Elf on the Shelf? Nope, Slouch on the Couch

There was no Christmas spirit in our house today. Babyboy was awake coughing most of last night, Hubby left with the team this morning, and I’m still pretty wiped out from my own bout with strep this week.

Somehow, I managed to delay that diagnosis, despite the fact that Babygirl has had strep twice in the past two weeks. The sore throat was just not that prominent for me until Thursday, so basically I went all week feeling achey and exhausted and woozy, thinking It must be a virus.

It wasn’t until the classic “shards of glass” pain on swallowing that I actually looked at my own tonsils. Even then, I wasn’t thinking straight. What should I do? Swab myself in the office in the morning? Call myself in some Amox now?

I called my doctor-friend who is also battling a strep epidemic in her home, and we logic-ed it out. Why waste time? We know what this is. I couldn’t even move my neck, for goodness’ sake. So, thanks to her, I got on Amoxicillin Thursday night, and Friday morning the pain was gone. I felt amazing compared to how I’d felt all week, though, still sort of weak in the knees.

So this morning, after a rough night spent running down to the kitchen to concoct more warm honey-lemon tea and rubbing Babyboy’s back as he hacked to gagging, I flopped on the couch and wondered how on earth I would get through the day.  Never mind the one sick kid, I could deal with that.  It was the other, now super-energetic kid I was worried about.

Babygirl is now well into her Keflex course for her second bout with strep, and she’s back to her normal self. Thankfully, she slept in until 7 a.m. this morning, but once she was up, she wanted to paint pictures, make a fruit and yogurt parfait, play her favorite song and dance around the living room, do a puzzle. Of course, this meant I had to deal with the paint, the food, the music and the puzzle. Once Babyboy was up too, and needing warm honey lemon tea and TLC, I feared how the day would go.

It was 9 a.m. and I was physically spent. I had had to run up to the attic to get something, and my legs went all jelly with the effort. I had to go sit down for awhile. This is not like me. Just last week I wrestled our fake Christmas tree up from the basement and set the damn thing up myself, and I have the forearm scratches to prove it. Then I went out and raked leaves. It’s a bit of a running joke in our house: I don’t sit down. (I usually blog standing up, too.)

But this morning I was pitiful. And I didn’t want to ask poor Nana for help, who had had the sick kid all day yesterday, dealing with his coughing and vomiting. I felt like Nana deserved a nice weekend day without kids, especially febrile and spewing kids.

So I used a lifeline, so to speak. I asked Babygirl’s best friend’s mom if she could maybe take Babygirl for a few hours’ playdate… And, God bless this woman, she said yes. AND she picked Babygirl up. AND brought us comfort foods. AND kept Babygirl all day. AND brought her home again.

So, on this beautiful mild December Saturday before Christmas, Babyboy and I literally sat on the couch for almost all of it, alternately watching T.V., reading books, or snacking. We were both so totally useless.

And I am so extremely thankful!!!