3.28.2009

The vet recommended that we purchase a pet water fountain which would encourage Alex to drink, so we bought one last night. Alex won't use it. We had one years ago and he liked it. I'm not sure why he's avoiding this one.

Didn't get very much quality sleep. Alex woke me up at 1AM, 4AM, 6AM, and 10AM asking for food. D feed him at 8AM. He wanted to eat every two hours, like an infant. I read that once he was rehydrated he would feel better but I didn't expect it to be like this. When D weighed him this morning he was 9 lbs - he's gained over a pound! Which is excellent. He seems to be responding well to the treatment. We've treated him three times now and it is still terrifying to me. Tonight was my worst performance yet. I stuck him three times (once the needle went through two layers of skin). I even stuck myself with the needle. I felt like a terrible mother but sweet D tried to cheer me up by saying I was a good mom. I'm not sure Alex agrees. He's very tired of needles and I don't blame him. I felt the same way when I was in the hospital and they were poking me every few hours.

Alex's urinalysis shows that he has an infection, probably in his bladder. The infection will weaken what's left of his kidney if we don't treat it. So today we started him on an antibiotic but it upset his stomach, so we've discontinued it. Probably a good thing he ate so much earlier because he hasn't touched anything this afternoon. We'll have to get a different antibiotic on Monday.

D made one of my favorite things for dinner - Chicken Kiev. I love that stuff so much that I keep the herb butter pouches in the freezer, at the ready. The first time I had Chicken Kiev was at a friend's house. I watched her make it from scratch after school one day. Probably one of the most sophisticated things I had eaten at that age. Her name was Mandy and I think of her every time I eat it. Her family moved away, before high school (I think). I wonder what other foods she could have introduced me to.