A Swift Kick

Life has been kind of kicking me in the pants lately in the form of back-to-back children's illnesses. I just barely have the time to start to catch my breath (and catch up on household chores) when a new bug creeps into the house. It looked like the kids were working toward a new record in doctor's visits this week, but we've put some off till next week to even things out. Long story slightly shorter...

We went to the doc for Lambchop #2's hearing thing, then the next day we went to his pediatrician for some weird bug he'd come down with over the weekend. While there, I pointed out that Lambchop #3's pink eye that we'd been to another doctor for the previous week just didn't want to go away. He gave her some different eye drops and sent us on our way. Several days of that treatment has her eye looking worse than before. It's really sad, and I want to cry each time I look at her sweet face. So, I called yet a different doctor that we like in our village (the pediatrician is almost an hour away!) who hadn't been in the office the past week. She gave us yet a different medication, and if it doesn't work by Monday, she'll send us off to the ophthalmologist. And, just to round out the week, Lambchop #2 gave me the scare of my life last night....

Both my husband and I were wrestling with the baby to get her eye drops administered when Lambchop #1 came running in to tell me that Lambchop #2 had fallen and bumped his head on our concrete kitchen floor (until now I've loved that floor for its ease of mopping). I ran to see him lying still on the floor on his back. I snatched him up in my arms, and he went limp. Then, his whole body tensed and I looked at his face in horror as he had a seizure in my arms. I screamed what can only be described as a scream from a horror film, which brought my husband bolting in from the bathroom (without the baby - oops!). He took my unconscious and convulsing son from my arms while I dialed the French equivalent of 911 (15, in case you ever need to know - I know the number well now).

While I described the incident to the lady at the call center, my son finally came to (after what seemed like several lifetimes to me but my husband assures me was somewhere just under 30 seconds). I was all ready to do CPR and everything, but luckily it wasn't necessary. He woke up and seemed just fine, although a bit shaken. The rest of us were scared out of our wits, though. Lambchop #1 told me afterward that she thought he was dead. I didn't have the guts to tell her the same thought had temporarily crossed my mind along with a host of other possible outcomes.

The emergency call center's doctor told me to watch him throughout the evening and take him to the emergency room if he vomited. He didn't, and he was even healthier seeming than before his fall. The appetite he had lost earlier this week was suddenly back and begging for cereal... and more cereal. Then, he was off to bed after a trip to the toilet (all without my telling him to). Today he has been perfectly normal, but I called his pediatrician anyway. He was a little concerned at the advice given to me by the emergency call center doc. I guess he would have sent me off to the hospital. So, as a just-in-case measure, we've set up an appointment with a neurologist on Monday to make sure the seizure was just a temporary reaction to his fall. I'm sure he's fine (at least, given his demeanor throughout the day today), but we want to make absolutely certain.

And, of course, to top THAT off, Lambchop #3 has added a cold to her worsening pink eye that made her miserable throughout the night last night and all day today. Needless to say, morale is a wee bit low around here at the moment. I'm just barely holding my head above the dish water as the dishes pile up, and my emotions have me constantly at the edge of a teary drop-off most of the time. There is really nothing like watching your kids suffer. And, the feeling that comes with witnessing one of them lose consciousness and convulse in your arms in indescribable. I wish the experience on no one. It reminds me of a quote I read once: "Having children is like having your heart walking around outside your body." I can't remember who said it, but it couldn't be truer.

And, just so that we don't end this post on a negative note, I'll tell you about my most recent sewing projects (I haven't been doing much knitting lately). Despite the fact that I have had a little bit of trouble concentrating on much of anything since last night's drama, I forced myself to sew a bit before bed, hoping it would relax me. I'm not sure it really worked (not sure anything would have, actually), but I did get some things finished up.

The white tank with blue flowers you see up there was once this dress:

It's obviously not anymore. I hacked it up in an effort to make something that both fit me and didn't make me look like an old lady dressing up as a teenager. I think it worked out alright, and it's really comfy because it's stretchy fabric and lets my shoulders cool off when it's hot.

Oh, Lambchop #3 is calling me (she's just not sleeping well at all this week), quick, quick. A last picture before I go. It's the kimono, criss-crossy shirt on me. Here you go...

I like the way it turned out. It, too, is very cozy. The soft, thin sheet I used to make it was a great choice for a light, airy summer tank. See, so there is a bright side to life around here. Now, at least I have two lovely, very original new tanks to show off at various doctor's offices around town. What more could a housewife ask for?

Some clothes for the kiddos, perhaps? Why, yes, we've got that too. Along with these tanks, I also made two pairs of shorts for Lambchop #2, who didn't have any summer pants given to him among the loads of hand-me-downs we've recently gotten from his aunts. For the fabric, I just chopped up a few t-shirts that were old and ratty or had never fit well but only cost me a buck in the first place. I've still got one pair left to sew, and I'm going to hem a pair of shorts I made from chopping the legs off some hand-me-down pants with holey knees. I also modified one of my old dresses to make a long dress for Lambchop #1 to wear. I think it'll look really sweet on her. You'll see it when she tries it on, I'm sure.

Until then, I'm going to attempt a decent night's sleep. My sweet, over-worked husband just came over from his nap with Lambchop #2 to go to bed. He tells me he's sick and most likely has a fever. I always seem to be the last to get these things. Maybe I should head off to bed to try to head it off for once.