Sick? Or Teething?

When Gulliver awoke from his afternoon nap on Tuesday, his cheeks were flaming red. I knew immediately he had a fever. Sure enough, a touch to the forehead confirmed he was burning up. The thermometer showed 102.5 degrees. The fever appeared out of nowhere.

He was in remarkably good spirits considering how crummy he must have been feeling. Since he didn't have a runny nose, cough, or congestion - and he was drooling like a leaky faucet - we concluded that the fever must be teething-related.

He finished a bottle and snuggled with mom in the rocking chair. He even dozed off in my arms, which he never does anymore. That night, he slept restlessly. I got up several times through the night when I heard him fussing, only to find that he was asleep, but fitful. Finally at 5:00am he woke up crying like crazy.  He gulped down 11 ounces of formula and some applesauce and then settled back down until 9:00am.

We spent a lot of time cuddling, reading, and playing quietly that day - in the basement, in the family room, in his bedroom, in our bedroom. He took naps in between. And the boy had a ferocious appetite. Through the course of 24 hours, he had a total of 42 ounces of formula (he usually has 24), applesauce, chicken broth, yogurt, pears, bananas, turkey, sweet potatoes, bread, and cheese. He couldn't get enough food. But Gulliver lacked the usual sparkle in his eyes...

By 7:00 pm or so, the fever had subsided and he was just about back to normal. He was crawling around, laughing, and playing. I think he was just happy to be feeling good again. Finally at 9:00 pm, we put him down for bed. He slept through the night and has been back on track ever since. It's nice to have our happy little boy back!

We'll be watching for more teeth to appear soon....