Home Sick

Thursday and Friday Maddie stayed home from school. When she arrived on our doorstep on Wednesday night from school she told me she thought she was getting a cold. Maddie isn't one of those people who say, "I'm not going to get sick..." and then they don't. She is more the type to just let it hit her. So, I wasn't surprised on Thursday morning when she could barely talk without coughing and quite frankly looked miserable.

She spent the day on the couch. You'd think this would be fun, but we try to take every bit of fun out of it. The goal is obviously to get better. To me this means drink lots of fluid, sleep lots, drink more fluid. Do nothing that is going to sap strength from getting better. So, she watched t.v. and read when that got boring. Coloring? Nope. Wouldn't let her. That involved sitting up, and for Maddie who really gets into coloring it involves a lot of thinking, planning, and constant movement to change markers. So, I announced there was no coloring. Yes, I got eye rolls, but did I mention the other side of the goal is to not make staying home fun so that the kids don't want to stay home?

But, I do try to make her comfortable and not isolated completely. So, we make-shift our big couch into a bed - layer on the blankets in case of any spills, then bring down pillows, and whatever animals or blankets the sick person wants from upstairs.

Maddie fell asleep for only about 45 minutes. I intended for her to fall asleep in her room where it's quiet. Instead when I wasn't looking she fell asleep on the couch and the first time the phone rang she was awake. This did not produce the restfulness I was trying to beg her to get. Later that night she spiked a bit of a fever and ended up staying home on Friday. I was a bit more vigilant during nap-time and got her moved upstairs to her room where she slept for about three hours. Much better.

Tonight we are listening to Jake cough and wondering if he's next. He's more the kid that says, "I'm not that sick..." and life goes on, so we'll see.