Marching Towards Spring

March has not been fun. Tess started daycare at a large facility that I won't name here. In the first (and, as it turns out, only) week, she was scratched by another child, she fell of her her chair at lunch and hit her head on the table, and she became very sick. Her nose started running, so I figured she had a cold, but a couple of days later, she had a fever and began throwing up and having diarrhea. James and I also got bad colds. We dealt with it as best we could. One of us had to stay home from work with her because we couldn't take her back to the daycare in that condition. After four days of this, her temperature returned to normal, but we noticed that she was very fussy. I had been watching for the signs of dehydration, so when she cried and didn't have any tears, I knew it was time to go back to the doctor.

The doctor said that she was mildly dehydrated, and I should take her to the hospital to get a fluid IV. We stayed all night at Community North. Tess had an IV in her hand. I might as well have slept on the floor that night (would've been more comfortable than the pull out chair/bed thing that was in the room). After receiving the fluids, Tess felt much better. They ran a couple of tests and determined that she had the rotavirus. They said it is fairly common in daycare settings. She had not had a fever for a couple of days by this time, so the doctor said she was no longer contagious.

In the midst of all this, I also had a complicated project to do for work. It's really hard to concentrate when you're sick and caring for a sick child. My stress levels have been through the roof.

On a happy note, we started Tess with a new careperson who was recommended by friends, and I'm so glad we did. It's a home based daycare, so there are fewer kids, and it's a much more comfortable setting for Tess. She's still getting used to it, but I'm sure she'll be having fun there soon. There was no way I was going to take her back to the first daycare. Aside from the injuries and illness, Tess absolutely hated it there. I can accept that there is an adjustment period, and that she will cry for the first several days that I drop her off at a new place, but when I took her there, she would scream and cling to me. It was awful. After only a few hours there each day, the knees on her pants would be black with dirt, so I don't think it was very clean either.

Meanwhile, James and I are still getting over these nasty colds. My throat finally stopped hurting, but I have congestion that just won't quit. I can't smell anything. Amazing how much you rely on your sense of smell. I can't taste my food or tell if I've put too much perfume on. I can't even tell when Tess needs to be changed right now, so I have to check her periodically. This stupid cold caused me to miss the St. Patrick's Day sing-a-long at the Chatterbox for the first time in eight years.

Come on, spring weather!

Missing My Girl

I took my baby girl to daycare today for the first time. She is 13 months, so she's not exactly a baby anymore. It was a weird feeling leaving my daughter in the hands of strangers. I know they are trained to take care of kids, but it's still scary. This was a trial day, so I came back home after dropping her off. I felt OK at first, but then I realized how quiet it was in the house. I saw all of her toys on the floor, but she wasn't there playing with them. That's when I cried. I suppose it's normal...

When I picked her up, she was eating lunch. She looked so grown up sitting in a little chair at a little table. She ate chicken nuggets and drank some milk. She didn't notice me there until I went over and tapped her on the shoulder. As soon as she saw me, she did this look, like "Thank God mom is here!" and then she started crying. I hope she gets used to it pretty quickly, because it will break my heart if she does that every time I pick her up.