Is This The Worst Part of Parenting?

I bet you're wondering what I am going to say here...you may be thinking, "it's way too early for her to even know what the worst thing about parenting is!"  Or perhaps you already know what I am going to say because you are a parent and you have been in my position.  So, without further ado...the worst part about parenting (besides the lack of sleep and general state of delirium I am constantly in) is when you AND your baby are sick!

Oh boy, no one warned me about this one and I didn't see it coming at all.  Nope.  I was so proud of myself for getting a flu shoot and I literally have been patting myself on the back because of all of the great hand washing I have been doing.  My dry, chapped hands are proof of that.  But a few days ago, I started to feel a little sick...no worries, I thought...just a runny nose.

I wish!  It was bad, I was achy and had a fever and then the snot came...and still resides.  In the midst of my illness, I began to notice my little one wasn't behaving like herself.  At first, it was a few sneezes, then it became a runny nose and then, the worst thing ever for a new parent of a first child...a fever!  Holy crap!  In my half crazy and sick state I started to flip out...no rational thinking going on at all.  I called my husband...I called my mom...and THEN I called the pediatrician's office...mind you, none of these people were freaking out...just me.

We were told to give her some tylenol and keep an eye on her.  If she still had a fever in the morning and was fussy, we were to bring her to the doctor's office.  Well, she indeed was fussy most of the evening and still had a fever, so in we went.  Half asleep and with a head full of snot, we somehow got ourselves out the door.  Luckily, Em didn't have the flu...just a cold.  Thank goodness.

Back home we went and then I hit the proverbial wall.  Let's just say when you feel like scummy yuckiness, the last thing you feel like doing is caring for someone else.  But, with a strong will and the encouragement of my mother, I did it...and am still doing it.  It's been hard...incredibly hard.  But, this is what I signed up for and she needs me more now than ever.

So, thank you to my mom, for all of the times you took care of me when I was sick.  I know I did my fair share of puking and sneezing on you...thanks for seeing me through those rough times.  You are amazing.  And to all of you moms out there...the sick times are hard, but just remember...it won't last...thank goodness!  Now go get a flu shot and go wash your hands!