**be warned: this post may be a bit rant-y, complain-y, babble-y, and contain a lot of (extra) typos.
This has been one hell of a long week. I cannot not even begin to describe how much I am truly looking forward to feeling better. You read about Wednesday night/early Thursday morning…. well… as awful as the whole thing is/was, I was lucky enough that it all worked out with my (and Alex’s) work scheduling. I don’t work Thursday during the day— I work Thursday nights… which means I was able to spend all of Thursday with a very sick Marlowe. Thursday night came around and as I was walking out the door, I noticed a missed call from my boss, and discovered the truck wouldn’t be going out that night. Boy, that was kind of a nice surprise. Marlowe slept all day and most of the night. She spent 80% of her time on me. As hard as it was to see her sick, it was also so nice to just lay there with her cozy little body on mine.
Friday, Alex had off work. He came over to watch Marlowe while I went to work. For the past month (plus?) Alex and I have had no more than five minutes of contact with each other at a time. I had decided a while ago that he would no longer be spending time in my home. He would pick up Marlowe at my doorway, and drop her off the same way. I cannot begin to explain how much I dreaded him being there on Friday… but then at work: the sickness hit me ( and I thought she wasn’t contagious. whoops). I rushed home a few minutes early to meet them for a doctors visit. Marlowe and I left diagnosed with the Flu (Type B– whatever that means) and the three of us left with a prescription to fight off the sickness. The rest of the day I joined Marlowe wavering in and out of fever land. We watched videos together, tried to eat as much as we could, and whined here and there. Alex and I took turns getting things done around the house and making sure Marlowe was comfortable. I wanted nothing to do with having to spend time with Alex, but once I started feeling miserable myself, I was grateful it all worked out how it did, because, needless to say: it was nice to have someone around to help.
I handle the day to day pretty well, but when I’m sick? Pfffft. I’m a mess– a big whiny, loopy, vulnerable, half brained baby of a mess. Marlowe started feeling somewhat better on Saturday. Me? I had a fever of 102 coming and going for different parts of the day. Trying to handle the flu, by yourself, with a baby who is suddenly feeling better (and going a bit stir-crazy and wanting attention) is god-damn hard. I laid on the couch, or on my bed, shivering under the covers, with a video to distract her, wishing I could magically morph into two separate people, complaining to no one, but myself.
Here I am on Sunday. I haven’t had a good nights sleep in days. I’m still sick. Coughing myself into a beautiful set of abs (I wish). I’m stir crazy, bored beyond belief, and slightly depressed that the best day this week was the day I dreaded the most– because hey, it’s the day: I not only had another adult around, but I also had more than two arms to help care for my sick child. On the upside: Today, I’ve been given a day of rest. Marlowe has been feeling a lot better, her fever has gone down and she has regained much of her energy. Today, my mother has picked Marlowe up to stay with her for a few hours (my mom flew into town yesterday), giving me time to actually recover. I’m praying to the sick gods that tomorrow will be a better day. It should be. It has to be. Because I cannot, for another day or moment, sit here, bored and alone, in my home. This update is about five pages longer than I wanted it to be. Just give me my healthy, happy life back.
Coming up in the new few days I have a sponsor spotlight and a (soup) recipe. And I still planning on doing a body care post… you know… one day.
And the winner for our Perry Mackin giveaway?
None other than one of our very own sponsors: Belle from Petite Biet. Congratulations Belle! The bag will be Brooklyn bound just as soon as I kick this flu 🙂
Thank you everyone that entered! Stay tuned, we have a few more giveaways lined up for April and May. And of course: don’t forget about our Ride For Kids giveaway, where you can win a ton of awesome organic shirts, among other things… and 100% of the proceeds goes to help children with brain cancer. It’s a win/win… even if you know, you don’t win.
edit: I should probably mention, cause I’m pretty sure it will be brought up or questioned: yes, we totally used disposable diapers all week. I know I said we were an “all cloth” house, but I guess that wasn’t completely true. I forgot to mention we use a disposable for sleep time…. and now: for sick time.
23 Comments
It is so difficult caring for a baby when you are not feeling well. My kids are bigger now, but I remember it well. I once had a bad migraine when my boy was a baby, and I was so lucky that he slept for a few hours tucked up next to me, so my headache could pass some. Had it been my daughter as a baby, there would have been no such luck. Not much of a sleeper! I hope you are all better soon!
i hope you feel better soon, drea! i've been following your twitter/instagram updates and sending good wishes and prayers your way. i just got a new puppy on thursday, and been lacking in sleep and sanity, and i was all weepy over that…so i can only imagine what it must be like for you! get some rest and don't worry about updating if you're not feeling well. 🙂
sending healthy wishes over from Germany! Hope that helps :).
