So I mentioned in the last post that Alaina didn't seem to be feeling well. Her fever spiked at school on Monday so she got sent home. I stayed home with her for three days because her fever kept bouncing around from 100 to 104 degrees. Poor baby was so miserable.
Just absolutely pitiful!
We suspected that she developed a virus but it also seemed like she was teething. She was totally miserable Tuesday night and had a really hard time sleeping. She wouldn't go to sleep until after midnight and then she was up again from 4:45 until 7. Throughout the day she just wanted to be held. We had to load her up with Hyland teething gel and teething tablets, Tylenol, and Pedialyte popsicles.
I did love all the cuddles. I really just wanted to concentrate on soaking up all the time with her, even though I knew I was getting further behind at work. Being mindful of positive experiences. :)
When she wasn't beastly, she was really very sweet.
I did love all the cuddles. I really just wanted to concentrate on soaking up all the time with her, even though I knew I was getting further behind at work. Being mindful of positive experiences. :)
When she wasn't beastly, she was really very sweet.
Fortunately, Chad was able to also take Wednesday off so I was able to fit a week's worth of meetings into a couple of hours that afternoon while he took care of her. We also got to take a nap when Alaina finally went to sleep.
On Thursday morning before I left for North Carolina, we noticed a few spots developing on her face and chest. I figured it was from the high fever/virus but consulted with Dr. Google to make sure it didn't seem like chicken pox or something else contagious. However, due to the recent fever and the fact the spots weren't bothering her, she had been fever-free for 24 hours, etc. we concluded it was likely roseola. By that night it had really spread. He thought it was pretty concerning to see but I thought it just confirmed my suspicions. A few days later, Alaina's cousin Avery had a high fever and she also developed the rash. She already had an appointment scheduled with her new pediatrician and she confirmed that it was roseola. This is now the second time that Alaina has gotten Avery sick. Oops.
On Thursday morning before I left for North Carolina, we noticed a few spots developing on her face and chest. I figured it was from the high fever/virus but consulted with Dr. Google to make sure it didn't seem like chicken pox or something else contagious. However, due to the recent fever and the fact the spots weren't bothering her, she had been fever-free for 24 hours, etc. we concluded it was likely roseola. By that night it had really spread. He thought it was pretty concerning to see but I thought it just confirmed my suspicions. A few days later, Alaina's cousin Avery had a high fever and she also developed the rash. She already had an appointment scheduled with her new pediatrician and she confirmed that it was roseola. This is now the second time that Alaina has gotten Avery sick. Oops.
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| Roseola rash |
He even successfully took her (alone!) to the farmer's market and grocery store. Color me super impressed!
They did so well, in fact, that Miss Alaina decided to start walking the first day I was away from home! Fortunately I had seen her take about 3 steps on Monday or else I would have been really sad. It was still sad to have missed her really taking off. Chad said she was just sitting in the living room and suddenly she stood up without assistance (we've never even seen her do that!) and just started walking toward the kitchen. He said he was shocked because she looked like she had been walking her whole life. Here are a couple adorable videos.
So we all survived my four day trip. It was nice to not have all of the anxiety that I experienced the first time I went away. And Alaina was super excited when I got home--screaming my name before I even opened the door from the garage to the living room. That was a wonderful welcome! She wouldn't let me out of her sight and at first, she just wanted me to hold her constantly (no problem!). We had fun playing together while Chad made dinner. She is so obsessed with shoes, it's pretty hilarious.
While I know every parenting decision has it's ups and downs, the last week reminded me how tough it is to be a working parent (clearly stay at home parents have their own challenges). On Monday, a friend posted a recent article about how the number one rule for success for women in academia was "don't have a baby". I found it fascinating and depressing. There were aspects of it that really resonated with me. Given that I had to take the first part of the week off to stay home with a sick child, I was certainly feeling the pressure of missed meetings and impending deadlines. But my job is the one that is salary, I'm not paid in June anyway...(wait, so why have I been going to work...?), and it's flexible. So of course I would be the one to stay home. But it's tough. I am so behind. Like seriously, two years behind. I can barely keep up with the things that must be done in a day so writing/publishing has taken an extreme back seat and it weighs heavily on me every day. I know there are moms (& dads!) out there who do it and I am still so in awe of them.
But I actually feel really fortunate to be in academia. It's the flexibility in my job that allowed me to go on maternity leave without filing official paperwork, losing salary, etc. and to stay home with Alaina when she is sick or has doctor's appointments. My department is extremely family friendly and I know how lucky I am for that. But the other piece of the working parent gig is that it was while I was away at a conference that Alaina really started walking. It is really tremendously difficult to do both things well. As I mentioned above, I'm working on it. Working on being in the moment when I am with Alaina and working on...well, work, when I'm at work. And trying to give myself lots of patience and leeway in both.
So we all survived my four day trip. It was nice to not have all of the anxiety that I experienced the first time I went away. And Alaina was super excited when I got home--screaming my name before I even opened the door from the garage to the living room. That was a wonderful welcome! She wouldn't let me out of her sight and at first, she just wanted me to hold her constantly (no problem!). We had fun playing together while Chad made dinner. She is so obsessed with shoes, it's pretty hilarious.
While I know every parenting decision has it's ups and downs, the last week reminded me how tough it is to be a working parent (clearly stay at home parents have their own challenges). On Monday, a friend posted a recent article about how the number one rule for success for women in academia was "don't have a baby". I found it fascinating and depressing. There were aspects of it that really resonated with me. Given that I had to take the first part of the week off to stay home with a sick child, I was certainly feeling the pressure of missed meetings and impending deadlines. But my job is the one that is salary, I'm not paid in June anyway...(wait, so why have I been going to work...?), and it's flexible. So of course I would be the one to stay home. But it's tough. I am so behind. Like seriously, two years behind. I can barely keep up with the things that must be done in a day so writing/publishing has taken an extreme back seat and it weighs heavily on me every day. I know there are moms (& dads!) out there who do it and I am still so in awe of them.
But I actually feel really fortunate to be in academia. It's the flexibility in my job that allowed me to go on maternity leave without filing official paperwork, losing salary, etc. and to stay home with Alaina when she is sick or has doctor's appointments. My department is extremely family friendly and I know how lucky I am for that. But the other piece of the working parent gig is that it was while I was away at a conference that Alaina really started walking. It is really tremendously difficult to do both things well. As I mentioned above, I'm working on it. Working on being in the moment when I am with Alaina and working on...well, work, when I'm at work. And trying to give myself lots of patience and leeway in both.
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