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December 5, 2007 Worry 
Saturday evening I opened my front door to a sad sight: a small Frances collapsed on her father's shoulder, half-asleep, transferred to me without a sound. "She had a bad cough last night," he explained. "I think she's coming down with another cold." "Oh, poor kiddo." I pulled off her hat and boots and mitts, took off her coat, with as much care and solicitation as I could muster, but relishing in part the feeling of her sleepy weight on my shoulder, her soft round cheek against mine. After an hour of eating and drinking and TV, I put her to bed. Sunday was expected to be worse, and it was--she had a hard time sleeping Saturday night and was cranky and tired and coughing, which is typical for a Frances wintertime cold. But we played and made crafts and did our normal Sunday things, though at half-speed. Another hard sleep Sunday night complete with a few feverish nightmares led to a Monday at home. She was a bit warm and had some hard coughing fits--to be expected, for a Frances wintertime cold--but played and watched TV and did her craft projects (with sparkles! and fingerpaint!) again, pretty well normally, but at half-speed. Monday night brought the croup cough. That heavy, horrid, barking cough so hard it leaves no space to breathe. Her longest stretch of sleep was from midnight to three, and her cough kept her up from 3-5 (which ended only because I remembered that croup coughs often go away in cold dry air, so we walked outside in the snow for a minute, the little pyjamad girl wrapped in blankies and heavy on my shoulder, discussing how the snow was comign straight down like rain, and how fluffy it was, and it made the lamps and the trees pretty). Near five she finally fell asleep again, and slept until 8, waking with another fever. Higher, this time. A dose of tylenol, a drink of water, a minigo, a viewing of Rudolph the Red-Nosed reindeer later, and she was ready for a nap. I set her up on the couch with a pillow, Laura's quilt and one of her sleep-time friends (Ella the Elephant, a soft yellow elephant with a rattle inside I bought her before she was born). She stayed there all day. Sometimes awake, sometimes asleep, but with no interest in doing anything. Tv? "No!" Snacks? "No!" Temperature drifting between 38 and the low 39s (that's 100 to 103, I think, for the Americans in the audience). Not much to drink. "I'm sick, Mummy." I know, little girl. Do you want a hug? She nods. But she spent the night awake and coughing--surely a day napping on the couch is not excessive? I could not, could not stay home again on Wednesday--mostly because I would be out of family leave. And Frances spent half the day telling me how much she missed her Daddy, so we arranged for him to take her Tuesday night and Wednesday, so I could at least get in to work and get something to bring home with me for Thursday. After--by hearsay this time--another bad night, and a persistent fever, and a small wilty girl who still doesn't want to play, she is going to the doctor with Daddy. (I called her just now at her Dad's house. "How are you feeling, sweetie?" "I'm still sick," she said, in her soft, high-pitched voice, which always seems so much younger when I talk to her on the phone. "How's your tummy?" "It still hurts." "Did you eat anything for breakfast?" "No." "Did you have anything to drink?" "I had apple juice, and water, but only because the medicine was yucky.") Every bit of instinct and experience is telling me that this is just a very bad bout of croup, but still, the Canadian taxpayers are not getting their money's worth out of me today (my apologies to those of you who count yourselves in that group). I am staring at an inbox full of emails and a desk full of paper, and wondering what the hell I'm doing here. Posted by Andrea at December 5, 2007 10:54 AM under Beanie Baby Brags , Frances Friday EMAIL this entry (comments fields are below this section) Comments Can you buy a day off? Some places here will let you do that. I hope the little sweetie is all better soonsoonsoon. Posted by: liz at December 5, 2007 12:11 PM
I don't mean to scare you unnecessarily, but pneumonia is going around here. My daughter had it and so did two other kids in her daycare, plus the little girl across the street. Two were hospitalized (briefly). A high fever -- 104 -- is what they all had in common. Posted by: Jennifer at December 5, 2007 1:02 PM
She went to the doctor, and he says it's croup. Poor kiddo, this is a bad one. Liz, I could take an unpaid day if I wanted to, or I could take it out of sick leave; but I don't really want to, especially not this early in cold-and-flu season. I just hate not being there. Posted by: Andrea
Poor Frances! I hope she feels better soon. Posted by: ccw at December 5, 2007 1:19 PM
Sending Frances warm wishes, and hope she gets better soon. And try not to worry. I know it's hard. Posted by: susiej at December 5, 2007 1:41 PM
Oh croup...yuck. My kids are so susceptible to that. I'm sorry she's down with it, and understand your distraction. Get well soon wishes. Julie Posted by: Julie Pippert at December 5, 2007 2:21 PM
Here's to hoping she heals quickly! (For the record that's Frances' quilt now... :D It sounds like it belongs to me and what's it doing at your house??!! :D You could call it Frances' Lauraquilt but then that's a mouthful to type. ) Anyway side from rambling...here are many warm quilty hugs!! Posted by: LauraJ at December 5, 2007 3:51 PM
