Raspy Ruby, and other sick week highlights.

Gotta love when the whole family gets sick. It’s been a long week. And now I’m reminded that I wasn’t crazy to keep the kids in quarantine after our RSV extravaganza a few months ago. I’m sure I’m sounding redundant (cause, really, you could just go back and re-read one of my old sick baby posts and get pretty much the same information), but when they get sick, everything gets turned upside down, and it takes over all aspects of my life. It’s like I have three needy newborns again! We have had Ruby on the nebulizer every four hours around the clock, and I’ve been sleeping with her on the couch when the nebulizer doesn’t stop the coughing well enough for her to sleep (and my own symptoms keeping me awake the nights before that). She’s on a couple prescriptions, which she resists like crazy every time I get near her with a syringe (my girl is STRONG), but I think we’ve figured out a tear-free technique that works, fingers crossed.  She has been a trooper despite the pain she must have been in. This was my sweetie right before she was diagnosed with a “whopping ear infection” (as the doctor put it). You’ll see I was suspicious when she kept playing with her right ear.

Her raspy voice just melts my heart. But the poor girl’s lungs drive me crazy. The coughing fits, that sometimes last minutes without a break, are so upsetting. I am so thankful she isn’t resistant to the nebulizer like she used to be. I took a couple treatments of wrestling, but now she does it like a champ. I love that machine for helping my babies. When she wakes up coughing in the night, she usually sleeps right through the whole 10 minutes treatment, or just plays with my fingers or tickles my arm. I would be lying if I said I didn’t love this quiet time with my girl. 

The boys have been pretty delightful despite their goopy noses (OH the constant wiping of noses!), and are thankfully wheeze-free, but we have definitely been tested by everyone these past few days. Several nights in a row with very little sleep can really do some damage. One night, at 3 AM Ruby and I were on the nebulizer. And since the boys woke up crying from Ruby’s coughing, they got to join the party in the living room as well, just long enough to give them medicine and calm them down. Alex thought it was a blast, giggling and running around like it was the middle of the day, but Bennett was distraught. I just looked around the room at the chaos, and wondered what had become of my life. Bennett got a special cuddle session with me after the others were back  in bed. When he finally stopped crying, I whispered to him “I love you” and he whispered it back. That is what I call a silver lining. A little while later, he was also in bed snoozing away. Ruby was up with me a little while later though, and flopped around like a fish out of water on my trying to get comfortable. Of course, when she was finally comfortable and sleeping, I was in the most uncomfortable position ever. I was happy when the sun came up this morning, and that night was over. Though, as tired as we were, Ruby entertained us quite a bit while on her albuterol high. That stuff turns my girl into quite the spaz.

Hopefully there are no more ear infections for us this round (ha!wishful thinking), and things will continue to look up. We have had our good moments through all of this. They are pretty happy sick babies a lot of the time, and definitely keep us laughing. Here they are being their cute sick selves.

Does it seems like a lot of my blog material revolves around sleep issues and sickness? Like I said, it takes over my life, and I write what’s on my mind, so that’s what is gonna be. Oh, and I think they got this from the nursery at church. Is it really worth it? I think not.

And, since I’m anxious to move this post down and not dwell on it anymore, another picture party is coming up soon, and you’re all invited!