Colds

Colds should be illegal. They should be banned. They should at the very least just not exist.

I'm sure there is some big beyond my understanding reason for the common cold. Maybe it's a way of reminding us we're human. Maybe it's our body's way of telling us to slow down. Whatever it is, I don't like it.

Now, getting a cold as an adult is bad enough, but being a baby who doesn't understand what's wrong? That's just not right.

Poor Kaelyn got her first cold at 4 months of age. I guess we were lucky to shield her from germs that long. It was a mild cold, I'll have to admit. When she sneezed, things flew out, if you know what I mean. And she breathed through her mouth quite a bit. The first night I felt like she was getting sick she got up many many times so the following night I made a little bed in her room. I hauled the couch cushions from the basement through the main floor up to her room on the second floor. I put a sleeping bag and a few other blankets on that and it was quite cushy, thank you very much! Not that I noticed much that night. She got up every 15-30 minutes. Well, get up is an overstatement. She was just uncomfortable. She never really opened her eyes. She'd just roll around and cry for awhile and I'd get up from my makeshift bed onto my knees and pat her back to sleep. Nights after that one got increasingly better until she was back to her old pattern.

And what is it about kleenex and nose wiping that kids just HATE? It's not like I'm trying to kill her, I'm trying to get the snot off her face!!! Apparently she thinks for former and does not appreciate any attempt at cleaning her up.

Kaelyn's second cold made for a wonderful Thanksgiving. I'm thankful that she didn't have it the week before and I'm thankful that it won't last forever. But thanksgiving was rough. This cold seems to have settled in her eye. Every time she sleeps her eye crusts shut and then I have to wipe it off. See paragraph above about the kleenex and repeat that thought about a warm washcloth and her eye. It's MAJOR screaming. I'm sure her eye is tender but I'm not wiping hard. I'm just trying to allow her to see! Excuse me! :)

This cold was even worse sleep wise. She was so stuffed up she refused to sleep in her crib. We were at my parents house in a double bed, which already feels small compared to our queen at home. But after several attempts at getting Kaelyn to stay in her crib I propped her up on a pillow in the bed and eased myself in beside her. She may only be 7 months old but she's quite a little bed hog! I was BARELY in the bed on my side and VERY uncomfortable. And since I had to pat her every 5-10 minutes I wasn't getting any sleep anyways. Occasionally she would cry so hard I couldn't just pat her so I would nurse her and then we'd rock in the chair for an hour...or two...or three. I'm guessing I slept a total of one hour that night in 5 minute increments. Not fun. Not thankful.

We went home the next day but the next two nights were no better. IT was a little easier because I took her to the guest room and had a WHOLE queen bed for just the two of us. I propped her up and was able to semi-pat and semi-snooze at the same time. My husband took a few of the rocking shifts so I slept an hour or two during those periods. It's just so heartbreaking. She's just not herself. She would cry and cry. She never does that in the middle of the night. She cries when she needs me and I go to her and that's that. With this cold, I go to her and she continues to cry. IT's pretty awful.

However, her eye wasn't crusted shut this morning so I was sure hoping the cold was on its way out. The mouth breathing continues and she's been a little crab bucket all day long. We'll be sitting there playing and all the sudden she'll just start screaming. Okay, you didn't fall over, nothing hit you, nothing bit you, what's the deal? She's doing the same to my husband now. Welcome to my day, dear! :)

So, as I mentioned at the beginning, I'm all for making colds illegal. I guess I'm not sure how that would be enforced so let's just ban them completely. There can't be a reason SO important to have them exist that we can't rid of them, can there? For the sake of babies and parents' sleep, please! :)