On the mend

Amoxycillin is a wonderful thing. Took the Hatchling to urgent care and only one ear was infected but it had also ruptured - OUCH - and she had a lot of lovely congestion to boot. She haaaaaaaates the medicine (can't blame her: it's "orange dreamsicle" flavored) but we've been getting it down her gullet twice a day and she's already feeling much, much better. Last night she only woke up once, a drastic improvement over the past three days. We're lying low today but I think we'll actually make it.

I have to say, I did not handle this sickness well. Usually I'm pretty good with the coddling and cuddling that goes with a sick kid, but for some reason - I'm guessing because I'm already low on energy reserves due to my fetal enhancement - I was going OUT OF MY MIND this weekend. I don't think the Hatchling picked up on it (though poor Mr. Squab did) but by last night I was just losing it left and right. Part of it was the lack of sleep, but even more than that was the feeling of no escape from the sick kiddo. She was literally attached to me for 85% of the weekend - couldn't sleep unless she was in bed with me, couldn't be awake unless she was right up next to me on the sofa, and if I had to get up to, you know, pee or get something to eat, she would start mournfully moaning "oh, no ... OH, no ... OH, NOOOO!" in escalating tones until I came back. I could not get anything done, and even if I could have gotten away for a moment I was too damn tired to accomplish anything. It was just making me totally nuts - and, like, how churlish is that? Christ, it's not her fault she's sick. And as Mr. Squab truthfully observed, in a few years I'll WISH she'd snuggle with me on the sofa for the whole day. But it wasn't helping this weekend. And then I started thinking, crap, she's basically just behaving like a little baby ... and we're having one of those soon ... and what if THAT makes me crazy like this is? ACKKKKK. Because, you know, that kind of worst-case-scenario thinking is so incredibly helpful at all times. Ahem.

Anyway, I got some sleep last night and Mr. Squab put up some Christmas decorations and cleaned up the kitchen and rubbed my back and tried not to laugh at me for bursting into tears whenever anyone looked at me crosseyed. So today things are better. Onwards and upwards, right?