First Late Night Doctor's Visit

Today was humming along quite nicely. I was being productive at work, just working on a file, minding my own business.

My cell phone rang. I picked it up. I heard the the four words I've dreaded to hear since becoming a parent:

"This is daycare calling . . . "

Time froze while I waited for the other shoe to drop.

What was wrong?

Something big? Something small?

I waited for what seemed an enternity before the teacher resumed talking.

"Katherine's eye is a little swollen. She took a nap, woke up, and now it's swollen."

I asked a few follow-up questions, and got reassuring answers.

No fever. Doesn't appear to be in pain. Actually quite happy.

It was close to 4:30 p.m., so I started to close up my work. I left about 15 minutes early and headed to day care.

I got there, and little Katherine looked like someone had socked her in the eye!

The skin around her eye was pink and swollen. "Sleep junk" oozed out of it.

Other than the way it looked, however, she seemed perfectly happy.

I took the girls home, wiped Katherine down.

The eye didn't look any better.

After dinner, I gave Katherine a warm bath, and put a warm wet towel over her eye to soak while I bathed her.

The eye looked a little better, but still oozed.

We consulted our baby books.

"Your baby most likely has 'pink eye'. Call your doctor to confirm."

We called our doctor and talked to the on-call nurse.

"Any fever?" she asked.

"Uh, doesn't look like it."

"Well, if she has no fever bring her in first thing tomorrow morning. If she develops a fever, or if you just want to play it safe, you can bring her into the clinic tonight."

Obviously, the kind advise nurse didn't know we were first time parents.

Play it safe? Of course we're going to play it safe with our first borns!

So, needless to say, at this moment, Terri is off with Katherine to the clinic, while I'm at home putting Caroline to bed.

9:15 p.m. -- ** UPDATE **

Good news. Terri called.

Katherine has no fever. It is just pink eye. Terri got some medicine and is headed home with our little girl.

Our first late night doctor's visit.

(And, yes, 8:30 p.m. counts as "late night" when you are a stressed out, first-time Dad!).

It's gonna be a long 18+ years!!

No photo of Katherine -- I don't have the heart to take a picture of her with her little eye all swollen. Maybe tomorrow I'll be able to laugh enough about it to take a picture.