Where's the Baby?

Everywhere I go (ok, that's not very many places...), I get asked why I don't have Clayton with me.  I always feel like people are judging me for keeping Clayton away from crowds and GERMS.  I am sure they are just eager to see him, but I get asked weekly by the same people.

I didn't know anything about premature babies before I had Clayton and I still don't claim to know much.  But what I do know:  Preemies are different.  Period.  Most people (I was one of them, I suppose) think that once a baby hits his or her due date, he or she is caught up with a term baby.  (I suddenly feel like I've already posted about this.....maybe I have, but I'm too lazy to look.)   That's simply not the case.  Premature babies are not term babies.  Clayton is very healthy, but he's not a term baby.  Preemies are at a greater risk of infection than term babies.  If he got RSV, it'd be much more severe for him than a term baby.  He does get a monthly shot (synagis) to lessen the effects of RSV if he were to get it, but that doesn't mean I need to throw caution to the wind.  I will not return to the hospital because I got him around crowds too early.  He won't be around crowds until this spring.

When people ask me constantly why I didn't bring him to church or school or wherever, I just want to answer, "Because I don't want my baby to get your germs..."  But I guess that'd be rude.

Can you tell it was a rough night?