Sir Monkeypants and the kids have been sick all this past week, SOME MORE. I swear this winter has been the most hellish yet for illnesses. Remember how I have an ongoing fantasy about going to med school? I’m beginning to think I’ve already graduated, and my extremely private practice includes three screaming children and one doing-his-best feverish daddy.
As the only healthy one I’ve been taking on an extra share of work around here, especially at night, and I think it’s fair to say that I’ve turned into a raging bitch about it. Last week I spent most of my time stomping around the house, whining about how stay-at-home moms don’t get sick days. Even with the flu, they still have to make it through lunches and dinners and breaking up fights over who gets to use the toilet first.
At this point, though, forget the day off. I’d settle for 10 minutes of being able to put the baby down. She has been the sickest by far and we’re at a point now where she’s napping for 20-minute intervals about three times a day, and the rest of the time, I’m carrying her around. Remember how I used to brag about being able to read with one hand, while nursing? That was nothing, man. Now I’m into making dinner with one hand, while putting a puzzle together with one foot, and talking on the speaker phone at the same time, all the while, of course, holding a crying baby.
The Wee One just woke up from her first nap of the day, though, and it appears that her fever is finally gone. She still feels crappy and doesn’t want me to put her down but she has a hint of that old sparkle in her eye. The Captain went back to school today and Gal Smiley is watching a video, and I feel like sanity is once again within reach. At least I’ve got it together enough now to officially apologize to Sir Monkeypants. Sorry, sweetie!
This past week has given me a window into the world of the colicky baby, and seriously, I do not know how those parents handle it without losing their minds. The constant tension that cannot be eased with a big piece of chocolate is too much to even contemplate. We really do have it lucky here in that we had three great babies and never had to live through colic. Knock wood!
TurtleHead 
Colic is brutal. Quite seriously, for a while I took to wearing industrial-strength ear protection (you know, a big cup over each ear, with a band connecting them, like the stereo headphones people used to wear in the 70s?). I wore them when I was carrying Mr Excitement around. I also wore them when it was ‘s turn and I was trying to fall asleep. No kidding.
It was pretty exasperating and exhausting while it lasted, but thankfully at around week 8 it subsided, fairly quickly, and around that time he also started sleeping through the night. So things got better for us very quickly.
Apparently, though, and had it substantially worse than we did. My heart really goes out for them.
I feel your pain! When my youngest is especially sick, I refer to him as “the barnacle”. Thank goodness he’s never been colicky, though.
My oldest son was colicky for his few months (until we figured out that his constant screaming was caused by his food allergies), and I think it did actually make me lose my mind.