Days of Wine and Poop

Last week, Max went from happy and giggling  to a fever of 102 degrees in the period of an hour. After consulting my primary physician (my mother), we decided to call the actual doctor. The nurse appeared highly suspicious of my temperature taking abilities. "An under-arm thermometer? You really need to use a rectal one." Well, ok, but this is the one we got from the NICU. You would imagine that they know what they are doing there. "102? Did you add anything to that?" Yes, I'm so deliriously excited that my baby is sick that I want to make it as bad as possible. We were concerned because he wasn't having any other symptoms of being sick. Our family spent the rest of the afternoon curled up in Mommy and Daddy's bed, reading books, and watching Frank dance for entertainment. The next day, he still had a fever, so we headed for the doctor. (By the way, I was able to go home to get Max. take him to the doctor for a sick visit, and be back at work in under an hour...I love the efficiency of our doctor's office!) Of course, by then his fever had gone down and they could not determine a cause. We were instructed to watch for other symptoms, but it appeared that he was recovering.

A few days later, I was cleaning the kitchen while Max played on the floor. Max had just crawled past me and I could smell that he had a dirty diaper. Finishing up, I wiped the counter and bent down to pick a leaf off the floor. Ummm...not a leaf. Leaves aren't generally mushy and smelly. The other symptoms had finally caught up with him. The diarrhea had arrived. Fortunately, it was a short spell and Max seemed to be on the mend again.

Until this week. Sick day, take 2. The diarrhea returned with a vengeance and I spent most of yesterday changing diapers and outfits. It was like I had a newborn again! My poor baby would nurse, but he didn't want any solids...except cheerios. Apparently, he is going to exist on a diet of milk and cheerios. Starting tonight, Mommy will be existing on a diet of wine. I figure we both need liquids and I need something to erase the smell of poop.....