Ah, how quickly things can change. A week ago I was putting together a list of humorous tips for new parents. I had two healthy babies at home, and I was on top of the world. This week finds me in a hospital room watching my two week old daughter struggle with RSV, an upper respiratory virus.
Having a sick child is a hard thing, one of the hardest experiences of my life. Very few things in life can make you feel as helpless as seeing and hearing your two week old daughter struggle to breathe, or to see her hooked up to an oxygen feed. Other than comforting, changing, and feeding her, there is very little I can do to help, and it heartbreaking.
What makes the experience harder is having a second child, in this case her twin brother, at home. There is a very good chance that we could have to go through this all over again with him, and that only adds to the feeling of helplessness. All we can do is wait, and that is the hardest thing in the world when it comes to your children.
With that said, even in the toughest of times we can often find levity in the things happening around us. Laughter has some pretty powerful healing powers, and it has certainly helped me cope with the stress of the last few days.So here we go with some more random thoughts on fatherhood...
- One of the few perks of being stuck in the hospital - unlimited rainbow sherbet cups and Oreos. I have not eaten like this since I was ten years old.
- Sometimes when Avery coughs, she lets a fart slip out, and I cannot stop myself from laughing...every single time.
- Avery and I watched the new James Bond movie last night. I don’t think she was all that impressed, but I thought it was excellent.
- I’m very tempted to try and suction some of the gunk out of my own nose, but I don’t think the nurses would be very understanding of that.
- The comedy of John Lovitz is underrated. These are the types of thoughts that go through your head watching tv at two in the morning in a hospital room.
- I really like wearing sweatpants, and paternity leave has given me the freedom to do so as I please. 20 days in a row...and counting.
- Having my daughter turn her eyes towards my voice and stare at you brings more joy to my heart than I can put into words.
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