A couple of weeks ago, Chloë came home from daycare and seemed a little tired and cranky. Long days happen and being three is tough, so I didn’t think much of it. However, the next morning – I specifically remember, it was a Thursday, when I went to get her up for daycare, she had a very phlegmy cough and a very runny nose. Before she had time to figure out what was going on, we had her booked in for a Covid test. Within twelve hours, her results came back and thankfully (but also, as we expected) were negative. Chloë stayed home the next day and returned to daycare on Monday morning with a lingering cough. Saturday evening, we noticed Otis had a bit of congestion starting. We opted not to do a Covid test for him because the only way to get one was to go to the emergency room of the local children’s hospital. Chloë’s test was negative, we were confident that Otis had the same cold she had. By Monday, when Chloë returned to daycare, Otis’ congestion had gotten a bit worse and he had developed the cough that Chloë had as well. It was heartbreaking to see and that night, really interfered with his sleep. While I sat up at 3am with a fussing baby, I looked into whether or not he should be seen by the children’s hospital, but at this point he simply had ‘cold symptoms’, which they specifically say even if it disrupts sleep, they don’t need to be seen. I ended up calling our family doctor’s office on Tuesday afternoon to see if I could speak to a doctor, because at this point, I really felt he was getting worse, and of course, they couldn’t book an in-person appointment because it could be Covid, and they refused to give me a virtual appointment – they said that if he got worse to take him to the emergency room at the children’s hospital. That evening was just heart breaking, Otis’ essentially lost his voice, so although he felt awful and was trying to cry, very little sound was coming out. I sent a video to my mother and she couldn’t even finish watching it, that’s how heartbreaking it was. Tom and I went back and forth as to whether or not we should take him to the emergency room, even though according to the website, his symptoms didn’t warrant a visit. I sat up with Otis most of the night and by about 4:30am, I knew that at some point that day, we would be heading to the hospital.

Two hours later, Otis quickly started meeting the criteria to go to the emergency room. He had a low fever, was becoming difficult to feed, and at this point, he started working hard to breathe, and actually choked on phlegm. Knowing ER wait times can be ridiculously long, we packed a bag to survive the day, dropped Chloë off at daycare and made our way to the hospital.

When we arrived at the ER there was a screen that said 40 people were waiting to be seen by a doctor and the longest estimated wait time was 14 hours! As I mentally prepared myself for a long wait, Otis was taken to triage and from there, was immediately taken to a room. Without sounding too dramatic, I think immediately being taken to a room was harder on me than being sent back to the waiting room would have been because I’ve only gone from triage to a room that quickly once, and I ended up being hospitalized for over a week. What was wrong with my baby?

Before we were seen by a doctor, a nurse did a deep suction on Otis. While I was allowed to stay in the room, I wasn’t allowed to watch this. Keep in mind, Otis still couldn’t make much noise at this point, so while he was putting up a fight, I couldn’t hear him scream. I didn’t realize how intense this deep suction was until we got home and Tom did a search for it on YouTube. Fortunately, this deep suction helped a lot. The nurse admitted that she was surprised how much came up and how thick it was and said there was no way our Nose Frida (snot sucker) would have been able to clear what they did.

Otis was examined by a doctor, who, unfortunately did have an obligation to do a Covid test. I assumed they would do one of the less invasive ones (I know the last two that Chloë had were less invasive), but no, they did the regular one that any adult would get. Otis was not a fan. They also did another swab to do a range of tests and figure out what exactly Otis was fighting. Thankfully, Otis’ oxygen levels were great and his lungs sounded fine, so we were able to take him home that day!

About twelve hours later, Otis’ Covid test came back negative and about twenty four hours later, the rest of the tests came back. Otis tested positive for Rhinovirus (responsible for the common cold) and he also tested positive for RSV.

Fortunately, our sweet little Otis has fought off these two viruses. There was a window where he was hardly smiling and would not lift his head and now, as I type this, he is beside me, chomping on his fists, cooing along to Christmas music and smiling every time I so much as glance at him. While there were difficult moments, we realize it could have been much worse, so we’re thankful and grateful for his quick recovery and to have our healthy, happy boy back!

Now, let’s talk about the girl who started this whole thing with her own cough and runny nose. Chloë, like Otis, still has a bit of a lingering cough. We were told this could take a full month to resolve. So long as she isn’t coughing, she is 100% back to her usual self. She’s full of energy and counting down until Christmas. Most mornings start with the question, “Is it Christmas today?” The past two days she’s told me she wants Santa to bring her ‘zoo keeper’. I have no idea what this means. Is it it an actual game? Does she need items to pretend she’s a zoo keeper? Does she want to go to a zoo? Who knows? And she’s looking forward to decorating this weekend.

Last week, Chloë’s daycare had Spirit Week. Chloë loved it and was a little disappointed on Monday when there was no longer a theme to the day.

We made sure to document Spirit Week – Plaid Day, Everybody’s Birthday, Pajama Day, Throwback Thursday: 90’s Day, and Formal Friday. Every morning Chloë would say, “let’s take a picture to show to our family.” It was so sweet.

Spirit Week started with Plaid Day. There was something about the little plaid headband that made Chloë look so grown up.

Tuesday was ‘Everybody’s Birthday’. Chloë had no interest in wearing a typical paper party hat, which was my suggestion. Instead, she wore her ‘party dress’ and paired it with a furry, cat ears headband.

Next up was Pajama Day. Chloë wasn’t sure how she felt about leaving the house in her pajamas, but quickly warmed up to the idea once she saw that all of her friends were in theirs as well. Someday she’ll appreciate getting to spend the entire day in pajamas!

Thursday we celebrated the 90s. This was the day that changed our lives. Prior to this, Chloë only wanted her hair done for swimming and gymnastics, where it is mandatory. But after rocking a side pony for 90’s day, I’ve been able to do her hair every day since!

Finally, it was Formal Friday. Chloë loved Formal Friday, which she insists isn’t ‘formal’ but ‘fancy’. I don’t have the heart to tell her that her favourite dress is only going to fit her for about another minute and a half before she outgrows it. Remembering her Halloween party where she dressed up as a princess, she asked if she could wear makeup. We decided against that. I’m not ready for makeup to become a habit.

Stay tuned because we’re working on a couple of Christmas themed posts, possibly with a video!