Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Achoo, Baby.

BG is 7 months, 1 week and 3 days old.
BG has a cold. It is her first cold. It was her parents’ first night dealing with a sick child who can’t express how she feels. It was her mom’s first night dealing with a sick child while battling the same illness.
You know how a good night’s rest can making a minor illness like a cold heal quicker? Well, when your mom, you are not getting that good night’s rest.
For Valentine’s I caught my husband’s cold. My husband had the shakes and a fever the week before. We did well to quarantine him as much as possible. When I could, I’d throw my husband some acetaminophen, some juice/soup and a blanket and retreated like he had the plague. My husband would probably like to add to my list of offerings, scolding. Listen, who wears flannel pjs when they have a fever? I don’t care if you roll your pants up like high waters, that isn’t going to help you.
Unfortunately, nothing short of putting my husband in a plastic bubble would have saved me from catching his cold. In me, it manifested itself as a very sore throat that turned into a very rude and often inconvenient cough. Babies don’t nurse well when you have hacking fits. Babies don’t like being attacked by a runaway nipple.
I tried bravely to fight the cold while keeping my distance from BG but when your baby looks at you and the image of Elsie appears in her eyes, it gets a bit difficult.
Ultimately, BG caught my cold and it reared it’s sniffly head at us Sunday around 11pm. I read somewhere that illnesses usually appear in the dark of night. I don’t recall why but I think it had to do with our guards being down and a bit more lax.
BG started waking up every 90 minutes and it became harder and harder for us to get her to go back to sleep. Of course, the snoring should have been the first sign but as this was my first time with a sick baby and I myself was battling the same beast, it didn’t click right away. At first I thought she might be starting to teeth but that didn’t seem right as not even the breast was making her happy.
Then I thought perhaps she was ‘on the verge of greatness’. I don’t recall where I heard this, perhaps on Twitter, but a mom once remarked that she noticed her child’s sleep patterns changed on the cusp of a major milestone. BG has started to sit by herself for longer periods of time without toppling over which I would say is a major feat. It’s also causing BG to become more aware of her surroundings and in return leading to a lot more neediness. I suppose when the yogurt cup you covet is not within arm’s reach and all your attention is placed on balancing yourself upright, whining is the natural response.
When I turned her to face the night light her shimmery face gave it away. DH suctioned her nose and she slept on my chest for most of the night. In the morning I read in kellymom to continue to keep her elevated while sleeping and try saline or breastmilk drops in her nose.
I did the saline on Monday but all that seemed to do was cause her nose to run which I suppose is good but at night she was still a congested mess. DH didn’t want me to sleep with her elevated on me so I spent the night breastfeeding and soothing her in bed. She continued to wake up every 90 minutes or so.
Today, I sent DH on a mission to pick up a nosefrida. I know it sounds and looks hideous but the reviews are good and the bulb isn’t doing it for me. First, we’re jamming this thing in her poor nose and second, DH is suctioning 2-3 times in each nostril and barely anything comes out.
We’ll see how this goes. I may blow out my own lung using this as DH is a bit reluctant to use this. As someone once said to me, “Notice that every photo of a the nosefrida is of a child and his/her mother. A man is not going to willing suck out snot.”
I also tried breastmilk up the nose today which seemed to be less unnerving for BG and as of now, I haven’t heard or seen congestion. She is a bit restless though. She’s eating every 2-3 hours, which is recommended to fight dehydration. She’s napping every 3-4 hours for an hour or so but when she’s awake and not hungry, she’s really needy.
I’m not sure if that’s because she’s found a new view in sitting up or if she just wants me close. Could she be tired of her toys? I heard around this time, it’s best to rotate toys. Could it be she’s antsy from being indoors two days in a row? Could it be she just wants to be elevated to prevent congestion back up?
Oh, and on a side note, every single toy that requires batteries (essentially all her toys) are all dying at the same time. Her bouncy seat, her flower petals, her swing, her mobile and her seahorse are singing some very pathetic and sometimes scary songs and lullabies. Thank goodness she’s keen on her flashcards and yogurt cups (her obsession at this moment).
I’ll keep you posted on the nosefrida and if breastmilk is helping at all. Hopefully I can get some rest. I’ve got some projects I want to work on for work, I have the stress of planning an impending trip and I’m still trying to figure out how to find some time for ‘me’ and my resolutions.

Baby Cuteness
BG loves her yogurt cups. She will fall asleep with it and even prefer to continue to hold her yogurt cup than drop it and play with us.
BG is sitting more and more independently. She’s tripoding and gets very upset if she can’t reach or play with something because she’s busy trying to keep herself balanced.
BG is now appearing to be expressing opinions or desires but this mom is still trying to understand and translate.
BG is loving pears, apples and sweet potatoes. She hungrily opens her mouth and lunges at the spoon when DH feeds her. I’m curious to see if I should increase the amount she eats or add a meal. We’ll probably do either when we return from our trip.
BG is ticklish.
BG likes dancing.
BG grips my arm when we spin but doesn’t get frightened enough to scream.
I know why my butt grew bigger during pregnancy like a monkey’s butt. It makes an awesome hip/butt shelf when carrying a 16+ lbs baby who doesn’ t want to play with her toys or hang out on her activity mat/bassinet/swing/bouncer or crib.