Sick Little Boy

With the exception of "The Great Poop War" and the ensuing rashes, Robby has been an extremely healthy child. He has only been on antibiotics twice, both times for infected toenails as a newborn. I still find it ironic that my child was born with infected toes, but I digress.

Robby has been battling a cold since Christmas. The past few weeks he has been a constant mucus factory. In retrospect, I think that some of his misbehavior during the past few weeks might have been partly due to his not feeling well. At least, that is the excuse I'm going to give him!

Wednesday night my poor little guy became sick in the middle of the night. He began crying out for me and sobbing in bed. (Of course, I cursed my dependency upon a prosthetic as my response time was yet again impacted.) When I found him he was curled in the corner of his race car bed, sweaty and pale. His fever was 103 degrees.

Logically, I know that children spiking fevers in the middle of the night is not uncommon. However, there is nothing "common" when it is your child! I spent the rest of the night trying to keep Robby comfortable and calm. I then spent the rest of the morning trying to calm down Scott who was in a full blown panic about Robby being sick!

I packed up Scott and sent him to work. I then packed up my little guy and took him to the pediatrician. He was too sick to complain. In fact, this was the first visit since he was a newborn that he did not voice his displeasure. Although I appreciated my quiet little boy, I also knew that his compliance was a signal that he was sick.

After listening to his chest and completing a thorough examination, Robby has been diagnosed with pneumonia. I was assured that it is still relatively "mild" and he should be feeling better in three or four days. We were given a prescription for antibiotics and sent home to recuperate.

On the way from the pediatrician's office to the pharmacy I phoned Scott to give him the news. Robby must have realized who I was calling. As soon as I began to speak on the phone Robby began to lament missing his Daddy. "I wish that Daddy was home so we could cuddle and watch cartoons. Momom I don't feel good. I miss my Daddy."

After picking up the antibiotics, lollipops and ice cream (Robby assured me that ice cream and lollipops help the coughing go away) I was finally on my way home. I knew that Robby was beginning to wear down and I was looking forward to tucking him into bed. Imagine my surprise when I opened the garage door to find Scott's car parked inside!

Scott came home from work early "to cuddle and watch cartoons" with Robby. He explained that Robby will want to snuggle with his Mommy longer than he will want to curl up with his Daddy. Since his schedule was flexible, he didn't want to miss the opportunity to take care of Robby.

The two boys stayed in bed most of the day, napping and watching cartoons. Robby seemed happy to be curled up with his Daddy, and Scott seemed just as happy being needed by his little boy. I took the break as an opportunity to catch up on some work and to attempt a nap. I wish that Robby wasn't sick, but I do have to admit that it was refreshing having a quiet day.