Those Newborn Days

Since Thanksgiving, we have had only two days (last Thursday and Friday) where both Tiny and Buba were fever free. We made another trip to our pediatrician’s office yesterday, and he confirmed that yes, they are both sick (most likely they caught another virus just days after recovering from the first one), but they do not have strep or  the flu. I was really concerned because they’d both had high fevers (over 104) while also having chills, so it was good to learn that they’re not seriously ill (as in needing hospitalizations). But it’s still been so sad to see them feeling so yucky.

To me, having sick kids feels an awful lot like some of those tough newborn days. Buba and Tiny need a lot more hands on care, and we’re all getting a lot less sleep. Yesterday, we literally had hours of time where Buba and Tiny did not want to do anything. No books, no toys, no singing. They just wanted to sit in Mommy and Daddy’s arms with their heads resting on our chests (thank goodness T was able to take a sick day from work, or I’d have had a much tougher day). And last night, after getting the kids to sleep around 7:15pm, there was crying at 9:15pm, 11:30pm, 12:30am, 1:00am, 1:15am, and 2:30am- sometimes it was Tiny, sometimes Buba, sometimes both. We rocked them, and rubbed their backs, and whispered sweet lullabies, and gave medicine when it was needed. But sometimes it wasn’t enough to soothe them, and they still cried and cried and cried. When they both slept from 3 to 7am, I rejoiced in the 4 hours of sleep I was able to get- the same way I did in those first few days and months.

In spite last night’s much interrupted sleep, both Buba and Tiny seem to be feeling much better today. Tiny’s fever is down, and overall, her spirits have been up. Buba’s fever still requires some medication, and he’s still requesting a fair amount of lap time. But he’s played more on his own today than he did yesterday. I’m hopeful that we’ve turned a corner and that we’ll be able to go back to getting out and about later in the week. I’m sure we’ll all feel better when we can be busy again.