24 hours

Avery and I were supposed to have a Skype date with Avery's Grammy today but it didn't happen.  It only takes 10 minutes, but it has to be 10 minutes when she is available, when Avery is awake and not eating or being changed, and when we are at home.  You'd think it would be easy to find such a time, but it doesn't seem to be.  I was feeling bad about missing the Skype date so I thought back to the last 24 hours to see why I couldn't call.  Here's how those 24 hours went:
Yesterday evening.  I am just about to leave for work when I realize that I might be getting a cold because my nose is running.  I leave for work anyway.  I now work at the Oxford Learning Centre part time, just to make some extra money while on Maternity Leave.  I am working with a new student and everything is going well until the last few minutes when she runs out of the building in tears and refuses to come back in.  This hasn't happened to me before and I feel terrible. I go home, expecting to find Avery asleep in his bed (after being baby sat by his other Grandma) but he's not there.  I phone them to see what's up, and find out he's still over there.  I go over to get him and am told they decided to keep him over there.  Noel is home, but he is still not comfortable taking care of Avery alone, so my parents watch Avery while I work and they prefer to watch him at their house.  So, he's been bathed, but is not asleep.  He is also hungry because he has recently started refusing to take a bottle, but that's another post! I take him home, listen to him cry while I go to the bathroom (he does not understand life's little necessities!) and then feed him and put him to bed.  When I finally sit down to eat, it's 8pm and I am starving!  And I have to admit that I definitely have a cold.  My throat has started to ache as well.  Since I have high blood pressure there is not much medication I can take and when I look in the cupboard for the natural medications they all say "do not take while you are pregnant or breastfeeding."  : (
I watch some sitcoms and go to bed. Avery only wakes up his usual 4-5 times a night, so that's not too bad.  At 4:30 when he is awake I tell him Mommy feels sick and ask him to please not wake up for good at 5:45am. He is a good boy and sleeps until 6:30 - woo hoo!
In the morning I go in to get him, I change him, then feed him.  I am in the middle of breastfeeding when Shelby looks a me and whines. "Not now Shelb, I have to finish feeding Avery".  She whines again.  Then she runs to the front door and whines.  Pause.  She runs back into Avery's room and whines again, in a pleading tone.  I realize she's desperate.  I detach Avery, put him down in his crib, and hope he doesn't start screaming because he has been removed from his beloved food source.  (He doesn't scream - good boy!).  I let Shelby out in the back and she throws up.  Twice.  I let Shelby back in and resume feeding Avery.  We go upstairs and he plays under his play mat while I eat cereal.  This would be a good time to Skype but I've not found anyone yet who want to talk to Avery on Skype at 7am.  Breakfast is done and it's time for Avery's first nap.  We go back to the big bed together, since I feel so crappy and he sleeps better in there.  We have a lovely nap for an hour or so.  Shelby feels better and naps with us.  Avery wakes up and there's just enough time to feed him and change him before we head out to the breastfeeding group.  I consider not going because I am sick, but then selfishly decide to go because it really is the highlight of my week.  It's nice to talk to other moms with kids around the same age as Avery.  I stop at Tim Hortons because it, like going to the bathroom, is a necessity.  The breastfeeding group is fun and it's my favourite part of this 24 hour period. After the group I decide to go to a drive-thru to get some lunch.  I pick McDonalds, because I really like their orange juice and feel like I could use the vitamin C.  Unfortunately, that means I also have to eat their food, which does not make me feel better. I stop at a park to eat and decide to sit in the back with Avery.  He is happy when I get there but when he sees me he starts to cry.  A lot.  I am still not sure why but I think it's because he forgot I was up front and was happy playing with his bug.  Then when he saw me he realized he'd rather be out of the seat and in my arms.  So after a few minutes of crying I go back up front, feeling bad.
I come home and find a message from my boss at Oxford, making sure I am okay after last night when the girl left in tears.  I don't have time to return the call because I am afraid if I put Avery down he will cry again.  I decide we both need another nap in the big bed, so off we go.  Avery and Shelby each have a lovely sleep but I am uncomfortable.  However, it's still better than being upright.  After 3 hours I ease myself out of bed to go to the bathroom.  I decide to call my parents and see, since it was so beautiful and sunny today, if they will take Shelby and Avery for a walk for me.  I feel too sick to do it myself.  But maybe I will have a shower while they are gone - then I will be clean and my sinuses will clear up.  I step into the hall to call my parents... and see it is raining.  : (   I call anyways, but they do not, in fact, want to walk Avery and Shelby in the rain.  So I go upstairs to get some more Advil and see that, while we were out this morning, Shelby chewed up a container of lacaid pills (harmless to dogs - she's eaten them before) and a container of Vitamin C pills, including the little package of Silica Gel "Do Not Eat".  She's never eaten one of those before, so I phone the vet.  While on the phone with the vet I hear that Avery is awake so I go and sit with him while I wait for the vet to Google Search silica gel and see if it is safe for dogs.  Avery is super cute - holding the sheet up to his chin and lifting his legs and bum into the air.  Then he starts farting.  Loudly.  I am sure the vet can hear so I say "Can you hear that? Because it's just my baby."  The vet doesn't answer.  I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm weird already.  Finally, he decides that silica gel "may cause some gastrointestinal upset, but since Shelby has a stomach of steel, she'll probably be fine".  (We phone a lot with questions such as: "So lets just say that Shelby ate _________.  Is that bad?") Just then Noel texts me to ask if I can pick him up at work so he can leave the work van for the person who is covering for him tomorrow (we have to go to a funeral out of town).  I text back that I'm pretty sure I'm dying but that I will probably live that long.  The rain has stopped and when I phone my parents for a second time, they happily agree to take Avery and Shelby for a walk while I pick up Noel (since I am feeling so crappy I don't want to drive with my sweet boy in the car).  So off I go to pick up Noel.  He gets out of the work van and takes out a large piece of carpet underpad from the work van.  I love it when he spends money we don't have on a house that isn't ours.  Noel decides we need "healthy food" for dinner so we go to the Swiss Chalet drive thru.  Avery and Shelby are still at my parent's house so I get to eat my dinner relatively early tonight - yay!  I eat fast and go to pick up the baby and the dog.  Avery is crying because he really needs to go to bed, like right now! Which is my fault because I should have picked him up and did his bedtime routine before I ate, but I was so hungry and felt terrible. So I take him home and put him to bed without a bath.  He will just have to go to the funeral tomorrow dirty.  Just like his Mom.  Avery wakes up when I put him down in his crib but I turn on his mobile and go upstairs to write this blog post.  I listen to him "talk" over the baby monitor while I write this.  I feel something strange on my neck - it's a bug.  eeewww!  I hope it's not a tick! I go to check on Avery and he's still awake but just hangin' out quietly in his crib.  He's a good boy.  I turn his mobile back on and go back upstairs.  I am waiting for Survivor to come on because Noel and I love watching that show.  I am hoping that tomorrow will be a better day.  Well, as good as it could be at a funeral.  I get to spend the whole day with Noel and Avery so that's a good start.  : )