fever

Kai received his very first vaccination shot today at his six-month doctor visit. Erin and I both braced for the very worst: a repeat of the time when we had to get his bilirubin levels checked at the hospital. He screamed bloody murder that day six months prior, and sent our blood pressure through the roof. We were expecting the very worst today.

Kai didn’t even respond at first. The nurse quickly delivered the serum and as she withdrew the needle, he just grunted, and went back to laughing and smiling. About an hour and a half later he became very lethargic (even for a baby!) and took a long, deep nap. When he woke up, he was clearly flushed and hot. The doctor warned us about this, so while we weren’t worried, Kai was unhappy. Grumpy, actually. We stopped and picked up some baby Tylenol to bring his fever down — let me just tell you that within an hour he was back to his usual happy self.

Erin and I have determined that this Friday will be the day that we teach Kai how to fall asleep on his own. Like we all do, he wakes up in the middle of the night. Starting Friday, he’s going to learn how to go back to sleep on his own. We have to let him cry it out. I know that I could not handle it without help — I’m investing in high-quality earplugs and perhaps a Tylenol PM. Wish us luck.