Little Misters Sunshine: Little bee got sick

When I signed Derek up for day care, I thought it would be hard, but it would be worth it.

It would be hard for me, because I work full time 9 am to 6 pm, 30 miles away from home, and 25 miles away from his day care. If something happens and I need to get to him right away, there's 25 miles between us, or 35 - 4o minutes of driving at full speed without any traffic problem. Especially with my husband gone on business trips for the most part of the week, I'm very scared to think of scenarios such as my car breaking down in the middle of the freeway when I'm trying to go pick him up.

Moreover, it would be hard for him, for being away from home, and for having to adjust to a new environment, at such a young age. It would be hard because he might get sick.

But, it would be worth it because he would be able to build social skills, to learn new things, to accept diversity, and getting sick is an essential process of building immunization.

But never was I able to imagine that signing him up for day care would mean signing him up for constant sickness, from day 1. Day care is a house of germs, and even the healthiest children there will get sick 8-12 times a year, as they pass different viruses around. Essentially they will be sick all the time, for 2 years or so, from one virus after another, before they have their own immunization system.

Apparently it's very painful. Derek had just gone to day care for 2 weeks before I realized that he was very sick. He had a really hard time trying to breathe, didn't want to eat, and threw up after eating. Derek has been home for the last week, and will be all this week as well, because I don't have the heart to bring him back to day care when he's just starting to recover. He's got the RSV virus, which for us adults might just mean a common cold, but for him it was serious. I had to have him breathe with a breathing machine 4 times a day, and treat him for ear infection because he's been sick for so long ( 4 weeks.) Beside constantly worrying about him not being able to breathe, I was worried about dehydration as well, because he was in such pain that he didn't want any liquid at all.

--- (viet tiep)

I'd done everything I could, including feeding him outside, feeding him while he's sleepy, etc., and from 6am to 9pm I'd managed to give him 8 oz. of milk. 8 oz! That's what he'd normally eat in one single meal if he's hungry enough! Poor little thing. When I finally got his virus as well, I understood more about why he didn't, and couldn't eat. In 4 weeks, not only Derek didn't gain any weight, he's lost some!

After days of force-feeding and trick-feeding (feeding while he's asleep, day or night), breathing with breathing machine, and taking antibiotic, he finally got better last weekend. He started to show interest in food, and low and behold, he's gained back 1 pound in just few days!

But what's most remarkable about this, to me, is how happy Derek was! Yes, happy. He's such a happy baby, and nothing, nothing can wear him down. During the hardest time of the period, when he was most sick, he still kept the biggest smile on his face, and never was he clingy or too fussy. If only you could see how he smiled at me despite breathing problem, coughing and running nose... Even when I brought him to the doctor office when he was diagnosed with ear infection (it's very painful), he'd still give everyone the brightest smile, and everyone at the office had commented on what a happy baby he was.

Pictures: Derek's sitting up, and smiling (with a runny nose) :)