Well this past week has been nothing but wowser stress.  Ive had a sick little girl on my hands for a few days, and Thursday took a turn for the worse.  Willow was exceptionally lethargic and she was vomitting and confused.  This was horrible.  My husband came home from work early and we left for the emergency room.  After a nice 5 hour wait in the waiting room we were finally shown an exam room where we waited another hour and a half for the Dr to show up.  A quick exam and she was ordered tests.....the results were a severe Urinary Tract Infection and mild dehydration.  I told the Dr I am so on the ball about her getting clear fluids like water all the time, he informed me that the UTI dehydrated her regardless and that with the amount if fluids I give her probably saved her from severe dehydration and I did a good thing *phew* so a message to parents!  Give your child lots of WATER!!!  I know how many children love sodas, and fruit punch and so forth, my daughter does too.  But this is something you need to consider.  Our bodies are made up of 55 - 78% water, not juice, not soda.  Water comes out of our taps, not Cola.  While these drinks are fun they also deplete us of our body's water and cause us to be dehydrated.  If I had not been so on the ball about Willows water intake the Dr himself said it could have been way worse.  I was already beside myself watching her lay in a hospital bed sick, seeing her worse would have killed me.  Kids don't nessecarily like water I get this.  I was raised a water drinker because my Mother could not afford fizzy sodas all the time.  My daughter somehow became a natural born water drinker, if you ask her what she wants to drink she will say either Apple Juice or water.  Look into some inventive ways to naturally make water taste more appealing to kids if you can.  Dehydration is not fun for anyone.  Us adults dehydrate ourselves more Im sure.  Water drinking will increase your energy, make stronger hair and nails, clear and soften your skin!!  Im down for that ;)