Calling in Sick
This weekend was a doozy. First Charlie was sick and ended up at the doc first thing Saturday – at the exact time that Kenny’s T-Ball game was to start. He was noble about it (“I understand, Mamma…”) but bummed. Even more bummed that the game was rained out in the second inning. I was secretly doing a rain dance in the waiting room at the pediatrician. Is that bad? Hey – I love to see that kid play!
Back to Charlie; something viral. Mimicking Strep, but since babies don’t get strep apparently, it’s just “nasty virus, sore throat, fever” that there is no medicine for. Boo. Cooper tried to play sick while we were there, too, but I honestly couldn’t tell if it was a ploy for attention or the real deal. By the time we got home, pulling into the driveway at the same time as a soaked Kenny and Coach Casey, they were both dripping boogers. Then Casey mumbled, “I don’t feel good… ” and within the hour was in bed asleep. Charlie napped for 3 hours and Kenny and Cooper and I stared at the rain pouring down and settled on making cookies. And eating all of them.
After getting all the kids in bed, Casey and I decided to rent a movie. Halfway through, Kenny came barreling down the hallway in a sleepwalking / night terror episode. He was shaking so badly we could barely hold him still. He has no memory of it this morning, though in his sleep he convinced us to watch a little ESPN. We should have called it a night right then, but we finished the movie, which was long and kind-of boring when it came down to it. We turned out the lights a little before midnight and it wasn’t two hours later than Cooper showed up, wide awake and needing consolation from “hearing a loud sound that said words.” I took him to his room and laid down with him, only to hear Kenny shout in his sleep, “We need to microwave that!!” I said, “Cooper, is that the sound with words that woke you up?” “Yeah,” he said, “I’m going to tell him in the morning that he was really loud.”
After two full hours of his 34 pound body tossing and turning and kicking me, Charlie woke up with a raspy wail. I went in his room and nursed him then held him for nearly an hour before he settled down again. By then it was closing in on 5am and I fell back into my bed, only to feel Casey next to me burning up with a fever. At 6 Charlie was up again and so was Kenny. Casey and Cooper were both snoring and the sun was out, so I rallied Kenny and Charlie and Dudley, and we headed out for a walk, ending at our favorite coffee shop for a bag a bagels to bring home. I came home to a Casey who was so sick he could barely stand, and a Cooper whose face was completely covered in dried snot. Nice. Casey dragged off to the doctor and came home with the verdict of Flu and Strep. Waa.
He went to bed with a stash of prescriptions and Kenny, Cooper and I headed out to the annual street fair taking place right outside our back door. Lots of fresh air and retail therapy in the form of a handmade dress, an antique console table, used children’s books, pots of fresh herbs, face painting and hotdogs and lemonade perked the boys and me right up. Kenny made an impression with the vendors with a bag of his own money that he pulled out for each of his purchases (and to cover the $2.55 tax on one of mine!) to count out and hand over. Charlie was ecstatic up in his backpack, looking at the sights, and Cooper was proud to be without a stroller and holding onto my hand. Irish bands were rockin’ and the crowds were a great diversion.
After that, Kenny started heading downhill and ended up in bed with Casey (though the ESPN may have had something to do with it). Cooper fell asleep as soon as we got home as well. After a sluggish dinner of eggs and toast, everyone is down for the night and I have a disaster of a house to pick up. Not to mention the things I usually get caught up with over the weekend completely undone. There must be 4 loads of laundry waiting to be folded and put away, and another 3 in the hamper. Bummer.
My throat is getting sore, too, but whoever heard of a Mommy who gets a sick day?? Even if I end up with what they all seem to have, there’s not a whole lot I can do about it. Maybe I should get myself to bed right now… Right after I post an add on Craigslist for a nanny, housekeeper and nurse who does house calls…