I knew it was coming. He had had a cold for over a week. The runny nose was, shall we say, NOT the appropriate color. And was he touchy his ear more often? I don't know. He was also GRUMPY.
Was it teeth? Just the cold?
Monday night we knew it was something worse. He looked exhausted. He had dark circles under his eye and was a little paler. The straw that broke the camel's back was the temperature he developed Monday night. Then he woke up at 2. And at 3.
Definitely headed to the doctor.
My poor little guy has an ear infection. :(
As someone who got ear infections almost monthly growing up, I really feel his pain. I have vivid memories of being in excruciating pain, waking up in the middle of the night crying because my ears hurt so bad. Tylenol couldn't touch the pain. The only thing that helped was when my dad would lay the infected ear on his bare chest and stroke my forehead. To this day, I know my hearing is damaged from all the ear infections.
Obviously, I felt really bad when we found out he was sick. And even worse when I wrestled with what to do next. Do I take him to daycare? Maybe to Grandma's house? Should I stay home with him? Should Phil stay home with him?
This is when being a working parent is really hard.
No matter which option gets picked, HUGE amounts of guilt follow. If I stay home, how am I going to get my work done? If I go to work, is Henry ok without me?
Daycare is expensive and work is really busy so if Henry is acting alright, he has to go to daycare. But I won't lie... I feel like a horrible mom about it.
Every fiber in my being is pulling me toward him. I just want to take him home, cuddle up with him, watch Disney movies and play with Duplos. There isn't a single part of me that wants to be at work. But I have to. For my company, for my clients, and most importantly to provide for my family... I have to be at work.
This is what I tell myself, over and over as my heart hurts for my little guy who is possibly being comforted by not me.
I ended up checking on him in the afternoon and when she told me he "ok but very grumpy" I decided I needed to just finish up what I was doing and go get him. We spent the evening reading books, with an early bath and bedtime (which didn't go over really well because he wanted to be read even MORE books).
I am hopeful that he will have a better day today. Hopefully the antibiotics have kicked in and his ear will stop hurting him.
Sick babies are the worst.
I feel your pain. I, too, am a working mom and my daughter has had ear infections almost monthly since she was 4 months old. She will be getting her second set of tubes in 2 weeks. And every time she is sick...I want to stay home with her and snuggle all day long. But some days I know that is not an option and she has to go to daycare. But I make up for it on the weekends!!
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