We had a bumpy week over here. On Tuesday night, Levi felt really warm to the touch, even though he had been sitting in just a onesie for about an hour. We checked his temperature twice, using two different thermometers, and it was 100.7. Anything above 100.4 is considered a fever so we called the pediatrician. When they called back, they advised us to take him to the emergency room since he’s only six weeks old, to rule out anything serious. He wasn’t showing any other signs of illness. He was eating, sleeping, peeing, pooping, and acting normal, so even though it was nerve-racking, we weren’t overly worried. I called my mom to come over and stay with James (it is such a gift that she’s only 10 minutes away). By the time Levi was triaged, about an hour later, his temperature was back to normal. Still, the doctors wanted to take blood and urine and do a COVID test. It was a lot for a 6-week-old, especially since the blood draw involved placing an IV (so that if they had to do anything else, like give him fluids, etc., they’d only be pricking him once) and the urine draw involved a catheter. Seeing him go through the pain of these things was really hard. I heard a little boy screaming crying somewhere nearby in the ER and I was overwhelmed with compassion for him and for all the parents whose kids have to undergo much more intense, invasive care and treatment.

All the tests came back normal and negative for COVID so after 4 hours there, we were told we could go home. The next afternoon, we brought him to the pediatrician’s office for a follow-up, and there still didn’t seem to be anything wrong with him. The best guess is he just got too warm for a little while. In the days since, he hasn’t shown any other symptoms so I think things are likely fine, but it sure was a scary night.

Anyway, how are you? How was your week?

A few good reads:

I was so sad to hear that Alex Trebek died. He played such a special role in our family—especially for Daniel, who watched Jeopardy! every night growing up. Culture lost one of the great entertainment icons in history. He is truly irreplaceable.

“No one is listening” — a tragic plea from healthcare workers who are bombarded with COVID cases.

Researchers have found that a sense of entitlement is linked to taking COVID risks. It’s so important that everyone cooperates to slow the spread of this dangerous disease.

Yes, kids can play outside during the winter.

An interesting mystery about the identity of a hiker who was found dead.