Dr. Mom

That's me this week. This is a brief stop between taking temperatures and administering medications.

Gabriella's lungs are inflamed and are going into spasms. This explains why she hasn't been able to string 2 hours of sleep together since Friday. We brought home a "nebulizer" machine from the doctor so that she can breathe in albuterol. The nebulizer has a compressor and a mask -- they told me just to sit her in the high chair and let her watch a favorite video with the mask strapped onto her head for 10 to 30 minutes 3 times a day. Yeah. Right. How about Joe has to pin her arms down while I immobilize her head. That's the reality. After watching the miner updates and Penn State (triple overtime) all night I got her down to sleep at 4:30 am today and she slept until 8:30am. Her longest rest yet. Perhaps we have turned a corner.

Francesca is running a low-grade fever and has a little bit of a cough. She spent the day on the couch but has recently rallied and is asking for cookies.

Sophia is just at runny nose stage and is outraged at all the attention Gabriella is receiving. She tries to out scream the nebulizer machine when it is running.

My own fever is gone but the cough and sinus infection remain. I keep thinking if I ever get any rest I might feel better. But with working these late night "actual holidays that aren't company holidays" -- along with the "not really a holiday but observed by the company holiday for everyone except those people who normally have Mondays off" -- and walking the floors all night after leaving work at 2:00 am -- it's all hard to tell.

Today was my day off -- the very desirable Wednesday after New Year's Day that everyone must have been looking for.. The only consolation is I won't be there for the Rose Bowl tonight.

Think healthy thoughts for us. And thoughts of sleep. Call anytime. Chances are I'm awake.....

(P.S. I'd like to post a picture of Gabriella with the mask on her head but she's really not cooperating....)