Sicko

Moms are not allowed to get sick. Never. Ever. It just goes against all things Moms stand for. Always being there to pick your kid up when they wipe out, up in wee hours soothing a teething baby back to sleep, always there, never absent.

This weekend I was sicky sick sick - as my 3 year old likes to say. Chills, shakes, fever, sore throat and body aches all over. I fought it tooth and nail, trying to will the sickness away. Finally I succumbed. I had to hand over Lily's bedtime routine to my hubby. As my readers know this is a time, I hate to give up. I had to crawl into bed, pull the covers over my head and moan. Yes, I was moaning like a baby. Don took Ella down to the neighbors house after he put Lily to bed, so they could escape. I was jealous, I wanted to be drinking beers with good friends. No fair.

All night I tossed and turned, trying to sleep. Don woke up for the 5am feeding with Lily. Even though this should be a good thing for me, I felt guilty. I know how to soothe her, make her ease back into dreamland. In my head it is only me with such skills. Deep down though, I do know she loves her Daddy time and he is just as capable. Still, I hate to give up even the 5am routine. Guilt. Guilt. Guilt. That is all that I feel when I am sick. I can't just be sick, sleep all day and nurse myself back to health.

Come 7:45am I heard Lily shrieking out in the kitchen. A shriek I know as her teething cry. I jumped out of bed to tell Don to apply Orajel pronto. He already had it in his hand. At that point I was barely able to talk, my throat was pins and needles, but I was up. I took some meds and started to come back to life, 5 cups of tea later. As soon as I felt a tiny bit better, I started cleaning up my house which resembled a homeless man's tent. Clothes strewn about, endless half filled cups, something sticky on the floor - still not sure what that was. I cleaned like a mad woman while Don and Lily took a nap. Ella was cozy on the couch eating her breakfast and watching some Sunday cartoons. My sister-in-law was supposed to come over with her three kids. We had canceled but since I was feeling better, I decided I would rather battle through the sickness then miss a cute time with my niece and nephews. It was a great day, I was heavily medicated but was able to enjoy the much needed family time.

Flash forward 3 hours later. I feel worse than I felt before. A deep cough has settled into my chest and the aches are back. Pins and needles in my throat and a slight everpresent throb in my forehead.

I find it hard to allow myself to be sick. I am always rushing it away trying to fight through it, so I don't have to miss a single moment with the girls. Before kids, being sick was no big deal, sleep all day, drink lots of fluids, watch bad TV and get over it. Now, I am too busy to be sick. I'm going to try to tell that to this hacking cough and see how far it gets me.

Mommy Mantra - Make your kids an incredible Part of your life, not your WHOLE life.
Tonight Don stepped in and whipped up a stellar meal for the girls. Grilled cheese with Muenster, steamed asparagus and chopped up grilled chicken. The biggest hit was the asparagus. Lily was gnawing on it, soothing her aching gums and Ella was gobbling the little trees down. No "something special" tonight. Ella had two lollipops earlier in the day, more than enough sugar for one tiny little body to handle. However, I did not eat dinner and instead am indulging in a little Cookie Dough ice cream. What? It helps with my sore throat.