A Little Whine with your Cheese

Just had to vent here. If you are contemplating parenthood, spoiler alerts below. You may want to avoid reading this because I will use the words poop, diarrhea, and diaper.

We have this not-swine flu thing at our house right now. Which means I have not been at work since...week before last? I usually go in to the office on Wednesdays and work from home on Monday/Friday mornings except the 2 times a month I have to co-op at Lauren's school. And then check in for few minutes here and there on other days for quick things. Anyway, last Monday I had to bring Lauren to the doctor because she had a little fever, a rash on her trunk, and was whiney. Which for her, could mean ear infections. She gets them every few months. This time, no ear infections and the diagnosis was "just the tail end of a cold or virus" and she was cleared to go back to school. Wednesday she went to school, but I stayed home, was completely weak and fighting a sore throat. But I had so much to do from missing Monday that I couldn't quite relax and sleep so I didn't fight it off.

We haven't been altogether better since. However, Lauren got worse, had a fever over the weekend and more sore throat/coughing/runny nose/eye discharge and missed school again yesterday and went back to the doctor. Add diarrhea to the mix. The doctor gave us albuterol to help her breathe, and told me that she is okay to go back to school today (which we would do except Tuesday/Thursdays she is not at school). Now, though, the leaky diarrhea diapers are starting. See, this is the part you might not want to read. I am exhausted from all of this Lauren mommy-daughter time. I am grossed out by the 6 diapers I changed and the 4 loads of laundry with hot water and bleach washing all of the towels and sheets and 3 pair of her pants that it leaked on. I have to still deal with the spots on the carpet. I want to throw up, it is that bad.

Also because of being sick, Lauren's sleep schedule is shot. She went to bed at 6:00 p.m. last night, then woke up at 10:00 and stayed up until 3:00 a.m. I tried everything to get her to sleep but nothing worked until then. Then we woke up at 8:30 a.m., so of course that is only 5 1/2 hours of sleep for me so you might imagine (if you didn't catch it from the tone of this post) that I am CRANKY.

And through it all, my fantasy. Nothing complex or expensive. I am dreaming of the very-soon day when I can go to my office, sit at my computer and do some work. Where it smells pleasant, the people are nice and I am paid to be there, and thanked regularly. Where no one pulls my hair or poops on me or even discusses their bodily functions. I am hoping this day is tomorrow. Because I reeeeeeeeeally need Lauren to be all better and back in school or I may go insane.