Situational Explanation

I’m not a fan of excuses or complaints.  I think both are a waste of breath and precious time.  There are, of course, exceptions to every rule and to every sweeping statement.  One of my staff once pointed that out to me while clarifying her reasons for not having met a deadline – “I’m not complaining or making excuses” she promised “I’m just providing you with a situational explanation as to why this is late”.  I liked it.  It stuck.  So here’s my situational explanation for the week long lag between blogs lately:

Four weeks ago our son got one of those colds- not a little sniffle – the up all night, big cough, wet eyes, feel bad for me I can’t breath or eat or play cold.  My husband quickly caught the same bug and within 5 days so did our daughters.  Their cold got much worse and it turned out to be RSV causing bronchiolitis. Nice. Because of their young age and small size it became very dangerous to their health.  Fast forward two hospital visits, three prescriptions for the next two months, orders not to expose them to anyone sick (ie. no starbucks or mall) for three months, and about 2-3 hours of sleep average a night and we are at last Friday.  A lovely bath for one babe turned terrible when a stray hot kettle and feisty baby resulted in a hospital visit for 2nd degree burn on two fingers, and then back again the following night for when she ripped her bandages off in the middle of the night.  By Monday both girls were sick with a new issue; lets just say I changed 18 diapers the first day and 22 diapers the second day.  A diagnosis of rotavirus and various other side effect issues and my girls, who still have smiles despite their waning size and waxy colour, are just like newborns again – minus the lovely newborn smell.  They are up all night, eating when they can, in need of someone’s arms at all times and crying out for the various pains.  Did I mention they’re also teething?  So… no excuses – but that’s our situation and the reason I’ve not had the time to sit down and write – a new blog to come soon though, I promise.  In the mean time I thought I’d share the top 5 things I’ve experienced as a mom of sick little ones that have made my days more special and enjoyable… I’m sure you have been or know someone in a similar situation and extending any one of these might just evoke gratitude beyond your expectations:

1. The food drop: my colleagues did this when the babies were first born, and a couple of friends and my amazing mom have been thoughtful enough to do this for us in the past few weeks.  A drop off of food that just needs a quick reheat. No visit. No need to get out of sweat pants or shower.

2. The coffee visit: Again – Hurray for wonderful friends. A walk turns into a coffee run and during a time when I can’t take my kids inside the coffee shop that grande mocha that a pal walks up with is like a ray of sunshine in an otherwise grey and tired January

3. The no-door bell rule: I think this should be a general rule of etiquette when visiting any household with kids under three but it is especially important when sick kids come into the picture.  You don’t know when someone is catching a precious few minutes of sleep – so don’t be a ding dong visitor. I’ve heard this from lots of moms; knocking is so appreciated.

4.Text-in: A check-in that doesn’t require the investment of time (on either end).  Rather than a lengthy call drop a quick text to let the person know you’re thinking of them – this requires a one-handed 15 second reply and still lets the person know you are thinking of them and you care

5. The gift of sleep: I wasn’t aware of the need for this one before having the twins, our first was pretty great with sleep.  Now, when my mom offers to walk the girls for an hour so I can sleep, I run to the couch and don’t even remember closing my eyes.  Heavenly.  I will definitely pay this one forward to friends in the future, now I get it.

When I re-read this post it could be taken as both excuse and a complaint – my apologies if it reads that way-  my intent was to explain the down time between oh-so riveting posts, and that I look forward to writing about making each day special again very soon.

In the mean time, I’d love to hear your tips on getting through the winter blues ill babes, or acts of kindness you’ve received that pick you up with sick kiddos.