Weekend of Firsts

Audrey went to her very first birthday party this weekend. Her little friend Madison, whom she loves to stroll around the mall with, turned one. Audrey was adorable in her party outfit, second only to the birthday girl herself. Despite the party falling during her usual naptime, she was a trooper and loved watching all the festivities. It was a great party and so good to catch up with friends we haven't seen in a while. It won't be long before it's time to start planning Audrey's Big Bash.

Another (not nearly as fun) new experience is that she has her first cold. It is pitiful. Her little nose is running, she's coughing, and she can't breathe all that well, which effects her eating. She doesn't have a fever, thank goodness, so we're holding off on a doctor's appointment. She is still sleeping great and even made it eleven hours straight last night. I thought for sure I'd be up all night with her, so I am so grateful for the rest. Especially since I think David and I are starting to come down with it. At least we can take medicine, unlike her. She just gets a humidifier and extra TLC...and Mommy constantly coming at her with a nasal aspirator, poor thing.

I feel so guilty because I'm sure she got it from nursery on Thursday. She could have gone with me to Bible Study (there is usually at least one infant in there) or stayed at home while her Grandmom kept her, but nooooo. I was determined to put her in the nursery even though one of the workers sounded awful when I dropped her off. I didn’t want to be an overprotective mom and I wanted her to socialize with other babies. Illness is not quite what I had in mind for her to gain from the experience.

SO, I think I've decided that I'm going to have to turn into one of those germaphobic mothers. At least until we get through this nasty flu season. She is too young for a flu shot, but unfortunately not too young for the flu. I don't want to raise a "bubble girl" as David calls it, but I also don't want to risk her getting something and making us sick, especially as we head into the holidays. I know kids get sick, but she is still so little and defenseless. She puts everything in her mouth, including her hands, which everyone is determined to touch. I didn't realize this until I became a mom, but now I know: unless you are family and/or have JUST scrubbed in surgery-style, you really don't need to be touching babies' hands. My apologies to the parents of little ones that I came into contact with before I knew this.

Anyway, who knows when we'll brave public nursery again. We miss church, but it's just not worth feeling miserable, losing sleep, and being stuck in the house with her all week. Or, worse yet, the chance of her catching something serious at such a young age. There will come a time that we can get back into the swing of things and this awful H1N1 calms down, but until then, we may be attending Bedside Baptist Church for awhile.