The Cold Has Set Upon Us

We are having an unusually cold January in the Bay Area and because of that, EVERYONE has the flu or a cold. Courtney caught it first about a week ago. It started with a high fever for a couple of days and then a runny nose and a bad cough. It's been especially hard on us because the child now absolutely REFUSES to take medicine. A couple of months she had caught a little cold and we gave her some Tylenol Cold for children. The stuff tasted pretty nasty (I taste everything before I give it to her), but she was suffering so we kind of forced it down. She proceeded to cry and gag until she threw it all up (as well as her dinner, lunch and probably breakfast too). Now, she's traumatized. When we hold her down, she just spits it out all over the place or gags and throws up. We tried sneaking it in her juice and now she won't drink ANY juice. I got busted sneaking Triaminic Ready Tabs into her yogurt so now she won't eat that. We obviously have some trust issues now and I have to work on rebuilding that, but a mother desparate for her child to feel better will try just about anything.

So, I stayed home with her for a couple of days and got a pretty nasty cold as a result. I haven't had a cold in like 3 years, so it hit me like a ton of bricks. I haven't slept well in like 5 nights because of all the draining and coughing and I can barely hear anything because my ears are so stuffed up. I'm at work today either whispering or yelling at people because I can't hear myself talk. Now, my husband is sick also, so we're just a fun bunch! I'm usually such a caregiver and nurturer for everyone around me, but I've noticed that no one really takes care for "mommy" when she's sick. So, I just grit my teeth and get through it and continue to care for my husband and child. In the meantime, I'm absolutely miserable. I'm lucky, though, because Courtney really is a trouper when she's sick. Now, if only I could get my husband to stop being so whiny...