When the Little One gets sick

When Adeleigh gets sick, she gets sick. None of this 24-hour bug stuff. We're talking 120- to 168-hour bugs that like to float around our home. I know how much you want to come meet them all :)
After the last few bouts of baby illnesses, the day that The Husband and I don't call out for work due to a sick child, is usually the day that one or both of us has just caught the latest nasty virus. We try to justify her exposure to germs as helping to build her immune system. I promise we wash her hands regularly. And we keep a clean house. But when she gets sick, I can't help but replay the previous few days and consider all of the things we should have done differently to prevent this from happening. But, too much of that just drives me crazy. And Phaeton always says "should" is a dirty word. Either you "did" or you "didn't". But none of this "should have" business. So, hopefully she can get all these viruses out of her system early on and be one of those immune phenomenons that never gets sick anymore. That would give me one less thing to stress out about. So, with every new illness, Phaeton and I are better prepared and equipped to combat it and help our little girl find relief.
Here are some things we've learned:

• Many liquid meds, like Benadryl and antibiotics, taste absolutely awful and don't stand a chance of staying down unless drizzled over strawberry icecream. Our favorite is Breyer's. Be sure to get yourself a bowl too (sans medicine). Because you deserve it.

• Sometimes allergies won't show up until a child's second round of taking a drug. We learned this with Amoxicillin. Last month, Adeleigh broke out into an allergy rash on top of a viral rash she had, her second time of taking the drug. On top of that med, she had to start a new med to treat an ear infection, plus take a few doses of Benadryl to calm the allergic reaction. That's a lot of meds to have to feed a sick baby.

• You are not a bad parent if you have to force-feed your child fluids or medicine. I have to keep reminding myself of this one. As brutal as it may be for everyone in the house, sometimes it's necessary. Sometimes, for us, the force-feed method isn't effective unless both parents are present though. When I try it on my own, both Adeleigh and I tend to end up both in tears, covered head-to-toe in thick, gooey medicine. So, we time our medicine feedings for when we'll have help. 

• Don't exhaust yourself looking up your child's symptoms on the internet. It's absolutely terrifying what you will find. Online, almost every symptom "may lead to death." Last month, when looking up Adeleigh's Adenovirus diagnosis online, almost every article I Google-searched called it "The Killer Cold." You can imagine the panic that started to creep in. Save yourself the heart palpitations and call the doctor, even if it's 2 a.m. And don't hesitate to ASK A TON OF QUESTIONS. 

• If it's been hours and you're still anxiously awaiting a call back from the doc, call a pharmacist. Depending on your question, they may be able to help. (Michael, the pharmacist for our local Walgreens, and I have become great friends! Well, at least on my end. I probably annoy the hell out of him. But hey, at least I'm at ease.)

• It's possible (in our house, probable) that with each new illness, comes a new round of sleep-training. When Adeleigh gets sick, we either bring her in our bed to snuggle or stay in her room all night. So when everyone is back to healthy, we usually have a few more nights of getting her used to sleeping by herself again. 

• Utilize your friends and family for advice and support as much as possible. Sometimes hearing other's experiences and advice helps to ease whatever stresses and worries you may have. Also, after a few days of having a quarantined sick baby, finding a gluten-free ButterCream cupcake on your doorstep might be just what you need to power through a few more days. (Thanks, Shay!)

• If you asked me, I'd say it's okay to let your sick child do things you wouldn't normally let her do - such as, watch PBS cartoons all day long, pull the cat's tail, or play with your keys until the Panic button goes off. If anything, you would have allowed for a few extra giggles on an otherwise mopey day.

• The #1 remedy for making a sick baby a little more comfortable is to snuggle. A lot. As heartbreaking and difficult as it is for everyone when she's unwell, snuggling always makes us slow down our busy lives and really focus on what's most important, which is a little reminder that all of us need from time to time.

If anyone has any advice to pass along, please share. I know we'll be crossing this bridge at least a few more times :)

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After nearly a week of resisting the temptation to go spread the love of Hand, Foot & Mouth disease around town, all of the Gaglios can't wait to get back to the outside world and go play with this guy -