Live From Mommyville

A Pox upon YE, er, me

It started with a little pink dot on his neck. Then there were two. Then there were five. In my mother’s zeal I ripped apart Josh’s room and attacked it with Ortho’s Home Defense. I was intent on annihilating the offending spider that had the nerve to bite my baby. The next morning, Josh had a few more bites. I tore apart his bed, turned the mattress and washed everything in hot water…twice. After a restless night, where I more or less shared a twin bed with him, Josh woke up covered in angry red spots and I had none. Bug bites? Nope. Saturday morning we got the diagnoses. My little guy has the chicken pox!

We’ve been stymied as to how he could have contracted it. Jared and Katie have been immunized…isn’t everybody these days? Then Saturday evening we were talking. About a month ago I tore apart Jared’s room, intent on annihilating the offending spider that had the nerve to bite my boy. A few more bites showed up and I washed everything in hot water…twice. Hmm, I’m seeing a pattern here. We figure Jared must have had them first at the beginning of July. Josh has been incubating ever since. Jared’s case was very mild and everything cleared up quickly. Josh hasn’t had his immunization yet and is covered head to toe.

He’s doing ok, all things considered. He’s as active as ever (why does God program kids that way? Doesn’t He know mom’s need some down time—especially when kids are sick?) but a little grouchy and clingy thanks to what must be very itchy skin. His fever is down and some of the dots are starting to fade. He looks fabulous in calamine lotion and sleeps pretty well after those midnight shots of benadryl. Ain't motherhood grand?

Ummm…my apologies to all the cousins we've likely exposed to the chicken pox at both of our family reunions this summer.

War Paint