Mommy Rumination

Sick Puppy

My precious girl is sick.  She's had a terribly busy week and has been struck by a simply awful stomach bug. 

WARNING:  Disgusting bodily functions discussed below.  OK , folks - you've been warned.  You're on your own!

It started yesterday.  Her appetite was gone.  And generally speaking, my kid can pack it away.  She was also very very tired (and consequently WHINEY) and took a nap at about 11:30 in the morning.  She slept for a couple hours and then woke up.  She still wasn't hungry - but she seemed to be feeling fine.  At bedtime last night, she was running a low-grade fever just under 100.  I didn't give her any medicine.  I am a believer that fevers serve a purpose and don't treat them unless they get to about 101.  She woke up around 2 AM and I went to her about 1/2 an hour later.  We dozed on and off until about 5, but there was no restful sleep.  Just about then, I staggered blindly into the bedroom and asked Curt to take over.  They dozed another 45 minutes or so and then got up.  He said that she was running a temp again and he gave her some advil. 

I got up about 8:15 and she seemed fine.  Her appetite was still very low - but she was happy and playing.  We ran an errand and then went to my parents' house.  We had a family gathering to celebrate my father's and my birthday with the extended family.  It was scheduled for 3:00 but we got there around 1:30 figuring Thea could nap there.  That way we wouldn't be terribly late for the party.  I laid her down, told her a story and sang her a lullaby.  She was happy to be sleeping in Grandma and Grandpa's waterbed so I left the room and went downstairs.  About 10 minutes later, she was SCREAMING for me "MOMMY! MOMMY!"  I ran up to the room and found that she had vomited.  It is the first time she has ever done this awake.  She vomited overnight twice in the past and never woken up enough to be frightened by it - if that makes any sense.  Well, today, she was WIDE awake when it happened and utterly terrified by it.  We went downstairs and watched a movie to calm her.  Despite being exhausted, she wanted NO PART of upstairs or the waterbed.  She finally fell asleep on my chest in the living room.  I carried her up and laid down with her.  After a few minutes, I was able to disentangle myself from her and rejoin the family.  While she slept, I ran to the drug store and bought some advil for her (because of course, I didn't bring the bottle from home).  She slept an hour.  When she woke, we went downstairs and sat in the living room.  She suddenly started to cry and said "I'm gonna throw up again."  And boom, she did.  The event was milliseconds behind the warning so I was unable to get a receptacle in place in time.  Needless to say - it was messy.

She also had it start from the other end and had a little accident in her undies.  I am wondering if it happened when she threw up that second time, but I am not sure.  I think she was feeling very badly about having an "accident" so I assured her that even adults do that sometimes when they are sick.  I didn't tell her that I once had to throw my underwear away in the ladies room at LaGuardia Airport - but I did.  I also made a run home to get her some fresh undies and a couple changes of clothes for both of us in case she got sick again.

Several times, she said she was going to throw up again, but she battled it back and didn't.  Curt arrived from a rehearsal and she snuggled with him for a bit.  We all left around 7:30;  Curt and Thea headed for home, I headed to rehearsal.  When I called to check on her at 9ish, Curt said that she had an explosion of diahrrea and coated a good portion of the bathroom.  She then spent 45 minutes sitting on the toilet while her body revolted against her AGAIN.  I almost felt bad that Curt had to deal with all this, but hey - I got puked on today.  We've both had .... challenging experiences today.

I got home just before 11 PM.  It was time for another dose of advil so I went up with the medicine and some fresh water.  Her temperature was up to 103.3.  I don't remember it ever being that high.  We went potty, took our medicine, and had a few sips of water.  I wiped her down with a cool cloth for about 10 minutes and when I took her temp again it was down to 101.9.

I may sleep in her room tonight.  I don't know how I'll get any sleep otherwise.  I just need to know she's ok.

Watching her go through this today was just heartbreaking.  I wish that I could take it away and go through it for her.  I hope she's feeling better tomorrow.  She didn't even get to eat cake and ice cream at the party.  I told we'd both save ours until tomorrow and eat when she could enjoy it and know that it wouldn't make her sick. 

It's time for me to go up now.  I need to kiss my baby and hold her and make her well.

The Fat Cats and Their "Little" Sister

Our house is home to Seymour (left) and Fagin, the two mildly annoying cats referenced in my About section.   They are about 8 years old.  I adopted them from the North Shore Animal League in Long Island, NY.  Their annoying habits include scratching the furniture and very occasionally peeing on something other than their litter box to show their disdain (e.g. the contents of the open suitcase after we returned from a 10 day trip away from home....uggh!) 

