Post Plague Reflections

Did you know that the average baby has six colds before his/her first birthday? Six.

When I read that statistic on the Mayo Clinic website, I was like "Dang. If Elena was sick that often she'd definitely be an only child." Heck, if we're being honest here (which, of course, we are), one little respiratory infection was enough to make this momma-bear re-think procreating. Ever. Again.

Like, "Hello, lifetime supply of birth control!"

If you think I'm kidding, let me be clear: I'm not kidding.

The past 10 days of my life have been a nightmare. For me. For Elena. For Jonathan. E'rybody.

Via

THANK GOD Elena is finally back to normal (for the most part, anyway).

And thank God she is such a healthy baby. The 10-day plague was the one and only illness she's experienced in her first year of life. I cannot imagine taking care of a sick baby times six.

And, now that I'm feeling somewhat human again, too, I've had some time to reflect on The Plague experience and what I've learned from it. Here are the highlights...

• Owning a good thermometer is so, so, so important. The thermometer we registered for when I was pregnant turned out to be a piece of junk. I knew Elena was feverish, but the thermometer insisted her temperature was 94 degrees. 94. Really.
  
  When I took her to the doctor, I learned that her temperature was actually 102 degrees. (Poor baby.) The pediatrician recommended buying a temporal thermometer. More specifically; an Exergen brand temporal thermometer. (It's the same brand they use at the doc's office.) I picked one up at Walgreen's on the way home. Excellent purchase.

Via

•  My patience supply only lasts five days. During the first few days of The Plague, I was like, "Aw. Poor baby. Let mommy snuggle you." By day eight, it was more like, "Will you please stop using my shirt as a snot rag?!"
• I lost 5 pounds on The Plague diet. Sweet.

Peace out, Plague!