Poor Dash. Two and a half weeks of day care have finally taken their toll.

The stresses of day care began to show the first week. He downed half the milk he usually does during the day. He napped about one third the amount of time as usual. But at least he didn't immediately come down with a virus, as I thought he would.

Then came the second week, and three times Dash spit up in the middle of the night. The spit up -- or should I say vomit -- came shooting out of his mouth in copious amounts. It was very disturbing. And messy. And Dash didn't like laying in (very acidic smelling) vomit even for a few seconds -- the contents of his stomach pooling on the blanket below his bald head. Changing the blankets and the sheets was exhausting.

That brings us to Week 3. Dash seems to have come down with a cold. This, I'm sure, explains why he's been waking up 6-10 times every night, wanting milk or just some bouncing on the pilates ball. At times, however, he has been inconsolable.

I also thought the cold explained the goop in the corner of his eye. But by the end of the day Monday, both his eyes were oozing major amounts of light green goop. Dash's day care called to say I would need to pick him up: He had pink eye. I walked through the doors to find his eye lashes saturated with mucus. His eyelids were puffy, and his face appeared a bit swollen. It almost looked like he had an allergic reaction to a bee sting. He didn't smile at me. So sad. Usually, he beams when he sees me.

So we picked up a prescription for antibiotic ointment at Safeway that evening. (You should have seen the looks of strangers when they laid eyes on Dash's miserable and swollen face!)  The ointment has worked wonders. He slept great the first night -- 13 hours and only one brief wake up!

I thought we were over the hump. But last night, he started waking up crying every half an hour. It soon became obvious that he had a fever. The highest reading we got was 99.5, which didn't seem accurate because he felt like he was burning up. So I gave him some Children's Tylenol. But the package didn't have a dosage for babies as young and as light as Dash is, so there I was at 4 a.m. trying to divide milliliters by pounds, and come up with the correct amount. (Our doctor had said at Dash's four-month check-up that Children's Tylenol was OK. We'd just have to give him a smaller dose. Thankfully, the advice nurse this morning verified that my math was correct).

When Dash awoke for the day, his fever appeared to be gone. I called day care, and the staff said to bring him in. They measured his temperature at 101.4. The fever was back! So it was back home again -- a 20-minute walk through a torrential rain storm. Good thing our stroller's rain cover kept Dash dry. I was soaked. 

Dash was not himself today. He hardly smiled. He was burning up one moment, then shivering the next. He ate only about half of what he usually does. All my research on the Internet said to give it some time, and he'd likely get better. But I decided to bring him in to the doctor's office this afternoon. I'm sure glad I did.

The bad news: I've learned that Dash weighs an ounce less than he did seven weeks ago, at his six-month check-up. Awk! His thrush is back. (This is the third time he's had it). And the doctor said he's not sure what virus or bacteria is plaguing Dash now, but it's definitely more than the common cold. The doc swabbed Dash's throat, and is having the sample tested for strep.

From the way the doctor was talking, it doesn't sound like Dash has strep. But the doctor said he expects Dash's fever to top out at about 102, and be present for the next two days. Ugh. Poor little guy. At least the baby Advil that the doctor gave us seems to be working well. This evening, Dash had a burst of energy. He was rolling around on the floor with his stuffed monkey and other toys. And he laughed a lot.

Even so, he still is pretty congested. Preston is feeding him right now, and he can't breath through his nose, so he'll suck a few times from the bottle, then turn his head to gasp in some air. Preston is trying to put a positive spin on this. "You're like a swimmer! Down for five strokes, and then a breath!" he said, in the most upbeat tone.

I keep reminding myself that we'll get through this. All parents go through some version of this. And I knew this day would come. I'm just glad Preston and I are still healthy. And I keep thinking ahead to next week, when surely (cross your fingers) Dash will have recovered.