Stomach Bug

There's a stomach bug going around, and everyone in my family caught it at once. There are no words to describe how awful it is to have your babies sick and be unable to care for them because you are also sick. It's been a terrible 24 hours, but I remind myself that we will one day look back on this and laugh. Somehow.

Joanna is totally pro. No joke, she just puked last night and slept on it. She never cried, and we didn't realize she'd been sick until morning. Oliver was really distraught over what was happening. At about 2am, he was crying for help. My husband couldn't move without throwing up, and I was dizzy, sore, and exhausted. I thought I could maybe make it to my son, but that there would be no way I could clean him up and change his sheets and calm him down. We called in reinforcements.

What can you say about someone who will wake up at 2am to drive to your house to take care of your puking, pooping kids? I don't know what to say except that my mother-in-law is a saint. She stayed with them right up until when she had to leave for work. Bless the woman, as I'm sure she went and saw patients with more poop and vomit.

My mom came and gave us some relief in the afternoon so we could lay down. She took over getting the laundry done and brought food that the kids could hopefully keep down. By evening, we were feeling somewhat better. Andrew's still pretty down and out, and Oliver is still dealing with tummy issues, but Joanna and I are able to eat and get around. I told Jo that the girls won this round of Stomach Bug 2012.

He's Sick, She's Sick, We're All Sick

We've had almost no break in illnesses in our household for three months now. I've had two bouts of severe mastitis as well as the stomach flu. Andrew had a bout of H. pylori and a medical procedure that called for three days of strict bed rest. Oliver had a nasty cold and a day of the stomach flu. Jo even caught a cold last month! I don't deal well with being sick or caring for people who are sick, so I've just been chugging through, waiting for all of these viruses and infections to end.

Yesterday, Oliver's eye started to swell shut. It was so swollen, the inner tissues of the eyelid actually swelled up and covered the white of his eye. I rushed him to urgent care. After checking for trauma and scratches, they determined it was an infection. We later found out it was caused by a sinus infection.

Here's my brave little man. I took this photo after the swelling began to go down.

He really was brave for the doctors. He was stoic through all the drops and pulling and prodding of his eye. He even entertained Jo in the examination room, and he didn't cry once. He absolutely amazed me.

Oliver is my current role model. I'm trying to be as tough as he is, but I'm really, really hoping this is the last illness I have to deal with for a while.

I normally just clean the house with natural products like lemon juice, vinegar, and baking soda, but I'm going to go crazy today with strong antibacterial cleansers. I just want this sick phase to be over.

Cooped Up

My son has been cooped up in the house for a few days because he was so sick. I think he's feeling better. Also, I think he might have cabin fever.

Last night, we tried to wind down the night with our usually night time routine. Oliver wouldn't stop running from room to room, and then he basically started break dancing on the floor. He was rolling around, spinning in circles, having a great time! Instead of going to bed around 7:30pm or 8pm, he didn't go to bed until almost 9pm.

My husband is watching Oliver at the moment, as he gets dressed for work. All I hear upstairs is my son's footsteps running from room to room as he makes all these bizarre, calling noises.

I think he's feeling better. Also, I think we'd better get outside today. I'm thinking it's time to play in the snooooow!

Tales of a Sick Toddler

Oliver doesn't get sick very often, but every time he shows signs of a fever, I think to myself, "I wonder if this will be the big one!" He's had a couple colds that have made him uncomfortable, and one day last month, he vomited a couple of times but was otherwise just fine. Well, let's just say we've officially gotten through our first really sick day.

It all started on Sunday. Oliver was unusually crabby, and we weren't sure why. We wondered if he was teething or if his ears were infected. Monday followed the same suit. Cue Monday night. Oliver would not sleep. All night, he kept fussing. Every time I woke up to use the bathroom, I could hear him flopping around in his crib, whining and groaning. I don't think he slept much at all.

Yesterday (Tuesday), I couldn't talk him into using the potty. He wasn't peeing his pants or anything, but he was holding it for close to four hours straight. I worried he was dehydrated, but he wouldn't drink or eat much. At one point, I started undressing him to motivate him to use the potty, and I realized his skin was quite warm. I got the thermometer. Oliver's ear temp measured 102.4! Now, I believe in letting people run mild or moderate fevers to fight off what ails them, but 102.4 was too high for my liking. I gave Oliver a dose of generic baby Tylenol, which helped drop his fever to ~100.5 for most of the day.

Andrew ran out to the store for us after dinner to stock up on food because we have a winter storm warning. Oliver only wanted to snuggle, so I took him upstairs on got him dressed for bed. We snuggled in bed, and then Oliver passed out next to me. It was so adorable. I waited for Andrew to get home to decide what to do. We ultimately chose to wake him to give him a half dose of Tylenol before bed to help keep his fever from spiking in the middle of the night.

