I’ve done average days the past three years (see 2016, 2017, and 2018) so I thought I’d chronicle what happens when our plans go awry. As self-employed, work-from-home parents, sick days are a little different for us.
This post sat in my drafts for awhile as I considered whether it made sense to try and include photos – what kind of photos would even go with a post that opens with a child vomiting? Then it was the holidays, then it was Tax Season, then the world came to a stop with the pandemic and any recollection of a run-of-the-mill sick day seemed silly. That said, I’m (obviously) going to post it now to continue the tradition of annual day-in-the-life posts.
12:56AM. The day begins with vomit. Ada calls to us from her room. I feign deep sleep and let Will handle it knowing that he’ll wake me when he needs me to take over.
2:00AM. Will wakes me to take over. Ada and I play with her newly-acquired miniature My Little Ponies and the playground she made for them out of Tinker Toys. I spend my time making sure we don’t misplace Gummy. For those not in the know, Gummy is Pinkie Pie’s toothless pet alligator. In this miniature set, he’s approximately the size of a grain of rice. He’s easily lost and it never ends well.
3:06AM. Ada wants to play hair salon. This is the best game ever because it mainly involves me sitting on the ground while she fusses with my hair. She asks to use the hair dryer. I demure as it would be too loud and perhaps I shouldn’t encourage playing with electrical devices?
3:13AM. In response to persistent request, I promise Ada she can use the hair dryer at 8AM.
3:25AM. I get out the hair dryer, turn it on low, and let Ada dry my hair for three minutes.
3:39AM. Ada is hungry. I ply her with a yogurt pouch. I try to read to her but am having trouble keeping my eyes open.
4:00AM. I’m prone on the couch. Ada stretches out on top of me and we fall asleep. Somehow I never fall so deeply-asleep that I’m not to be able to reach over and grab Ada each time she attempts to roll off me onto the floor. Mom-instincts are fascinating.
6:38AM. I wake up. I wake Will up. Before I go back to sleep I write myself a note to remember to tell my mother that Ada is sick. My parents usually pick Ada up from school on Wednesdays and may appreciate a warning about the vomit.
8:40AM. Will wakes me so he can go to a doctor’s appointment. He offered to cancel, but I told him I could handle things. By “handle things” I mean turn on the iPad and buy the Spanish version of Ada’s favorite alphabet game. We also bust out the hair dryer again.
10:12AM. I call my mother. She’s unconcerned with the earlier vomit episode and will come watch Ada in the afternoon to give us a break.
11:45AM. Will is home and I get to work on my computer. Lunch is salad, chips, and guilt.
2:54PM. My mom texts to see if we’d like her to come early. Yes. Yes we do.
4:19PM. My parents are coming from different locations and my dad arrives first. He’s treated to a detailed show of the newly-acquired Spanish game on the iPad. Will and I head to our favorite local bar, The Green Lady, for a few drinks.
5:44PM. We leave the bar to head home and grab dinner. I realize we have just enough time to swing by the library to pick up a book I have on hold for Ada called Crunch, the Shy Dinosaur. Ada hasn’t felt sick since the vomiting in the wee hours of the morning, so I’m feeling fairly confident that she will be back at school the next day.
6:00PM. We return home. I’m starting to feel sick. Will makes himself dinner. I scoop myself some ice cream.
7:30PM. Will puts Ada to bed. I put myself to bed.
10:36PM. I wake up feeling awful and decide to take a bath. I grab my Kindle and turn on the tap.
11:44PM. Ada wanders into the bathroom. She’s completely unsurprised to see me in the tub and informs me, matter of fact, that she’s been sick again in her room. I get out of the bath, change the sheets on her bed, and crawl in with her. I snuggle under a fleece Clifford the Big Red Dog blanket and try to sleep, knowing that we will do this all again tomorrow.
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