Week 38

And I thought last week was bad. Wow. Well, now on top of the diarrhea, which he still has, he also has this horrible mucous-filled cough and stuffy nose. The coughing is really terrible at night and he gags on the mucous and then even has vomited a few times from it. On Tuesday night he vomited twice, the 2nd time all in my hair and down my back at 1 am. Welcome to the joys of parenting. Funny thing, it didn't bother me as much as that kind of thing would have bothered the child-less me. I was so worried about Hayden's health and so sad that he was feeling so rotten, that I didn't even care. Phil helped clean everything up and Hayden spent the rest of the night in our bed, either coughing or pooping every hour or so.

It has crossed my mind this week how horrifying and exhausting it must be for parents who care for a chronically or terminally ill child. I just can't imagine. It makes me feel so terrible to see Hayden suffering just these past couple weeks. And just thinking about those families helps put things into perspective for me when I start feeling worn out over caring for a sick child. Speaking of which, the One Big Kiss for Kids fundraising event for Children's Hospital is happening soon. Phil and I have been part of the KISS for Kids Club for about 5 years. I encourage all Seattle area parents out there to think about it: https://secure.seattlechildrens.org/radiothondonation.asp?referrer=KISS Children's Hospital is amazing, though I pray we never have any first-hand experiences.

I took him to our pediatrician on Thursday and she said it's unfortunately just one of those 15 or so viruses with these symptoms, and there is nothing we can do except keep him hydrated and as well-rested as possible. He had the Rotavirus vaccine, which is the most common cause of serious diarrhea in infants, so at least we can rule that one out. We are giving him Pedialyte although he doesn't seem to like the taste. He is down to 21.5 lbs (from a little over 22) so dehydration is a bit of an issue, but he is still having plenty of normal wet diapers, wet mouth, and no decrease in activity.

In fact, Hayden is SO CLOSE to crawling. I know I keep saying that, and I am getting a bit anxious about when he will finally just do it. He is crawling backwards easily, and "commando-style" crawls forward (with his belly still on the ground, pulling with his right arm and pushing with his knees and toes). I have to admit, I am starting to look at the other babies around Hayden's age who are already crawling and find myself comparing. I know it's not a competition. I know he'll eventually crawl. I think the hardest part is that he has seemed on the verge for a couple months now, and the "any day now" mental state is getting old. And when people ask, "Is he crawling yet?" and I have to say "Not yet." I feel like somehow I am failing.

At least I'm not like the jerk I met at the new coffee shop that just opened across the street the other day. Hayden and I were checking the place out, and of course the baristas were all cooing at Hayden and admiring his dimples, when this construction worker guy says, "Sure he's cute now, but you're going to hate him when he's two." I was like, "I don't think I could ever HATE my son." And he torted back something like, "Well I have a 4 year old and a 2 year old, and trust me, you'll HATE them when they're two." Nice. Someone please call CPS. Or at least Supernanny!

We did have a few rays of sunshine in this gloomy week. Grandma Judi sent Hayden a really awesome 4-in-1 Car Toy that Hayden really loves.



He is so captivated by buttons. Always studying them. He loves the remote and my cell phone too. I've also taught him how to flip the light switches on and off, so now when we enter and leave a room, he knows that's his job!

The other excellent perk this week is that we did our taxes and are getting a really nice fat return. Apparently Phil didn't fill out the W-4 form correctly after we had Hayden and has been over-paying taxes, plus with the child-tax credit and mortgage interest and all that stuff, we are getting back a lot more than expected. And I had even been setting aside about a third of my freelance income, knowing that I'd need to pay taxes on that, and even with that in consideration we are getting a lot back, so that is extra money in savings too. What a relief! Things were honestly starting to feel really tight.