Friday, June 22, 2012

Eli's First Cold

We used to think that nothing could be worse than going through the first 24 hours after casting for clubfoot.  But now, we’re not so sure because Eli has his first cold.  Actually it’s probably the flu.  Which means he’s been feeling absolutely terrible.  So much so that over the last two days or so he’s made Linda Blair look like an amateur.

Unfortunately there just isn’t a lot you can do for a baby who is sick.  We’ve been able to rotate Tylenol and Advil every 2 hours or so (according to our doctor’s instructions), which has helped keep his fever in check.  This has helped a lot because there were a few times when Eli’s fever spiked to 102.  Eli definitely feels better when his fever is under control.

Don't Let this Leisurely Position Fool You - I'm sick!
Another trick we’ve discovered is that Eli, no matter how terrible he feels, still loves to watch cars drive by our house.   I always viewed living on a busy street as a drawback to our home.  But now, I think it’s the best feature our house has!

Of course Eli is like anyone who’s sick - he just wants him Mommy.  Unfortunately for Heather this means she has to carry him for about 8 hours while I’m at work.  And with Eli clocking in at over 21 lbs, that’s not something easily done.  (We’re tired, eating terribly unhealthy things, and haven’t been to the gym in months - but man, our biceps are ripped.)

In short, all of this has been a terrible experience.  But what makes it worse is we still have to deal with his braces.  In fact we’ve forgone the braces two nights in a row.  With his fever and inability to sleep during the day (he went over 12 hours without a nap earlier this week) we felt that the most urgent health issue is battling his cold.  We need him to get rest, and he simply doesn’t sleep well with his braces.  We did try putting his braces on last night, which worked well until about 4 hours after he fell asleep when he woke up screaming.  And then promptly threw up on me.  Eli - 1, Daddy - 0.

If there is a silver lining, it’s that Eli seemed to miss his braces when we put them on for nap yesterday.  Maybe there is some hope after all!

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