Our plan didn't work. Oliver woke every hour, crying and yelling for us. His nose was stuffed, and he was drooling everywhere from breathing through his mouth. We kept going up and giving him sips of water. It would soothe him for a little while. Around 3am, I woke to Oliver making some weird noises. I shook Andrew to see if he'd be up for giving Oliver more water. He got up, and I heard him say things like, "Oh, Buddy, let's get you out of there." Ten minutes later, he came back in the room and told me Oliver had vomited everywhere. Andrew had changed him and stripped the sheets from the crib.

I took Oliver and laid down with him on his big boy bed, hoping my presence would help him sleep for longer stretches. He snuggled me a bit and wanted to lay on top of me to sleep. After a few minutes, he sat up. I pulled up to an almost, sit, and Oliver leaned in to my shirt and vomited. I re-positioned him to a kneel, and watched helplessly as he threw up water over and over and over again. I called to Andrew because I don't deal very well with vomit. Andrew helped Oliver hold his head over some blankets while I peeled my shirt off. There was vomit in my hair! I couldn't even consider a shower because our only working one at the moment is in Oliver's room. I tied my hair up out of my face.

Oliver wanted to drink water. He kept saying, "Wah. Ter. Wah. Ter. Wah. Ter." I remembered the advice I'd gotten from other moms the last time he'd thrown up, although I didn't need it back then. They told me only to give him small sips of water. I decided it was better for Oliver to keep down a small sip of water than for him to chug a bunch and throw it back up. So, I gave him a sip. He wanted more. It was awful. How do you tell a little one that he can't have more water? Urg.

I gave him one more sip, and then we put him back in his crib with a blanket used as a sheet. He fell asleep almost immediately but continued waking every hour or so saying, "Wah. Ter. Wah. Ter. More." We gave him tiny sips throughout the night.

This morning, Oliver was doing much better. He ate a frozen waffle and drank water and kept both down. He had his two-year-old "well visit" today (coincidentally), which Andrew took him to. The doctor said his ears and throat were fine. Even his temperature was fine! Andrew bought him a "potato cake" (McDonald's hashbrowns) after his appointment. Oliver ate it and kept it down as well.

We're into the late morning. Off and on, Oliver starts feeling warm to the touch again, but he's acting more like his normal self and hasn't thrown up since about 3:30am or so. Outside, the first snow of the season is piling up in the grass. We have a good seven inches outside, and it's going to keep snowing throughout the day. Oliver is fascinated with it and keeps asking to go outside. I've held my ground so far and denied him the opportunity, but I'm going to admit that there's a part of me that wants to cave. I keep thinking he's feeling better, and if I put him in his snow suit and only take him out for a few minutes onto the back patio, it shouldn't cause any problems. After all, he was able to go outside to get to his doctor's appointment, and he wasn't in a snow suit for that! On the other hand, there'll be more snow storms, and I don't want to cause Oliver to feel chilled. It's so difficult to do what's right!

We'll see if I cave in. Maybe I'll see how he feels after his nap. We can always follow up the outdoors with a warm cocoa and a warm bath. I bet the little guy would enjoy a bath today anyway.

Let's hope the rest of today goes well, and let's really hope Oliver sleeps better tonight. The poor guy can't continue with this trend of not sleeping at night.

Healthy Immune Systems

It's sounds silly, but I try really hard to not worry about germs. Lots of people I know carry antibacterial sprays and lotions in their purses and disregard food if someone reached into a collective bowl or if it dropped on the floor. Of course, I hear the stories of germs on doorknobs and grocery cart handles and juke box buttons. They're gross, and I cringe as much as the next person.

Still, I also am familiar with the Hygiene Hypothesis, which seems to grow stronger with more support each and every month. Most recently, I read that boys seem to have lower asthma rates than girls because parents don't worry as much about boys getting dirty. They're allowed to be outside and get in muck, and their immune systems are, consequently, stronger. Girls are more likely to be kept clean and sanitary, and so their bodies are more likely overreact to dust and pollen and common allergens.

In my personal experience, it rings true. I try not to wash Oliver's hands all the time or keep him from touching public items. In fact, I only use water to wash his hands and face most days. I've expected him to get ill a lot in his younger years, hoping it will pay off for the rest of his life. However, even I'm surprised with how infrequently he gets sick. A couple weeks ago, I thought he and I were coming down with a cold. He woke up coughing for two mornings in a row, and I woke up with a sore throat for a few days. Nothing ever manifested. This means we've gone all winter without so much as a cold. Every time we go to a public place with kids, I'm convinced he's going to catch something. We go to the park whenever there is a nice day, and we've been to Chuck E Cheese and McDonald's playground. He's surrounded by coughing kids with runny noses, but he doesn't get sick.

