH).
So,it all started Sunday afternoon (oct. 2nd). We were home listening to conference, and Lilley woke up from her afternoon nap with a low-grade fever. Not too out of the ordinary because she is 16 months old and teething still. I attributed her heightened temp to her teeth and didnt think much of it. Before her afternoon nap she was totally fine, no fever or sign of discomfort, she was busy rolling around on our bed and playing her version of tag with Frank. AS the afternoon progressed we noticed she was a little grouchy and rather sleepy. My dad happened to be in town for a few hours so we spent some time with them and by the time we had finished dinner we thought Lilley was more sleepy then normal because she didnt want to eat anything or even dring a cup of milk. (she loooooooooooooves milk) so I was getting her ready for bed and noticed that she felt warmer then a few minutes ago, almost hot to the touch. I gave her some tylenol and put her to bed. Frank had to leave for work at that same time, so i said bye to him, got sawyer ready for bed and went about the rest of my night as normal. A couple hours later Lilley woke up crying, which is really rare since she's a 13 hour a night sleeper, so i checked the monitor and figured maybe she needed more tylenol. I went in got her out of bed and we ended up watching part of a movie before her fever broke and i put her back to bed. The first two times i checked her earlier she had been right around 100. degrees. this 3rd time she was at 102 something. I remember telling Frank around 9pm to say a prayer for Lilley because something just didnt seem right. As we finished the movie and i put her back to bed, it was around 11:30 so then i went to bed right after.

Now there is a major key here- WE HAVE TERRIBLE, I MEAN TERRIBLE, PHONE RECEPTION AT OUR HOUSE. i NEVER get service, rarely even text messages... so when my phone beeped at 12:29 am with a text from Frank asking how Lilley was, it was the first in a series of tender mercies from Heavenly Father. When it came through, it was 30 minutes later then when he had sent it. The very second it came through is the very second that Lilley started having what we later found out was a horribly traumatic FEBRILE SEIZURE. As i read his text, i immediately glanced at our video monitor as i periodically still do thoughout the night... for exactly this reason. Well much to my horror i saw my baby shaking violently in her crib so i ran in there i swear in a milasecond, and stood over her as i thought she finished seizing... i picked her up when i though she was done only for her to continue to shake in my arms, i ran in to my bedroom layed her flat on my bed and frantically called Frank... first off- HE ANSWERED! HE RARELY ANSWERS WHEN HE'S AT WORK, SECOND, I HAD FULL SERVICE. i NEVER HAVE FULL SERVICE. ALL I COULD GET OUT WAS LILLEY IS HAVING A SEIZURE CALL MY MOM AND TELL HER TO GET OVER HERE. (SHE LIVES ABOUT 300 FT AWAY) I NEEDED HIM TO CALL BECAUSE I DIDNT KNOW HOW LONG MY SERVICE WOULD LAST. I HUNG UP ON HIM AND CALLED MY SIS IN LAW WHO LIVES ABOUT 100 FT AWAY AND ALL I SAID WAS LILLEY IS HAVING A SEIZURE I GOTTA GO TO THE ER... ( I WAS THINKING SHE COULD STAY WITH SAWYER). IT WAS 12:30 IN THE MORNING AND SHOCKINLGY SHE ANSWERED TOO!! WELL A FEW SECONDS HAD PASSED AND I FRANTICALLY PUT ON MY PAJAMAS, I WAS JUST IN MY GARMENTS, AND FROM THE TIME I GOT DRESSED AND STARTED TO CARRY LILLEY DOWNSTAIRS SHE HAD COMPLETELY STOPPED BREATHING AND HER ENTIRE BODY, STARTING WITH HER FACE TURNED BLUE... AS I CARRIED HER DOWN THE STAIRS SHE WAS BLUE AND BREATHLESS