The Cold Season

Camden has kept us on our toes the last week or so. We took Camden in for his 4-month checkup last Wednesday and everything checked out fine. He had a mild fever, and at the time, the doctor said should run its course in the next few days. He wasn't showing any additional symptoms that would be cause for alarm.

Later in the week, Camden's fever introduced a sneeze and later a runny nose and then a cough followed. We did all the home remedies that we could including giving him a 20 minute bath, a steam shower, and periodic lotion massages to keep him comfortable. His fever didn't really worsen, but it was enough cause for concern that we took him to the doctor on Saturday. Good news was the doctor said we were doing everything right, so that was reassuring. There wasn't a whole lot they could do because it was a virus.

On Monday, his symptoms seemed to have worsened. He had a really bad cough, kind of like a smoker's cough. And his sneezes were turning into snot filled projectiles. So we took him to the doctor again and this time he was officially diagnosed with an acute respiratory virus, which is similar to RSV. Apparently, it's quite common this time of year and spreads easily through the daycare system. Again, nothing the doctor could prescribe to make it go way. It just has to run its course. We did get an accurate assessment from the doctor on how long it might last. He said days 7-8 of the illness would be the toughest and they were.

Kim and I are fortunate to have very understanding employers and coworkers. Neither batted an eye as we rearranged our work schedules to stay home with Camden.

On Friday of this week, Camden really started to come around. Still not 100%, but he was smiling again. We hadn't seen that beautiful, toothless, gummy smile in quite sometime. It was soothing to see him appear comfortable again. Yesterday, he was smiling AND laughing. Signs are looking like he is on his way to full recovery although he still has a lingering cough. His appetite appears to be back to normal now and we will be introducing rice cereal in the next week or so when he's feeling like himself.

During all of this, Camden continues to develop new skills. He's becoming much more grabby and is able to hold objects in his hands now. One of his favorite things right now is his Iowa State scarf. He pulls at it and puts it in his mouth (which reminds me, we need to wash all the stuff he's been putting in his mouth). He's holding onto his rattles now and entertains himself with new noises.