I work late most Thursdays, so I can spend some time with our night shift. I usually go in a bit late on those days – sleep in, hang out with the baby, all that. This morning I chased a very busy explorer all over the house, washed a few dishes, and then headed off to work at about 9:30. I taught a class at a local vocational services facility on how to conduct oneself in an interview, had lunch with the friend who works there, and then headed off to work. A couple of hours worth of meetings later, I got a phone call from the husband – Jack has a temp of 102.3, I’m going to run him over to the doctor.
I pealed outta there quick as lightning, you’d better believe! I’m more anxious a mother than I care to reveal in daily conversation, and I wanted to be with my sick boy. I made it home in a record 40 minutes, and met Patrick as he was leaving the doctor. Jack reached for me, and when I held him I could feel him absolutely burning up. His brow was sweaty, and he was whining softly, though as we left he still turned to smile and wave bye bye at the nurses. Little heartbreaker.
Jack and I came home, sending Patrick off to the pharmacy for some prescriptions. I held the baby in my arms and rocked him on the only rock-able chair in this house, our office chair. I am going to have to ice my arm, and I’m not even joking – 27 pounds of sleeping boy is tough on the elbow. A couple of hours later, I had read my fill of Slate dot com, the beab was awake, and Patrick was home with the prescriptions, some popsicles, and a movie from the $5 bin at Wal Mart* – Smokey and the Bandit. Jack woke up two degrees cooler and markedly more alert and active, and he ate some applesauce and his orange popsicle with slurping, sticky enthusiasm. He is currently giving me nose crinkle smiles and bouncing in his Pack n Play, absolutely thrilled to watch Burt Reynolds and Sally Field flirt at 110 mph. I’m about to go select myself a popsicle, grape, and settle in with my boys for a lovely night in. I’ve never been so happy to take a sick day.
*Have I told you about the Five Dollar Wal Mart Challenge? Good game to play on those boring nights just before payday when the bank balance is gettin’ low but you need some excitement. The name says it all – five dollars, two contestants, find something diverting for an evening. The $5 DVD bin is a particularly good source for this game.