Harry Turns 11 Months and Gets His First Real Cold

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Originally uploaded by brownorama.

One of the unfortunate outcomes of our trip to Colorado was that Dan picked up a really bad cold. He then passed this on to Harry, who is now coughing and spluttering in a very sad and pathetic way. Harry has had a cough before but nothing like this. This time there was no mistaking that he was sick, unhappy and very sad. So on his 11 month birthday we had to take him to the doctor. The doctor assured us that it was nothing more than a bad cold. But even so, there is nothing like watching the symptoms being played out in one's child. First, everything is diminutive. So on the one hand it is the cutest thing you have ever seen and on the other the saddest. Really, enough to break one's heart. Second, all of the things that happen with a cold - coughing, sneezing, runny nose - are uncensored. So the unpleasantness of it all is clearly shown on his face. Really enough to break one's heart. Third, one gets to experience the helplessness of a parent when one's child is sick. There is very little that one can do for a baby when they have a cold beyond giving them an analgesic and keeping the nose and airways moist. The cold just has to play itself out. Watching my baby suffer makes me feel a degree of pain that I didn't think was possible. I can't imagine what it would be like to have a child that has a condition that is more serious. All in all it is enough to breaks my heart. I suspect that this is a theme that will recur over and over again through the years - not just in terms of physical ills but emotional ones too. Standing on the sidelines is a difficult thing to do as a parent but sometimes it can't be helped. You can do what you can to "keep the airways moist" and dull the pain. But ultimately your little one has to go through it. A hard lesson when all you want to do is remove the pain altogether.