Talk in her good ear

So it turns out that Hester has her first ear infection. Which means she also has her first prescription for Amoxicillin, otherwise known as the #1 beverage of my own childhood. Ah, the memories!

After lots of issues about "Is she taking the pink stuff too soon?" and "What if she's allergic?" we bucked up and dosed the baby first thing this morning. So far, she's fine. Knock wood she stays that way.

The puking is neither here nor there, by the way: it's probably due to post-nasal drip. Her Zantac is fine.

Home sick

I'm off work today for my 2nd sick day ever. I've had a stomach virus since Saturday and thought I beat it on Tuesday, but yesterday I realized I was wrong. Very, very wrong. Here's what's not fun: telling your active toddlers they can't go outside on a beautiful afternoon because you need to stick close to the bathroom. Also not fun: Running to the bathroom while work parents are picking up their kids.

[Note to self: When recovering from a stomach bug, give it a few extra days before having a salad with raspberries and a side of fresh corn for lunch.]

I feel guilty for missing work today even though my work parents know I'm genuinely sick. However, Hester and I have been hanging out chill-style this morning and it's been WONDERFUL. She relaxed under her baby gym in the early morning while I moped on the couch. Then I fed her and we both napped for a couple of hours, which was blissful.

I am a lucky, lucky woman to have a baby this easygoing.

Now that we're both awake, I'm trying to decide what to do this afternoon. The J part of me wants to run errands--I need to go to the much-dreaded BJs and know it would be quieter on a workday--but rest of me wants to relax here at home. I think that's what I'll do--shower, sit on the couch some more, and play with baby Hester.

I think I'll skip the veggies at lunch, though.

Completely unasseptable

If your child has a barking cough that followed a fever, runny nose, and general malaise, do not say to me, "How's little Hester doing today? Ugh--I'm glad my kids have never had croup."

Guess what, genius? Your kid gave it to her.

Croupy baby

Tiny Hester is sicker today. She's got a nice cough now and eating makes her scream. I have her jacked up on infant Tylenol, but she's miserable. My poor precious baby! I hate seeing her suffer and not being able to help. It reminds me of when she was in the hospital, only this illness is more acute (though less serious, thank god). The worst part is how it hurts her to eat--I actually cried with her as I tried to feed her this morning.

We've canceled all of our weekend plans, including my 30th birthday party at the sculpture museum and a walk in memory of Baby A. Instead, I think that Hester and I will be taking lots of baths and that all 3 of us will try to catch up on our sleep. I'm disappointed to miss out on the walk and the party, but I really want Hester to feel better.

Some firsts

In addition to some fun firsts (first time in the swing at the playground, first solid food, first time feeding herself with a spoon), Hester had a not-so-fun first today: her first sick visit at the pediatrician. It had to happen sometime, no?

The poor kid has croup. She doesn't have the barky cough yet, but she's been eating poorly and acting strange all week. She caught it from my work kids; two of them have been miserable all week as well. Yeah, it's been fun around these parts.

Poor baby Hester!

Feeling like ass

I am in the throes of a lovely little virus. I had a high fever in the night, and though I'm managing it today with my good friends ibuprofen and acetaminophen, I still feel like ass. Achy bones, backache, runny nose, sore armpits and neck, lethargy, headache, chills--you name it, I got it. If I had a normal job, my ass would have called in for sure.

Blah.

Halloween recap

Well, we ran out of candy again. We bought 14 bags of candy for Halloween, and if Green Thumb hadn't rescued us in the 11th hour we would have been tricked for sure. Petunia's pumpkins were the hit of the neighborhood, though--everyone loved them!

During the trick-or-treating festivities, I realized I was mere hours away from another ear drum rupture. Petunia and I spent a half hour debating whether it was worth it to head to the ER, but then I wised up and called my P.A. dad for advice. He reminded me about my emergency stash of hardcore antibiotics, so I popped one and went straight to bed. A low fever and doggy illness kept me up half the night, and today I'm shaky and dazed and poppy-eared. But hell, at least the pain's mostly gone. It's days like today that I envy folks with real sick leave policies, cuz I'm in no shape to take care of 4 toddlers.

But hey, at least I had a hot shower this morning. Gotta love a fully functioning water heater, eh?