Fresh Air

After 2 weeks of being couped up in our house, Mommy needed some fresh air today! Not only has it rained every day since we returned from Tahoe but I developed bronchitis upon our return home, and T has been having a bad run of sleepless nights ever since then as well. He had a fever last week and then recently began coming down with the same symptoms as me and had a fever up to 103 for 2 days this week also. Being 8 months pregnant and miserably sick with the addition of a sick child who is only sleeping 3-4 hours at night if that, is no walk in the park.

I've never had bronchitis before so this experience was all new; in general since I was a child, I have been quite healthy with the exception of the occasional ear infection. This virus caused me to be terribly SOB constantly, with wheezing and such a deep painful cough. Sleeping was difficult because I had to sit up in order to get the full expansion of my lungs without feeling like I was suffocating. And let's face, who sleeps well sitting upright?

Thankfully my Dad and Jason really helped me out and pretty much forced me to stay home from work to get the rest my body needed. Jason doesn't miss work often, especially right now since he is just in the early phases of his biggest job since becoming a foreman. So for him to tell me he's staying home for 2 days and making me call in sick to work so he could help out must have meant I sounded pretty awful. It really made a world of difference for me to have that support from him. Truth be told, I think Jason often thinks as me as Super-Mom, being nurse and all gives him the sense that I know what I'm doing, leaving me to take care of things myself. So when we are sick he tends to just let me do the caring and tending, which lets be honest we as Moms would rather do anyways, and steers clear of the germs. After all, one of us has to be healthy enough to keep going to work! Plus he's a big baby when he's sick!

So here we are, on Monday, the start of the third week since initially getting sick. I am not fully recovered, still having intermittent wheezing and SOB prompting me to still need the Albuterol inhaler but I have some energy. T has a very wet sounding cough, but it's not very frequent and he has been fever-free for over 3 days with no complaints of ear pain and such so I suspect he will get through this virus without complications. He has slept between 10-11 hours the last 2 nights...Hallelujah. It's a beautiful partly sunny day so I took T to Almaden Lake to walk the trail for about an hour. He got to do what he loves the best which is collect sticks and rocks, watch the geese and explore to his hearts content.

We do have a few behavior issues to start ironing out however - most mom's would agree that when children have had a bout of illness or have been stuck indoors for some time, poor behavior can develop. I think what did it was that I lost my voice for 5 days, so needless to say disciplining my child was no easy task. Trying to redirect my son's behavior, or address his frustration about something, or just plain say no was physically impossible and he doesn't exactly understand sign language! What could I do?

I'm just happy to have gotten out today, take in some warm sunshine with my little guy, and get some exercise on the trail. I know that my cough is going to linger for at least another week or so but I'm feeling thankful we have gotten through the worst of it.