Snotty Baby...

Saavan sleeps funny.

I picked up a cold/virus last week after coming back from Chicago, and for reasons that need not be explained, I was horrified at the possibility of passing my sickness along to Saavan. So for the first day or so after realizing I was sick, I refused to touch or get too close to the baby. After two days though, I was powerless against Saavan's immeasurable cuteness, and couldn't help but hold and feed and play with him at every available opportunity. I have never claimed to be strong-willed.

I hoped that Saavan might avoid catching whatever it is I have - I read that babies have strong immune systems - but alas, this morning, Neha called and told me that Saavan had a bit of a cough, and had a "snotty" nose. Sigh. It took me less than three months to get my baby sick. I'm a crappy father (crappy in the "I take an interest in my kid and try to love him as much as is possible and he still gets sick" sense; not crappy in the "Britney Spears is a clinically retarded parent" sense).

Taking care of a sick baby is hard. Obviously, Saavan can't tell us exactly what is wrong with him, although when his sneezes are an explosion of a viscous mixture of snot and spitup, it's not all that hard to tell. What's weird is that we feel awful when Saavan sneezes or coughs (which are the only manifestations of his current cold), but those sneezes and coughs are THE MOST ADORABLE THING IN THE WORLD. I'm not kidding. Whenever Saavan sneezes, Neha and I look at one another, smile, and sigh. Then we get to work cleaning up his snot. Sometimes that involves the use of his aspirator, at which we excel.

What's also weird is how, as soon as he displays any symtoms of illness, how desperately I want Saavan to get better. Not that it's weird to want your son to be healthy; it's just that I'm not used to handling other peoples' illnesses in such a manner. When Neha gets sick, for example, I typically avoid eye contact and try not to talk to her for the few days it takes her to recover. But with Saavan, when I'm home I'm constantly checking on him, and when I'm at work I'm calling Neha once an hour for updates. So this attention-giving requires an adjustment.

Fortunately, Saavan's cold is not serious, and he is pretty much over it already. It hasn't affected his personality, which gets more and more defined and fun with each passing day. What it has done, however, is increase Saavan's snot supply exponentially. And the novelty of the aspirator is starting to wear off.