The past few days...and how teaching isn't always convenient

Here's what's been going on here lately...

Darryl left early Monday morning for a business trip to Milwaukee. (He said it was cold, y'all.) He returned last night.

Monday went by without a hitch for Amelia and me.

Tuesday went even more smoothly. Amelia was a bit irritable and had a runny nose (that she has had off and on since, oh, September) and a cough, but I was able to get her down to sleep about 30 minutes earlier than usual. I was feeling extra-ambitious, so I actually stayed up until after 11:00 to grade some things.

At 2 in the morning (Wednesday morning), Amelia woke up with all her coughing and runny nose. It was obvious she wasn't going to go back to bed easily. At 4:00, after trying to get her back down in her bed, after trying to get her to sleep in my bed, after letting her watch Sesame Street to try to make her mellow out, I realized that there was no way I was going to be able to go to work, so I had to make up lesson plans and an activity on a Faulkner short story (not an easy task for the sleep deprived), and emailed them to Tim to print out for me. (Thanks again, Tim!)

Here's where being a teacher isn't convenient. There's no just calling into the office to say you're not going to be in, that you'll catch up later. Nope. You've got to plan for someone to take your place.

Anyway...so yesterday I was off with Amelia all day. She was cranky all day, but she still played, and she didn't seem to be running a fever. Then last night around 7, I felt her and she seemed HOT. I checked her temp, and it was 103.4. I tried not to flip out, which is my tendency. I tried to call Darryl to help keep me from flipping out, and he was already on the plane to come back. I gave her some Motrin, read the chapter on fevers in my trusty go-to guide, Toddler 411, and was assured that she wasn't going to spontaneously combust . Her fever did come down some, and I felt a little better. Actually, I'm quite proud of myself for fighting the urge to rush her to the ER. (Darryl usually has to be the voice of reason in these instances.)

Darryl really had to be at work today, so I stayed home. However, this also meant that I had to trudge to the school at 4:30 this morning to make some photocopies and get some things together. And oh yeah, Amelia woke up at 2:00 this morning, too. Darryl got up with her this time, but I never really went back to sleep. Apparently she went to sleep right after I left the house for the school and woke up just before I got home.

We went to the doctor this morning, and apparently Amelia has a very mild case of pneumonia, and she is going to be fine. Today has actually gone more smoothly, but--and forgive my being graphic here--I feel covered in snot from head to toe. Seriously...how much of that stuff can one small child produce?? It baffles the mind, people.

That was probably way more than you wanted to know about these past few days, but I just needed to get it out. It hasn't been fun, but Amelia has been extra cuddly, and I must admit that even though I'm sorry she feels bad, I'm enjoying all the hugs and her lying with her head on my shoulder.

Even if it means that I have a big wet snot spot on my shoulder when she gets up.