Oh No! Houston, we have a head cold.

Alas gentle readers, its been a bit of a trial this past week.  Luckily, I have escaped fairly unscathed, but this can not be said for our newest addition Jacob or my lovely wife.  You see ... we have been introduced to the bane of all small children and new parents alike.  Yes ... I know its hard to hear these words without cringing... Jacob <gasp> got sick.  Now ... hold on... slowly take your hand off the panic button and step back for a second... I'll explain.

   We tried really hard to keep Jacob from getting ill.  We bundled him up whenever taking him out into the fresh air. I personally cleaned the humidifier and changed the water as directed (weekly and daily). I was vigilant about cleaning the house daily and removing as much pet dander, dust, and general bad stuff as possible.  We bathed him, played with him, baby massaged him, fed him, and avoided areas of high risk public traffic.  Still, neither EJ or I thought that the little man should live in a bubble.  A kids gotta get socialized and besides we didn't want to get cabin fever ourselves.  So whether he caught a virus from his cousins Jack and Josie, from our "kids" at Cast/church, whilst we were out on a walk, or even at our favorite breakfast nook, our little man has developed a nasty head cold.

He was bundled up and it was warm ....

Cousins do love to play don't they?

Jack does like everyone to share :)  Course adults were watching closely don't worry.

Safe,  but what about all the hair?? Suspicious :)

It started with congestion and an occasional cough and has progressed to bronchitis and bronchiolitis especially after being fed a lot...with somewhat comical results :)

Jake's say "What!?"

Its hard not to feel for the little man.  He has to be hungry after losing so much of his lunch, and he doesn't even know how to blow his nose yet.  In fact, we have to do the job for him with a suction bulb and saline.  Let me tell you something, I thought bath time and tummy time were rough.  PIECE OF CAKE compared to suction time.  He HATES nose suction time .... sigh.

Of course, since we are such chill and grounded first time parents we are taking this all in stride.  Elsa certainly has not stayed up for several nights straight just to make sure he keeps breathing, I definitely haven't camped out in the nursery to do the same.  Besides if I did, I absolutely wouldn't be checking his nose, mouth and chest every 30-60 minutes in the process.  Nope ... what do you think we are ... crazy!?! Come on, you all know us better than that.

Still, with the limited therapeutic options that we have available for such a lil' tenderfoot (namely shower nebulization, bulb suction, saline drops, smaller more frequent feedings, elevated sleeping arrangements and a trusty thermometer) we began to worry when he seemed to be getting worse (as would normally happen with a cold) after a few days.  Could this be the dreaded pertussis? Did Jake aspirate or get bronchopneumonia?, Would I ever get to sleep in the same bed as my wife again? (errr how did that get into the worry list?)   It eventually got to a point where EJ took charge and trekked him over to his pediatrician.  His normal doc was off that day (a Saturday ... must be nice :) ), but the covering doctor was actually a very good client of Elsa's (EJ cares for her cats).  This doc loves her cats a lot.... surely she needed no extra incentive to be an awesome doctor (which she is), but it is nice to have in the back pocket just in case.  Anywho... doc said he is doing well, lungs sound ok and to continue TLC at home and he will be just fine.  Nice to hear even if we knew it already.  Whoever said knowledge is power must know that a little too much knowledge can be more trouble than it is worth :-P

In any case, Jake seems to have turned the corner this morning and is on the rebound.  In the meantime, with the lack of sleep and such close contact with the baby, EJ has caught the cold.  As for me, well I don't have time to get sick.  I have a lot of work to do at the hospital and a trip up to Massachusetts for Easter to plan.  Maybe I'll schedule a sick day in a month or two.  That is how it works right?

Next blog should have holiday undertones, but I leave you with this good note.  Thanks to my AWESOME inlaws EJ and I were able to sneak away for a double date Seder dinner at Elsa's hometown church .. and it was delicious.

mmm lamb dinner :)

Love ya all
Zach and the rest of the misfits