Sick

William got croup for the first time last week. I first noticed that he was starting to act funny on Saturday. He wasn't eating as much as he normally would, and he seemed a lot sleepier than usual. He wanted to go down for his nap and bedtime earlier, and slept longer. That part lasted until Tuesday night and I just thought that maybe he was going through a growth spurt, or was fighting an illness off. Then on Tuesday night, just as we were going to bed, I heard him let out a few bark-like coughs. I checked on him and his breathing seemed fine so I left him to sleep. But he slept great that night regardless! 

 The next morning (Wednesday), he woke up totally miserable and constantly barking/coughing. It was evident at that point that he had croup. He started off with a fever of 101.3 and after giving him some Tylenol, it came down and he seemed to at least be in less pain. He was so listless though. He just wanted to be held constantly. I turned on some cartoons and cuddled him in my lap and we stayed there all day. He took a long nap and went to bed early. The poor thing was just so miserable and would cry if you left him for even a minute. Thursday was much the same. He wouldn't eat and the only thing we could get him to drink was clear Gatorade. At least he was drinking though! In 3 days, the only thing Will would eat (total) was 3 oz of oatmeal, a handful of cereal, one small bite of applesauce, a handful of goldfish crackers and a half of one pear wedge. That's it! He was drinking 12-15oz of Gatorade daily until Friday, when he reduced his intake to maybe 7oz all day. I think that was the day he felt the worst. On Friday I took him into the doctor, since I also had a prenatal appointment that day. They told me to let him have his fever, and only administer Tylenol if he seemed to be in pain, or if the fever shot up past 103. They said his lungs sounded clear, despite the cough and nasal congestion. His nose just constantly ran. Saturday was about the same. He was lethargic, refused to eat, cried if you weren't holding him and coughed and sneezed constantly. The Nose Frida Snot Sucker definitely came in handy multiple times! Luckily Michael was there to help out over the weekend.

Friday morning around 4am, I woke up to pee and noticed that my throat hurt and my lungs felt some pressure, and that's when I knew that I too was getting sick. By Saturday morning I felt awful. It is so hard to take care of a child who feels just as miserable as you do. Thank goodness Michael was here to take over! By Sunday Will definitely had more energy. He still wasn't eating and still cried a lot, but he did seem more vital. Monday was my worst day of illness. I felt like I had gotten run over by a truck. My whole body ached like I had the flu, my lungs hurt, my throat hurt and I was so, so tired. I could now totally relate to how poor Will must have been feeling all this time. Fortunately Monday was also that day that Will made a big improvement! He seemed peppier, and ate and drank a ton more than he had been. He was still a little grouchy, but at least consented to be left on his own for a few minutes at a time here and there. Not that I wanted to move anyway!

By Tuesday morning Will seemed to feel pretty much back to normal, and I felt a little better. Definitely on the upswing. This has been by far, the worst illness we have ever had in the last 3 years. I guess I should count my blessings that we haven't had to deal with worse in Will's 18 months with us. Having a sick baby is the worst. So the moral of this story is, don't get croup!

P.S. I found that a combo of Vicks VapoSteam and Elderberry cough syrup did wonders for Will's cough and ability to breathe! Definitely doing that again next time!