sick time?

This weekend was the first weekend that I was sick and had to look after Seth. I have been fortunate to have avoided the flu both time Seth has been ill, even when my husband was sick. I am also thankful that up until now I have been healthy. However, this weekend, this long weekend I caught a cold.

The "cold" came home via Seth. First week at daycare and I thought he would at least make it to week two before getting sick, however, he lasted three days before his nose started running. Thankfully, while he had a mild cough and a constantly dripping nose it seems to have passed quickly and with out much bother to him.

However, soon after he got sick my husband got sick. And as all "good wives" would tell you, nobody gets sick quite like our husbands. There are sooooo sick, and soooo miserable.

One day latter the cold caught up to me, or I caught it. Either way my throat was on fire, my head clogged and my nose tap was running full force. (Of course, my husband was much sicker than me, or as he put it, his "progressed more"?)

Colds are nothing new. Once or twice a year I catch one, what was new for me was having to look after a baby while trying to nurse my self back to good health. The challenge was that all I wanted to do was catch up on some rest. Seth doesn't sleep the night, and was bored watching mommy lay on the couch. As Derek was also sick neither of us had a partner to pick up some slack, we both had to keep Seth entertained and his daily routine moving no matter how much our heads hurt or our throats ached. To top it off Seth is teething his upper two teeth, so his mood hasn't been all that great and he is in a stage of serious mommy attachment. Meaning, I can't wash dishes without him screaming at my leg for attention.

So all in all this has been one tough couple of days. As I put Seth down to bed tonight I did have to laugh at myself and what my life as a mom has become. I would of loved for some r and r today and some time to mend, but than I wouldn't of had the moment to share with my son where I am feeding him his last bottle of the day and he is almost asleep whe I feel snot slowly drip out of my nose, down my upper lip across my bottom lip and onto my chin, and yet I don't dare move. Now that to me sums to all up when you are a sick mom. Not stopping to wipe your nose in case you disturb your sleeping baby.

P.s. tomorrow Seth is back to daycare, I have called in sick, and I am planning on laying on that couch all daylong.

zzzzzzzz

There is no greater insult to a sleep deprived mom than someone mocking her laments about sleep. Yes, when you haven’t had a good night’s sleep in a very, very, (did I say) very long time, it does consume your life. And I can appreciate how others may grow tired of hearing how tired I am. And I appreciate that while you may have had a late night or two, or a rough couple night’s sleep in the last month, you haven’t experience what it is like to have very few good night’s sleep in the past 9 months. Fair enough, I cannot expect you to truly understand this position that I am in. However, what I do hope for is for some understanding, a little sympathy, and at least a “sorry to hear you had another rough night”. What I don’t want to hear is, “sleep, sleep, sleep, that’s all you care about”!

Here is why a statement such as the one above hurts me so much,

1. I am sleep deprived and therefore, my emotions are quite close to my skin

2. 1. I too am sick of hearing myself complaining about my lack of sleep.

2. 2. I would love for it not to be the first thing I think of in the morning, and the last thing I am thinking about as I am trying to fall asleep…oh wait the baby is up again, better get a bottle, change the diaper, feed the baby try and get him down again…nope still not asleep, put the soother in again…finally able to sleep… oh wait the baby is up again…

3. 3.. Until you understand what it is like to go to bed every night knowing that you won’t get the rest your truly desire and need, don’t comment.

4. 4. While I may head to bed very early every night in effort to accumulate sleep, broken up sleep into 2 or 3 hour blocks sucks! I would gladly take a solid 6 hours over 4 2 hour stretches.

5. 5. A little appreciation and credit for what I go through would make it all worthwhile.

Only child?

Before my husband and I had Seth we had always discussed having two children. However, now that we have had Seth we are thinking more and more about being just a family of three. (Not excluding our fury children of course).

We aren't naive enough to leave out the posibilty that we might change our minds a few years from now, but for now we feel our family is complete.

What always fascinates me is the reaction I get from peoploe when I say that I don't plan on having any other children. When you proclaim that you are planing on raising an only child peoples faces go sour and they say things like, "really?", "oh you don't mean that", "why would you want to do that". Their reactions are always so strong and negative. No one is shy to tell me they don't like the idea of an "only" child. I have begun to call it the "only child stigma". What makes it even more interesting is that I am an only child. When I share that information I get one of two camps. The, "oh, I see" camp which is than embrassed and drops the subject entierly, or the "than why would you want to do that to Seth" camp. Which I never know whether to take personally as if there is something wrong with the way I turned out or they think I am cruel to deny my son a sibling.

I don't know why this subject seems to to incite such a reaction. What I do know is that our family will make the decision that is best for us, regardless of that look on your face.