Around 11.30 AM I got a call from preschool. Lily was running a low-grade fever, her eyes were streaming, and in the words of the school nurse, she was “miserable”. I grabbed my computer, shoved some mail out the door and headed out to pick her up.
As I spent the afternoon with a feverish, alternatively sweaty or shiverying Lily, I took a few minutes to allow myself to rest as well. I think calling my body “run down” would be an understatement. I’ve been sick for about a week and frankly, if I could have gotten my mom to come up here and rub my back and make me soup, I definitely would have. I got to spend the afternoon fetching water, rubbing Lily’s back, snuggling her on the couch (she “couldn’t sleep” in her bed), and entertaining her by my mad coloring skills.
What struck me tonight, as I poured out some Motrin for her, was how trusting she was. She said, “Mommy, I’m so tired of coughing. WHEN will I FEEL BETTER???” I told her to take her medicine and she would feel good. She just nodded, completely convinced that my word was the gospel. I wish I still had that kind of trust in people, or medication.
Arden was a holy terror after a day of being “good” at school. She spent the time at home screaming her lungs out because I wouldn’t give her a strawberry until she ate some of her dinner (I know, I’m mean as hell). She cried during bath, she cried while getting dressed. I managed not to lose my temper, but Lily spent most of the evening covering her ears with her hands because Arden was a 7.8 on the Richter Scale. She lost her book priviledges, so she went to bed without any reading or playing. Lily only managed one snotty comment (that’s how I knew she truly felt bad). During bathtime she said, “I want you to read tonight - and Arden, you don’t GET a book.”
We read “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” (she’s on a holiday kick, and made me watch Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer today as well). Mike did the Grinch’s voice and I did the narration plus occasional high-pitched and snarky sounding Cindy Lou Who’s voice. We hugged and kissed her, took her temperature (101.7), and tucked her in. Within minutes, she was asleep . . . still believing that mommy kisses, daddy hugs and bubble-gum flavored meds would solve her problems and she’d wake up feeling like she was ready to take on the monkey bars.
