A Sick Little One

The last week the Ley house has been germ central.

Call it… The Ley Family vs RSV.

Brady got it first. Then I got it. Then Bryan got it. At least the dog didn’t get it. That’d be a 150lb disaster (no really, Briggs is a bull mastiff). It was a miserable week. This was Brady’s first time being sick ever and my first experience with a sick little one.

I think a number of times this week I said all I want is my mama. (Nana, we’ll see you on Friday!)

Brady has a little play group that we spend time with on Fridays and our little group passed it back and forth to each other. Thank goodness for good mama friends. It was so good to be able to lean on each other for support.

And today it was Mama vs Germs. Every door and window was opened. Every surface was disinfected. Every article of clothing/linen was washed. I had to laugh when I typed the title to this post – if there was any way to simplify life with a sick little one… well, the person who invented that method would be rich. Life this week was anything but simple as I tried to manage a busy work-week and a very sick little boy/husband/self, but hopefully this quick list will help some mama who’s searching the internet on her iPhone in the middle of the night while she rocks her stuffy little one back to sleep for the umpteenth time. A few things I couldn’t have made it through the week without:

1. Crane Cool Mist Humidifier: We have the frog version, but how cute is this little thing. Secret: I may or may not have had a small fascination with cows growing up. We put Brady’s frog humidifier near his crib every night to help open his chest and help him breathe better.
2. Amazon Mom: If you are a mama (or heck, anyone) and don’t know about the Amazon Prime Membership, you’re missing out. For $79 a year, Amazon Prime members receive free two-day shipping and $3.99 overnight shipping. If I had a dollar for every Amazon box I’ve had to break down, I’d be a millionaire. I remember when I was nursing and I’d remember (at 3am of course) that I was out of face wash. Done. Ordered on my iPhone with Amazon One-Click and my Prime Membership. Perhaps I’ve gotten a little TOO good at this…
3. A Sense of Humor: Having a sick little one is no joke. In fact, the experience I had introducing Brady to the nebulizer was my worst mom-experience to date. It broke my heart. But in our house, if we can’t laugh, we don’t survive. We had to sing and dance and make funny faces in the mirror with Brady to keep the mood light. That little boy will smile through the hardest of things. He has such a happy demeanor. I read this about JOY the other day and keep thinking about it… Joy is not happiness, which depends upon happenings, but it is a deep settled inner pleasure. That’s my B. What a lesson he teaches us with his joy everyday.
4. VeggieTales: I’m not a huge fan of lots of TV time, but I would be lying if I told you Brady didn’t get a little VeggieTales (or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or Sid the Science Kid) time everyday. : )  The nebulizer was so hard to get Brady used to. What we figured out, is if we put VeggieTales on TV – something fun like Silly Songs with Larry (the Cucumber!) Brady was mesmerized enough to let us hold it in front of him. After a while, he started to play with it. We let him hold it while it was on so that he could see it wasn’t scary. I’ve learned that as long as he feels safe, he’s happy. And as quick as it started, the big fear of the crazy nebulizer machine subsided. Now he lets us hold him (I sit with him in my lap) with just a few squirms.
5. Smart Water: I unfortunately got sick just a few days after Brady. And I’m also notorious for never drinking water (coffee or Diet Coke? Yes, please.) I stocked up on these at the beginning of last week so that I had enough around to grab in a hurry.
6. Popsicles: Growing up, if we were sick, we got a “sickie present.” I can’t help but carry on the tradition – even if my version is full of sugar. We gave Brady a popsicle in the bathtub every night after his last breathing treatment. No, he didn’t really know what to do with it and half the time he dropped it and just played with it in the warm water. But his first taste was a sight to behold.
7. Iced Lattes + Starbucks Pay By Phone: Enough said. I would not survive without caffeine. Greatest thing ever – Starbucks now lets customers pay with their iPhones! I have a gift card that’s set to auto-reload – I hooked it up to my iPhone and now I just show that puppy and don’t’ think about a thing. Some things are a little too easy.
8. Mio + Mao: You might not recognize these two. But you should download their app if you have a little one. Since Brady was three months old, he’s been FASCINATED with them. Some of his first laughs were at these two. Mio + Mao are two kitties – clay-mation stars of their own little show. There are no words just silly little sounds as they explore the world during each of their short adventures. When we were at the doctor’s office three times last week, these two kept Brady happy while we waited.
9. Mrs. Meyers Clean Day All Purpose Cleaner: Today it was me against the germs. I love Mrs. Meyers products because they’re organic and smell SO good. I love Meyer lemons so much and hello, look at that amazing packaging!

In short, this week was rough. I should have a #10 up there with a photo of our amazing friends who called to check on us, shared their RSV stories and gave us much needed advice. Thank goodness for good girlfriends. And thank goodness for my own mama who walked me through a hard week.

Cheers to a clean, healthy, joyful week ahead!

xo

Emily

I can’t publish this post without a very serious end note. All week long, I’ve though time and time again of my dear, dear friend Natalie Norton. Natalie and her husband Richie lost their sweet Gavin to Pertussis (Whooping Cough) when he was just a few weeks old.  If you have a few moments, hear their story. Get vaccinated. And spread the word. Many pediatric offices now offer the vaccine to parents and children.