January 14, 2025 at 2:16 p.m.
Illnesses impacted family’s first Christmas
By Chris Schanz
It was supposed to be different.
A baby’s first anything is a momentous occasion.
Whether it be first steps, first words or first holiday, it is worth celebrating.
Our first Christmas as a family of three, however, was uneventful.
For starters, I was coming down with my semiannual sore throat. It seems the second iteration of the affliction comes right around when the weather changes from fall to winter. The other is generally in the spring.
At the same time, Baby Schanz had an ear issue we were in the thick of battling. We visited medical professionals on four occasions, each giving us different advice and separate treatments. To date, we’re still fighting the virus, but the latest medication seems to be having the best effect.
Lastly, Chrissy was fighting sinus issues she most likely got from our asymptomatic daughter.
Needless to say, when coworkers asked about the baby's first Christmas, instead of getting to say “It was magical,” I instead replied with: “We were all in varying stages of illnesses.”
We still made the best out of the situation. When life gives you lemons, right?
I used vacation days and took the entire week of Christmas off from work. On Monday, Baby Schanz had her 9-month well child appointment — she’s in the fourth percentile for height! — and I took her to day care afterward. Despite me not having to work, I sent her to day care for three days so I could get some things done around the house — time to clean! — and also to have some time by myself while Chrissy was at work.
Baby Schanz was home with me on Christmas Eve, and that afternoon once Chrissy got home we did a video call with her side of the family to open gifts we did for Secret Santa.
Later that evening we went to my brother’s house for the holiday, and Baby Schanz had a blast. Although we gave her a little assistance, she had a great time ripping open the wrapping paper to see what was inside.
I can’t wait until she’s a bit older, gets super excited and tears through the paper like the Tasmanian devil. It’s going to be adorable.
Christmas Day, as planned, was spent at home with just the three of us. We didn’t want the hassle of packing everything up to leave the house, so we stayed in our pj’s and watched holiday movies. It also allowed us some time to recover from our ailments.
We had our gift exchange too, and our daughter opened the few items she got from Santa.
In all, it was a great first Christmas as a family of three. While it certainly could have been better if we weren’t fighting off viruses, it was still one we’ll be able to look back on and say “Remember when we were all sick on our first Christmas?” and laugh about it.
We surely could have been more sick to make the holiday worse, so we’re thankful we weren’t completely down for the count with it being our first Christmas.
I just hope we’re all healthy and fine for her first big trip, which also coincides with her first birthday, in March.
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Chris Schanz is a former CR Sports Editor who will most likely be sick for the next 10 years because child care facilities are petri dishes for viruses. Send tips for immune system help to christopher.schanz@gmail.com.
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