Baby's Got a Bug

We finally see sun after days of rain, and I'm quarantined to the house with Ariana, who is sick—the high-fever-puking-gotta-wait-it-out kind of sick. You know where I'm going with this: virus. But the good news (so everyone tells me) is Ari's building up her immunity to said bug.

As much as my whimpering daughter needs me, I still feel bad that I'm missing Joshua's first-ever T-ball game and the town's celebratory kick-off parade. (Are my kids the only ones who get sick on the weekends?)

"Ehh, uhh, uhh…Mama, Mama" she says. "Ehh, Mama, ehh." Ariana's throat is raw and she cries when she swallows. Her skin feels like it's on fire, but her body's shivering. Her arms hang limp as I carry her around the house. When I put her down, even for a second, she wails.

I find sick days even more challenging with my youngest because of the communication gap. All I can make out from her babble is "No" and "Go 'way" when I take her temperature.

"RAA raaa I wah raa," she moans.

But I don't know what she wants. Isn't there a super-nanny or someone I can call to decipher her demands? Ariana's equally frustrated. Why in the heck didn't I teach her sign language when she was a baby?

Ari finally falls asleep and I slide out from under her to scrub the house. The silence is a welcomed treat, but my heart aches for my sweet baby girl. I pray that she's on the mend soon.—Julie Weingarden Dubin

How do you get through the dog days of kid sickness? Do you have any tips for keeping it together when you just want to scream or cry?

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