Our Weekend Started Like This, and Went Downhill from There...

FRIDAY:

7:00 a.m.: "His eye is a little red and goopy. Maybe it's just allergies. If it doesn't get better, we might have to take him to the doctor tomorrow."

1:15 p.m.: "I think we'll stop by the pediatrician's office on the way home."

2:30 p.m.: "He was coughing a little bit this afternoon, and it sounded kind of phlegmy. And he was snoring in the car on the way over here, so I think he's a little stuffed up."

"It's conjunctivitis, all right. It's highly contagious, but you and your wife have probably already had it. He's probably got a little cold on top of it. He sure is a happy little guy, though! And what a flirt!"

4:15 p.m.: "He woke up from his nap, and his temperature was 102.9, and he's just laying here, moaning. He looks absolutely miserable."

5:15 p.m.: "Wow, that Children's Tylenol is amazing!"

We've sort of been riding the Tylenol cycle ever since. He's up! He's down! He's up! He's down! He's quite the trooper. Depending on where he is in the cycle, he tries to have fun. He wants to see the humor in the belly raspberry. His eyes still light up when Mama puts her hair down.


I'd like to share with you these valuable lessons that our experience has taught us. I may be the first person to come to these realizations:

1. Having a sick baby is stressful. And tiring.
2. There's no effective way to explain to an infant that he should blow his nose.
3. When the doctor says "conjunctivitis," one or both of your eyes immediately start to feel a little funny.
4. Taking a baby's temperature rectally kind of sucks. Probably more for him than for me, but still. Also sucks: watching the numbers creep up. And up. And up. Also sucks: giving a baby eye drops.

I'm glad I can share these little nuggets of wisdom with you guys.