I have a strong suspicion that our Iyla Grace has allergies.
I've noticed since she was a bitty thing that the minute we walk out the back door she sneezes several times. Austin is known to be a city full of allergy producing pollens, molds, & grasses.... and it seems she is definitely sensitive to something in the air.
The ONE time Iyla was 'sick' followed a visit we had with my friend Carey & her sweet pup Dudley. Dudley had lots of kisses for Iyla, and Carey herself had a bit of a sniffle. The next day Iyla had a low grade fever, was super fussy, & had a very runny nose. I thought maybe she'd caught something from Carey and left it at that (even though I acknowledged a next-day contagion was unlikely).
Then this Friday Iyla and I visited Carey and Dudley for the first time since that initial visit. Dudley- a doxen mix- was again full of kisses for Iyla. She delighted in watching him frolic about but wasn't so sure about all the licking.
That night after I put Iyla to bed, she awoke an hour later crying. She often wakes wanting more to eat at this time, so I went up to feed her. She absolutely refused to nurse, refused a bottle, and was crying as if in pain, inconsolable. This went on for a good 30 minutes before the poor girl finally settled down to a whimpery sleep.
The next day Iyla had a temp of 100.2 and was a serious snot factory. I couldn't help but notice that the only two times she has ever had a temp & seemed sick were immediately following visits to Carey & her pup. Iyla wasn't as hungry as usual, was super sleepy, but was still mostly her sweet smiley self despite the constant stream from her nose.
She slept through the night last night (from 8:15- 6:30am- woot!) and awoke today with a normal temp and much less snot. It seems clear to me she was/is NOT sick, but had some sort of reaction going on. This never happened with my brothers' little dog Paco (a chihuahua)- but I know that some dogs have more allergy producing dander than others.
I've heard some people say that young babies can't have allergies- that they typically need to 'build up' the allergens before those show & manifest. I beg to differ based on our empirical evidence to the contrary. And while I could conduct a grass roots experiment to see if another visit with Dudley produces the same effect, I won't put Iyla through that.
The silver lining? This may just win my case with BC about getting a dog. He often talks wistfully about adding a pup to our family, but given Iyla's seemingly allergic reaction- not to mention the fact that her first word was "kitty"- I think it is clear that we should & will be sticking with cats!
I've noticed since she was a bitty thing that the minute we walk out the back door she sneezes several times. Austin is known to be a city full of allergy producing pollens, molds, & grasses.... and it seems she is definitely sensitive to something in the air.
The ONE time Iyla was 'sick' followed a visit we had with my friend Carey & her sweet pup Dudley. Dudley had lots of kisses for Iyla, and Carey herself had a bit of a sniffle. The next day Iyla had a low grade fever, was super fussy, & had a very runny nose. I thought maybe she'd caught something from Carey and left it at that (even though I acknowledged a next-day contagion was unlikely).
Then this Friday Iyla and I visited Carey and Dudley for the first time since that initial visit. Dudley- a doxen mix- was again full of kisses for Iyla. She delighted in watching him frolic about but wasn't so sure about all the licking.
That night after I put Iyla to bed, she awoke an hour later crying. She often wakes wanting more to eat at this time, so I went up to feed her. She absolutely refused to nurse, refused a bottle, and was crying as if in pain, inconsolable. This went on for a good 30 minutes before the poor girl finally settled down to a whimpery sleep.
The next day Iyla had a temp of 100.2 and was a serious snot factory. I couldn't help but notice that the only two times she has ever had a temp & seemed sick were immediately following visits to Carey & her pup. Iyla wasn't as hungry as usual, was super sleepy, but was still mostly her sweet smiley self despite the constant stream from her nose.
She slept through the night last night (from 8:15- 6:30am- woot!) and awoke today with a normal temp and much less snot. It seems clear to me she was/is NOT sick, but had some sort of reaction going on. This never happened with my brothers' little dog Paco (a chihuahua)- but I know that some dogs have more allergy producing dander than others.
I've heard some people say that young babies can't have allergies- that they typically need to 'build up' the allergens before those show & manifest. I beg to differ based on our empirical evidence to the contrary. And while I could conduct a grass roots experiment to see if another visit with Dudley produces the same effect, I won't put Iyla through that.
The silver lining? This may just win my case with BC about getting a dog. He often talks wistfully about adding a pup to our family, but given Iyla's seemingly allergic reaction- not to mention the fact that her first word was "kitty"- I think it is clear that we should & will be sticking with cats!
Iyla and her buddy sharing a new toy
We love you Sam!
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