A Cold for Christmas (and an ear infection)

Kim

A Cold for Christmas (and an ear infection)

This didn't turn out to be quite the Christmas I had planned.  Don't get me wrong - it was a wonderful Christmas, full of joy and family and gifts and blessings and all things that Christmas should be.  However, it wasn't quite the happy,throwing wrapping paper everywhere, seeing delight in the eyes of the babe, first Christmas that I had imagined.  One thing I am definitely learning about motherhood is that it rarely ever is.

We started our celebrations at the beach with my family for the weekend.  My sister, brother-in-law and nieces were there, along with my aunt and uncle and grandmother.  It was a houseful, but so much fun.  There was the normal chaos that comes from having two 3-and-a-half year-olds and one 11-month-old in the house, but the cousins love each other so much and it was very sweet watching them interact.  Maddie and Audrey were great with Henry.  They wanted to follow him around as he was crawling and were constantly trying to give him new toys to play with.  Henry wasn't phased and played happily along. 

Watching the train go around the Christmas tree with Grandad.

Trying out my new motorcycle with Grammy.

Cousin Chaos - and Fun!

We opened presents (which was a little nuts with the little ones) and enjoyed time together.  Really, it was perfect.  Henry got so many fun toys - if it sings or lights up, we probably own it now.  He played until his heart was content...and then played some more. He didn't really understand the whole "unwrapping" portion of the evening, but he was more than happy to play with his spoils. 

Then Saturday night came...Henry went to bed like normal, but then woke up with a terrible cough.  It was a long night and he did sleep some, but the cough kept him restless, and I knew things were going downhill.  By Sunday, it was clear that Henry was sick.  Poor little guy.  His appetite was gone and he was coughing and sniffly.  By the time we got home Sunday afternoon, his nose was running like a faucet.  It is so sad when he is sick.  Christmas Eve we headed to church and dinner with Matt's family.  Henry did well - we went to the children's service, which was good because it was earlier in the day and there were several other babes there so his noises weren't so noticed.  He happily bounced back and forth among laps and, despite his runny nose and cough, made it through the service really well for an 11-month-old.  The funniest part was during one of the prayers when Henry decided it would be a great time to start blowing raspberries.  We couldn't help but laugh at him "spitting" during the prayers, but luckily I don't think too many other people could hear. 

Hanging out with Dean after church.

We let Henry open his presents early in the evening because I was worried he wouldn't make it until after dinner.  I could tell his energy level was waning and he was really starting to feel crummy.  Again, he was abundantly blessed by all sorts of fun toys and gifts.  He really is a lucky little guy, surrounded by so much love.

We ate dinner and then I went ahead and put Henry down in the Pack 'n Play.  I had brought his PJs in anticipation of doing that and he went straight to sleep in the Richardson's bedroom while the "adults" opened presents. 

Because of his cold, he couldn't sleep well and by Christmas morning we were all a little sleep-deprived and cranky.  He did get up, have breakfast and then Matt and I got to share some sweet time with him as he explored the presents that Santa had left him.  You could tell he was excited and wanted to play with everything, but he just didn't feel well.  He was exhausted but couldn't sleep because of his runny nose and cough.  That is what I mean by it not being quite the Christmas I had imagined.  I kept seeing all these pictures of happy smiling babies on Facebook, celebrating their first Christmases, and that just wasn't us this year.  Now, I know in the grand scheme of things, this really wasn't a big deal at all and there are many more out there who had Christmases that were MUCH worse.  No one likes to see their baby sick though and it was especially pitiful at this time of the year when he was supposed to be filled with delight and joy. 

A little weary of the singing Tigger at first, but now he's a big fan.

Also, I was beginning to feel like he was NEVER going to get better (that's a pretty dramatic take on things, I recognize that - but that is how it feels).  Each morning I'd wake him up thinking we'd turn the corner and yet each morning he just seemed worse.  Each night I'd put him to bed thinking he'd sleep better, and yet he didn't. 

Santa was good to him this year.

It was really nice to have Christmas morning with just our little family though - and I look forward to the years to come.  We had breakfast together, enjoyed my new coffee maker (well, Matt and I did), and just relaxed.  By Christmas evening, Henry was running a fever of 100.  I cancelled the playdate we had set up for Wednesday morning and instead we headed to the doctor.

It didn't take the doctor long to declare that not only did he have a nasty cold, but he was also suffering from an ear infection. We picked up our amoxicillan on the way home and I gave him his first dose in the parking lot of the drug store.  I wanted that medicine to start working ASAP! 

It is now Friday and FINALLY, this morning he woke up and I thought, "yes, we are turning the corner!"  He slept all through the night last night, only coughing a few times.  His nose is still ridiculously runny, but his appetite is back and he is much happier. 

I know this is a too-long, too-dramatic play-by-play of our holiday, but in the interest of memory and truthfulness, I had to write it all.  Now that we're on the other side of it and looking toward the New Year, I can definitely tell I was sleep-deprived and a little melodramatic, however it was how I felt!  Like I said, it wasn't the Christmas I had planned or imagined, but when it comes down to it, it really was a wonderful Christmas, full of all the things that Christmas should be.  We continued to be blessed beyond measure, both by our families and our sweet boy, and I do try to remember that all the time, despite how it may seem!