Under The Weather

Poor Thing 2 was complaining last night of not feeling too well. She looked a bit peaky and out of sorts, and went to bed early. (Not like her at all.) Usually she's up at 8 without too much fuss, and I let her sleep on, just to see if she needed it, and sure enough, she slept until 9. The rule here at Chez Loudshoes is that you don't have to go to school if you are sick, but you are sick enough to stay home, you are sick enough to forgo tv and the computer. I know if they are really under the weather or just faking it by their response to this edict. ("Oh, geez, I may as well go to school then!")

It is much easier to have a sick 12 year-old than a sick 2 year-old. When a 2 year-old is sick, you usually find out only when they puke all over you, or all over themselves at 3 in the morning. (They are quite proficient at getting at least a little bit of puke on every single bit of bedding, stuffed animal and soft furnishing in the room. Impressive, really.) At least a 12 year-old can articulate "I suspect I am running a slight fever, as it has manifested itself as aches and a sensation of elevated temperature. Perhaps I should ingest a moderate dose of ibuprofen and water, and monitor my symptoms for the next few hours."

When the kids were small, I was instructed to give them Childrens Tylenol, which is the most ridiculous medication ever. For one thing, the dosage is something like "between the ages of 21 weeks and 17 and 1/2 months, 3/8 tsp for the first dose, and 16/18 every 97 minutes afterwards, not to exceed 2/3 of a cup in 24 hours". Also, it is dyed a most lurid, fervent crimson, which looks not at all pleasant when it comes spewing back up like a fire hose. Plus, those bottles are really small; when you have two sick toddlers in the house you can go through a couple of bottles a day. I wondered why they didn't sell them in six packs. You know those beer hats that allow you to hold a couple of beers on your head so that you could suck on a straw and leave your hands free? Those would have come in mighty handy for dispensing Children's Tylenol on some particularly trying days.

Anyway, Thing 2 had some tea and an apple, and read and napped, and was allowed to watch some tv. (I'm not that much of a hard-ass.) Toby kept her company most of the afternoon. ("Someone sleeping during the day?!? Excellent idea!! Count me in!") She seems a little better than she did, but we will see what the morning brings. As long as she's not puking on me, she can stay home as long as she likes.