Is This How You Catch A Cold?

Well, Cutie Pie did it again. He caught another cold.

This time Cutie Pie got his germs from me. I was absolutely miserable over the weekend. We were supposed to go meet a friend's new baby but the evil cold put a halt to our plans. We know all too well that new babies shouldn't be around sick people. When Cutie Pie was born, our Doctor all but drilled that into our heads. I had to do the responsible thing. I stayed home and sniffled. I was devastated that day, not because I felt sick, but because I couldn't stand to be trapped in the house for another day. I love spending more time at home with Cutie Pie but I also love going out. Unfortunately, there are only so many places I can take a nine month old. I get excited every time I get to leave the house.

I was quite proud of myself for keeping Cutie Pie germ free during my cold. I kept my hands washed and avoided sneezing and coughing when I held him. I did everything those Swine Flu people have been telling us to do. I guess I didn't do as good a job as I thought, Cutie Pie woke up this morning with a drippy nose and no appetite. It's amazing to me that Cutie Pie can be so sick but keep smiling. I wish I could be more like him.

http://theadventuresofcutiepie.blogspot.com/

RV to the Rescue!

Last weekend, we traveled to a destination wedding in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina. As we prepared for our trip, Cutie Pie tried to sabotage our plans by developing yet another nasty cold. The night before we were set to leave on our marathon car ride, Cutie was stayed up coughing and crying. It soon became apparent that traveling was not in the cards.

At eight months of age it is not developmentally appropriate to take an eight hour car trip. Any parent who disagrees with me is crazy. That's right, I said it. Cutie Pie is an active little guy. He wants to be crawling and practicing his walking skills at every waking moment. He can hardly sit still to eat! We knew that trying to strap him in a car seat for a long period of time was going to be hell on wheels. When Cutie Pie added the illness to the equation, we decided the trip just wasn't meant to be.

Then Cutie Pie's Papa offered to let us use his RV for the trip. Sure gas would be expensive, but seeing our friend get married in the mountains would be priceless. Taking the RV was the perfect solution. Cutie Pie was able to interact with everyone during the trip, which meant he stayed entertained and happy, mostly.

Cutie Pie seemed to enjoy his first big road trip. It was really neat to watch him stare out at the mountains for the first time and play in the creek where I once played as a child. The wedding was great and the bride was beautiful. What a great weekend!

http://theadventuresofcutiepie.blogspot.com/

Over and Out

It has been a long week. All that coughing and crying has finally worn Cutie Pie out. Last night he hit the wall. He passed out while still eating his dinner. Usually Cutie Pie is a huge fan of dinner. You can see him reaching for the food on his tray but he just couldn't stay awake long enough to eat it.

This cold has officially ended. Hooray for me! I finally got some sleep, too!

I've got to celebrate while I can. I know those two top teeth are just around the corner.

Here We Go Again

The drama continues. Cutie Pie appeared to be better today. He woke up smiling from ear to ear. He played with his toys and chased the dogs. I took him to the park and he had a blast. Then he came home and took a blissfully long nap. We had the perfect morning. I dropped him off at school this afternoon a happy and well-rested baby. Then a few hours later, I got a call that Cutie Pie's nose was bleeding. The next thing I knew, I had an emergency appointment with the pediatrician and I was flying down the street to get my precious baby.


I arrived at the day care anxious to see my little one but was delayed by an accident report. Apparently, Cutie Pie fell down and bumped his head right after they called me. He added another bruise to the collection on his forehead. I scooped up my little Cutie Pie and whisked him off to the doctor.


I noticed right away that he must have stopped bleeding because I didn't see any evidence of a bloody nose. When we got to the doctor's office the nurse asked why we were there. I explained that Cutie Pie had a cold for the past few days and that today his nose started bleeding at school. She made a face and wrote it down.

Believe me lady, I didn't rush over here on a Wednesday afternoon because I had nothing better to do.

Then she made a comment about the bruises on Cutie Pie's forehead.

Well, I can't leave his helmet on all the time!

