January was not a good month for us.  Brady had caught a nasty cold just before New Years, and struggled with a hacking cough and runny nose for a week.  By the time he was improving, mommy had caught the cold.  Unfortunately, about the time mommy was getting over the cold, Cameron caught it, and it turned into a nasty case of RSV that we are still fighting as we go into February.

 

A lot of people think RSV is just another cold, but those are people who have never experienced it.  RSV is similar to a cold, and may seem like nothing more than a cold in an older child, but in an infant Cameron's age (who has virtually no immune system at such age) it is a whole different ballgame.  A two month old like Cameron with RSV struggles for breath at times, has a nagging hacking cough, a seemingly endless stuffy nose, all of which can throw their sleep and appetite completely out of whack.  To put it into simple perspective, RSV kills more infants than any other cold or illness, so it's not to be taken lightly.  Fortunately, Emily was well aware of RSV and we caught it early, but Cameron still needed to be hospitalized for one night, and is still contageous for several more weeks, and we consider ourselves lucky any night we get more than four hours of sleep.  Doctors suggest keeping him home until probably April.  Yes, it's miserable, but we don't wish to pass it to anyone, as we wouldn't wish this on any child or parent.   

 

I would like to personally thank a couple of people for their help through this.  Gary and Lynn have helped us out more times than I can count, I can't imagine what a pain this all would be without their availability, we will always appreciate how much you two have helped us.  Melissa, our next door neighbor, also deserves a heck of a lot of praise, she's watched Brady several times and helped Emily so much, we appreciate it more than words can express.  In time Cameron will be better and have a more normal life, but it's nice to have such great help in a time of need.

 

Now, on a lighter note, there were some funny moments in January.  With the Super Bowl just days away, I have taken the opportunity to teach Brady to say "Steelers", "Seahawks", "Hasselbeck" and "Roethlisberger", and yes, he says Roethlisberger pretty clearly!  He's still very into his cars, his vaccum, and his Care Bears, Caillou and Pooh videos.  He has been great with Cameron, better than I'd have ever expected.  With Valentines Day coming up, he's excited to hang up hearts (or as he calls them, PeePoos) around the house with mommy.  Brady also lives for the garbage pickup on monday mornings, and will plow over anything in his path to get to the front window to see the truck.  Brady loves Toy Story like no other, he watches the videos all the time, and is never far from his Buzz Lightyear cup.

 

Cameron, when feeling ok, is now smiling and cooing at his mommy and daddy.  He loves his swing, holds his head very well now, and is 13 pounds and 7 ounces as of January 31.