They Even Had a Cute Little Hospital Gown

Today began much like one would expect a normal day to begin. The gentle wail of a sick child. The frantic breathing treatment administration. Waking and directing the sibling to get dressed whilst throwing together what is needed, and then a quick jaunt to the emergency room. Ah, good times.

Apparently, the powers that be heard me make the statement, "Now that Spring is here, the kids won't get sick as often". Me and my big mouth. The Moose is down with a fever (103.9° when he woke up) and trouble breathing. What's worse is that he's visibly unhappy. This may sound like a dumb statement in light of the proceeding comments, but he's generally a happy kid, even when ill. Not today though. Today is cry-if-you-put-me-down Moose. This is a harder Moose to deal with.

Of course, nothing else slows down for the sick baby. Both Management and I are facing looming deadlines and the pressure that goes along with it, as well as being in the midst of the reworking of the fireplace. So once done with the hospital, we rushed through the McDonold's drive through for breakfast so we could be home in time for the 8:00 AM appointment to get the fireplace repaired and doors installed. Doors and breakfast put into their right places, there was just enough time for the Princess and I to dress, brush our teeth, and get to school.

This probably sounds like complaining (when have I ever?), but the fact is this morning was awesome. Don't get me wrong - I want the baby to feel better and we all could have used some more sleep. The way we worked this morning though was amazing. I'm seriously the weakest link here. Management took care of the Moose while I grabbed shoes and diaper bag, then handed him off so she could dress. The Princess was up and dressed faster than I ever would have guessed, and for a kid who had to sit around in an emergency room for an hour, she was surprisingly uncomplaining. We worked together, got the boy in and treated, and got home in time to see everything else that had to be done get done. We were magnificent.

I often wish that things would quiet down for a time. It seems that there's always some looming crisis, or some kind of hugely important decision to be made. Often, I just want it to stop, to have us enter a routine where we could just glide for a while. If everything goes well, I think I can accomplish this sometime in my mid-fifties. In the meantime, I'm pretty lucky to have a family that works well as a team when faced with a challenge.