Then she said something about how Cutie Pie was trying to stand up on the exam table instead of sit passively while I changed him.

Would you prefer he lay here like a lump?


Feeling like the worst mother in the world, I sat with Cutie Pie in the exam room and waited for the doctor while trying to entertain my half-naked eight month old in a doctor's office with only the toys I could find in the back seat of my car. When the doctor finally arrived he said the bloody nose was caused by a scratch, probably from a bulb syringe and was no big deal. Once again, he pronounced my Cutie Pie perfect, except for a cold.


Hooray! This crisis is over! I could feel the weight lifting from my shoulders. But then he said something that scared me all over again. Those two top teeth are going to come out any day now.

http://theadventuresofcutiepie.blogspot.com/

Cough, cough, SCREAM!

Cutie Pie doesn't like coughing. He's caught another cold. Here we go again. I haven't slept since Sunday afternoon. This cold has been a bad one. He's perfectly happy when he's awake but once he's sleepy, watch out! Cutie Pie doesn't like waking up. He really doesn't like coughing himself awake. That's when the screaming starts.

I feel completely helpless and miserable for him. You would think that in the year 2009, we would have some kind of remedy for the common cold or at least something to relieve a baby's symptoms. But no, they are forced to suffer through their stuffy noses like it's the stone age. No grown up would put up with that kind of congestion without taking something. It is so sad that my baby has to sniffle and cough just because he's little.

I'm trying to do what I can to help the little guy. We propped up his mattress with a pillow to elevate his head. The humidifier is cranking out steam so fast it feels like the Bahamas in his nursery. Unfortunately, it's not so easy for me to do the other things I need to do to help Cutie Pie breathe. He hates those saline drops and the nose aspirator. He fights and squirms as soon as he sees them. I try to smile brightly and trick Cutie Pie into thinking he likes getting things shoved up his nose but he cannot be fooled. He cries and screams. Then I have to fight back my own tears. It would be so much easier to just give in and let him stay stuffy. But in the long run, he is better off getting that mucus out of his nose. Being a good parent is heartbreaking.

http://theadventuresofcutiepie.blogspot.com/

Shots?!

Cutie Pie recently went for his six month well-check appointment. The visit went well. The doctor checked him all over and declared him perfect. All except for a little cold. Then the doctor asked me, the most anxious new mother in the world, if I felt comfortable with Cutie Pie getting his shots today. "Uh.. I guess so? He only has a little cold. The worst of it passed days ago. I got plenty of sleep last night so that must mean he's not sick, right?" What I should have said was, "You're the doctor! Tell me if YOU feel comfortable with Cutie Pie getting his shots today!"


Well, as you may have guessed, Cutie Pie got his shots. This led to 24 hours of anxiety and nervousness for Mommy and crankiness for everyone involved. I had just finished reading Jenny McCarthy's book, "Mother Warriors." OK, you got me. I didn't actually read it. I listened to the audio version in the car whenever Cutie Pie wasn't there and I could safely turn off the never ending Wee Sing CD that haunts my brain all day. Her book was terrifying. Many of the parents she interviewed said their children were sick when they got their vaccinations. She explained that their teeny tiny immune systems couldn't fight off the germs and the shot at the same time. Those babies became autistic after they got their shots. One Mommy said that she gave her baby medicine to help with the pain of the shots and that the medicine likely contributed to her child getting autism.

So there I was, a nervous wreck. The nurses got out their syringes and I'm cringing and wondering if I will live to regret this day. They gave Cutie Pie his shots and he didn't even cry. He got a second shot and he whimpered but he stopped in the one second it took the nurse to pick him up and hand him to me. He smiled and laughed while I got him dressed and I took my Cutie Pie home.

Between jars of baby food and countless verses of Old McDonald, I watched my Cutie Pie for signs of a reaction. Nothing. Whew! He's been his usual self all week. I realize that I am very lucky to have a healthy child.

No more books for Mommy. I think I'm going to go back to listening to that baby CD. It may haunt me but at least it doesn't cause anxiety attacks.

http://theadventuresofcutiepie.blogspot.com/