Be Gone, Evil Germs

It's Sunday night. 7:35 p.m. and exhaustion has officially set in.
I've been up a good portion of the past two nights with Scott, who has turned into a full-fledged snot factory.

On the positive side, the steroid shot and the follow-up oral steroid seem to be working well against the croup. His cough is much looser and he doesn't sound like a barking seal anymore. But the virus that has caused all of this is still doing a number against our little Tank. He's incredibly congested - so much so that he's had trouble drinking his bottle. He just can't breathe. His eyes are glassy and watery, he's had bouts of diarrhea (so we're watching against dehydration) and he's pretty lethargic and extremely fussy.

Occasionally, he'll give us a wan smile, and I'll see flashes of the normally happy, relaxed baby I know. But they're too brief. I can't wait until his normal sunny disposition re-emerges.

We did two more steam showers overnight, and I slept for part of the evening on the air mattress again. Scott was up early...about 7 a.m., and we sat outside and let him breathe in the cool air for a few minutes. I was hoping for a morning nap, but twas not to be.

A early, early a.m. steam shower helps ease Scott's congestion.

Scott refused to sleep unless I was holding him. He took a short morning nap while I drank my coffee, and then an hour later, after about 15 minutes of pacing and jiggling in the house, he fell asleep in my arms and conked out for a good ninety minutes. I moved him to the swing and he slept for another 45.

Mommy's arm makes a great pillow.

The break gave Jim and I a short respite and we were able to eat lunch, do some laundry, pay some bills...that kind of thing. My mom and dad watched Scott for two hours later in the afternoon, and we both grabbed a quick nap.

I know that its just a nasty bug, and I know that he's hardly the first kid in the world to get sick. It certainly won't be the last time that he's ill. But man, I am tired. I have bookoo respect for all the parents in the world out there who are managing multiple sick kids at once.

Jim and I are both going to work from home for part of the day tomorrow; he goes out of town for work on Tuesday, so if Scott isn't markedly better, I'll probably take a sick day. I don't want to bring him back to daycare until he's feeling a bit stronger. The last thing I want is for him to catch another bug and have to battle that on top of this one.

In the meantime, I am doing what I can to eradicate the house of all the nasty germs that have taken root. Laundry, all of Scott's toys, his pacifiers -- you name it - they're all being disinfected. Tomorrow I am stripping the sheets from his crib and the cushion from his swing.

Be gone evil germs.

My poor baby has Croup

We knew it was going to happen...the inevitable first bout with illness. But that didn't make it any less awful when I picked up my raspy, coughing, wheezing baby from daycare Friday evening.
The child who seemed fine at noon was most certainly not at 6 p.m.

A frantic phone call to good friend and mommy expert Alia, and a few minutes later, I knew: Scott had croup. The horrid, barking cough that made him sound like a hungry seal was too distinctive to be anything else.

I tried to make Scott feel better with a steamy stint in the bathroom with shower running full-blast, with a warm bath, with a bottle. Nothing seemed to work. So I put him to bed, hoping he would get a little bit of sleep.

When Jim came home from work he was horrified at how terrible Scott sounded (the baby had woken up less than 90 minutes after we put him in the crib.) We discussed whether to bring him to urgent care and decided to ride out the night.

Jim rocked Scott back to sleep and took the first shift. I went to bed and got 2 or 3 hours of sleep before we switched off. Good thing too...Scott woke up around 2:30 and didn't sleep longer than 45 minutes at a time for the rest of the night.

He'd doze off in his swing, only to be awakened by that hacking, barking cough. Then he'd cry. So we'd go into the bathroom and sit in the steam and I'd rock him back to sleep. Eventually, I just decided it was easiest to stay in his room with him, so I spent the night on the floor, sleeping fitfully at the foot of his swing.

By 7:30, Jim and I were up and dressed. The pediatrician's office opened at 8 a.m. and we were determined to be the first ones there.

Holding Scott upright helps ease his cough; Daddy tries to make him comfortable while we wait to see the doctor.

At the pediatrician's office; waiting for the steroid shot.

We got to the doctor's office at 8:01 a.m. Jim says next time, we'll arrive at 7:55. We were the third ones there, and had to wait about 30 minutes to get in. But we were lucky; by 8:15 there were 15 kids in the waiting room, including another infant who had a similarly distinctive cough.