Goodness… That sounds yucky. Hope you are on the upswing and get to really enjoy some time with your mama while she is here! What a blessing she was able to come. Glad that you were humble enough to receive help from Alex… (hope that doesn't come out sounding wrong I meant it as a compliment). Asking for help is so hard sometimes when you are strong and independent! I am glad he helped ease your stress if just a tad.
since having my baby 3 months ago i have a new found appreciation for single mothers. i'm friends with several, and my sister raised her first largely alone but it wasn't until i experienced day to day motherhood did i realize how insanely difficult it would be to have to do most of the work on my own. i think you are a freaking rockstar. thank you for reminding me to never, ever take my extra set of arms for granted. feel better soon!
http://www.wishdownawell.blogspot.com
I hope today has you feeling 100%!
Sounds like you've been having a hell of a hard time, here's wishing you a very healthy, relaxed rest of the week.
How can you be sick with goregous nails like that? that first pic is amazingly beautiful, what a moment to capture. Glad Mis doing better and soon it will all just a bad dream…
I'm so glad to hear that Marlowe is feeling better and hopefully you are on your way to good health too.
I'd be very interested to read a post from you on cloth diapering. You know, dos, don'ts, best practices, how to not have a house of stinky-ass cloth diapers.
this must be so difficult to go through. you are so strong! also about the diapers, we are a cloth diapering but also use disposable for sleep and when mama cant keep on top of the laundry lol. its sad when people judge others. i hope you dont get too much crap (no pun intended) about stuff like that. we are all only human.
Yeah I def. gave up on cloth. I had a pile of dirty (wet– not poop) diapers building up on my changing table. Any step I could eliminate out of my day I did.
And I wouldn't necessarily get crap (hehe) for showing an image of a disposable— more just questions (snarky or not who knows) about it. I always get a few questions when I have M pictured in a disposable. I would get more crap from the slight inconsistencies. Like: "oh wait, wasn't she just being all high and mighty (cause obviously I'm high and mighty) about only using cloth and now she has a kid in a disposable?! What a pretentious hypocrite!"
Which you know— is whatever, it's the internet. I'd just rather save a little bit of everyones time that is wasted assuming, judging, and thinking the worse, so we can all get off the internet and enjoy the sunshine 🙂
hope you feel better when you wake up!!
thank geejus your mama is here to help! xo
not amazing! but a whole lot better! Thanks!
HA – I posted this comment by accident on your previous post – anyways…
For a second I thought Marlowe had giant grown up hands with painted nails – so I'm glad she just has the flu and not some kind of extreme growing disease!
motifnumberone.blogspot.com
She does. I try to hide her weird large hands in camera angles. 😉
Hope your feel better. Nothing is worse than no sleep, sickness and of course a baby claiming all around and over you. Get better, sending sleepy eyes and better vibes yalls way! Xoxo!
We got a bit more sleepy eyes last night! Thanks!
I'm glad you mama came in town! I was about to offer to take M off your hands so you could get some recovery time but you got it covered! seriously though…if you feel like you need a recovery day after you don't have your mom to help I would be happy to. You've got my number!
Thanks sugar <3
you are still ten times less whiny than I am when I'm sick. no joke. I seriously hope everything gets all cleared up and the sick monster goes away. We were all super sick here a few weeks ago and it was hell. It was the worst I had ever felt, sick. ever! I felt so horribly that my babies had to feel the same way. yuck. But I do hope it soon fades and you feel tip top. You deserve to be happy and healthy as you usually are. and I think it's INSANE that you even have to put an update up because there are people who would question the diaper- sheeeesh. you're wonderful. just fyi.
<3
p.s. there are many days I wish I had go-go gadget arms or a clone, there just isn't enough time in the day or ligaments on our body to take care of everything. you're doing a damn good job.
I can't imagine getting sick with two (or more) kiddos also being sick. blegh. I'm glad you guys got through it!
And yes, diapers: Everything should be (but usually isn't) read and re-read to be sure as little as possible can be twisted around. Everything gets judged. No matter what I say someone is going to not like it and criticize it. One of the wonderful perks of sharing your life on the internet 🙂
So sorry 🙁 I'm glad that you were able to have help while you were sick, even if it came around in an unexpected way. Feel better, I'll send you happy, healthy vibes!
Oh yes. I very much needed the help— it's funny how things work out. I really was not looking forward to gong home after work AT ALL. Just so happy it went well 🙂
Thank you thank you for the vibes 🙂