Tis the (Other) Season

2010 has gotten off to a rough start for poor Jackson :( It started with needing to get back on a good schedule after all of our traveling, then he got a stomach bug, and now he has a horrible cold! He had his 15 month well check-up last Wednesday and he was already on day 2 of slight sniffles. The doctor didn't detect anything other than that. Seriously, that afternoon I could tell he was getting a touch worse. Fast forward to Saturday and he had a super runny nose, cough, and an odor! Eek! That was kind of weird, but we just chalked it up to him being sick. He slept surprisingly well Friday and Saturday nights. During the days he was stuffy and drippy. Sunday night was a bit more rough and he just didn't look good Monday morning. I went ahead and called the doctor's office and a nurse called back. When I mentioned the odor, she said that wasn't normal and we should come in. As the morning wore on, it seemed like Jackson was getting warmer too... Extra glad we were going in!

We saw a really nice nurse practitioner (the practice is so big, and we've had a relatively happy baby, that we still haven't seen everyone!) and she agreed that Jackson's odor was really strong. LOL I had kind of gotten used to it... She said one of his ears just had clear fluid, but she could tell the other one was on it's way to becoming infected. She also some some white stuff on his tonsils. She had him tested for strep (SO not a fun time for Jackson, but not as bad as I thought it would be), and I think sBhe and I were both surprised that it came back negative. She said the bumps on his tonsils COULD turn into blisters that are a form of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease. That doesn't sound good! But, she was prescribing amoxicillan anyways, so I'm assuming that would combat that too if that's what it is! He also did have a temp of 101.7. Poor little guy!

We picked up his prescription at CVS along with some lotioned up Kleenex and some Motrin. We've been giving him Motrin every six hours and he's had three doses of the antibiotic. He seems better personality-wise, but he is still really congested :( Last night was a rough, rough sleep night. He kept waking up needing major consolation before settling back down. He did settle back down at 5 this morning until 6:30. That was a nice change of pace. Yesterday he took quite a few short naps, but today he was back to the two short naps. I'm definitely not worrying about a schedule until he feels better!

It's amazing how much worse a cold seems when it's your little baby! I know it's that time of year and kids get sick all the time, but it's just a much bigger deal for a little guy!

Bath time has been the highlight of Jackson's days while not feeling well! I don't think he can tell that his nose is running while he's playing in the tub. He also has really enjoyed getting out in the fresh air for walks with Pax. I noticed today that his nose didn't run at all while we were out!


I did have a genius moment when I realized safety Q-Tips are great for cleaning out little noses and applying clear Desitin to sooth the little, raw nostrils! Go me! Hey, I need to feel like I'm doing something to help my poor, sad bug!!! On a side note, I think these Q-tips are genius! I haven't ever worried about hurting Jackson while cleaning out his ears. He thinks they are fabulous too and doesn't mind when I use them. Funny kid....