The on-call doctor - who was fantastic - diagnosed Scott with croup on sight and was very good at explaining what was wrong with our little Munchkin. Basically, Scott had come down with some kind of virus -- perhaps a cousin of the flu virus, maybe RSV. Instead of staying in his nose and head and causing the typical sneezy, runny, congested, earache type symptoms, it burrowed in his upper respiratory tract, where it caused his airways, including his larynx, to inflame and swell. The condition, called larynotracheosomethingorother is what is causing his difficulty breathing and wheezing.

Unfortunately, antibiotics won't work; because its a virus, we just have to ride it out. But they did give Scott a steroid shot and a prescription for a different kind of steroid, which will hopefully lessen the swelling and make him more comfortable.

Our little guy is a trooper - he's hanging in there. But the pediatrician said to expect another long couple of nights, complete with steam showers, and humidifiers and raspy coughing. Jim's set up an air mattress in the baby's room, so the "on-call" person doesn't have to sleep on the floor. We also have to leave Scott out of daycare for the early part of next week until he stops sneezing and coughing and spreading germs around. Hoping he gets over this very, very soon. In the meantime, he's getting lots of hugs and kisses and cuddles from mommy.

The air mattress we've got in Scott's room, since he's waking up so frequently.

Putting on a brave face, post doctor, and showing off where we got the shot.

School Days

When I got pregnant, one of my biggest projects was thinking ahead to the time when Jim and I would need to put Scott in daycare (or "baby storage") as my verbally-challenged husband called it.

As much as I wanted to stay home with Scott full-time, I knew it just wasn't feasible. And part of me knows that I need to get out of the house, to work, to interact with other adults. I am just not ready to give up my career.

So the search for an appropriate daycare began. I looked online, asked friends for recommendations, researched the cost of a private nanny (Note: WAAAY expensive) and spent hours scouring the Department of Health Services website (its the state agency that regulates child care centers). I ultimately eliminated 90 percent of the possibilities based on some of the scary things I read in those reports.

Jim and I decided we wanted Scott close to downtown so we would both be easily able to drop him off or pick him up. We finally settled on TutorTime after multiple visits. It's close to both of our offices and has an open-door policy that means I can stop in on my lunch hour or any other time that I want. It's also open until 6:30, which is helpful, given the regularity with which the Governor's Office issues news releases post 5 p.m.

But the fact that I had chosen this facility didn't make it any easier the first time I had to actually leave my precious baby there. I dropped him off and then sat in the parking lot and cried for a good 10-15 minutes.

Fortunately, Scott has a great crew of teachers and he seems happy there. He smiles when he sees them in the morning. And he spends a lot of time curiously watching the other kids in his "class."

Checking out his friend Addison. She's always sick, though, so I am trying to discourage close contact. But she seems to really like our little Tank.

Scott and Miss Laura

But I'd be lying if I didn't say that I still have mixed feelings about daycare. I feel guilty sometimes leaving him with a bunch of strangers. I worry that no one - no matter how much experience they have or how kind they are - will take care of him like I would. They certainly won't love him like I do. But I also have started to see positive changes in Scott in just the short time he's been there. He sleeps better in his crib at night and during nap time, he can occupy himself with his toys for longer periods without needing us to entertain him. And I think, as he gets older, he will learn valuable socialization skills, how to share, and to develop the confidence that will allow him to comfortably be away from mommy and daddy for short periods of time.

And I love that his teachers, Miss Laura and Miss Bridget, are so willing to tailor activities to things that are important to me. The classroom had almost no books when I brought Scott in...so I took several of his down to the school. Now his teachers read to him every day - just like I do at home - and every night I get a report card with details on what book was read, what major muscle development and motor skills Scott worked on...even how much he ate and when.

Playing with one of the many books in his classroom.

Floor time with Miss Laura and (from left to right) Dominick, Adam and Reyna.

Scott is still having trouble napping at daycare. It's just too bright and noisy, so he sleeps in 30 minute stretches, which means he is a very tired little boy when he gets home. But we're all adjusting to the new routine.

And I think he's learning to really really appreciate those special days when his Grandma(s) watch him, and the weekends when mommy and daddy dote on him from the time he gets up in the morning until he goes to sleep at night.

And yes...we're still waiting for the first daycare induced illness. Addison: please do not sneeze or cough on my son.