Seymour knew of my pregnancy before I did.  From about 6 days past ovulation, he began curling up into a little ball directly on top of my stomach anytime that I sat down and allowed it.  He continued to sit on my belly, like a hen on an egg, until I delivered.  There were moments, later in the pregnancy, when a rumble arose from deep within my uterus, and a little limb delivered as great a blow as possible from it's confines.  The punch always seemed to say "GET OFFA ME!".  So began the sibling relationship.

The cats are both OUTRAGEOUSLY tolerant of their “Little” sister.  Seymour more so than Fagin, but both of them boggle the mind with what they will allow Thea to do to them.  As evidenced here.

The other day, I walked into the kitchen and discovered “Black Doggie”, one of Thea’s favorite stuffed animals, in a somewhat frightening position.  Her robe belt was tied around his middle and the other end of the belt was tied on the knob of the food pantry closet.  It was really a bit more "Mad Max" than I have ever seen from her, and made me wonder if I needed to have my daughter evaluated by a mental health professional.  However, without prompting, Thea later explained that the belt was Black Doggie’s leash and he was tied out in one place so he didn’t run away.  A day or so later, Fagin wandered into the kitchen where I was cooking or cleaning.  I looked down and saw that the same purple robe belt tied around Fagin’s middle.  I had to stifle my hysterical laughter to tell Thea we really shouldn’t put things on the kitties.

A week or so later, Seymour wandered into the kitchen with one of Thea’s necklaces around his middle.  I re-iterated to Thea that we shouldn’t put things on the kitties.  She told me that Seymour wanted to wear her necklace.  I am very grateful that my fully-clawed cats are so tolerant of the little person that lives with them.  They are terrific playmates and snuggle buddies.

Ah, the joys of having siblings……..

"If he's not listening to you, it's not because he can't hear you. His hearing is perfect."

I often refer to "The Princess" in my posts.  That's my little girl, Thea.  She will be 4 years old on March 23.  She used to be an incredibly docile child.  She used to do as she was told most of the time.  Right around her third birthday, we went through a terrible time of tantrums.  ANY TIME she didn't get her way, she would have a tantrum.  Even if it was a completely non-negotiable issue, like playing in traffic, eating poison, or buckling up her carseat.  We've gone through phases of tantruming since then, but she's gotten better.  Now, as her 4th birthday approaches, we are going through a new spate of lovely behavior.  She is asserting her independence and refusing to do as she's told.  Simply to be contrary.  Last night, the wonderful Curt went up with her to put her to bed.  He came down just a few minutes later in an awful fury.  Her bedtime routine (after bath, pj's and teeth brushing) is to read a book, go potty, tell a story, tell "happy dreams", sing a lullaby, and then go to sleep.  Apparently, when they went up, Curt told her to pick out a book and bring it to the bed.  She stalled terribly on picking the book.  When she finally did pick a book, she laid down with it in the middle of her floor.  He warned her three or four times that she needed to bring the book to bed NOW, or there would be NO book. Despite the warnings, she continued to be difficult.  So Daddy shut off the lights, put her in bed, and left the room.  So what did she do?  She yelled and screamed so loudly that I am surprised she wasn't heard in Europe.  I left her alone for about 5 minutes and then went up, calmed her down, and talked to her about doing what she's told.  There was no book last night.  "But I weally weally want a book, Mommy".  Sorry, Charlie; no book.  I explained that she lost the priviledge of a book by not doing as she was told.  I did the rest of her bedtime routine, but refused to lay down with her for any length of time, which she likes.  She fell asleep almost immediately because she was exhausted.

Fast forward to this morning.  She has a coat that my mother bought her that had a button fall off a while ago.  Last night, while looking for something else, I found the button.  I put it on the napkin holder so I could sew it back on today.  This morning, Thea found the button where I'd left it, takes it, and decides to move it.  A large power struggle ensues with me telling her to put it back and her deciding it belongs in the food pantry, then in her pocket, etc.  I finally won the battle but it wasn't fun.  I then talked to her AGAIN about doing what she's told.  I also made her apologize for NOT doing as she's told.  One of these days, this will all click, but it's going to be a LONG HAUL in the meanwhile.

My friend Kim has a little boy who turned 4 in September.  When he went in for his 4 year check up, they tested his hearing.  The doctor told Kim, "If he's not listening to you, it's not that he can't hear you. His hearing is perfect.  "  Ha ha ha ha ha........like THAT'S news.......

Apparently all preschoolers develop selective deafness around age 4...........

Is this not precious?

I admit it.  I most definitely have a tendance towards showing off pictures of my beautiful, almost 4 year old daughter.  I can't help it.

Here she is ready to head out into the snow, in the snowsuit that has lasted through three years.  She's grown 1/2 an inch in the last several months, so it's days are definitely numbered.  I am hoping to finish out this season with it.

Here she is discovering just how deep that snow REALLY is!

And here she is "helping" clean off the cars.  She loves to help with most tasks....for about 4 nano-seconds.

So how deep was the snow really?

This deep: