In the "hood" last week (AKA Mother"hood")

Last week bit.  It bit hard.  

I came down with a cold last weekend that included a mild fever, body aches and a killer sore throat.

So, no playdates for Austin.

Austin came down with a fever of 104.1 on Wednesday night. 

So, no playdates for either of us last week.

The night Austin got his fever I was blanketed in worry and what-ifs.  It must be the cold I have that he caught, but a fever of 104.1??  Won't his brain fry??

A call to the insurance's registered nurse helpline calmed me down a bit and reassured us that our child's brain will not fry, quite the contrary actually - his body is fighting off yucky stuff.  Well, that's good!

We gave him ibuprofen after he cried and cried from 3:30am well into the morning.  He never went back to sleep.  I took him in to see a pediatrician at 9:50am.  

Everything looks good, but let's do a flu test just to make sure he doesn't have the flu since his fever was a bit high.

No flu.  

That night Austin cried and cried, we gave him more ibuprofen since I noticed another tooth was coming in, poor baby.  Fighting a cold and teething.  As Austin laid there crying in his crib and he wouldn't let me rock him, he wouldn't take a pacifier, I just stuck my hands through the slats of the crib feeling helpless.  What can I do for you Austin?  Mommy needs to help you.  My forehead had an imprinted line from the edge of the crib from it being pressed up against the edge peering in at him, with me willing him, wanting him to please sleep.  You need sleep.  You haven't sleep in hours and hours and hours. 

Finally at midnight he fell asleep.

A screaming cry came from Austin's room at 2am.  I went in there to feed him - he did not want to eat, again.  Did not want his pacifier and couldn't stand to be rocked.  I brought him to our room, still crying and crying.  

He passed out asleep at 4am.

Then awoke at 7am crying and uncomfortable and not wanting to eat, again.  He'd only eaten 2 ounces in over 12 hours.  

I took him back to the doctor, no problem with his ears, lungs, throat or stomach.  Let's do a UTI test.  

I sat there and watched the medical assistant place a plastic bag around my calm, laid-back (at this point) baby's testicles and wee wee and decided, he's just having a really bad cold and a new tooth coming in, sigh, it's not a UTI, but I'm no doctor so Austin and I cuddled and napped on our bed with a plastic baggy around his family jewels.  

Took the bag in - no UTI.

That night he was fussy again and not wanting to sleep unless I was in the room.  So, I stayed and stayed.  He cried a bit and then fell asleep at around 9pm.  Slept until 7am the next day.

I heard him babbling in the morning like his usual self, went in there and he smiled the biggest smile.  He ate 7 ounces and I was thrilled to have my baby back to himself again. 

Scooter and I were so frustrated and exhausted, plus me trying to get over my own cold just made for a hell of a week.  I'm proud of the way we handled it though and Austin, although completely uncomfortable and unhappy while sick, did an awesome job of pulling through.  

The next time I get a cold (or any ickiness) I'm wearing a mask!