Another Long Night of the Soul

Last night, J.P. had a rough go of it, probably the worst night he's ever had in terms of being uncomfortable and unable to sleep.  Shortly after going to bed, he began crying out, almost shrieking in his sleep and thrashing around.  When I checked on him, he was dozing fitfully, but was congested and having difficulty breathing through his nose.

Rather than getting better, he got worse as the night wore on.  By the time I went to bed, well past midnight, he was making enough noise that he was waking himself up.  Finally, about 1:30 a.m., I went and got him and brought him to bed with us, which we never, ever do.  For a while, he laid on my chest but couldn't ever get back to sleep.  Periodically, he'd lift his head up and one of us would help him blow his nose.  We laid him down between us, with his head on a pillow, hoping maybe that elevating his head would help him breathe easier.

Around 4 a.m., he started talking and seemed to be waking up, so Jude took him back to bed in his room.  Fortunately, he fell asleep and slept pretty soundly until almost 8 a.m.  Today, of course, he was fine, other than a runny nose.

It's so very tough when J.P. doesn't feel well, which hasn't happened too often, thankfully.  It's the most helpless feeling in the world, I think, not being able to do anything to make my son feel better when he's uncomfortable or suffering the ill effects of a cold.  It really makes me appreciate the fact that for the most part, he's a healthy kid.