You Can't Keep a Sick Badger Down

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You know what really sucks? Back-to-school viruses, that’s what really sucks right now.

I’m home with stricken kid #2.  First Athena was laid low by some bug and an immune system that jacked her furnace up to 102. Now Badger has been nailed. Though I don’t think it’s the same thing because Athena had a wicked sore throat and lost her voice while Badger has a heinous cough and a fever of only 100. Her throat and voice are just fine – as she is currently demonstrating by wandering around the house singing at the top of her lungs punctuated by the occasional coughing fit (and I bark "cover your mouth!" every time).

I may feel terrible

Luckily, Badger’s bouncing back really quickly; which is good because Athena’s illness over the weekend made us delay their joint birthday party again and we’re now more than a month out from their actual birthdays. If we had to delay it one more time Athena would lose it. Also silver lining, I’m getting some stuff done around here that I was going to have to scramble to do this weekend.

Last night, on the other hand, Badger was in full-on whine/grump/wail mode. After the third bout of uncharacteristic wailing about some minor thing, I shoved a thermometer in her ear. Yes folks, this is not my first trip to the rodeo – a preschooler who has completely derailed and is wrecked in the hall is most likely sick.

I cleaned her up, tucked her in bed and sang to her while she fell asleep in my lap – poor hot potato. And then…then she’s back up to her usual shenanigans the next day. We've had at least three outfit changes and about 10 shoe changes so far (nope, make that 11) because being sick is no excuse for not looking fabulous apparently.


But I look fabulous
Keeping her down and forcing her to rest is the challenge when they’re this age. They have to be really, really, really sick before they just STAY DOWN under the age of six.

Even when Quokka was running a 106 the kid was bouncing off the walls during the day. As an adult, I run a 105 and I feel like death warmed over.

When Athena was down for the count on Friday and Saturday she just lay around, read, watched TV and napped. So nice.

Badger…I just heard a spoon drop upstairs (yes, the sound was distinctly spoon-like). Why there’s a spoon upstairs, I have no idea. Nor do I know what she’s doing with it. I yelled up to ask and she replied, “nothing, just getting some water.”

Yeah, I’d better go check that…

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