Truth #52 – It’s hard to remember they’re sick

I write this post with my husband in mind.  He’s a great dad and is naturally crazy in love with his two girls… BUT never more than when they’re sleeping.  The other day he says: “Can you believe how beautiful they are Nat?  I mean I love them so much but Mamma Mia, when they’re sleeping?….” Original Ag.  When our sweet babies are sleeping, we can get crazy.  It’s like we wanna make 10 more, freeze time, bite their faces, hold them all night, stare at them for hours.  It’s a dangerous time really.  We forget for a second what it took us to get there.

However, when they’re sick, sleeping is just one of the many things they totally suck at.

If you can try to remember a time when you were sick…  Eyelids like weights, stomach in knots, constant trips to the can, weak in the knees, trying to sleep but can’t seem to get it straight.  Our nose is so stuffed so we’re breathing through our mouths but end up pasty as hell so we absolutely cannot get our minds off our plugged noses long enough to fall asleep.  We might have such a headache that we can’t see past our noses.  Earaches, toothaches, tummy aches…  How bad does it blow to feel like garbage?

Kids are sick all the time.  School, toys, adults sucking their faces or using them as chew toys… However they catch it, they catch it a lot.  Initially we’re heartbroken for them.  Knowing how awful we feel when we’re sick and then seeing them have to go through it is torture!  They don’t understand and sometimes, they’re too young to express what they feel or what hurts!  We would do anything to take it away from them!  …  BUT after a couple of excruciating days, it’s hard remember they’re sick!  

We’re donning  a new necklace; their arms clutched around our necks. We can’t eat, can’t drink, can’t pee.  They’re emitting a constant whine that is more piercing than the sound of Elmo’s voice.  They won’t eat, drink, or take their medicine.  They are so frustrated that they cry all day long.  They lose control of their bladders, or puke where we wish they didn’t.  We have to do so much laundry that we’ve got no clean clothes of our own.  Chances are, we aren’t feeling the greatest either – WHO AM I KIDDING?  By now WE are obviously full on sick ourselves.  But because they are, we can’t be!  Mommy has no time to feel shitty.  

Everybody else’s life continues.   They work, go to school, have their own routines.  There is no relief for us!  So maybe for a second, we might like to sell our offspring to the highest bidder.  Come now, we want to!  Not for real but we almost can’t stand the sight of them for another second.  “Can’t you guys toughen up?  Just lay down and relax.  Try to SLEEP!  Stop freakin’ crying!  Why won’t you drink!  You’re gonna get dehydrated!  WHY DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND??!!!!

They don’t understand.  The Mother Truth is that sometimes it’s really hard to remember they’re sick… And then when there’s more than 1?  We’ll leave that one alone. Happy baby making!  Just think of how beautiful they are when they’re sleeping.

Photos from here and here and here and here