Breathing like a Boston

Or a Bulldog, if you’re not familiar with Boston Terriers.

I got a call at 2pm from daycare on Friday requesting that I pick up the Coop-man because he had a lovely fever of 102 degrees.  I was surprised because when I dropped him off this morning, he was laughing and smiling at all his teachers…he laughed hysterically when I blew my hairdryer at him at home…he just seemed in a very good mood.

I walk in his room and he’s laying on one of the teacher’s lap, sweaty, red, half-naked, and listless.  Since it was chilly outside, I wrestled some pants and socks back on him and took him to the pediatrician.  There I sat, and sat, AND SAT, with all these bigger sick-and-nasty kids coughing on me and Cooper, touching his toys, and touching his face.  Normally I don’t mind because I know a lot of kids love babies, but I was annoyed because their mothers did nothing to peel their children carrying ADDITIONAL nasty germs from my kid that was already pretty sick.  Plus, I was annoyed that I was sitting so stinkin’ long.  I got there at 3:15pm and wasn’t called back until after 4pm.  Granted, my appointment was at 4pm, but at most places, if you get there early and before other folks, they bring you back early and before other folks.  Not the case…saw folks come in after me and go back before me.  And just when I started to feel like I was going to morph into a possessive 4-year old (“no, MY baby!  don’t touch!”) who thinks the world should be fair (“it’s MY turn!!!”), they called me back.

By then Cooper was crying unconsolably and pitifully…didn’t want to eat, didn’t want to be rocked, and certainly didn’t want to be stripped-down and poked and prodded.  Turns out that child’s fever jumped to 103.2.  So we got some Tylenol there, got a flu test, declared bacteria-and-flu-free, and sent home with the usual “fluids, humidifier, fever-reducer, but-don’t-you-dare-even-think-of-a-decongestant-or-anything-that-might-remotely-make-him-feel-and-sleep-better”.   I still hate whoever took infant decongestant from me.

So I have been spending a LOT of quality time with a baby who is so congested and miserable that he sits and breathes with his tongue hanging out slightly of his mouth, accompanied by a nice phlegmy rattle and snot dripping down his nose.