Monday, January 16, 2012

Working mom blues

I love that toddlers can play happily on their own!

Last week was one of the toughest I've faced as a working mom. It was a really hectic week in the office, with lots of deadlines and meetings scheduled. I knew the week was off to a rough start when Caleb had to stay home and recover from a flu he'd had over the weekend. I wasn't too concerned, however, because I knew Alan was finally coming home on Tuesday after 3 weeks of touring in Australia.

Tuesday - as I'm about to head to the airport, I receive an email saying Alan's flight was delayed until that evening. Immediately after, I get a call from daycare saying Caleb has a rash on his mouth that is spreading and he needs to see a doctor. Great. I leave work early to pick him up. Tuesday night Alan arrives, jetlagged and tired after 3 days of travel to get home. His only wish was to take off his shoes.

Wednesday - we both take Cale to the doctor - diagnosis: impetigo, a contagious skin condition. All I knew about impetigo was the stories I'd heard of all 5 Jeffries kids catching it when they were young. After searching the web, I read that it is more common with kids in unhealthy living conditions. I immediately flashed to the recent lack of Caleb's baths and wondered if his new fear had contributed to his condition (not true, in fact -phew!). We were told to keep him home for the rest of the week. Alan happily agreed to watch him for the next couple of days, despite his exhaustion. Alan was in bed at 5 pm.

Thursday - goes by without much issue, but Thursday night Alan becomes violently ill with the flu. We still hadn't had a chance to catch up since his return.

Friday- I stay home with not only one, but two sick boys. I scramble to write emails, make phone calls and attempt to keep Caleb occupied while Alan sleeps. But, at the end of the day, I somehow had everything crossed off on my 'to do' list, and I allowed myself to cuddle up on the couch with Caleb and watch Beatles videos on repeat.

My solution to our bathroom ceiling hole. Cover it with a happy family picture. This really helped to calm his fears of the dreaded drips.

I must say the thought of moving back to Fredericton crossed my mind several times last week. So many hands available to help out at anytime of the night or day seems like a dream come true. But don't get too excited yet, folks! We are hoping it will happen in the next couple of years, but it looks like our next move will be somewhere a little more exotic - Jamaica - but more on that to come next time!

1 comment:

Kathy said...

Oh Ash, what a week! I hope these are a bit easier and everyone is feeling better. I remember when us kids had impetigo, I was the only one who didn't get it! It was while camping at a bluegrass festival and I always wondered if it was because they all went swimming in the lake and I didn't. I wish we were all closer so that when things come up we could all give each other a hand when things get nuts!