Wito has been dabbling in some fake cough performance art for the past few months. GAH, how I would gladly take Shriek 2.0 over the coughing fits any day. Alas, it seems the cough is his new very favorite activity.
The first couple of times I witnessed the cough, I was pretty certain he was getting sick, exhibiting the early stages of asthma or had some complication resulting from his diaphragm/lung issue during his stay in the NICU. However, over time and many trips here, I’ve assured myself it is an attention-getting mechanism. It seems to be a commonality from the mothers I’ve spoken to, considering he doesn’t cough when he’s sleeping or engaged in playtime or generally NOT bored. The only time he has veered from this pattern was at Music Together last week (OF COURSE), when apparently, upon feeling “invisible” amongst the older toddlers, unleashed a highly believable and over-the-top coughing fit that had many mothers looking at me with:
a) concern that Wito had actually ingested one of the colorful maracas, or
b) contemptible “you brought a SICK baby to class” stares.
Fine, no one actually stared. But I know what they were thinking!!
Now, people. You know me by now…would I, Queen of Germaphobes and Sterile Face Masks, take a sick child to a class? I think not, but of course, these women weren’t privy to my royal status and I felt totally embarrassed.
Oh, speaking of the NICU, I remember the nurse telling me he was going to be a breath-holder when he was only 4 days old. It seems every time they attempted changing his IV or a sponge bath, he would become so irritated and pissed off that we would just hold his breath, purple-faced and eyes bulging.
She was so right. SO right. And this plays very nicely into the coughing fits. Not only will you witness the cough, but a Red Cross Baby CPR movie waiting to happen. It’s truly lovely.
Will it ever stop? Please tell me it will stop.
Soon.
Like, tomorrow-soon.