One week down

Will was diagnosed one full week ago with this crazy RSV thing that everyone seems to know about except for me. I think I'm calming down a little bit even though he isn't improving too much. It's just when Jake gets anything from a cold to the stomach bug it comes and goes in the matter of a few days. It's so hard to watch your baby just stay the same. Now that everyone is telling me about kids they know that have had this, I'm starting to realize we're in for a rough few weeks. Or months... my friend Devi's daughter was on the nebulizer for nine weeks. NINE weeks. Ugh. 

What's making it even harder is for one, I'm sick now too. Another that's even harder is that I can't take Will into public places so he isn't exposed to germs. If he gets something on top of this, it'd be bad news. I'm sure his doctor meant more along the lines of  crowded malls, airplanes, day care centers, etc. but I'm paranoid so we don't go anywhere. All. Day. Long. A couple of days ago I did take up our daily walks to Starbucks again but even then I get freaked out. I close up the top of the stroller when we get downtown and near people, and once we enter Starbucks, I cover the top of the stroller with a blanket. That's enough to keep people away (it's been super warm so it looks odd) but if they do come near me with the 'Oh-a-baby-let-me-see' I snap "No! The baby's not well!" and they back right off. 

So I'm going stir crazy, but our days are busy stuck inside our little house. The nebulizer treatments take about 30 minutes and feeding takes twice as long. The mucus buildup makes it hard for Will to eat and it doesn't seem like his appetite is all there. AND, once he gets the formula down, he spits a good portion back up (that again has something to do with the medicine and the mucus buildup). That part I don't mind that much because I have to change his outfits and everyone knows I secretly think of my children as dolls and dressing them up in different outfits all day long is fun for me. (The one below is one of my favorites from yesterday - look at the hat!). 

Thank god for Skype and phone calls. Sorry for being the crazy lady that won't let you off the phone or Skype once I get a hold of you. 

Our neglected child...

And this is what poor Jake has been up to as Dave and I pour all our energy into making sure Will is ok... watching YouTube in his pajamas (at 11 am) with his stuffed yellow lab, Cubby.

Feeling better

Even though we were told we wouldn't see any improvement in Will until at least tomorrow, I really think he's feeling a little better today. See that chubby, smiley face? In addition to the smiles he's started to fight the mask for his nebulizer treatments - he grabs the tubing with his little hands and feet (how's that for a milestone?). I love the feistiness because an unsmiling, lethargic baby is just scary. I've also heard more and more friends whose kids have had RSV or they know kids who have had it. It doesn't make me any less freaked out about Will, but it helps to know my baby doesn't have a weird mystery disease. I'm also preparing myself for a long two weeks - sounds like that's the norm for babies to really shake this thing. At least our little guy has already given us a month of sleeping through the night so we can easily deal with a couple weeks of all-nighters watching bad reality TV. I tried watching a movie last night but I chose "Waiting for Superman" so at 4 am I was wide awake worrying about my wheezing newborn *and* schools for Jake. Just too much pressure... when does the next season of "Jersey Shore" start!?

Little ill Will

Will has been fighting RSV (I've been told it's basically baby bronchitis) this week. Luckily my paranoia paid off. I heard him wheezing on Tuesday night and immediately brought him in to his pediatrician because I'm freaked out about whooping cough. It's an epidemic in our county right now. It wasn't that but our doctor said if I'd waited one more day to bring him in, she would have admitted him (that sounds all dramatic and I got all upset but I guess it's super common to hospitalize newborns for RSV because it's just easier to treat in a hospital). We checked back in with the doctor today and Will can stay out of the hospital as long as we treat him properly at home (geez, i make it sound like we beat him!). I'm the proud owner of a nebulizer and he needs treatments every four hours for the next two weeks. He's also on prednisone. It all makes the poor little guy shake.

The only way he can sleep is if he's held upright. Between that and the nebulizer treatments there's no sleep for me (but try sleeping when you know your 10-week-old can't breathe well anyway). I've caught up on all my shows and out of desperation started watching "Jersey Shore" this morning at 3:00. I have to thank my new friends Snookie, JWoww, Pauly, Ronnie, Sam, Vinny, and The Situation for a few hours of some much-needed laughs. That show is great!

