Sickness

Client One is sick. She had a slight cough last night before bed but woke up around 1:00 this morning with a full-blown cough, sore throat and fever. Her poor little throat was so sore she would cry every time she coughed. This, of course, would wake up Client Two. I spent the majority of my night going from client to client trying my best to comfort them and get them back to sleep.

I hate when my babies are sick. They just lie there so miserable. A couple of months ago Client Two was sick. He was majorly pathetic. All he wanted to do all day was snuggle. He had a fever that got almost scary high. I took him on in to his doctor and had him checked out but there wasn't a whole lot they could do for him except recommend Tylenol for his fever. Even with the Tylenol his fever stayed fairly high around 103*. I stayed up pretty much all night just rocking and holding him for two nights straight. I spent most of those nights in our living room chair. I was exhausted but my baby needed me.  After his fever finally broke, he got a rash from his head to his little piggies. Turns out, he most likely had Fifths Disease. It was scary but we made it through.

Now, it seems, it is Client One's turn. It's not the first time she's ever been sick, but she doesn't get sick often. Last time she was sick it was a stomach bug. She threw up in Barnes and Noble right in front of the registers. That was a blast. Luckily, her bug only lasted about 24 hours before she was pretty much back to normal. This time it's a nasty cold of some sort. Her sweet little voice has been replaced by the voice of a forty-year-old smoker lady. Since she can't call out for help I have provided her with a maraca to shake when she needs me. She's shaking it every five minutes or so. She has a pretty sweet set-up. She's back in the main bedroom all comfy on my bed with three pillows and big fluffy blanket. She has her Bo (the teddy bear she takes everywhere) and a new stuffed cat her "Frandma" brought over for her. She also has a cup of lemonade, cup of water, little bowl of strawberry Jell-O (which is a treat because it has red food dye in it), Goldfish crackers and a cough drop sucker (which is another special treat since she rarely gets suckers). She gets to watch TV all day in her pajamas, so she doesn't mind being sick as much. Right now her fever is down a bit thanks to Tylenol and she seems a little less miserable thanks to her "bee medicine" (Zarbee's Natural's Children's Cough Syrup). Like a dutiful mother I will make her chicken noodle soup for lunch.

Sick kids are never any fun. If I could I would happily take my clients' sicknesses away and be sick myself instead. I don't like it when they're sick. But, since I can't take their sickness away I try to make them as comfortable as possible. Now, granted, since I am with them 24/7 the chances are high that in a day or two I will be sick with whatever illness has beset upon them. Chances are also good that Client Two will get whatever Client One has, despite my best efforts to keep them separated over the next couple of days. Then I will have two sick clients and might be sick myself but we will make it through. Such is the curse of a mother.