A wheeze? A sniffle? A cough?

Dear God! I have become one of those mothers.  I never thought the day would come when I would monitor someone else’s bodily fluids and behaviors as closely as this.  I knew motherhood would change everything, but I didn’t know it would have me typing search phrases like “infant poop color” into Google.  Seriously?!!? It’s totally disgusting, but I have done it…multiple times.  yuck

Today, however, I am more concerned with C’s little wheezes.  The last week or so C will suddenly start to wheeze a little as he takes a deep breath.  He then starts pulling on his ears or rubbing his face.  What does this mean?  I try not to panic every time it happens.  But parts of my brain suddenly kick into overdrive.  Is it the croup?  Is it a cold? An ear infection? Is he developing asthma?  Did something I feed him cause an allergic reaction?  Do I remember infant CPR?  Should I go run the shower and sit him in the steam?  Should I run out to the 24 hour CVS and get a humidifier?  Should I swaddle him in bubble wrap to keep anything else from happening to him????

Tonight it was a wheeze as he struggled against sleep.  It lasted approximately 6 minutes.  I have not heard it since. I was anxious enough for a lifetime in that 6 minutes.  Sleep will probably evade me tonight as I listen for any other noises (or lack of noise) he makes.  One ear open…

Oh wait…what was that?