I went to bed last night at around 7:30, thinking I'd get at least a few hours of sleep before going in to work at 1:00a.m. Meghan, however, was inconsolable following her bedtime diaper change. (One unpleasant side effect of the antibiotic she's taking for her ear infection has left her with a terrible diaper rash, and she screams and cries every time I have to change her--which is often!) Darren tried everything he could think of to calm her down last night, but to no avail. So shortly after getting into bed, I got right back up and took my crying baby, rocked her and nursed her, and sang to her as we listened to our favorite bedtime CD. She finally dozed off and I took her to bed with me, and as I looked at the clock I thought to myself "Okay, if I fall asleep right now I can still get two hours of sleep before the alarm goes off." Not long later, though, Darren was gently shaking me awake to tell me that Caitlyn was running a 102 degree fever!
At this point, needless to say, I was really not wanting to go to work! Fortunately, my dear friend, who was working the first half of our shift and who I was to be relieving in a matter of hours, graciously agreed to work the remainder of the night so that I could stay home with my sick children. I love her! I will forever be indebted to her for her selfless generosity.
We gave Caitlyn some Children's Tylenol and Dimetapp, then tucked her into bed with us, too. None of us got much sleep last night! Caitlyn's temperature was normal this morning, but I'm still keeping a watchful eye on her. Meghan is fussy and clingy, and her poor little bottom still looks terrible. Dylan is watching "Cars" this morning for the second time since receiving it from Darren as a surprise on Tuesday night.
And I'm making these wonderful cookies! I felt as though I were reading off the numbers of a winning lottery ticket this morning as I searched through my pantry and found, one by one, every single ingredient I needed--and in sufficient quantities! (I halved the recipe, and still ended up with a lot of cookies...in fact I had to mix the batter in my punch bowl, because it was the only one big enough to hold it all!)
I'm hoping that all of my kids will take a nap after lunch today. My brother and his family will be here in the morning, and we're having our Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow night. My kids have been so looking forward to seeing their cousins. There's so much they want to do with them while they're here. I pray they'll be feeling better soon!
4 comments:
Have you tried Dr. Smiths for Meghan's diaper rash? I don't know if it would help much for a rash resulting from an antibiotic, but Nathan gets bad rashes on a regular basis and Dr. Smith's always works wonders for him. Also, a bath in an oatmeal treatment like Aveeno might help (we've done that, too). I pray that everyone gets well as soon as possible!!
Oh, winter! We're in the same boat here. My boys have been up coughing for the past week. One night I spent a great portion of the night rocking and holding one or the other. At the time it seems so tough, and so tiring. But, I always remind myself that these days are fleeting, and that God has entrusted us to care for these babies in a way that only we can.
I hope your sweet children feel better soon. How can they not with such a caring mother?
You are such a gentle, loving soul. Your children are blessed.
:( I am so sorry. I really hope the kids start feeling well SOON.
I second Jill, you are such a good mother. Remember that and it will helo you get through the sleeplessness.
Oh...one more thing; cornstarch. I know, I know. It's such an old remedy but I really swear by it. Just dump it on and give her plenty of air-out time too! I know I am probably preaching to the choir here. ;) Just humor me.
Thank you all so much for your (much too kind!) words of encouragement and great advice. A quick bum update: We let Meghan soak in a warm Aveeno bath last night and she LOVED it! I haven't heard of Dr. Smith's, but I might have to try finding some...we're currently using Boudreaux's Butt Paste, which has usually worked well in the past (Dylan's funny--he won't let us say "butt"; I told him that was the name of the stuff and he said "Well, you should call it "BOTTOM" paste! :) )
And CORNSTARCH! I can't believe I could have forgotten about something so simple and readily available. Yesterday morning after changing Meghan's diaper I sprinkled on a liberal dose and let her crawl around bare-butt naked. (Could there be anything cuter?!) She left a little puddle for me in the hallway while I was helping Dylan brush his teeth, but I'd say it was a small price to pay for how happy she was! :)
Jill, I sure hope your boys are feeling better.
Thanks again to all of you!
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