Poor Frances, and poor Mummy. Posted by: yankee,transferred at December 5, 2007 4:27 PM
Poor sweet babe. I'm sorry you have to worry and can't be with her. Posted by: Genevieve at December 5, 2007 6:17 PM
If she's got the same virus I have, I can testify that it's the worst cold I can remember in a very long time. Posted by: bubandpie at December 5, 2007 8:27 PM
Fabulous. Thanks! Keeping my fingers crossed that I dodge it. (And hope you get well soon, too.) Posted by: Andrea
"Saturday evening I opened my front door to a sad sight: a small Frances collapsed on her father's shoulder..." and "Frances spent half the day telling me how much she missed her Daddy..." and "(I called her just now at her Dad's house. "How are you feeling, sweetie?" Sounds like a great way to raise a kid. Posted by: Judge and Jury at December 5, 2007 10:58 PM
Ah, don't listen to J&J. At least it's something known -- I hope she gets through it quickly! Posted by: Jennifer at December 6, 2007 12:18 AM
Poor sweetheart! I hope she recovers quickly! Posted by: Dawn at December 6, 2007 12:44 AM
No, that's ok. I'm sure Judge and Jury thought their fake email address would be clever enough to prevent me from discovering that they accessed my site at midnight, Toronto time, from Bend, Oregon, through BCCI; and I'm sure that, being so clever, they're not a bit worried that if they ever return and become more abusive, I will have no reservations whatever in reporting them to their internet provider, with the handy phone number provided on the lookup service, as I'm sure it contradicts all kinds of clauses in their terms of service. Besides, someone who appears and reads a single post is obviously so well-informed and (again) clever that they can make a sweeping judgment on the basis of that one post alone! Really, S/he must be a remarkable person. Posted by: Andrea
Hope she feels better soon and you're doing ok. Nice to have a diagnosis, I imagine. Was going to respond to that J & J remark but what's the point of wasting time and energy on something so petty? Posted by: Tory at December 6, 2007 9:14 AM
I hadn't seen your response when I posted mine. Good for you! Sorry you had to receive the petty post however. Posted by: Tory at December 6, 2007 9:15 AM
I've been reading for a while but have never commented. Hope it's okay to start now! I hope she's feeling better.. being sick is no fun at all. I couldn't resist responding to the J&J comment. I'm in a similar situation - recently seperated, 4 year old daugther. Clearly I was a bit tired when I first read J&J's comment because I assumed it was a compliment! *laugh* I assumed J&J was applauding the fact that you and dad could communicate and that your child could tell you if she was missing her dad, that the two of you make it work. :) Even if that's not what they meant, it's certainly what I thought when I read your post. :) Forgive any toes I've stepped on for jumping in to comment on an area I have very little right commenting on. Posted by: Lindsay at December 6, 2007 10:30 AM
Thank you, Lindsay. I much prefer your way of looking at it. Posted by: Andrea
I had the same first reading on the troll as Lindsay, but then reread and caught on to the trollishness. It *is* really great how well you and E have been coordinating the parenting, from what you've posted, regular times and this sick spell. And I know it is better for Frances to have two happy parents than (at least) one living in anger. Posted by: Madeleine at December 6, 2007 1:08 PM
Poor boo. :( Cael had a croup this past weekend as well...what a horrible sound that cough is. Sounds like its coming from their little toes. Ugh... Posted by: Tanya at December 6, 2007 3:15 PM
"No, that's ok. I'm sure Judge and Jury thought their fake email address would be clever enough to prevent me from discovering that they accessed my site at midnight, Toronto time, from Bend, Oregon, through BCCI; and I'm sure that, being so clever, they're not a bit worried that if they ever return and become more abusive, I will have no reservations whatever in reporting them to their internet provider, with the handy phone number provided on the lookup service, as I'm sure it contradicts all kinds of clauses in their terms of service." You're more that welcome to report me to whoever the hell you want. If you're going to post your life's story on the internet, for all to read, then you'd better be prepared for a little criticism now and then. And Posted by: Judge and Jury at December 7, 2007 12:49 PM
According to you? Please read the house rules, posted conveniently on the sidebar. You have been banned. This is my site: I pay for it, I design it, I host it, I write it, and I control everything that goes on here. There is no "freedom of speech" on this website, and if you think you have the right to come on to my private property and abuse me, you are mistaken. Now take your toys and your shoes and go home like a good little girl. If you're very nice, I won't call your mommy. Posted by: Andrea
I just came back to see how this all played out, and can I say I am embarrassed to know that J&J lives in my town. I hope you didn't think that was *me* commenting. Ptthh. Posted by: Jennifer at December 10, 2007 12:03 PM
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Change is God (Octavia Butler, Parable Series) "Kindness has converted more sinners than zeal, eloquence or learning." Frederick W. Faber Email Frances! frances AT athenadreaming DOT org You can email her mother too (that's me):
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