Sick Babes....

What is it with having the kiddos get sick that makes my heart hurt so damn much? Maybe it's the OCD control-freak in me, but I HATE not being able to make things "all better" for them when they feel icky... What's really funny is that both of them have been sick for over a week but I doubt anyone would know from their outward appearance. They both seem to keep going a million miles an hour, even with sour tummies and fevers. Is it wrong that I don't handcuff them to their bed and FORCE them to sleep it off? How am I supposed to be nursing them back to health when they are running and jumping and climbing all over everything like they aren't even sick? And on top of it all, I'm trying to ration my PTO time so if/when they get REALLY sick, I can stay home for a few days without having to worry about not getting paid. Being a mom is fun & stress, all rolled into one...

When Luke was a baby it seemed like he had croup at least once a month for over a year. It would start with a stuffy nose and a slight cough and turn into a wet, scratchy seal-bark of a cough that would stick with him for over a week. I can't tell you how many times I would go into his room, late at night, bundle him up into my arms, throw the shower on as hot as it would go, and rock him while sitting on he toilet seat, hoping that the warm, moist air might miraculously open up his lungs and allow him at least a little sleep. It was so painful to have to sit there, with my hand on his chest feeling the rattling and rasping effort that it took just for him to take in a breath. His pediatrician later identified him as a "trigger asthmatic," but his trigger wasn't dust or dander, it was a cold or any other bug that decided to settle into his chest for the long haul. He was given Prednisone a few times to clear his lungs to keep him from getting bronchitis or pneumonia, and oral Albuterol , which did help him breath better, but left him a jittery, wired mess for 3 or 4 hours after taking it.

He's since gotten to the point where we don't even notice anything asthma-like is his day to day doings, but every once in awhile he starts barking again and it reminds me of how rough it must be on the little guy to have a cough for 3 weeks at a time. It makes me sad to have him ask me everyday when his cough will go away and he'll be all better. Cross your fingers that he won't sound like a seal for his 4th birthday in 8 days!