1 Mother 2 Another

Late Thursday night I came down with a
swift stomach bug, from which I’m not yet fully recovered.
Saturday morning, Maddie began looking glassy-eyed, until that
afternoon when she was complaining about head pain, throat pain,
ear pain, and chills. A quick trip to the doctor confirmed that it
is viral, and we may be in it for a few days.


Maddie went through moments of feeling better on Sunday –
running around putting on shows, sculpting people out of Play-doh,
making cards for her teacher. Then she’d hit that wall and
collapse back on the couch. So I’m hoping she’s going
to be better still today, but who knows.

Cora’s bouncing off the walls from
the lack of stimulation. Between me not feeling good and Maddie
being sick, Cora’s getting woefully little of my attention.
And being forced to stay at home has just made it worse; when I
suggested Brian take her out to lunch on Sunday she lit up like it
was Christmas, poor kiddo.


You do not even want to see what my house looks like. There are
half-nibble Nilla wafers (our sick food of choice) everywhere, and
Cora’s found EVERYTHING moveable and turned them into
presents as we start decorating for Christmas: she’s filled
countless stockings with Thomas trains and stickers and cajoled us
into opening them; placed wooden spoons and castanets under the
undecorated tree and sung “Angels We Have Heard On
High”; and gotten out our wooden flute, dressed up in her
rock-star outfit, sat on a stool next to a small Christmas tree,
and “played Christmas music” as part of a
“tree-lighting ceremony” before setting off
“fireworks” (her yelling “Bang!” while we
stare at the ceiling) and then announcing, “And now, the
Queen is leaving” and getting off her stool to parade away.


I’m not sure I can survive a couple more days of this.