Nemesis

In that last post I originally noted that Patrick was not ill in any way, he had just braised himself under the blankets while hiding from the dying sun. Then I went on to smugly congratulate myself on the fact that here it is, January, and Patrick has not been sick since school started.

What was I thinking?

Within seconds of typing it I came to my senses and quickly hit delete while spitting, crossing myself, tossing salt over my shoulder and hanging wind chimes made of garlic outside every door and window but it was too late. Like the Black Riders wheeling and shrieking every time pale twitchy Frodo put the damned ring on, Fate had already heard of my hubris and acted swiftly.

Less than twenty-four hours later Patrick's pediatrician diagnosed his rapid on-set high fever, sore thoat, headache, sore neck, cough and stomachache as the influenza. I feel like Niobe, all tears. No sleep. Lots of whimpering. Only marginal improvements so far.

Poor kid.

When he is awake he curls up on my lap and watches some of the shows you suggested. Steve was a little taken aback when he came downstairs to relieve me yesterday and Patrick informed him that the myth of beating the breathalyzer had been busted ("they had thirteen drinks, Daddy, and mints don't help") and curious as to why I was white as a sheet and trembling. Was I coming down with the flu now as well? Why no. Patrick had just forced me to watch an hour long program on snakes. SNAKES. Big squirmy vile dangerous jungle snakes. I HATE snakes. HATE them, even photographs of them. They terrify me. But since it is my fault he is sick, what with my terrible pride, I figured it was the least I could do.

Shudder.

I hope you are better than we are. Now go wash your hands and dip your computer in carbolic.    

Comments

[Amber]

feel better soon Patrick! and my goodness what we mothers do for these kids...snakes?? not sure I could have done it.

[thalya]

I'm fairly sure (and praying I get the chance to find out) that even maternal guilt and adoration would not pressgang me into watching a programme on snakes. I just couldn't. You are a better woman than I.

[spacemom]

Oh man, nothing worse than a sick kid. I hope he heals quickly...

Sending good thoughts to you all!

[Julia S]

I deleted some spam.

I am keeping this up so the following comments don't seem so weird.

[Natalee]

Effin' spammers!! Send them some of Packy's flu-that'll teach 'em!

Hope he feels better soon, and that you and Steve do not succumb to the same ailment.

[Sharon]

Oh - Elizabeth chose the wrong site....

poor dear...

[Jessica]

I feel your pain, because I did the very same thing the other day, when I remarked to a co-worker that so far, my kids hadn't gotten sick for months. That afternoon? My daycare called to say my daughter was running a fever. She hacked and coughed around for a couple of days, and we went to the doctor, only to be told it was a cold (after they tested her for EVERYTHING else). Then today? My son is home from school with a fever. I'm just praying it's the same vicious cold. I've learned my lesson, and no matter how much wood there is to knock on, I'm not tempting fate like that again.

[Pam L]

Every once in a while I make the mistake of saying something similar, like "Wow, it's great that none of us has been sick this winter." and my husband looks at me like I'm some sort of crazed banshee and runs to the bathroom to gargle with Listerine and spray the house down with Lysol. And , while I swear I don't beleive in jinxes, it never fails that within a time short enough for him to remember my fateful words, one of us gets sick, and I'd better hope it's not him or I never hear the end of it. I have a son that's a too-young-for-it hypochondriac and sent him to school recently because I thought he exaggerated when he said he threw up. If he gets too hungry and doesn't eat soon enough his stomach hurts and I thought he was faking the puny vomiting he said he did so I sent him to school. I was called to retrieve him a mere hour later and was stared down with the tsk tsks for having sent him to school in the first place. He spent the entire day sleeping in bed, no games no bored pleadings for TV, so I guess he was sick. Silly me.

[shaynee]

In a somewhat similar jinx situation, my
husband and I were once taking a road trip and munching on salty snacks. For some reason talk turned to the root canal/major tooth repair he had undergone a few months earlier. He remarked that he was impressed at how well the repaired tooth had done, bit into a mouthful of chips...and promptly shattered that same tooth. As he spat a couple of tooth fragments out, he turned to me and said, "Never let me speak of my prostrate...."

[winecat]

Oh I'm so glad the Patrick likes Mythbusters!!! It's one of my favorite programs.

Snakes on the other had terrify me and you are a MUCH better woman than I, snakes would NEVER be seen on tv if I had my way.

Hope Patrick is feeling better soon.

[Tracey]

Ohh. I am so sorry.. As I type my older dd has recovered from this only to have infected the youngest daughter. She is on the couch watching Animal Planet while we double up on drugs to break her 103 fever and stomach ache.
I feel your pain.
Luckily since I have watched one kid go through this I know that day 4 is much better!
hang in there.

[K]

Your flu made it to our house, too. I can hear the hacking in the other room. Poor guy.

[Annie]

Oh dear... flu in a young 'un ... that's seriously gotta suck. Poor kiddo. Did Patrick get a flu shot this year?

Kudos to you for watching the snake thing. My dh feels the same way you do about snakes, and I cannot imagine him in a million years sitting through a snake show for our upcoming young'uns! He'd make me watch it instead.

[Ollie]

Yech. Feel better, Patrick!

[terri c]

Poor Patrick! OTOH, it may be that the supernova of the billions of kelvins was in fact the beginning of the flu. Which would mean there is a (tiny) upside: he's not too young for adult science TV. Which is generally more sensible than kid TV on the subject of huge snakes...

[Marsha L.]

Just another perspective, on the other side of the metaphysical coin... I too notice that it comes to mind, "Hey! G hasn't had a cold in months!" only to be greeted the next day with a snotty, runny nose and a kid who feels like crud. Well, IMHO... we *know* that something is coming on, that's why we have the thought. We just don't know that we know. At the very least, it's a much more *compassionate* superstition, eh? I choose that.

[Accidental Poet]

You are funny and articulate and I thoroughly enjoy reading you.

[Anne Glamore]

Flu + snakes? Too much to bear!

We're celebrating our first broken arm over here at the Glamores. Funny, we've had billions of stitches and concussions, but Drew got the first broken bone.

The other two are VERY jealous!

[FishyGirl]

We've been swimming in snot around here, and had some weird fever thing run through, too - just fever and the sleepies, nothing else. Even good humor. Poor little Patrick, and poor Julia - I hope you both feel better soon.

And snakes? I hate snakes. Couldn't have done it - you are a better woman than I.

[MereCat]

Hope the rest of you stay well, and that Patrick is on the mend soon!

[Alli]

airborne for kids works surpisingly well, and its effervescent.

[tiffany]

Oooooh I'm sorry. I hope you didn't catch it reading my blog. We've all been taking turns being sick since Thanksgiving. That's what I get for being Thankful for our good health.

[niobe]

All tears? Oddly enough, I'm well acquainted with the sensation.

Feel better. Both of you.

[Meg]

Ach! Damn Murphy and his law! So sorry, hope he's feeling better.

[Alli]

Hope he's feeling better soon and that no one else gets anything!

[-Blue]

ugh, ugh, UGH!

So very sorry Patrick has been ill! All of mine have had the galloping crud (vomiting and diarrhoea - Yay!) for what seems like weeks.

I hope he feel better soon, poor lamb.

-Blue

[jessica]

"Within seconds of typing it I came to my senses and quickly hit delete while spitting, crossing myself, tossing salt over my shoulder and hanging wind chimes made of garlic outside every door and window but it was too late. "

Ah, Julie, it's because you forgot to knock on wood!

Get better soon!!!

[jessica]

JuliA.

Sorry