Valentine's Day sniffles

It seems as though round two of sniffles has attacked our entire household. Anaïs came home from school with a cough, which prompted me to stock up on antioxidant rich foods to try to nip any illnesses in the bud. Unfortunately, I think I was a little too late because soon after her bout with germs, I suddenly got smacked with a head cold that hit me like a ton of bricks. Let me tell you: Feeling incapacitated while caring for a 6-month-old is quite literally one of the worst things ever. Not only did I feel like a terrible mom, but I also had guilt for possibly passing on my germs to my baby and family.
In true form, the inevitable happened. I was down for the count on a night I was supposed to meet friends out for a concert. At the last minute, I had to bail because I was getting progressively worse as each minute passed. After spending a day and a half in bed with a box of tissues and Netflix, I managed to recover faster than I thought I would. But then, Jesse got hit just as quickly with the cold and was the second man down. Two parents feeling ill with a little one and a cough and a teething baby are seriously no joke. It’s actually quite nightmarish, if I’m being frank. But we kept on truckin’ with homemade soups and broths and lots of blankets and indoor activities. Just when I thought everyone was on the up and up, it hit our poor baby boy.

On top of his teething woes, he finally got smacked with a pitiful cough, a congested nose (thanks to me) and general malaise on Valentine’s Day. He was just starting to sleep for longer stretches of time (9-10 hours!), but once this hit him, he was waking every three hours or so. It’s so sad to see his face covered in snot with tears streaming down his cheeks at 4 in the morning. Luckily he didn’t run a fever, so it was all really just trying to keep him comfortable. There are few things sadder than watching a stuffed up baby try to nurse. He tries to eat, pulls away to breathe, gets frustrated and starts to cry. And that cycle is on repeat until one of his nostrils finally lets air through and he falls asleep while eating. What I’ve noticed, though, is despite his crankiness and frustration, this kid still manages to smile and be really pleasant to be around.
Valentine’s Day this year wasn’t exactly a romantic holiday for us at home, but I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. I was with my husband and kids, albeit stuck at home feeling pretty crappy. Instead of clichéd romance, we opted for snuggles and sweatpants. We may or may not have stolen some of Anaïs’s Valentine’s Day candy from school. And we ordered in and had tacos for dinner while binge-watching Better Call Saul. (Have you seen it?) It was perfect exactly as it was.
As of today, Akira seems to be feeling slightly better. But who are we kidding? I just noticed another tooth on the verge of cutting through his gums. We’re all bracing ourselves for what is to come.