Meanwhile, there are weeks when it seems that all my friends on Facebook are sick, and they complain that their children are sick, too.

Of course, I don't think bad parenting leads to sickly kids. I believe that almost every parent tries to do what they think is best for his/her children. In this case, letting my son get dirty and gross is what I truly believe is best, but I know that there are good, educated parents who disagree with me. Parents should do what they think is best, and if trying to sanitize their children's environment as much as possible sounds best to them, I think they should do it.

For us, though, it seems to be working out. So, let people stare when I let Oliver gnaw on the grocery cart handle and put his hands on the floor. It's what I think is best.

Oliver Gets a Fever

Oliver has his first real fever. I checked his temperature after feeling his warm forehead, and it read 101.5. We knew to look for this, as 1 out of 6 people who are vaccinated for MMR get a fever. This isn't unlike most vaccines he's had (some of which are 1 out of 4, or even 1 out of 3, resulting in fever), except that our information sheet says these side effects occur 7-12 days after the vaccine (instead of within a day or two, as is typical of most vaccines). It's weird the fever occurs so late, but, thanks to our handout, we knew to expect this.

I'm nervous because our sheet also says that 1 out of 3,000 doses can cause a seizure due to fever. After reading that, we've made sure to keep an eye on his temperature. We gave him a dose of (dye-free) baby Tylenol, and I dampened his hair. At the moment, he's napping, so I fear assured that he's OK for now. I'm just so nervous! I want to make sure we keep our baby comfortable and to do our best to keep his temperature down to prevent a seizure.

Cold vs. Flu

Andrew, my parents, and I are starting to wonder if we haven't been battling the flu as opposed to a cold. Honestly, the symptoms haven't been that terrible, which makes me think we had colds. However, the extreme achiness and soreness as well as the fevers makes us think it's the flu. I kind of hope it is the flu because at least then it's over and done with and not too severe! This morning was the worst yet for me, but I feel much better this afternoon. Unfortunately, I now have a very dry cough that hurts my back.

Colds

Oliver and I both have colds. They're not especially bad, I don't think, but--speaking for myself--it's enough to be miserable. It's 3:30am, and I can't sleep because of my stuffed-up nose and sore throat. At the moment, I'm scratching my neck and my scalp, and I recall a conversation with my mom from yesterday. She's also sick, and she told me that she's itchy. I didn't have that symptom until right now. One moment while I scratch my tummy.

Yesterday, I was too exhausted from sick to do much of anything. I laid on the floor and let Oliver crawl all over me and play in his nursery. He was such a good little boy. My fever came and went. I suspected Oliver was fighting off the virus, too, because he wanted to nurse nonstop. Although he'd been eating better all week, he didn't want solids (well, OK, he ate some Cheerios). It was late in the afternoon when he first came down with a fever (99.2 by the ear). He skipped his second nap.

Oliver had a very minor cold this winter. This is the first time he's been sick enough to have a fever. I feel very grateful that it's still a relatively minor illness. That is, I'm glad he has a head cold and not the flu or something.

Other than nurse him and give him plenty of fluids, I'm not really sure how to make him feel better. We don't have runny noses yet (just stuffy), so there's nothing to suck out with the aspirator. I play "Follow the Leader" with him to get him to clear his throat because, really, the nastiest part of this (for me, anyway) is the post-nasal drip/sore throat. Of course, he's getting lots of cuddles and love. So far, we haven't given him any infant Tylenol. I want him to keep a slight fever to help beat the virus. As soon as his temperature approaches 100, though, I have the Tylenol ready.

Support Group

I am a lucky person!

Yesterday, I continued to feel worse and worse. A little before noon, I called Andrew to see if he could come home because I wasn't able to hold Oliver. I was so weak! Anyway, I felt terrible asking him to come home because he had just returned from vacation and had a back log of work. I knew he needed to catch up, but he told me not to worry. He came home to help, and he assured me his boss was very understanding. I'm so grateful.

Oliver took a nap at noon, and I crawled into bed. I basically slept from noon to 6am, getting up only to nurse Oliver when Andrew brought him to me.

At 6am, when Oliver got up for the day, I tried to go to his room to let Andrew sleep. I felt so sick to my stomach just from walking across the hall. I got Oliver out of his crib and laid him on the floor next to me. The little guy was so disturbed by this that he started screaming, thus waking Andrew up. Doh! Andrew helped me change Oliver and carry him to the bed, where I nursed him. I was too sick to get up with him, so Andrew did. He's so kind.

