I imagine most parents feel this way, but there is nothing like having a sick kid to remind you that you have no clue what to do and you're just faking it and hoping the kids don't notice.
Example:
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| Saline and snot sucker |
Nothing in my life has prepared me to just "wing it" with squirting things up a newborn's nose and then sucking that fluid back out. As I mentioned before, Faith was hardly ever sick as a baby because I didn't take her as many places as I take Cordelia (like the library for story time, etc). This means I have little to no experience in little baby sickness. Do you know what babies hate? Having saline mist squirted up their noses and then sucked back out. Do know you know how babies show their displeasure? Expulsion of bodily fluids and screaming.
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| You squirt stuff up my nose, I give it back. Fair is fair. |
I took both kids to the doctor yesterday and that was 2 hours of fun time and giggles. The best part was when they tested Cordelia for strep. Do you know what happens when you activate a newborn's gag reflex with a cotton swab? If you guessed "Projectile vomit all over the person holding them!" then you're either a genius or it has happened to you before.
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| It doesn't take a genius to have common sense Mommy |
The other night she coughed until she vomited all over me, so it wasn't my first time, but it was fun to have to walk back through the waiting room covered in vomit with two screaming kids in tow. Just for clarity, I'm not talking about spit up. I'm talking about this kind of vomit (minus the head spinning):
The doctor freaked me out by mentioning that RSV is going around and we need to watch Cordelia's cough if it gets worse. RSV is really serious for little babies (like get admitted to the hospital level of serious) so I'm praying we can avoid that level of illness.
Having 2 sick kids is apparently uses up all of my "give a damn" so the dog was SOL yesterday. I didn't want to deal with her acting up (which happens when she doesn't get a walk or run), so I dropped her off at the kennel for a night. Normally I just drop her off for daycare, but I didn't want to wait up the sleeping baby to go pick her up by 5pm, so she just stayed there. Good thing she likes it better there than at home.
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| Oh couch, you're the only thing I missed. |
Cordelia has been one little ball of fussy today, which is really unlike her, but I'm hoping she's just feeling feisty and isn't getting worse.
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| Mommy, you are a liar. Look at me. |
Oh, and I'm sick too. It's nothing too bad, just a cold I think. Worst case scenario it's a sinus infection. I can't take any good medicine so there is no point of going to the doctor unless I get much worse. I took yesterday as a rest day to try to get well and that didn't work, so I tried to run to get well today. I wasn't hugely successful (3.75 miles, but that is two separate runs combined because Cordelia kept waking herself up with coughing), but that kind of thing happens when you have a little baby who isn't on a schedule yet (or feeling well).
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| Less than 4 miles? Oooh Mommy, that's embarrassing. |
Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day for baby sleep and running!
One week until Christmas! Are you done shopping? I'm done, but nothing is wrapped. I'm seriously concerned that won't happen.
I wish wrapping people up in a burrito like that worked for all ages. It would solve a lot of problems.
ReplyDeleteToddler having a tantrum? Swaddle!
Teenager acting up? Swaddle!
Wife being crazy because you put the dishes in the dishwasher the wrong way? Swaddle!
The bonus would be that swaddle is a fun word to say.
DeleteI would actually really appreciate you trying to swaddle your wife in that situation and then posting a video of the result.
DeleteFaith's face is awesome. how do you capture that?
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty much done shopping. Thought all my online stuff came, but I keep getting packages.
FYI: It's best to clean that snot sucker ASAP and don't forget about it and let it dry and get crusty. not that I know.
That's the face she makes when I say "cheese!"
DeleteI just washed the snot sucker out because you reminded me :)
Poor lady! I'm wrapping presents right now and kinda wish I could wrap yours just to cut you some slack!
ReplyDeleteI did, however, crack up at the caption on your last photo of Faith. Nice work on that one ;)
She's so helpful in making faces at me :)
DeleteI secretly love wrapping presents, so it's really too bad we aren't neighbors. Not that I'd set foot in your house right now. We live in fear of RSV since it is really dangerous for Charlotte even though her respiratory distress syndrome was resolved 8 months ago. There is a shot for preemies to help prevent RSV, but we didn't qualify. I hope you all feel better soon!
