Bronchiolitis

If you think we were ignoring you this week, not answering phone calls, not calling back, not answering texts, not leaving comments on your blog, missing story time, play group, beach day, etc. I appologize. We were hiding under a rock. Because we love you. And wanted you to stay healthy.

We had some friends come and stay with us about a week and half ago. J insisted on stealing their little girls' sippy cup the whole time they were here. Result: the same runny nose as her.

Unfortunately, J just so happens to be a product of respiratory-issued-parents. Poor guy. After we put him to bed last Sunday, within 12 hours, the usual-runny-nose-because-your-kid-just-has-a-cold-thing, turned into full blown bronchiolitis. J was up every few hours at night, gasping for air, wheezing, coughing, crying, whimpering, etc. It was pretty dang sad.

I took him into the doctor the first thing the next morning. The nurse took one look at him and said, "Oh dear. We have a problem." Not a comforting comment. Well yes, that's why we're here. Every breath, his poor little chest would heave and hoe, and you could hear the rattling in there. At that point, he really was just exhausted, and whimpering like a little puppy, melted into my arms. How does stuff like this even happen to kids in Hawaii? It's 80 degrees outside, for heavens sake!!

Gosh dangit.

Then the doctor came in, checked him out, listened to him breath, took his temperature, yadda yadda yadda, then said, "Well, good thing you brought him in the morning. If you had waited until just this afternoon, we would of sent him straight to the hospital with full blown pneumonia." After chatting it up, he informed us that J more than likely will have asthma (NOT really a surprise. Chris had really bad asthma as a kid, and I gave my parents a run for their money too), and this will not be the last time rushing him into the doctors office; where normal kids are not a concern when it comes to fevers, colds, etc, you need to really keep a watchful eye on him! Kids like this just get really bad, really quick. This is something you guys will battle with him for the next few years."

Awesome.

It took a lot of me to not crumble into a ball and start crying. I just held onto the poor sucker, and nodded as he went on and on. My poor little baby! He really was quite pathetic. Doc gave J some steroids, about 4 other drugs, and a fancy pants nebulizer machine of our very own. J was actually a total trooper, doing the nebulizer treatments every four hours this past week. Really. He was awesome. A TOTAL surprise. He would just plop down on our lap when he knew it was time, and suck on the stupid machine for about ten minutes before we had to really force him to finish up the last few minutes. I'm so glad he seemed to understand that it was just something he needed to do, otherwise, I don't think I could have fought him. It would have been ugly.

So, that is what we have been up to. In a weird way, I'm glad the weather has been pretty crummy this past week; it made the fact that we were condemned inside, less of an ordeal. I got to cuddle with my little boy more in a DAY, then I have his whole life. It was bliss!! And it happened EVERY DAY. For that, I am grateful.

But, I just wish we didn't have to go to such extremes to get in some snuggle time...

Anyway, we are back, and ready to rumble.