I called my mom to see if she could possibly take the day off because I knew I was too weak to care for my baby. My mom is so good to me. She took the day! Andrew dropped Oliver and me off there, and my mom watched Ollie so I could nap. I napped twice! When I woke up the second time at 1:30pm, I was really feeling much better.

Now, I feel completely better except for some stomach pain. Andrew thinks that's probably hunger pain because, in the last two days, I've eaten two bowls of cereal, a hard-boiled egg, some crackers, a croissant, and some carrots. I hope he's right. I'm going to try eating a meal (peanut-tofu stir fry!).

Sick!

I think I've caught the flu. Who catches the flu in July? Yesterday, I noticed that some parts of me (like my waist and hips) felt sore. It seemed weird, but I dismissed it as unimportant. This morning, I woke up at 7:30am (Andrew let me sleep in!) to feelings of nausea. The nausea has stayed, and the soreness has increased. I'm also feeling dizzy. I feel so feverish, but I don't have a fever.

This is the first time I've been sick since having Oliver, and, I have to say, it's not easy. I'm too exhausted to carry him much, and I keep zoning out. I'm dealing with it by just continually handing him new toys and trying to keep him occupied for as much as possible. Rough day.

First Cold, Part II

My heart must have seized half a dozen times yesterday. Oliver would start coughing, and I could hear the mucous in it. It sounded like he was struggling to breathe through it after he coughed. I didn't know what to do except pick him up, pat him on the back, and then use the aspirator. Poor baby's going to have a helicopter mom every time he's sick.

I did a few tricks that (might have) helped. I used the humidifier at full blast, and I gave him a bath. I also opened up all the blinds and held him to the sun, hoping to boost his vitamin D. Of course, I'm taking my vitamins as well.

I'm going to give him a bath today, too. I also want to try to give him a little baby massage to see if I can loosen up any mucous (not that I know there's mucous that needs loosening... that's the problem with him not being able to tell me what's wrong).

I guess, intellectually, I know he's OK. It's just so hard seeing him struggle and hearing him cough. Can't wait until he's feeling better again...

First Cold

Oliver and I have caught a cold. I'm very thankful that it's mild, but poor Ollie still seems miserable.

He's sleeping a lot during the day, which is quite a change, but when he's awake, he's crying. I just hold him, smooch him and love him. Oliver is also only eating in small amounts, which is unusual for him. I think it's because he's phlegmy.

Even with the virus, he's insisting I hold him for his naps. I tried to lay next to him in hopes I could catch a nap, too. He woke up about 30 seconds later, screaming. I picked him up, and as soon as I did, he burrowed against my shoulder and fell back asleep. And so it is, I'm back at the computer, typing one-handed, as Oliver catches some much needed sleep in my arms.

Poor Oliver :(

Our little baby seems to be sick. I think it might be because I reintroduced dairy into my diet a couple of days ago. Dang it.

Oliver's doctor disagreed with the doctors at Children's Hospital. He said he's never seen an allergy so severe to cause blood in a baby's diaper. He told me I could cut out dairy for two weeks and then try reintroducing it to see what happens.

This is the first night in about 9 weeks where he didn't go to sleep. It took an hour and a half for him to fall asleep, and during that time, he kept spitting up. He spit up so much...

I'm trying not to be mad at myself, but I am. Why did I try to reintroduce dairy? I was worried about my protein intake, but, deep down, I just knew he was allergic to it. I should have gone with that gut instinct. Because I didn't, Ollie's throwing up and feeling yucky.

I don't think it's a virus because he has no fever and no other symptoms. Actually, he was in a good mood all night, even when he was spewing all over us.

Stupid dairy.

Feeling like Crap

Oh, man. So, in addition to the whole pregnancy thing, I've caught the world's worst cold from Andrew. My ears are plugged, my eyes are watery, and I have a deep, hacking cough that hurts my back. My head hurts non stop, and I feel positively miserable.

Last night, I kept waking up every couple of hours to blow my nose and get a drink of water. My throat is so dry and scratchy.

Every time I rolled over, I felt my tummy take extra time to settle. I think that's so weird. Should I be feeling that so early on? I feel like I have a big ball of gas in me that I feel every time I lay down.

Today, I call the doctor to see if I can come in on Thursday for an appointment. I'm pretty nervous for this. Andrew's mom told me that they typically have you do an US to find out how far along you are, and then they do testing for abnormalities before 15 weeks. I'm terrified just thinking about abnormalities.

Urg, I don't see how people do this all the time.

I can't wait until I feel better...