So Nana and Papa left yesterday, and you know where everything went, right? Yep … and a hand-basket. Drew was home from work sick. By the end of the day at preschool, Jasper’s teacher informed me he had been scratching all over his body and his eyes were puffy – a marked difference from the morning. (Oh, oak pollen!) And at naptime, Benjamin started coughing. His cough was off and on through nap and persisted at the start of bedtime, again at 12:30am and then restarted this morning at 6:30am. He was a snotty mess at the end of breakfast.
So … that meant the dreaded nasal aspirator. He’s 2.5yrs old but not a reliable nose-blower. He just started two days ago blowing (when there was nothing to blow), but now that there is stuff to expel – well, he’s less than efficient. So, I gave him saline nose drops at his first diaper change and tried to suction. Nothing came out. That’s ok. It was early in the day. That also meant it was a quick try.
After running errands for two hours this morning so we could let Drew sleep in some peace, the last stop was Lowes. I had specific things to get at Lowes. I didn't think it was asking much of them to hang with me.
I was wrong.
They both acted like they were on a mild hallucinogen. Nothing I said even penetrated their ears. By the end, Benjamin was jumping out of the cart (one of those with rear exit seats so they can get in and out way too easily), and running across the concrete floor a few feet then sliding into a side splits. I actually heard an empty-nester guy chuckle as he walked by and saw that. Jasper got the hiccups and proceeded to stand on top of his seat and yell in a nice old whine “i need water.” Oh yeah, this was going well.
Parsley? who the heck cares! Deer spray? I’ll wing it at home. I needed out.
Much review of our fateful trip to Lowes happened on the ride home. It isn’t even that it was a dreadful trip for them. They got to climb up on John Deere tractors and play with long rigid hose nozzles like they were swords or microphones or whatever, while I looked in a particular aisle. And, it sure seemed like they had fun standing up on their seats and jumping. That’s just the problem. I can be stern all I like, but unless I’m prepared to drop everything and walk out the door and put them straight in time out (or worse), they do not see the consequence of their behavior. They do not recognize my frustration or anger as anything to which they must respond. erghhhh!
Jasper proceeded to come into the house when we got home and follow all but the last of my instructions - which of course were the most important: “and don’t wake up your dad.” After lugging in bags and herbs, I was greeted by Jasper telling me he had asked Drew when he’d get up and was also able to hear Benjamin in the bedroom chatting with his father. Suffice it to say, both boys went into time out.
Jasper ate like a champ at lunch, but Benj could hardly eat because he was so congested. So, after lunch I tricked him and got him to come into his bedroom for a diaper change. Instead I put in more saline drops and got out the aspirator again. This time – much more success. Until … blood. I struck a vessel and it was bleeding enough that it was coming out of his nose while he was lying down on his back. Oh man! Of course the child is screaming, because he hates that aspirator. (I don’t blame him.) I tried to sit him up with the kleenex wadded to his nose, and guess what he did – he blew … a lot. I got blood, lots of blood. I was begging him, “please, don’t blow. no, don’t blow.” It took a while, at least ten kleenex and lots of pleading, but he did eventually stop and the blood did eventually stop. But, I didn’t really want to put him down right away in case the blood was going to spout again. So, despite their hallucinogen-like-induced behavior before lunch, I opted to keep them up a little and clip fingernails – which meant watching a little TV. Not earned, but a regular fingernail-clipping distraction. (Not that they figured out the distinction.)
Before I actually put them down for nap, Benjamin’s temp was climbing above 100deg.
It’s gonna be a long weekend.
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