Runny and running

Jake is home sick today with a runny nose and cough so I did what any responsible parent would do and took him to open hours at the kiddie gym down the street. It's rained for four days straight and when I looked at the clock to see how long it would be until Dave got home and saw it was only 9:00, I knew all three of us needed to get out. Jake loved it so much, running and jumping all around (infecting other innocent healthy children) while Will hung out in the baby bjorn. He impressed me with just how sweet he was - waiting his turn and saying "hi" to the other kids. Maybe that's why I had to laugh when he had a meltdown when open hour was over. It ends with "circle time." Picture 30 two and three-year-olds standing in a circle singing "oh sun, sun, mr. golden sun..." all cheerfully with my monkey standing in the middle sobbing uncontrollably and yelling "no!! I don't want it to be over!!"

Bribing

I bribed big time to get Jake to sit next to Will, but at least it's a photo of the two of them together. And Jake looks thrilled.

Will wants to send a shout out to Auntie Heather thanking her for his awesome big boy jeans!

Little Picasso

Jake proudly showing off his latest creation (chalk on board). That shiny spot in his cheek is indeed snot from his nose... sounds like we have the start of croup. I'm scared to death - how do you take care of a baby with sick toddler at home and how do you keep a little two month old from getting croup? In times of panic I think of stay at home moms and how they do this all the time (or maybe their kids don't get sick because they aren't in a confined space with germy kids all day at daycare.)

Recent Jakisms

"You wear a clock on your arm?"
(Said to Grammmie, who was wearing a watch)
"I visited you at the hobstible and Will had black poop."
"Hey, a rectangle!"
(Holding a piece of bacon up)
"Look! My feet doin' wheelies!"
(leaning back and balancing on the heels of his sneakers)
"You're my breast friend."
"Excuse you."
(To Will after he passed gas.)
"They can't reach the sky, they don't have hands or arms."
(in response to Grammie saying the mountains are so tall they reach the sky.)

Little gangster

Jake insists on wearing hoods all the time now. So much so, it's become an issue at lunch at daycare because of the "no hats at the table" rule. I don't care about the hoods, it's the bad ass attitude he seems to take on when he's wearing them. At least he still loves his favorite yellow kitty cup. It's tough to be totally hard core with that thing by your side.

Big & tall

We went in for Will's two month appointment today. He's 13 lbs 3 oz. and 24 inches. That all comes out to tall and heavy! He impressed Dr. Tan with his head control and countless smiles. She mentioned again how amazing his birth date and time are, which got me thinking to my lunch with friends yesterday and the general consensus every time it's brought up is that the date and time alignment is too weird (read: not true). I guess because I've had two babies that I find it insane people would think I'd "tweak" the time my baby entered the world. And just as insane if a reputable hospital, where Will's birth time is officially recorded as 1:11, did the same. I could care less when Will was born -- definitely cool, but I'm more amazed with my big ol' healthy boy than the time when he was born.

My little helper

Jake has been really into helping with Will lately. He still doesn't really acknowledge him, but when it comes to changing diapers or giving Will a bath, he's right there next to me with his little stool.

Almost two months!

Our little meatball will be two months tomorrow! Here he is after his tub - a little on the tired side (big day out to meet Auntie Erica!) so not so smiley. Tell me you don't want to squeeze him!

Going on two months

Will is going to be 8 weeks tomorrow and 2 months on Friday. After we got the feeding issues resolved (i.e., me going with my instincts and removing breast milk from his feedings entirely), Will turned into the easiest baby. His vices are constantly being held (like his big brother used to be) and eating constantly. And he has distinct hunger cues: chewing on his hand, yelling something that sounds like "Ma!!", and huffing/grunting. The little guy's sleeping through the night, cooing and smiling constantly, and loving bath time and his little gym. Here he is relaxing in front of an episode of House Hunters. Check out those eyelashes!