Dominic's 1st Ear Infection(s)

As if readjusting after traveling wasn’t going to be challenging enough for Dominic (and therefore me too), then he became sick with a cold and a double ear infection (his first ear infection).  We arrived home from Asheville on Tuesday afternoon and all of a sudden Dominic started sneezing  a lot and having a very runny nose that night.  Then Dominic ended up being awake for half the night, meaning I had to stay up half the night with my sick, little baby.  Not fun.  He seemed tired, but the poor little guy couldn’t breathe or sleep comfortably.  I would put him back in his crib and rub his back as he fell back asleep, but as soon as I would stop rubbing, Dominic would start crying again.  After a couple of hours of this, I eventually brought him into our bed where he finally fell asleep in the early morning hours.  What a terrible night’s sleep that was, and poor Brian had to go to work the next day. 

Sick little boy with his runny nose

 Wednesday I went to take Dominic’s temperature as he obviously was sick, but of course his rectal thermometer was broken!  He felt a little warm all morning, so I asked my mom to get one for me while she was at the store.  That afternoon she brought it over, and I was alarmed to discover that Dominic had a fever of 103.7 degrees.    This was his highest fever ever.  I called the pediatrician’s office and immediately took Dominic in.  Because Dr. Smith, Dominic’s regular pediatrician, wasn’t in the office that day, Dominic saw Dr. Alli.  I had researched her when Dominic was just born and know that her specialty is babies, which made me feel better.  It turns out that Dominic not only had a cold but also a double ear infection that we caught very early.  The doctor said that the fever appeared to be due to the cold though instead of the ear infection.  She prescribed Dominic amoxicillin for his ear infection.  That is the yummy antibiotic (“pink medicine”) that I used to love as a kid. 

As a result of being sick, readjusting to the trip, and then later we came to find out teething, Dominic’s sleep became completely screwed up.  Wednesday night he slept well, but his naps continued to be a problem.  Then on Thursday night he was up yet again...meaning that I was too.  Meanwhile, with the lack of sleep and being snotted and sneezed on more times than I care to remember, I was now feeling sick, just in time for New Year's Eve on Friday. 

On New Years Eve, Brian, Dominic, and I had a busy evening.  It started with the 3 of us going on a triple date with our friends from playgroup – Sabrina, her husband Brian, and their baby Hannah.  We went to a delicious Vietnamese restaurant in Dunwoody.  It was a little crazy having 2 babies to deal with at dinner, but it was fun. 

Then Brian, Dominic, and I headed over to our neighbor’s New Year’s Eve party for a little bit.  After that, we went down to Virginia Highlands to Brian’s friend Nathan’s new house for his NYE party.  We only intended to stay till 10 or so because we had Dominic with us.  Brian and I were waiting for Dominic to start fussing and rubbing his eyes to let us know he was ready for bed at any minute and that we needed to go, but that never happened.  We ended up not leaving until midnight.  I never would have thought Dominic would stay up that late, but his messed up sleep schedule I guess allowed him to be up till midnight, in a great mood, and basically bouncing off the walls. 

Midnight on New Year's Eve...Hello, 2011!

The people at the party probably thought Brian and I were crazy having a baby there like that, but it honestly was only because he was already having sleep issues.  Dominic seemed to entertain everyone especially the girls and decided to start waving at everyone (yay for that milestone!).  He was even really friendly with the guys at the party, so I’m hoping this stranger anxiety is on it’s way out! 

Now we’re back to reality here, which is a great thing.  Again, I’m so glad to be back on a schedule for Dominic.  I keep taking him in the shower with me before bed and then try to put him to bed as soon as I he’s had his bedtime bottle after his shower.  Hopefully, this routine will ensure that he feels and sleeps well. 

Dominic has been sleeping through the night the last several nights (knock on wood), which has been great for me especially now that I’m sick with Dominic’s cold.  I even lost my voice last night.  I guess when I get hoarse I need to learn not to sing to Dominic no matter how much he likes it – for whatever reason that is.  Hopefully, Dominic and I will be fully, 100% recovered from this God-awful cold soon. 

2010 was the most wonderful year of my life.  God gave Brian and me the best blessing we could ever dream of…Dominic.  I can’t imagine how 2011 could top that, but I hope this year is another great one for our family.  

Happy boy, feeling better with Daddy!