Thursday, November 5, 2009

Semi-Sick Day

Annie woke up coughing around 2:00 a.m. last night and wanted me to sleep with her for the rest of the night. I tried, but the two of us do not exactly fit in a twin-size bed also occupied by two pillows, Molly, CeeCee Bingo, and Dinah. We snuggled for a while, and I suspected she would be skipping school today.

Sure enough, her fever this morning was 100 degrees on the nose, the range I like to refer to as "technically sick but still plenty of energy to drive me crazy all day long." I called the absence hotline and prepared for a long day with a sort-of-sick child.

Instead, we had a really great day. Annie's temp stayed right around 100, but she was mellow and happy, and, perhaps remembering my actual tears last night* over the 197th time she and Jemma went into instant-fight mode, a kind big sister. The two of them played together most of the morning while I showered, baked pumpkin bread, did laundry, and picked up behind them. I read while they napped. We danced in the kitchen to The Weepies and I cooked dinner while they colored. (Annie is creating a full Princess Series of prints with white printer paper and mixed media, i.e. markers and crayons. So far, my favorite is Snow White.) Jason got home on time for dinner, and now the girls are snug in bed and we have Thursday TV to enjoy.

I mean, I wouldn't want to do it every day, but for once, it was good not to leave the house all day. Let's hope this was a one-day virus and not the beginning of Seven Days of Doom that's been swirling all around us this fall . . .

*So yes, I occasionally lose it in front of my children, and when I did so briefly last night because they were actually fighting vigorously over who got to bring which clothes to the dirty laundry hamper, Annie took one look at me, ran from the room, and returned with two fat library books from the top of the stack next to my bed. If they have learned nothing else about their mommy, at least they know: when she is sad, she wants a good book.

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