Repeated Sicknesses

Over the last three weeks, the Pookie and the Pumpkin keep getting sick. Especially the Pookie. Three weeks ago on Firday, I got called to pick him up early from school because he had a fever. He got better over the weekend, but I was called the following Thursday because he got a fever again. And then again on the following Thursday! Not to mention that the Pumpkin got a fever between the Pookie's first two, and then this past weekend as well. And of course once her fever was gone, the Pookie threw up... twice... on our seven hour car trip home.

It's especially hard to solo parent when one or both kids are sick. I'm a person who gets stir-crazy sitting around the house for a couple days, so when I was by myself with one sick kid and another with pent-up energy for two weekends in a row? I nearly went mad! Let me just say thank goodness for my parents, who let me bring the sick kids over to their house on that Sunday to just have a change of scenery!

We had brought my daughter in with her first fever to make sure she didn't have strep, which has been going around. She didn't. It was just a summer virus, they said. So I didn't bother to bring in the boy until he got his third fever (second child, you know how it is).

The doctor said he looked fine. No spots or redness in his throat. No stomach issues, breathing issues or ear issues. She asked when he started at the daycare, and reminded me that June was not that long ago. She thinks he is still just adjusting to the daycare environment. And apparently there have been a lot of viruses going around this summer. In addition, the teething probably are having a roll in some of the symptoms of sickness.

As we were talking, she asked about vitamins. I said that we hadn't been doing any vitamins because I had been nursing. But since I just stopped nursing a month ago, I really should get him on them.

Then we both looked at each other. And I said our thoughts out loud, "I just stopped nursing a month ago, and he has come down with multiple fevers and sicknesses since I stopped!"

Hello? Why yes, I have a brain. And sometimes I actually use it!

I decided to keep my brain in gear after that appointment and really think about some things. The boy is teething. Those back two molars on the bottom keep poking through, receding, and then poking through again. Sure it brings on elevated temps, fussiness, extra drool including drool he swallows which can cause runny poops and even throwing up, disrupted sleep, picky eating and constantly having his hand in his mouth.

Back up. I just wrote "constantly having his hand in his mouth." That hand which is touching everything at his daycare, including the things that other kids have had in their mouths and the other kids themselves.

Even though it's frustrating that the little 15 month old guy keeps getting sick (and passing it on to his sister), I'm feeling better because I think I know why. And I don't think it's anything serious. I think it's due to the following combination:
1. He's still adjusting his immune system to the daycare environment.
2. He just stopped nursing a month ago and is more susceptible to germs.
3. Because he is teething, he putting things in his mouth which likely have germs on them.

I'm really glad I got him checked out by the doctor so I know it's nothing serious causing his recurring sickness. Just the normal toddler stuff. But I still hope he stops getting sick all the time. I seriously out of leave time from work! Oh, and because I hate to see him sick, even though he's all cuddly and sweet.

Question of the Week - What Would You Write About?

Well, it's been a pretty crazy busy time for me. For the majority of the previous three weeks, I have been the solo parent to the two kids, the caretaker of the dog, cat and house (and sometimes the garden, which I didn't kill off thankyouverymuch!), and a worker full time (mostly) out of the house at a really busy time in my project. On top of it all, I'm still trying to be there for my husband, as well as my family and my friends. Add in the sicknesses that seem to be plaguing my house, and, well, I've had little time for writing posts or even reading and commenting on my favorite blogs.

I don't think I'm alone in my business or inability to write about everything that I want to write about. So this week's Question of the Week is:

What have you been planning to or want to write about if you had time (and a blog, for those of you who don't)?

Here are some things I hope to post on soon, but if I don't at least I'm mentioning it here:
- I am feeling pretty amazing about how I'm juggling everything and that I really can be the solo parent to two kids when I need to be.
- My daughter started at the Montessori school, and so far it seems to be going well.
- My son is doing some really fun and amazing things, not to mention he and the things he does are so cute it melts my heart.
- My daughter must have gone through yet another developmental spurt, because she is even more capable and picking up on ideas and concepts that she wouldn't have understood just a couple of months earlier.
- My son keeps getting sick while teething, and I've got some thoughts about why.
- My kids are playing together more and more, and it's awesome.
- When I'm with my husband, we are having amazing sex. Yeah, I said it. And I might say more about it later!
- I took the two kids on the 7 hour car ride to my inlaws house BY MYSELF! (Londo was already down there.) Without a DVD player! And... it went really well!
- Sometimes, my daughter goes to bed without Mommy or Daddy in the room. When the incentive is greater than her need for one of us.
- One of the best decisions Londo and I made for the Pumpkin was to move her out of her old pre-school and put her for the summer in the pre-school where the Pookie is going to daycare. I debated and was unsure, but now that I can look back, I know it was a really great move.
-The hardest part for me (and I think many others) about being a sometimes single parent is finding the co-parenting rhythm again.

I've got more, but I'll leave it there for now. And now I'm going to visit some of my favorite people to try and start participating in the blogging community again (outside of Twitter). I've missed you guys!

How about you guys? Anything major going on? What have you been planning to write but just haven't gotten to? Who's wishing they had a blog just so they could talk about something in their lives? Do you have a long list of things like me or just one or two things you'd like to get off your chest?