Friend is Sick

 I am still fighting my cold, but right now my runny nose is secondary to my main concern. I am worried about Friend. This little pup has wiggled his way deep into my heart and seeing him uncomfortable hurts.

 Earlier this week he suddenly stopped jumping up on furniture or walking up the stairs. We assumed that he pulled a muscle trying to catch a squirrel (his arch nemesis) and were hopeful that the issue would subside. He has been cautious about jumping all week, but yesterday he began to ascend the stairs independently.

I was delighted to see him walk up the stairs but he turn a concerning turn late in the evening when he began to pant uncontrollably. All while panting, he suddenly became agitated, paced around the house and whined.  His stomach became bloated and hard. I was able to calm him down and, once he relaxed, the panting and agitation waned. I think he had gas, but his reaction was concerning to say the least. 

I have tried to get him into the vet when the symptoms first showed earlier this week but they had no "sick day" appointments available until next Wednesday. Thankfully we have an appointment for his annual physical scheduled for Monday. Hopefully my little pup is on the mend, but I will continue to worry until the vet clears him.

Crying Wolf

Almost everybody is back to normal. Unfortunately, Timmy's virus decided it wasn't quite ready to leave our home and opted to latch onto me as an unwilling host. I'm functional with a low grade fever but the days certainly feel longer when I'm sick. Hopefully my headache and stuffy nose will ease soon. 

Timmy is completely recovered and back to his mischievous self. Yesterday, while Scott was out picking up Robby from band, Hamlet decided to play a little game (which is a bad word because it is only fun for him) where he kept calling me back to "help" him with different tasks. After six trips to "assist," I declared that I was done with the barrage of requests. He acknowledged my statement and went about playing Roblox on the computer. 

I wasn't sitting for 30 seconds before I heard it. 

"Momom."  I ignored him. 

"Momom, come here." I ignored him. 

"Momom!"  I poured myself a diet root beer and grabbed an Oreo, preparing to settle in for a showdown.  

"Momom Momom Momom!"  I opted to drown out the sound by crunching on another Oreo (Double Stuff- the good ones I have to hide from the kids). 

"Momom! I really do need help this time. I promise my french fries I need help."

Now, swearing on his french fries is about as solemn of a promise as you can elicit from Hamlet. Intrigued, I begrudgingly wiped the crumbs from my mouth and walked back to the computer room. 

I walked into the room and immediately saw Timmy. He had been rocking back in the computer chair when he pushed too far and the chair fell off balance. Somehow, the chair wedged between the fireplace on the right and a heavy safe and box on the left. He was stuck prone in the chair with his feet above his head and no way to escape.  I pushed the safe out of the way for him to roll out of the chair. 

He managed to scrape his arm as he slide across the fireplace, so I had to patch him up before righting the chair. Hopefully this real life "Boy Who Cries Wolf" experience will put an end to his little unwilling fetching game.

Resuming Normal

 Finally!

Today everybody is returning to their school/work schedule. Nobody is off sick and nobody has a vacation day. After sick days and holidays, my schedule has been thrown into chaos. With everybody back to their appointed locations, I am hopeful that I can catch up on everything that was placed on the back burner when Timmy was sick.

It amazes me that Timmy, who cried out of frustration only a few months ago, now has been upset because he missed school.  This is a complete turn-around I fully support! Encouraging him to prepare to login for class is no longer a battle royal which has made the mornings smoother for everybody. 

It is going to be windy today, so we won't be able to go outside and play. It is probably for the best because little Friend seems to have hurt his back leg. He can walk down the stairs and run through the house (although not at his previously established speeds), but he cannot walk up the stairs or jump onto the couch. Hopefully he just needs a few days to rest and his injury is not going to become nagging. He is too young to have trouble jumping. 

Recovering

After a crummy feeling few days Timmy is finally turning the corner. His fever and his cough have both lightened in intensity and his mood has more pep. He is now frustrated that he isn't feeling well which, ironically, is one of the first signs of true improvement.  He has off for President's Day so I expect that another full day of rest and healing will set him on the path for school tomorrow. 

Today everybody (except me) is off school/work so I expect the house to again be chaotic. Thankfully nobody else in the house came down with his virus. I'm still checking fevers, but so far everybody is healthy. I will happily accept this gift from fate should everybody else avoid this icky virus.