ReplyDeletejust take off the price tags - that's good enough.
ReplyDeletethe last pic of faith is hysterical. 2 sick kids and only 3.75 miles?! you SHOULD be ashamed!
I am so sorry that your kids are still sick. My daughter has been sick for almost a week now. We went to the doctors yesterday because she and her brother are sick. She has an ear infection and pneumonia so they put her on breathing treatments and antibiotics. I can't wait until she starts to feel better especially now that Christmas is almost here.
ReplyDeleteHaving a sick baby must truly suck! I remember the RSV fright, too--I didn't take Will and Ruth out of the house until spring. I hope everyone is better very soon.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you and the girls are sick. No fun at all! I will be praying for a quick recovery:)
ReplyDeleteThe sickness has been rolling around my house too, my husband has it now and I am hoping to avoid it, but it doesn't seem to discriminate very well. Hope everyone in your house gets healthy soon and you get your presents wrapped, I just got mine done yesterday!
ReplyDeleteJeeeez it sounds pretty awful. So when is the liquid gold breast milk going to kick in and cure everything?!
ReplyDeleteI remember my first snot sucking experience. That's when you know you've earned your Mommy stripes :-D
I once got an email from a close friend that told me to seriously consider whether or not I was ready to stick something up a small person's behind. The answer would let me know if I was ready for a baby. So far that seems to be the best test I've heard of.
ReplyDeleteAm I just full of pity because she's sick or is Cordelia extra cute in this post?
How is your husband in all of this? Is he avoiding the plague?
ReplyDeleteLast weekend we went to my parents' house for fake-Christmas...and while I wrapped the presents, we totally forgot them because the dog ran away while we were packing the car. Well, he ran away in our apartment building, so basically he sprinted up and down the hallway like an idiot for a while.
ReplyDeleteI love that pic of Faith.
Feel better soon!
In that last picture of Cordelia she only looks so sweet because you put her in a straight jacket. Good move. And if it makes you feel any better, my parents never wrapped any of our Christmas presents when we were little. Then again, we did have seven children, so maybe they just couldn't afford that much wrapping paper.
ReplyDeleteIt's after Midnight and I seriously need some sleep. But, I thought I would check out my google reader to see if there were any life-changing blog posts that I needed to read. Not sure what made me think reading a post about vomit was so earth shattering I had to do it now, but I did. And of course, it was entertaining.
ReplyDeleteSorry your kid projectile vomited on you. Gross.
They're both looking older! So basically you got to pick Cordelia's nose for her. Nice! I hate shooting crap up my nose too. I always get the feeling like I'm drowning.
ReplyDeleteOooh, NO FUN, I tell you. Unfortunately I know what you're going through (Owen had RSV as a little guy, which launched his awesome track record of respiratory illnesses). Well, with one kid. Which is probably nothing like it is with two kids. So... I have no idea what you're going through.
ReplyDeleteHang in. Sicknesses will pass! Hopefully soon!
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ReplyDeleteYou actually seem like you have this parenting thing so much more together than I do. Harrison got a cold, and I was like, no need to call the doctor unless he gets a fever. Whoops. I'm the worst. I mean, he's still alive, so what's done is done.
ReplyDeleteGIFT BAGS! Just throw them in and toss some tissue paper on top. I generally avoid this technique, even if wrapping challenged, but for you - I say it's a good idea. Yes, maybe kids prefer wrapping paper but they'll forget.
ReplyDeleteI hope everyone starts to feel better before Christmas!!
When my kids were young we couldn't afford a snot sucker. We just let it run down their faces and dry till it looked like crocodile skin. Then we let the dog lick them clean. Those were the good old days!
ReplyDeleteMy friend's baby has RSV. Freaking scary. I hope everyone is feeling better!
ReplyDeleteMy kids LOVE saline spray...weird, right? We didn't use the aerosol until this year, before it was just little noses. I didn't suck, I let it run out. I learned my lesson when I made their nose bleed. Apparently, I didn't do it right.
ReplyDelete