Rough Morning...Rough Night

Susanne thought that she would be able to get a little more sleep this morning since Scott was able to set up and break down Paxton's feeding without him waking up. Within thirty minutes of Scott leaving for work, the chaos began. Paxton woke up as he had over the last week by gagging. He didn't always spit up or vomit, but this time there was no mistaking it. Once the vomiting started, it didn't end. It took Susanne almost an hour to settle him down. He was crying so violently that it even woke up Poppy in the next room. Susanne did her usual routine to try to comfort him. She held him and talked to him softly. She sat him up to see if gravity would help. She tried to burp him to help release any trapped air in his stomach. She checked his diaper to make sure it was clean. She rocked him and sang sweet songs in his ear. She rubbed his back and his head to help distract him. Since she heard his stomach making noises, she decided to vent him as she had done so many times before to help relieve him. She definitely had to pull out the nasal aspirator to suction out his nose and mouth. His saliva was so thick and stringy that he almost seemed to choke on it. The scariest part during these moments was that he would turn blue. This was strictly a result of his oxygen levels being too low. He would hold his breath and pull his entire upper body backwards with a lot of force. If the person holding him was not paying attention, he could easily aspirate the fluid that was in his mouth down into his lungs or injure himself by pushing himself out of their arms. It was times like these that Susanne knew that she had made the right choice to be with Paxton full time. She didn't know anyone that she would feel comfortable handling him when he was having his vomiting episodes. It was scary enough for her and she knew what to do. She was so thankful that she was there for him and she didn't let him go until he recovered. She ended up sitting on the bathroom floor with him so that she could have enough space and access to what she needed. She remembered this floor all to well because as a child she would lay on the very same floor when she was sick. Her parents would set it up nice with blankets and pillows. If she was really sick, Poppy would even hook it up with a TV. The standard menu for her when she was not feeling well was cheese toast, sprite, and popsicles. This always made her feel much better. If only Paxton could eat by mouth, he could benefit from its magical powers.

By the time Paxton recovered, it was time to feed him again. He had finally settled down enough to close his eyes for a short time. Since he usually only had episodes like these first thing in the morning, she felt comfortable enough to feed him.

After a much needed nap, Paxton looked pretty bright and alert. Susanne decided that he looked good enough to take him into Scott's work to meet the other half of the crew. Some of the ladies in his office were dying to meet the little guy. Scott ended up having a client during half of his lunch break so Susanne spent that time getting to know everyone. Paxton was a flirt as always. He was such a ladies' man.

Everyone had to eventually get back to work so Susanne and Paxton left. Susanne had to drop off some of Scott's clothes to be dry cleaned. She was pleasantly surprised to find out that there was a drive through where she could drop off the items without having to get out of the car. This was the kind of news that mothers loved to hear. It made things a lot easier when she didn't have to disturb Paxton by taking him in and out of the car especially for quick errands like dropping something off. How genius!

Scott got home at a reasonable hour. He played with Paxton while Susanne cooked dinner. Susanne loved the feeling of being a real family again. After Paxton went off to bed, they watched a movie. They were finished in time for Scott to get a sufficient amount of sleep before work. As they were getting ready for bed, Paxton woke up upset. Scott comforted Paxton and they fell asleep in each other's arms. It was such a precious sight to see.