Daily Peep: Snot-Nosed Kid

Have I mentioned that we aren't feeling well?

Having heard LadyKay and Frappa's descriptions of H1N1, I'm quite confident that we don't have that, because we're not nearly sick enough, but we still feel pretty yucky.

Actually, Shrike seems to be holding up pretty well, and I actually don't feel as awful as I usually do with a cold, but Peeper's pretty pathetic.

She's probably running a touch of fever, although we've not actually taken her temperature, and she's sneezey and snotty and snorty and snuffley.

She's being remarkably good-natured about it, actually, until it's time to go to sleep.

You know how it's always worst when you try to lie down and sleep. I'm sure her little head is filling up with snot, and it's hard to nurse, and it's downhill from there.

Last night, we thought we had her down early, then she woke up and it was just awful.

I'd tried getting her to settle down in the recliner, where we could both sit up, but it wasn't working, and around 4 am, Shrike got back up (things were calm when I sent her to bed) because Peeper and I were both pretty much hysterical.

I just felt so awful for her, because not only does she feel crappy, but when you're a baby and you don't understand about being sick, it's probably really scary to suddenly not be able to breathe easily, and you have no concept that you're going to feel better in a few days.

And I just felt so powerless to do anything about it.

I know that, considering all we've been through with Peeper and her health, a fucking cold is not really that big of a deal, but it's the deal that we're dealing with right now, and it was a real big damn deal at four o'clock this morning.

And have I mentioned that I'm sick, too?

So, Shrike took Peeper and changed her diaper, then decided to put her in the car and drive around. I insisted on going along, and grabbed what I could as she headed out the door.

I'm really glad I went, because even with me sitting in back and nursing her, she was just hysterical, and I can't imagine how much worse it would've been if she were back there all alone.

Shrike headed north on the big road, and I had about decided (but not yet said out loud) that if we cut over to the interstate, and looped back and got to the other big road, where the hospital is, and she was still crying, that I wanted to take her to the emergency room.

I know. For a cold. And being pissed off.

I was not really thinking very clearly.

But, she was asleep before we got to the road that cuts over to the interstate - which is about two minutes from our house.

It seemed like an hour.

Just as she was settled, Shrike noticed that we needed gas.

Crap.

We made a slightly smaller loop than the one I just described and hit our favorite gas station / convenience store, where Shrike filled us up while I sat in back with Peeper.

Wait, let me paint you the picture:

We'd left the house so precipitously that I had no shoes on, but I was still better-dressed than Shrike, who was wearing boxer shorts and and tanktop with no bra.

At least I had thought to grab some sweatpants to cover my boxers and a t-shirt to cover my tanktop. I did have a bra on of course, but if I'd not grabbed that t-shirt, everyone would've known it, because what I was wearing was a homemade nursing tank - a "wifebeater" with slashes cut in it for my boobs to stick out of, as needed.

(On the other hand, I suppose we could've stopped at Walmart instead, and we would've been just fine.)

So, after Shrike pumped gas, when she got back in the car, I said, "I really want a coffee. But I don't have any shoes on, will you go. . . "

She said, "I would die for you, but I will not do that," as she took her shoes off and handed them back to me.

Her feet are at least two sizes smaller than mine, but I wore them in anyway. Along with my sweatpants and snotty nose and I've been crying hysterically because my baby has been crying hysterically eyes.

Nobody even blinked.

When we got home, Peeper and I slept sitting up in the recliner, and we both seemed to survive the night.

This evening, Peeper hadn't had a nap (despite nursing a few times), so Shrike offered to take her along on her dogwalk, in hopes that it would lull her to sleep.

Here they are, getting ready to go:
(Were you beginning to wonder where the photos were?)

This is probably the third time that Shrike and Peeper have left our property without me, so I wasn't sure what to do with myself!

I decided to take a nice hot bath and steam my sinuses clear, but I put both the cell and cordless phones beside the tub, just in case she called.

I suppose I thought I would run and rescue them, wet and naked, if something went wrong?

She did call, which freaked me out a bit, but she just wanted to let me know that Peeper was quite content (I don't know why I thought she wouldn't be - she loves Mommy, loves the dogs, loves being outside - and the moist night air is probably really good for her congestion.) and then she fell asleep.

Hooray!

Her plan was to keep walking for a while, so she could get a decent nap.

They're still gone, so I suppose she's still sleeping.

I hope so.

I think we may just start with a night-night ride for bedtime tonight, and maybe even tomorrow, if she's still this stuffy.

There's the whole car-puts-baby-to-sleep factor, and the night air, and the bonus of it being a good way for her to nurse comfortably while sitting up.

(Comfortable for her, and mostly comfortable for me.)

So, we'll see how it goes.

Keep your fingers crossed, and please sent no-snot mojo.

Update: They just got home. Peeper woke up a few minutes before they got back to the house, but we still pretty content. She's now nursed and is ready to play.