The babies are just over one week old and we have already made our first middle of the night hospital run. I hope there are not many of these. One of the hardest parts of being a parent for me is the anxiety and worrying over your children just being alright. It's going to be a long 18 years, and just because they reach the legal age of adulthood, I know the constant worrying and praying for their well being never ends.





Saturday night Carly, who has been the more alert one and vigerous eater from the moment she was born, refused to awake for her 4:00a.m. feeding. No amount of light, probing, stripping of her clothes would arouse her. For the first time ever she wasn't interested in food. Then I noticed her breathing seemed irregular. I took her temertaure and it was 99.9 degrees, which for a baby who struggled to stay above 97.5 was alrming. Her chest was rattling and obviously full of fluids. Strange air bubbles were coming from her mouth as she struggled to cough or cry.





I began panicing. I called the doctor, who recommended from her preemie status and sound of her symptoms I take her to the emergency room. Several hours later we were discharged with an upper respitory diagnosis and a very tired mom and dad. Good news is her lungs are free from fluid, unlike her chest and sinuses. Unfortuntly there is nothing that can be done to treat a cough and cold for a baby so small.





She continues to eat well, her pitiful cough is just the most heartbreaking thing I've ever heard. There are not many things worse than a sick baby who just reminds you how powerless we are as parents. Not much is worse than a sick baby period, but when she's already so tiny to begin with, a preemie 8 days old and less than half a dozen pounds, it is even more pitiful.

Now both babies are sick. And so am I. My son started coughing, such a sorry bunch. I muddle through the motions, even more sad knowing for as bad as I feel, this is what its like for them. :(