A Daddy's Touch

This last week, Luke has been away with work. In Luke's absence, Leo has developed Roseola, a viral infection very common in babies and young children. Over Two nights, I have faced some of the hardest times since becoming a Mummy.

I have had my patience tested and gone through the night without even closing my eyes. I have been there to comfort my beautiful boy as he battles through the nasty virus that has him tightly in his clutches. I even began to wonder how much more sleep deprivation I could endure.

Then Friday evening arrived and...Luke came home!

 I suddenly realised I had all the support I needed. I had someone to take Leo so I could go to bed and finally have some quality sleep. I had everything I needed, and Leo had his Daddy home.

I warned Luke that he may not go down to sleep, and filled him in on just how Leo had been suffering over the last couple of days. I showed Luke the rash that had erupted all over Leo's beautiful skin. By now the rash on Leo's little cheeks had become so angry that it was no longer little individual dots, but one really angry looking red splodge.

Luke was great, he took Leo straight off me and told me to go to bed. I really did not need telling twice and handed Leo over to his Daddy, and just like that Luke took control. Leo went out of his way to prove me wrong, and seemed to be a completely different baby to the one who had kept me awake for so many hours. Yes he did whinge and yes he had a little cry, but those special cuddles with Daddy seemed to do the trick. Luke even came up to bed at midnight after putting Leo down in his cot...Something I had been trying to do for the last two nights, and had completely failed on all accounts.

Luke had taken Leo for walks up and down the drive in his pushchair and sat and cuddled him in the dark. All things I had tried but not been successful in. Leo then proceeded to fall asleep in Daddy's safe arms. Something Leo always refuses to do for me.

Last night seemed to be a turning point, Leo only awoke once and went back down in his cot without any issues at all, and I even managed to catch up on my much needed beauty sleep.

Today has been a mixture of a grumpy and also a very sleepy baby boy, and the rash seems to be at it's very worse. The individual dots have merged and the rash has been so bad today that I called the out of hours surgery again, in the hopes of being able to take him along to get checked.

They asked me a number of questions about how Leo was feeling, Does he have a headache? Does his neck hurt? questions I can only begin to guess the answers too...How do you ask an 11 month old how he is feeling? In the end they did not wish to see him, and told me to call back if his fontanel sunk, his temperature sky rocketed or his rash did not fade when pressure was applied.

I do think that Leo has missed his Daddy on his week away, and maybe it is not just a coincidence that Leo started to sleep better when Luke arrived home last night? Maybe Leo has missed his Daddy and being poorly has just added to his monster baby state? Whatever the reason this does seem to be the start of Leo's very anticipated recovery, and I welcome it whole heartedly with open arms.

I was so thankful to Luke last night for taking control of Leo, sorting him out, looking after him and letting me go to bed for 8pm, and then even letting me sleep in until 11am. Saying that though, Leo didn't rise much before 10am this morning, which as you all know has not been known over the last few days!

When I came downstairs this morning, I was greeted with Leo fast asleep in his Daddy's arms. Snuggled up in his favourite blanket. This blanket was Luke's magical trick for helping him get Leo to sleep last night and seems to have done the trick for nap time too. They both looked ever so contented in each others embrace, and it was lovely to just watch them. So naturally...I grabbed the camera.

My Two beautiful boys...

Tonight has been a really good night and since putting Leo down at 7pm, I have not heard a peep! So here is hoping for another good nights sleep, and that my beautiful boy is on the road to recovery!

Get well soon Baby Boy x

Laura

xx