Bubbles+Rubber Ducky+Warm Water=Scott's Happy Place

The first time we gave Scott a bath, he screamed. Like nonstop. Bloody murder screamed. There was absolutely nothing that he enjoyed about the experience. He was cold. He was unhappy and he wanted back in his jammies and swaddle - stat.

But now...well, I seriously think bath-time is the kid's favorite time of day. It doesn't matter how fussy or tired or hungry he is, when he sees that silly whale bathtub he busts out in the biggest smile. He'd take four baths a day if we let him.

As he's gotten bigger, he's also discovered the art of splashing. A lot. And given his body mass, he can displace a great deal of water. Jim and I had grown accustomed to having water sloshing on the counter, our work clothes...and all over the kitchen floor, until Jim's mom came up with the brilliant idea to put a towel down on the ground.

How did neither of us think of that?

Soon we'll move Tank to the regular bathtub so he can fully enjoy the bevy of water-based toys he got for Christmas. In fact, Scott enjoys his bath so much that we are eager to get him into an even bigger body of water - he's going to start baby swimming lessons in March so he's ready to take full advantage of our pool this summer.

Growin' Like a Weed

When I gained 46 pounds (yes, you read that correctly) during the course of my pregnancy, I assumed that I was going to have a big baby. My obstetrician said the Munchkin was measuring about 7 lbs at 38 weeks, and since I went right up to my due date, I figured he'd come out closer to the 8 lb mark. I knew those measurements were inexact, but I figured if they were off, they were probably underestimating his weight - not overestimating. (Especially since it looked like I was carrying a 14 pound bowling ball in my stomach.)

So imagine my surprise when the little guy was born at 6 pounds, 12.5 oz, and just 19.5 inches long. Certainly not under-sized, but still pretty tiny. And he got tinier - dropping almost an entire pound in the first 24 hours after he was born!

Scott was so small that none of his clothes fit him - not even the multiple newborn outfits that I brought with me to the hospital. My mom had to go out and buy a bunch of preemie pajamas for him to wear because he was swimming in everything else.

The two and a half weeks after we brought him home, we were at the pediatrician's literally every other day, and we just could not get his weight stabilized. We'd put him on that little scale and pray it would show that he had put on an ounce or two. For days, he hovered in the 6 lb, 4 or 5 oz range.

My, my...how times have changed. We soon realized that I wasn't making enough milk, so we started supplementing Scott with formula...and then switched to it full-time. To say it worked some magic is an understatement. Our boy LOVES to eat, and is now downing six ounces of the liquid stuff every three hours.

He drinks so much, so fast, he's earned the nickname "Tank." I think it might stick with him for life. And the transformation since those early days has been remarkable. I mean, the kid has thighs on him the size of tree trunks. Daddy says he's going to be a lineman...or maybe its a linebacker. Can't really remember which.

Anyway, when Scott was born, and even at his two month appointment, he was on the tiny end of those percentage scales. As in, less than 10 percent across the board.

But by his four month appointment, he weighed in at a whopping 15.4 pounds (75th percentile); 24.5 inches long (50th percentile) and had a head circumference that equated to the 30th percentile.

And I am sure its changed substantially in the weeks since. I seriously cannot keep the kid in clothes. He still can still fit into his six month pajamas...but not for long. His long-sleeved onesies are getting tight in the arms and short in the torso. Mommy is going to have to do some serious shopping and stock up on 6-12 month t-shirts, shorts, pants and swimwear for this spring and summer!! (Get your credit card ready, daddy!)

The pictures show just how much Scott has grown already. My personal favorite remains the one of him screaming his tiny, scrawny little self into a frenzy on the scale at the pediatrician's office. It amazes me how different he looks already!

Day 1

Okay, clearly not Day 1, as Scott is nearly five months old. But my sister (who does an awesome job with my niece's blog) told me it would be a good idea to start one for our not-so-little-anymore Munchkin.

This seemed like as good a time as any...it's been a big week for Scott. Our robust eater has started to seriously enjoy solid foods. First it was oatmeal and pears. Then it was carrots. We are now currently learning to savor squash. And we remain a huge fan of oatmeal for dinner - currently mixed with fruit.

He tries to "help" mommy by grabbing the spoon, which usually results in carrots or squash or the food of the day winding up on my sweater, the Bumbo chair, and in Scott's hair.

Fortunately, we have a GREAT washing machine. Believe it or not, the carrots actually came out of the bib and the pajamas.

Some of our favorite photos -- and a video -- of our little guy's first experience with solid food.