The Puke-Filled Adventures of Supermom!

This is a small snapshot into my head during an actual day last week...  These events are non-fiction.  All of them!  I like to call it the Puke-filled adventures of a working mom.  Enjoy!

I groggily get out of bed.  I've only had about 2-3 hours of sleep.  Lily has been up on/off throughout the night coughing and crying.  I took her temperature in the night, and it was low... scary low - like 96 degrees.  We bundled her up, and for the 2-3 hours I did sleep it was fitful as I was worrying about my baby girl.

I manage to get dressed, and get "L" some breakfast.  He wants a pancake, no no, cereal, no no, a waffle.  Indecisive 4 year old.  I'm irritated.

I grab the phone and watch the clock.  2 minutes to 7:30, 1 minute.  I press in all of the numbers except the last number of our pediatrician's phone number and at 7:30 on the dot, I am on the phone with the front desk.  "Yes, yes.  Me again.  Coughing, low temp.  9:00 am, is that your earliest?  OK, I'll make it work." 

I dash off an email to work, about being late because I have to take Lily to the peds office.  I play over in my head of how I will make this work, as I have a conference call looming at 10:00 am, and another one immediately following at 10:30 am.  OK, go to the doctor - they shouldn't be behind yet as they take their first patient at 8.  Assume I'll be there until 9:30, quickly (but safely of course) drive to daycare.  That takes 10 minutes, Drop off Lily - 6 minutes.  Then still have 10 minutes to make to work.  If I'm behind I can always pull over and do my conference call in a parking lot.  I write down the numbers I need on a sticky note, and paste it to my phone.

I get Lily up, and attempt to feed her a bottle between coughing.  She is NOT happy.  I change her, and get her in her car seat.  I grab a cereal bar, because I haven't had breakfast... or coffee yet.  Drive to the ped's office.  They know me.  Lily?  They ask when I walk in.  Yes, yes, $25 copay. 

We see the doctor.  I assume she is wheezy, but she's not.  I'm terrified of whooping cough, but not that either.  Ear infection.  My world stops for a moment, and I want to burst into tears right in front of a grown man.  She has tubes, I mutter.  I want to scream about the cost, and how just 2 days ago I paid the final bill for everything.  But most of all, I don't want to be back on the crazy train of ear infections we were on 3 months ago.  I ask about doing ear drops vs. antibiotics, but I'm assured that won't work.  He prescribes Augmentin.  We leave.  After leaving the pediatrician's I cry in the car. 

I stop at Caribou, I don't care if it makes me late.  I NEED coffee.  It is not optional at this point.  I drop Lily at daycare.  I have 6 minutes to spare.  I hedge my bets that I can make it.  I drive to work, and dial in - 3.5 minutes late.  Not too shabby.  I would have been 1 minute earlier had I not been stuck behind "Lawn Boys" driving 10 under the speed limit.

I spend the next 4 hours attending meetings.  With 10 minutes in between to quickly grab some lunch.  I make a bad choice - BLT (hold the mayo) and fries.  I instantly feel guilty, and take off 1/2 the bacon, all while scooping some ranch on to my fries.

I finally have a couple of hours after meetings to prep for more meetings tomorrow.  I leave at 4:15 and drive straight to the pharmacy.  They know me there too.  Sad, I think.  I find out that Lily's prescription was not sent to them.  I want to scream, but the overly kind and helpful pharmacist is a saint, and making 1 phone call she finds out somehow the ped's office sent it to a different pharmacy.  GRRRR.  She spends the next half hour trying to get the prescription transferred.  Finally, she has it and I'm outta there.

I pick up the kids.
I drive home, and make snacks and drinks for everyone.  I think about dinner.  I ask "L" what he wants.  Scrambled eggs he cries.  And so, scrambled eggs it is.  I start to make them, and Lily is mad.  So I stop.  I hold her.  My husband finally comes home, and he takes her, and I make scrambled eggs.  I feed Lily some dinner, and give her the first dose of Augmentin.  About 5 minutes later, just as the eggs are done, and I'm ready to eat, she violently projectile vomits all over the dining room table, carpet, and kitchen floor.  There is vomit on her, me, my husband, and all over the house.  I run a bath, and strip her down, I take my shirt off and throw all pukey clothes in the hallway.  I give Lily a bath, while still in my bra.
I get her cleaned up and dressed in pajamas.  I eat cold eggs and toast.  Blech! 

My husband gives her a bottle.  She fusses, and moments later, more vomit.  This time it covers the chair and both of them.  Sigh.  I cry.  I quickly think about the crazy amount of work I left undone at my office today.  I cry again.  I help him clean it up.  I scrub the beige carpet in her room on my hands and knees.  The whole house smells of vomit.  I gag a little myself.  I clean her up and put her to bed.
I get my son ready for bed.
Its 9:00 now, I work for 45 minutes.  I think about writing a blog post.  I have nothing more in me.  Not tonight.  I do the dishes, I wash bottles, I make new bottles.  Lily's crying again, I pop her paci back in and tuck her blanket around her. 
It's 10:45.  I check facebook.  11:00 pm.  I collapse into bed.
I'm a mom of a 4 year old and a 10 month old.
I work at a job outside of my home.
I work at a job inside of my home.
Some days it's amazing that I can manage to make it all happen.
Some days... some days are really hard.