IN MY ARMS, LITERALLY LIFELESS, EVERY PARENTS WORST FEAR AND NIGHTMARE WAS COMING TO FRUITION RIGHT BEFORE MY EYES... AS I GOT HER DOWNSTAIRS MY SIS IN LAW CAME RUNNING IN WITH 911 ON THE PHONE, SHE TOOK LILLEY FROM ME AND IMMEDIATELY STARTED TO GIVE HER CPR I MANAGED TO GET THE INFORMATION THE DISPATCHER NEEDED AS I WAS BALLING AND BEFORE I EVEN HUNG UP WITH HER I COULD HEAR SIRENS COMING TOWARDS MY HOUSE... FIRST TWO POLICE CARS SHOWED UP, THE OFFICERS RAN IN AND KNEALT BY LILLEY, THEN SECONDS LATER THE AMBULANCE AND FIRETRUCK CAME. IT WAS LESS THEN 5 MINUTES SINCE THE FIRST WORDS WERE SPOKEN TO THE DISPATCHER THAT THE FIRE ENGINEER WAS GIVING MY BABY GIRL CPR TO SAVE HER LIFE. AMAZING RESPONSE TIME! I AM FOREVER INDEBTED TO MY SIS IN LAW AND THE MURRIETA FIRE AND POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR SAVING MY BABY GIRLS LIFE! ONCE THEY STABALIZED HER BREATHING, THEY GOT HER ON THE GUIRNEY AND WE WERE OFF IN THE AMBULANCE TO THE ER. AT THE TIME, I WOULD HAVE JUST LEFT SAWYER AT HOME, I KNEW EITHER MY MOM AND OR SIS WOULD BE THER WITHIN A COUPLE MINUTES, BUT FORTUNATELY BOTH WERE THERE BEFORE I LEFT IN THE AMBULANCE. WE GOT TO THE HOSPITAL AND THE DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY WENT FOR LILLEYS EARS, IT WAS LIKE THIS TUNNEL VISION- NO JOKE, I SAW HIM IN THE HALLWAY HE WAS WALKING TOWARDS US AND DIDNT SAY A WORD TO ME, HE WENT STRAIGHT TO LOOK IN HER EARS AND FOUND A HORRIBLE EAR INFECTION JUST ABOUT TO RUPTURE HER LITTLE EAR DRUM. BY THE TIME WE GOT TO THE HOSPITAL, LILLEY HAD A FEVER OF 105.5. NOW POOR BABY GIRL WAS SCREAMING AND WHEN I CALLED FRANK TO TELL HIM WHERE WE WERE, HE TOLD ME HE WAS ALREADY MORE THEN HALF WAY HOME, BY SOME MIRACLE, HIS WORK FOR THE NIGHT HAD GOTTEN CANCELED BEFORE I EVEN CALLED HIM ABOUT THE SEIZURE AND HE WAS ALREADY ON HIS WAY HOME. HE WOULDNY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO LEAVE HIS JOB OTHERWISE. ANOTHER MIRACLE! SO HE RUSHED TO THE HOSPITAL, WE CALLED A DEAR FRIEND TO COME HELP WITH GIVING LILLEY A BLESSING AND ALL WITHIN A COUPLE OF HOURS WE WERE BACK HOME AND OUR BABY GIRL WAS PEACEFULLY ASLEEP IN OUR BED.
There is so much else i could write and say, but the experiences were far too sacred to share at this time, all i need to say is that Heavenly Father was truly watching over my little girl that night because the ER doctor plainly stated that had i not woken up wheni did, i would have found my baby girl dead in her crib in the morning. The fact that she had stopped breathing for so long without her body naturally starting to breath on its own shows the severity of her seizure and it's all because of these tender mercies happening in the time and manner in which they did that my little Lilley is still with me tonight. I THANK GOD EACH DAY. I couldnt even imagine the alternative ending to that night. She has since had 2 high fevers and i turn in to a complete wreck, and of course it only happens at night, and the nights when Frank is at work. I still close my eyes and see that blue lifeless baby in my arms and my heart just aches. Its by far the most traumatizing experience of my life, and i just can't get those images out of my mind. Now maybe you can empathize with my paranoia and newly inherited fear of the night.Whew! Happy to report however that she is in good health now.
Later that morning when she woke up for the day she was pretty much happy, just wanted to lay on the couch with her blankey, two favorite balls, and favorite stuffed animal and all i could do was hold her so tight and cry my eyes out with joy that i could still hold her.