Well, today didn’t go the way we planned it. And it had little to do with the baby we’re expecting.
Although Kates’ latest checkup yesterday afternoon revealed she’s now 5 cm dilated. Baby 2 could come any day, and we’re still two weeks from D-day. Kates wasn’t even half this far in the days before Phoebe was born -- two days past her due date.
Our episode began last evening after I picked up Phoebe from preschool. I drove her home and she was her usual jovial self. We began unpacking her backpack, and when Kates arrived home a short time after us Phoebe greeted her with the burst of excitement she typically shows when one of us walks in the door.
But as we were preparing supper, she became restless and whiny. At one point I picked her up and she was practically burning. It was a little strange, but Kates and I didn’t think much of it. It had been a hot day and we figured Phoebe was just overheated from playing hard during her after school program.
A short time later she was curled up on the couch with Yellow and Lamby, and she was fast asleep. She was still burning up, so Kates put a cold wash cloth on her forehead. Something wasn’t right.
Before bedtime Kates took Phoebe’s temperature. It was 100.2. We gave her some ibuprofen and decided then that she wouldn’t go to school today. … Kates wanted to stay home with her and reserved a substitute teacher for her classroom. In a way, it was a good thing because Kates' grade was taking their students on an outdoor picnic today. With temperatures in the 90s, Kates had no desire to spend the day supervising 20-some kids in a park at 38 weeks pregnant.
Fast forward to this morning. None of us got a good night’s sleep, and Phoebe woke us up at 6:30, crying, “Mommy, I threw up!” With that, Kates and I were out of bed, tending to the child.
It got even better. As I was preparing myself for work, Kati waddled through the bedroom, looking as though she’d never been more uncomfortable. “Oh, I’m feeling like I could have this baby any time,” she groaned.
That statement sealed my decision to stay home, too. My schedule was clear for the day and I could easily work from home. I was in better condition to care for Phoebe, and if anything happened related to Baby 2, I’d be home to move into action.
So at 9 this morning, I was taking Phoebe to the doctor. We feared strep throat, but a test came back negative and the doctor diagnosed it as a good old-fashioned stomach virus.
The fun continued around 12:30 when Phoebe had a vomiting fit. As she was sitting on the couch watching TV. And cuddling with Kates. Apparently the Wheat Thins weren’t such a good idea. … I scrambled to clean up the mess, got Phoebe into some new clothes and threw the soiled ones in the laundry. Meanwhile Kates changed her own clothes because she had been in the projectile zone. … And at that point I was having flashbacks to Christmas 2008 when Kates was sick with the flu and I was flying solo with the infant Phoebe.
Not long afterward, Phoebe was resting on the couch by herself. She fell asleep quickly and was out for most of the afternoon. When she awoke, her fever had broken and she was smiling for the first time since I’d picked her up yesterday afternoon.
Besides seeing Phoebe so sad and uncomfortable, the big downer in all of this is that her illness kept her from participating in her end-of-the-year preschool concert tonight. Phoebe and her class had been practicing the songs for weeks, and Kates and I had been nervous that a trip to the delivery room might keep us from going. Not an unfortunate stomach virus.
I wonder what tomorrow will bring.
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