The End of an Era...and Something New

Well, today was the second day in a row that Jack was home sick from school.  I mentioned how he's been a little congested.  Wednesday night his stuffy nose got worse, and Thursday morning he woke up absolutely miserable, requesting to go to the doctor's office.  While I knew they wouldn't prescribe anything and it was probably just a cold or mild allergies, off we went.  I was right - no prescriptions, but they did give me some suggestions as to what he could take.  They said his ears, lungs, and throat looked good, but sure enough, last night he developed the horrible, hacking cough he seems rather prone to.

We've been to an allergist because of his tendency to wheeze.  He uses an inhaler twice a day.  Because of his age, they can't be sure if it's asthma or true allergies.  The allergist determined that while Jack is allergic to horses (I know, seriously?), he only mildly reacted to indoor and outdoor allergens.  In other words, he may have dog, dust, and seasonal allergies.

It seems that as soon as there is an outdoor temperature change, Jack gets sick.  But we also wonder if his dear lovey, Skinny Bear, may be causing Jack's illnesses as well.  I wash him frequently, but he's VERY loved and often a tad bit on the stinky side, I'm not gonna lie.  While the doctor's don't seem that concerned about Skinny Bear, Brad and I aren't convinced.

So today, I did something that felt so horrible.

While Jack wasn't looking, I took him and put him away.  I've washed him in the washing machine, and he's currently residing in our freezer.  I'm planning on running him through a sanitizing cycle after that.  Maybe with some bleach.

And while my heart is breaking that Jack is sick and doesn't have his lovey to cling to, our boy hasn't even noticed.  Not even at naptime.  Or even at bedtime.  How is it possible that I'm more upset than he is?

I do seem to recall that while Jack is particular about things and likes everything in its place (I wonder where he gets that from...), he did give up the bottle all on his own before his first birthday.  And he also gave up Milo Monkey (his pacifier) all on his own one night before bedtime somewhere around 18 months.  I cried when both of those things happened too...

They mean my little man is growing up.  Maybe this is the end of our Skinny Bear era.  Oh, how I'll miss you, Skinny Bear.

*****

Oh yeah - and the something new?  It is HARD to take care of a newborn and a sick toddler all day.  Thank goodness only one of them is sick this time because if they were both sick...I may have had to call in the troops.  My goodness...this mama is TIRED.