Chronicles of a Carolina Mama: Pneumonia, Ear Infections, and Christmas- Oh my!

Where to even begin? Let's rewind to the week before Christmas when Camden came down with a nasty cough and a fever. My first thought was Oh no, there is no being sick on Christmas! and then I promptly took him to the doctor to nip whatever it was in the bud so we could all be well on Christmas Day. (For the past two Christmases, we have been lucky enough to have a stomach bug either right before or on Christmas Day. I was so looking forward to a well Christmas this year.) The doctor's visit was kind of a bust; she told me that whatever Camden had was viral and we'd just have to ride it out.

That weekend, we had our family Christmas party at my parents' lake house. I was on the fence about whether or not to bring Camden up until an hour before it was time to leave. He was fever free but his cough was terrible. In the end, I decided to bring him, because it was Christmas time and we only see my extended family once a year at this party. Initially, I didn't regret the decision; he had a great time at the party. Then, towards the end, he was outside playing and had to sit on the porch for a few minutes with Matt because he was having a particularly bad coughing fit and couldn't catch a good breath. And then it happened: he threw up all over himself, Matt, and the porch. I knew right at that moment that we would be back at the doctor the next day.

So, it was the Sunday before Christmas Day and I took him to our pediatrician's "acute illness" office hours. Thank goodness I did, too. His simple virus had turned into pneumonia in a matter of four days. We started him on a strong antibiotic and the doctor seemed hopeful that he would be feeling like himself again by Christmas. Then she jinxed me: "If your little one [Macey] hasn't caught the virus yet, chances are in your favor that she won't."

On Christmas Eve, Macey woke up with a cough and a fever. Back to the pediatrician's office we we went. I braced myself for what I was sure would happen: they would tell me that this was a virus, just like they had initially with Camden, and there was nothing they could do. And poor Macey would spend Christmas miserable. It felt weird to be thankful that the doctor discovered that she had an ear infection so that she, too, could start on an antibiotic.

Oh, and did I mention that Matt and I both had (milder) versions of the virus? Our house was a chorus of coughs and sneezes the entire week of Christmas.

We hosted Christmas Eve dinner (my parents and in-laws provided the food; we just provided the venue) and much of that was a blur. But by Christmas day, we were all feeling a bit better, which was a huge blessing. The day ended up being great. My parents come over early Christmas morning to watch the kids get their gifts from Santa. We were then joined by my sister and her family and my brother for our traditional Christmas morning breakfast and gift exchange.

All's well that ends well, right? Merry Christmas (a bit belated), everyone!

Camden was feeling well enough to go to the Christmas Eve church service with my parents and my sister's family.