Tuberculosis

So I get a text from the Nina a day or two ago. She asks how Animalia is and I say sick and she says her niece, the almost 2-year-old Peanut, is sick too. With tuberculosis, according to the Peanut herself. And I start to feel guilty.

What happened was...
On Monday, the Animalia woke up cranky but I completely disregarded the mood. We were going to meet the Nina and her sister and a couple of babies for breakfast. We went to Target first as it was kind of on the way and then proceeded to Cracker Barrel. Animalia fell asleep between Target and Cracker Barrel, and though I thought she'd wake up shortly after smelling food, she slept through most of breakfast. During this time, I held the baby Lito, who is so smoooshy and cuuuute, and we all chatted. The Animalia finally woke up... snnneeeeze! Runny nose. Eating. Saying hi to the other babies. Snnnneeeeze! I'm like, maybe it's allergies, because she didn't wake up that way. Her eyes start running. Someone says that her eyes are running so it's a cold. I'm puzzled as she doesn't usually get sick that quickly, it's more of a gradual thing that warns us in subtle ways, but the only warning I got was the cranky wake up. Sucks.

So the Animalia is sick. A cold. And now, because of us, two other babies are sick. Yes, there has been a text message exchange... "I don't want to be THAT mom." (The mom who takes sick children where there are other babies with complete disregard for what we'll all have to go through that night when the baby can't breathe). The reply was not to worry, I'm really not that mom. But I feel like THAT mom. I just do. Especially because the tiny baby Lito is little and tiny and colds when they're that small are SO MISERABLE. So, in this very public venue, I'm sorry on bringing the plague to your house. You know who you are.

Jekyll and Hyde

Yesterday, amid much screaming, my parents took the Animalia to the doctor. When the doctor walked into the room, she turned on the charm. This isn't the first time she's done this and I'm not sure how she knows that someone is evaluating her. The last time we were there it was the same: screaming, fussiness, then giggling and charm when the doctor walked in the room. She knows when someone is judging her I guess.

So the diagnosis is a terrible cold coupled with an increase in acid reflux, probably brought on by drainage from the cold and the lots and lots of saline drops we've been stuffing in her nose. She lost 2oz from the last appointment because she's been struggling to eat. I felt really bad about that. Poor thing.

Today has been a much better day for my parents though. Thank god.