Just a Bunch of Sickies

Well, after I got myself all gung-ho about living up every single one of our last days in NYC, a cold made its way through our home and knocked us out of commission for the last week or so. I kicked things off with a sore throat last Saturday night, then Eric and I both turned into sneezy, sniffly messes on Sunday, and Ellie finally caught it on Monday night. Ah, our very first time passing germs among all of us - I think this means we're an official family now, right?

Ellie being sick was the worst. She seemed fine during the day on Monday, aside from the fact that she took two really long naps (very strange for her). I didn't question it, because I still felt lousy, so I just took advantage and thanked her for being so helpful and letting Mommy nap, too.

My sweet baby during play time on Monday

She went down for the night with no problems, but around 10:30 (just as Eric and I were getting ready to go to bed, naturally) she woke up with a terrible coughing fit. I got her settled and back asleep, but only for an hour or so, then she woke up with more coughing. And that was it until 4:00 a.m. - we were up, trying anything and everything to soothe our poor sick girl. It just hit her like a ton of bricks, and the poor thing was so congested she couldn't close her mouth. We tried standing in a steamy bathroom, tried clearing her nose with a bulb syringe, nursing, rocking, whatever. Eric even went out to Walgreens at 3:00 in the morning to buy a humidifier. The only thing that would soothe her, though, was being carried around upright. So basically, we paced and paced until the wee hours of the morning.

When she did wake up on Tuesday she looked so miserable, the poor thing, and she had a temperature of 102 degrees so we went in to see the doctor. Nothing serious, just a cold, but I hit up the pharmacy big time after leaving the pediatrician. We stocked up on baby Advil and Tylenol, Baby Vicks, Boogie Wipes and a new "Snot Sucker," the Nosefrida. I knew my baby really was feeling lousy because she passed right out in the stroller, a rare thing indeed these days.

My sick sweetheart waiting to see the doctor

That is not the face of a baby who feels awesome.

What an angel.

Ellie couldn't seem to fall asleep for naps in her crib that day, and since I was still feeling sick myself, we both spent the day curled up in my bed napping together.

 

VIDEO: Poor, sick Ellie waking up from a nap

Two sickies and a dog resting on the couch

By Tuesday, Ellie seemed to be in much better spirits, and was back to playing in between nap times. However, she would alternate between playing and just sort of hanging out, laying very still and being very quiet (very uncharacteristic of a girl who rarely stops moving). Needless to say, despite her improved mood, we cleared Ellie's social calendar for the rest of the week so we could just focus on getting better, STAT.

That's more like it!

Time to rest!

Ellie's worst symptom has really been her congestion, and seeing the poor girl with her mouth just constantly hanging open so she can breathe just kills me. The Nosefrida has been a big help, and even Ellie seems to realize it, as she no longer fights me when I come at her with that thing. As my cousin Molly recently said, that snot sucker has to be one of the grossest concepts ever, but it does work. Paired with the Boogie Wipes, it has been a must-have for this cold. And I am left to marvel at how much time I have spent in the last week worrying about removing snot from another person. Oh, motherhood. The glamour! The intrigue! The snot removal!

"Mom, I can't breathe."

Here, baby, let me help you.

The worst part, though, in my opinion, has been that this cold seems to have killed all the progress we made towards getting Ellie to take good naps in her crib. For the last week, naps have been a battle. I have napped with her in our bed a number of times just so she can get some sleep, but that didn't even always work. So, we have had some frustrating days around here, accompanied by one grumpy baby. That means I have spent a lot of time wearing her in between non-naps just to keep her from losing her poor, overtired mind.

Poor Ellie.

The good news is, we're all feeling a lot better. Eric healed the fastest and was back on his feet in a day or so. I was feeling good by Thursday, and although Ellie is still slightly congested (and having those napping issues), she seems to be much more herself now. We're still taking it easy for now, though.

Still a little spacey!

All I can say is, thank goodness we're making our way out of this thing. It was just so heartbreaking to see my poor, sweet girl feeling so miserable and not being able to understand why, when there was so little I could do to help her. Add on the fact that I'm the one who started this cold running through our family and I just feel terrible. I know it's just a fact of life, and there are many, many more illnesses in our future, but for now I'm just thankful to have my sweet, happy, closed-mouth baby back.