Wow, what a day. Lylah has been sick now for about 4 days. I stayed home the first day, Shannon stayed home the second. I stayed home the third, and now I will be staying home a 4th day tomorrow. Today hasn't been too hectic, but got a little crazy around
And pretty much anything that could have gone awry has for the past 3 hours. From end to beginning, I just picked up one of my dogs giant craps on the floor of my house, despite letting her outside no more than 10 minutes ago. Lylah was very squirmy while eating tonight. Before that, she spilled my giant cup of water that I had just filled. Before that, I forgot her diaper bag when we went to the doctors office. She was supposed to eat around 4:30, but since I didn't have her food with me, she didn't eat until we got home about 5:45.
I have just become so irritated today with all this craziness. Anyhow, I did take her to the doctor and she tested positive for bronchialitis
Bronchiolitis is swelling and mucus buildup in the smallest air passages in the lungs (bronchioles), usually due to a viral infection.
Causes, incidence, and risk factors
Bronchiolitis usually affects children under the age of 2, with a peak age of 3 - 6 months. It is a common, and sometimes severe illness.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause. More than half of all infants are exposed to this virus by their first birthday.
Apparently, Lauren Hounshell's daughter had this too recently.
So, all in all having a baby has really been a roller coaster of extremes. I have experienced extreme joy and somewhat extreme heartbreaks (when I feel bad because she feels bad). The joys have far outweighed any negatives, and I don't want to take for granted her health and well being (knock on wood). You hear about so many children out there with cancer, or diabetes, or some muscular disease, etc. Yes my little girl has gotten sick here and there, but I am thankful for her overall health.
Money is becoming a significant factor in raising Lylah as well. Yes, we wanted the educational daycare for her, and the safe car to travel in with her. And yes we have been able to afford those things without a huge problem. The unforseen has been kicking our butt. It's the $800 car repair 3 weeks ago. The medical bills are rolling in weekly between the 3 of us, weather changes, tootheaches, etc. Shannon just had a $500 dental bill (even though we have dental insurance). Down the road soon, she is consulting with an oral surgeon. Plane tickets to Atlanta for Christmas, a dog sitter for when we are gone. $1000 homeowners dues. I mean, we make a decent salary, but we are getting slammed. My mom would say, "Yep, that's life." The credit card companies are loving us right now. No wonder we have a good credit score. We will end up paying them back as soon as we can.
I would be more than happy to report that we were able to cover these things from our savings account, but we haven't been able to build up a positive savings account much since our wedding. We have gotten it to a decent level, but then again, plummeted by bills and such. Anyhow, I am being honest with myself when it comes to this and looking at every nick and cranny to cover our butt. It sounds bad, but we aren't in major trouble, yet. We are going to just have to re-prioritize soon and scrutinize our budget further. Hopefully taxes won't slam us this year. They should be a little more moderate due to child credit and daycare costs deduction.
Ok, feeling much better now that I have gotten that all out into the universe. Lylah is still amazing at the end of the day. We do all of this for her and money is a very small factor in the grand scheme of things. In fact, when I look into her eyes and she smiles real big, how much do you think money is a concern to me in that moment? The answer is zero. :-)
