Worst Case Senario

I had grand plans for what I thought would be my last day without kids until 5:30. I was excited and well prepared to drop the kids off and run. However, toddlers as a group do not believe in “according to plan”. Saturday night Riley woke up somewhere in the neighborhood of 8-10 times during the night. Sunday morning her nose was running. By the afternoon her eye had joined the snot festival of snot and she had a fever. There went my day without kids.

It got worse however, I was served an early dinner I could not eat. My throat started bothering me and soon I couldn't keep my eyes open. Riley and I were both sick in bed after dinner and both sound asleep by 7:45pm. Monday had gone from something to look forward to, to something to dread.

Up until now when one of the kids has been sick I'm ok or vice versa. This was the first time Riley and I had been really sick together. A whole day alone with a sick toddler, while I was sick. When I get a virus I get horrible joint pain so it's hard to move.

I had a terrible time throwing myself out of bed this morning. Riley seemed a little perkier than the night before, but insisted on a bath. I thought it was a good idea, but wished I could sleep a few more hours. After bath she was less snotty and warm, but I was crampy and nauseous. Off to a good start.

The most frustrating thing about sick toddlers is they have manic behavioral shifts. One minute they're tiny zombies, moaning and cuddling you, and the next they're playing like nothing's wrong. It's exhausting when you're not viral yourself. Also, toddlers lack the communication skills to express their frustration and pain. Riley kept throwing things, dumping things, yelling and hitting me. Which is also much easier to cope with when I'm well.

We survived the morning in a haze of Disney movies, convenience foods and multiple baths. At 11:00 I decided we were both ready for an early nap. Riley (and Mom) slept for an hour. I was able to get her back to sleep after about 10mins, thank goodness. I slept heavy and had weird dreams the rest of the nap. At about 2pm I awoke to an urgent knock. It took me a minute to realize it was Riley knocking on her own door to be let out.

In the afternoon I felt more human, but Riley seemed to be declining. By 4pm I called the dr. They're squeezing her in at 8am. Hopefully, we'll be in bed early and on the mend tomorrow. Actually, I have a video chat for my e-course at 9pm. Maybe a nap? Oy, what a day!