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.