Poor Little Fella

After a steady run of fantastic weeks, this week was a blip. We have found out that little H isn’t the best when it comes to feeling under the weather. Yes, I know this sounds harsh – I mean who is great when they don’t feel well? But after listening to a constant whinge for a good 8 hours a day, we can safely say that Harrison doesn’t react too well.
It started on the weekend. Nanny and Poppa were down and they noticed that he had a bit of a cough. We didn’t think too much of it and went about business as usual: park, backyard, kicking balls, wrestling, the norm. On Sunday it still wasn’t too bad but he was still coughing and on Monday it was slightly more noticeable.
Things came to a head on Tuesday. The cough had been there for a few days but not so much during the day. He had a slightly runny nose but nothing that he hasn’t got over quickly before, but as we got closer to bedtime the coughing started to ramp up. It hit a crescendo when in bed. The poor little bugger would cough and cough and cough. We kept checking on him, but he was still asleep. Then Lisa’s nightmare happened: there was a wet sound and he was sick.
Obviously he doesn’t know how to properly clear his airways when he has loads of mucus on his chest, as he is only 2 years old so he just coughs until it comes up. It was only a bit so we cleaned it up and he was so tired that he went straight back to sleep, only to perform the same act about 30 minutes later. A complete change of clothes was required this time and a cuddle and off to sleep again.
In the morning the coughing was as bad as it was at night. Every time he tried to do anything active, it would set off a coughing fit, so off to the doctor we went. After checking him over, we were reassured it was nothing too sinister, just a little virus and hopefully he will be over it soon. That didn’t stop the poor bugger coughing though. Up until now he had been eating as normal, but this lunch was the first time he pretty much refused to eat. This is very unusual as he is one of the worlds’ best eaters I would suggest.
I think this was around the time that he started to feel the effects. There was a lot of whinging going on and a lot of ‘mummy/daddy pick me up.’ When he was picked up he would just whinge and cry when you tried to do anything and when you put him down he would just cry again.
His language is so good but he was just crying and whinging and not telling us what was wrong. There is nothing harder than seeing your child in distress and not being able to do anything about it. I think that it may have just been frustration that he didn’t know what was going on nor could he stop it, but he wasn’t a happy bunny.
After a complete refusal of dinner, it was bed time. I went out to meet a friend and when I came back about 10pm he was still awake, lying down with Mummy, his little body not letting him sleep but he seemed in good spirits despite this. Eventually I slept in his room (or tried to with the noises coming out of him) and he got about 6 odd hours kip (we got about 3).
On Thursday, the morning coughing hit a crescendo and breakfast was refused. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and we had been told by the doctor to keep him as calm as possible and inside in the warm. Well keeping calm is not in ol’ Harrison’s vocab, so we had to resort to a day of TV and we don’t care. He was operating on fumes when I put him down for his afternoon nap but he only got an hour and a half of broken, coughing sleep. When he woke up though a crumpet was ordered from the kitchen which was a very positive sign, and dinner was half eaten.
The coughing has almost abated now, we are on the home stretch we hope and the whinging is now only occurring when you stop him listening to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles song, so back to how it was before. Hopefully we won’t have to deal with this again for a while. Happy fathering.

Well it had to happen some time

Another week, another week where I learn about my little fella that much more. To be honest, compared to some other babies, although it has been bloody hard at times, we have had it pretty damn good with our little bundle of joy. This week he got sick for the first time. I know it happens and it has to happen, but nothing can prepare you for your little person actually getting sick. Lis called me at work around 5.00 just as I was packing to leave and said ‘Harrison’s not very well.’ I cannot tell you the feeling of dread and fear that knotted in my stomach. Apparently he had read a temperature of over 38 and was just lying in her arms, something he never does, when he wakes up he is on, so him being all calm and placid was very strange.

I jumped in the car to get home, trying to break land speed records and swearing violently if someone was in front of me not going fast enough or if the lights dared to go red rather than let me through. Once home and bursting through the door in a complete state of panic, I got out to the garden to see le chunk doing what he loves to do, eating grass and climbing all over mummy. His temperature was coming right down and it looked as if he was feeling a lot better (we love you baby Panadol).

Being the over cautious parents we are, we checked his temperature approximately every 13.6 seconds to ensure everything was normal for the rest of the evening and gave him loads of water. Everything seemed fine for a couple of days, he wasn’t finishing his bottles but he was having a fair bit of food prior so we weren’t too concerned, he wasn’t weeing as much so trying to plough him with water was our number 1 aim.

On Friday night, he had a rash in is nappy area, this is the first time that had happened and we thought it could be nappy rash, when he woke up on Saturday the rash had spread to his shoulders, face and the top of his back. Panic stations re-assumed. We got him into the drs that morning and did another 8742 temperature checks.

The Doc looked him over, he was in good spirits, trying to grab anything he could, almost ruining his records on the computer by hitting the keyboard when we didn’t pull him too far away. He suggested it could be Roseola. This is when a baby has a fever for a bit and the rash is just the bug leaving the body.  We were relieved, it was horrible to see this rash spreading all over our little man but this was reassuring.

We kept an eye on him over the next couple of days, the rash got horrendous by Saturday night but on Sunday it was on the wane and by Sunday night was basically gone. He was back to eating everything put in front of him (and some things that weren’t) and his happy, laughing personality was back. Thank goodness it wasn’t more serious, but now he has been ill for the first time, we kind of know what to expect and his little immune system has had its first work out. Hopefully there won’t be too many more, my nerves and the roads of Sydney probably can’t take that but fortunately we have a beautiful, happy, healthy baby at home again.

Happy fathering.