sick + sick + sick + sick = house of woe

Ugh, what a week last week was! We’ve certainly had our share of colds in this household, but this one was a real whammy. And we all got it at the same time. Not fair, these things are supposed to be staggered. At least then I might have gotten a little bit of sleep to help me recover quicker and been able to pass the time catching up on episodes of Lost or Dexter – instead the hours and minutes ticked by in slow motion as we all OD’d on kid TV. Please oh please, no more Yo Gabba Gabba!

The interesting thing is that we all experienced the same cold in very different ways:

  • Ashton had a fever off and on for three days including chills/sweats one night. Coughing so bad he’d barf up his food and coughing fits would keep him up at night crying in pain. Went on a food strike too where he’d only eat soft foods – ie. lots of yogurt and bananas. Was very tired and lethargic, and still not sleeping well at night after 8 days of cold.
  • Brennan only had fever for a few hours. Skipped the nasal congestion and went immediately to phlegmy cough and wheezing (he sounds like a little dinosaur when he coos). Doesn’t act sick during the day, but very fussy at night and will not sleep unless held. Reflux has increased significantly.
  • Daddy mostly tired and lethargic, with slight congestion and cough
  • Mommy suffered mainly sinus headaches, with watery eyes and itchy, sneezy nose. Mild sore throat, but mainly from dryness of antihistamines. Still heavily congested and irritating cough after 6 days.

The week’s highlights included a 4-hour bout of toddler insomnia one night where symptoms were nearly absent – he just didn’t want to sleep. A half hour of Blues Clues finally did the trick. And of course a lovely trip to Costco one afternoon when Ashton seemed on the mend and full of energy culminated in a major barfing episode in the middle of the bakery section. Only minutes before he had been joyously running around the meat freezers. All over my plain white tee-shirt, in my hair, through his clothes, and on the floor. Thank goodness he missed the cupcakes that he was poking at only seconds earlier.

Sibling Rivalry

I had hoped that this wouldn’t be an issue. Many online mommy forums have talked about how they negated the rivalry issue by having the kids close together. Guess we’re not so lucky.

Ashton’s first reactions to Brennan were of complete indifference. When Brennan first came home, Ashton looked at him for a few seconds and then focused his attention to the more interesting infant carrier. Over the first week, he would point at the baby every now and then and say THAT! I guess as in “What’s that!?”. And he would climb onto my lap, even if occupied with baby, without so much as blinking. Same went for going from point A to point B (usually while laying in the bed). If baby was in the way, baby would get  stepped on (except that we managed to intercept each time).

After the indifference, came the mocking. Brennan would be screaming at the top of his lungs, and Ashton would verbally mimic the baby. Wah, wah, wah. Little shit!

Now we’ve moved on to the jealousy stage. Ashton now expresses his frustration by acting out, shrill whining, and more tantrums. He becomes neediest when I’m occupied with baby. That’s when he most wants to be held, or to be read a book. Ashton frequently steals and drinks from the baby’s bottle and sucks on baby’s pacifier (even though Ashton gave it up around 9 months). And he does not like it AT ALL when Brennan occupies the baby swing that was once Ashton’s and that he has reclaimed as his own. Nap times have been the biggest struggle. Though I try to get Brennan to sleep before putting Ashton down for a nap, it doesn’t always work out (since it’s too early for Brennan to be on any kind of schedule). If I have to divert my attentiion to baby during the nap process, Ashton takes advantage of the situation by trying to crawl out of bed. And the tantrums are ugly when I put baby down and pull Ashton back into bed.

But, all hope is not lost. In the past week, Ashton has taken a bit more interest in baby, mainly in pointing out his different parts (ears, nose, etc.) This also involves poking baby’s eyes, but I don’t think this is malicious (Ashton actually pokes his own eyes when he’s sleepy). And the book that Grandma Smith bought him about the little boy with a new baby brother has suddenly become a favorite. And today he gave his baby brother Doll a bottle for the first time. We bought the doll with hopes that it could be a teaching tool for how to gently care for a baby.

Read to me mommy!

Read to me mommy!

My baby seat

My baby seat

My swing!

My swing!

History San Jose

This year, Daniel sang with a group of Victorian Carolers comprised of folks from Lyric Theatre. One of the performances was at the San Jose History Park’s Heritage Holiday event. Daddy took Ashton to the mini train museum during one of his singing breaks, and Ashton enjoyed running around the grounds while mommy tried to chase him (quite challenging considering I had the baby too). Thank God Cara was there to help.

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Never too young for Halloween

Though a costume might have been a little much for a newborn, I found a few pairs of Halloween jammies in the prior month that were too irresistable to pass up. Brennan models them here.

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On Halloween night, Ashton went mall trick-or-treating with Grandma, Erin, and Kaylin. Brennan stayed home and cuddled with mommy, with a pumpkin tribute placed on the front porch.

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