A Sick Mother on Mother's Day

Stephanie picked up Daniel yesterday afternoon. He spent last night with her, a visit he's been looking forward to since his trip there last week was canceled.

I took the twins to a playground yesterday evening. There was a mother there with another set of 3-year-old twin boys. She had older kids with her, as well: her three pre-teen and young teen-aged children and a few of their friends. She hardly had a minute to sit since she was constantly arbitrating fights or chasing after the twins who liked to run away. I felt almost sybaritic as I relaxed with my Entertainment Weekly, while Stephen and Matthew played pleasantly together.

The other mother and I did get a few minutes to compare notes, however. Her boys, though a few months younger than mine, were 10 lbs. heavier, half a head taller, and a full clothes size bigger. She asked me if I'd like any of their outgrown clothes. I answered with an enthusiastic Yes! Kids clothes are so expensive, and they grow out of them so quickly. I'm happy to accept whatever anyone wants to give me.

It turned out she had a couple bags of size 4 clothes in the car that she had been planning to take to Goodwill, so she gave them to me right there. She has a few more bags of clothes at home, and she gave me her phone number so we can make arrangements for me to pick them up some time.

Well, my throat kept getting worse and worse yesterday. By evening it felt as bad as it had after my tonsillectomy a few years ago. It was horribly painful to swallow. I still had some Tylenol with codeine left over from that surgery, so I took it before going to bed, hoping it would bring some relief. I woke up in the middle of the night with a fever, took some ibuprofen, and fell back into a fitful sleep.

Tab got up with the boys so that I could sleep a little later this morning. It was very kind of him, especially since he had also let me sleep in yesterday morning. The twins greeted me with shouts of "Happy Mother's Day!" when I came down around 9:30.

This morning my throat hurt as much as it had last night. I knew I'd never make it until Monday; soon after I got up I called my doctor's weekend line and left a message for her. A few minutes later she called back and said she'd phone in a prescription for Augmentin, an antibiotic, for me so I could start taking it right away. She told me she'd see me at my Thursday appointment, unless I was feeling worse on Monday.

Tab picked up my prescription at CVS, and I took my first dose right away. I hope the antibiotic starts kicking some streptococci butt real soon.

Tab and I had talked about going out to breakfast this morning, but I nixed that plan since it hurt too much to swallow anything other than soft foods. I ate yogurt for breakfast and lunch today, followed by raspberry sherbet after lunch. I don't know why, but whenever I'm sick I want to eat sherbet. I never eat it when I'm well.

This afternoon Stephanie will be bringing Daniel back and we'll order a turkey dinner from Boston Market and eat it here. We know better than to try to eat dinner out on Mother's Day, even if I were feeling up for it.

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