Yet another first.

Nora's first illness.

Timing, babe. It's all about the timing.

The nursery called late afternoon yesterday. Nora had a temperature. The asked if they could administer some Calpol which, frankly, is nectar of the baby gods and I said yes to. We went to pick them up and brought them home (and by the way, the homecoming from nursery was fabulous. I've never been so happy to see my babies, and when we walked in they greeted us with big gummy smiles.) I'm sure she didn't pick up something at the nursery, she wasn't there long enough to be exposed in that short of time, it just timed inconveniently with her first day at day care in that "Hey, pack your bags, Mama, you're going on a guilt trip!" kind of way.

Nora remained feverish and generally unhappy all night. When the time was up from her first dose we administered more Calpol, which made her sleepy. Late in the evening the diarrhea set in, which is less diarrhea and more "stand back, I'm just gonna' hose the kid down in the tub, m'kay?" The words "jet stream" apply here, and I'm not talking about the shower attachment.

We've been through three sets of sheets, three Grobags, and untold pairs of pajamas. I am absolutely exhausted - we were up a great portion of the night, and even though they sleep through the night my body has the remarkable ability to wake up instantly and go running at the sound of thick liquid hitting the inside of a Pamper (actually that's no joke - at 4:30 this morning my eyes shot open upon hearing Nora making yet another mess). The entire house smells like feces and vomit, and I understand Bath and Body Works are preparing a new aromatherapy candle to market the scent. Between the smell of shit and the smell of baby vomit on me, I am the new ideal for the latest fragrance campaign (We've replaced Helen's Dolce and Gabbana with a secret blend of diarrhea and vomit. Let's see if she notices!) Nora's fever peaked at about 102 and now is going down but as there's no end to the Poop Olympics and she really isn't feeling well (lethargic, whimpering, not even getting angry when you bathe her and not hungry) and still feverish, so we're off to the doctor's this morning while her brother (who is symptom and fever free and his usual, happy-go-lucky self) enjoys the comfort and fun of the nursery.

No one tells you how wretched you're going to feel when your child is sick. Or they tell you but it doesn't compute, it's in one ear and out the other: "Oh you feel distressed when your kid is sick? Really? You want fries with that?" But suffice to say when your kid is ill and it's your kid, you want to break into a pharmaceutical company and demand they create something right now to make your child feel better, everyone can have the flu but your kid, because while it's great to cuddle them when they're burning like a furnace, you just can't bear it when they hurt.

I can't handle all the firsts.

-H.

PS-two more fantastic books arrived, from Lori this time. They came yesterday in the midst of snow, power outages, first day at nursery and Nora's illness so the timing was impeccable for a pick-me-up. Thank you so much, we love them!

PPS-Happy Birthday to a great little guy.

Posted by: Everydaystranger at 08:03 AM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
Post contains 591 words, total size 4 kb.

1 I hadn't realized that neither baby had been sick like that. Babies come down with silly stuff like that so damned quickly. On the upside, at least when it ends, it ends quickly too. The beby times are a double edged sword with all of the "firsts". First steps, first smile, first rollover are all well and good but the emotional highs don't prepare you for the lows. Hang in there. You're doing fine. Remember this moment when you're eying your teen and asking them if they're REALLY sick or they just have something due today that they didn't finish. Then when they vomit you REALLY feel bad.

Posted by: ~Easy at March 05, 2008 11:55 AM (XD24A)

2 Poor Nora.

Posted by: Comments Repairman at March 05, 2008 02:01 PM (GMvql)

3 I recently had about 2 weeks with 4-5 hours of broken sleep each night because my children, in turn, got sick. Even when they slept, the constant coughing and sneezing and crying out kept me awake. It's a horrible, horrible feeling. Fortunately, your children will get better and the memory that will stay with you is how you made them feel better. I know that it's hard work, but isn't parenthood the most wonderful thing? The spot in your heart that opens for your children just seems to keep on growing with them, expanding to make room for all of the joy that they give you. You know what? I've seen lots of parents, read about lots of parents. Your children are lucky to have you.

Posted by: physics geek at March 05, 2008 02:43 PM (MT22W)

4 Poor Nora, and poor you, too. It's very hard to watch the little ones hurt and feel bad. It's no easier watching older kids hurt and feel bad but they're less helpless and pathetic - if not by much. Nora is older catching her first real illness than my kids were; they both fell ill in the first couple months of their lives. It does pass very quickly though and soon she'll be her normal adorable little self all of a sudden. Lucky Nick not to be sick at the same time - maybe he'll never get it at all. I'm very glad the homecoming was wonderful. Those amazing gummy grins are the greatest, aren't they? :: big sigh :: I laughed at Easy's comment because I've been there, done that fairly recently with my teen. Heh. I nodded along with physics geek's words of wisdom too. Your children are lucky to have you.

Posted by: Lisa at March 05, 2008 03:48 PM (EcHBm)

5 How's this for guilt: I was prodded and pushed by my friends to take our first weekend away. So we booked a trip to Chicago to see a broadway musical. The first night we missed her and my friends assured me she was happy as can be and just the best baby ever! The next night I got the call... she's been vomiting for the past 6 hours. She continued to do so for a full 24 hours and then the diarrhea started. By the time I got home I felt so guilt stricken - then she pooped on me... big time. She recovered... but you're right, it never computes until its your own baby girl. Be well.

Posted by: Suz at March 05, 2008 04:11 PM (GhfSh)

6 Poor baby! You are bring back some (bad) memories for me of when my kids had that kind of illness. It is horrible, but it will pass (no pun intended).

Posted by: kenju at March 05, 2008 04:44 PM (yvCMb)

7 Poor girly! I hope it's nothing more than a nasty virus and she's back to smiles tomorrow (and that brother doesn't catch it!)

Posted by: caltechgirl at March 05, 2008 05:31 PM (IfXtw)

8 We have had fun with the flu too.I hope she gets better fast and that it misses everybody else.Take care.

Posted by: Erica at March 05, 2008 05:37 PM (AZFra)

9 Poor babe... poor Mommy... it never gets easier. Hope she's feeling much better soon!

Posted by: sue at March 05, 2008 07:54 PM (geYhK)

10 Blurghhh...sick babies suck. It's not their fault of course, and mine has a particularly tragic way about her that makes you curse the gods for making her ill. Poor dears. For a laugh in these troubled times, my sister-in-law (seriously) asked the other day when P was tremendously out of sorts: "Does she have a headache?" The fuck? She's 19 months old, how the hell do I know? Uh, probably? Speaking of sick children, must go tend to my now-crying toddler, as teeth and a cough are making it rough for sleep to occur. Yay! May Nora (and you by extension) recover soon.

Posted by: MsPrufrock at March 05, 2008 09:59 PM (1NDGw)

11 You should be told, formally, in a memo, or at least an e-mail that Guilt? She becomes a goddamned albatross around your neck the second you hold your squallin' babies. 'Cause she's there. And she never goes away. And trust me, I've had enough of her for my 20 years as a mama. So the Guilt? She stays. She packs and moves right in. Hang in there. I sure have been thinkin' about you a lot. I have all but quit commenting here because every time I do, the comments are borked. But I try. I try. Always I try. Heh. xoxo

Posted by: Margi at March 05, 2008 11:36 PM (IYBY1)

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