The aftermath

Woods exploring, naturally

So, anybody interested in what happened during last week's adventures in solo parenting? As you might recall, Clark danced out of the house amidst the chaos incurred by a puking, double ear-infected Linden. Let me just offer the highlights of what followed:

1. Tuesday morning: Linden says he feels good, and misses his friends.  He wants to go to school.  He is also (on a different side note) very excited about helping me collect the garbage and get it out to the curb before we head to the school bus.  In his excitement to get to the next garbage can (I kid you not) he trips on the (highly carpeted, soft) stairs as he bounds (prances?  jumps?  twirls?) up them, and smashes his face into them.  Blood EVERYWHERE. Turns out he freaking put his tooth through his lip on the inside, leaving a gaping wound.

Peeking out behind a cool split tree

2. Wednesday.  Both kids get on the bus in the morning.  I feel like a hero of epic proportions.  I also feel a little bit odd. Like, woozy?  No matter.  It's a beautiful day.  I go on a walk.  I come home, and... collapse into bed.  Chills, sweats, extreme dizziness, a fever, and headache/sinus pressure enough to feel like my head may just explode. I am most definitely sick, almost certainly with a sinus infection.  That night, I manage to feed the kids something, and get Linden into bed, but poor Juniper has to put herself to bed, as I can manage no more.  I proceed to spend the night alternately sweating through my sheets and piling on fleeces, all while having zombie-related dreams (as a result, no doubt, of being currently in the midst of The Girl With All the Gifts).

Hiking destination:  big rock plateau

3. Thursday. Again, both kids are off to school in the morning.  I gratefully go back to bed, hoping to sleep this thing off. A few hours later, I get a call from Linden's school, saying he seems "off".  His cheeks are very, very red, and he was resting his head on the teacher during story time, and nodding off.  I go pick him up. He seems fine, albeit clearly tired.  He falls asleep in the afternoon, which is strange.

This picture actually matches the narrative.  When everything goes quiet, Linden is either into something unspeakably horrible.... or asleep

4. Friday.  Clark has changed his flight, bless him, so that he will be coming home this evening instead of Saturday evening.  I just have to make it through the day.  Both kids are off to school. A couple of hours later, I get a call, from Juniper's school this time, that she has very very red cheeks and something wrong in the corner of her eye.  I go pick her up, and bring her home.  She seems mostly fine, but tired.  We make it through the day courtesy of videos and chapter books (which Juniper is blessedly happy to read to herself).  Linden comes home at the end of the school day.  I cancel all music lessons, and we just wait for Clark to get home.  He does, eventually, and balance is restored.  I still feel like one steaming pile of crap, but my responsibilities melt away in a swift and beautiful flow from my very heavy shoulders.

Communicating via stick walkie talkies.  Big binoculars and walking stick also highlighted

Now - anybody want to hazard a guess as to the mysterious super red cheeks and fatigue?  With Linden, I initially assumed it was some combination of the ear infections, the sudden and brilliant onset of sun (thus, sunburned cheeks?), and perhaps he was waking up too early in the morning. Juniper was more puzzling, but she exhibited signs of allergies last spring when we moved here (Ottawa is a valley after all, and therefore especially bad for allergies).  That was the first time anyone in our household had ever exhibited seasonal allergies of any sort, so.... maybe?

It turns out (after a visit to the clinic yesterday), that Juniper (and therefore Linden, I feel safe assuming), was displaying classic signs of "Fifth's Disease".  It sounds worse than it is - basically, it is a virus, much more common in kids than adults, and it's only potentially truly harmful to pregnant women, due to the possibility of leaving a fetus anemic, if I remember correctly. It typically results in - you guessed it, very red cheeks and fatigue.  In fact, it's often called "slapped face" disease, if you can imagine.  By the time they get to that point, however, it is no longer contagious - they just have to wait it out. So, as it turns out - we had a week filled with ear infections, fifth's disease, and a sinus infection to beat all sinus infections. I think it might have taken a good year off my life.

And so.  There you have it.  There are, as you can see, very few pictures.  I was not taking pictures throughout the week, and was very uninvolved in the weekend activities.  It seems a real shame, as the weather was so very lovely.  But we'll get more lovely weather, when everyone is feeling tip-top.  I'll leave you with a video presented by Linden, who recently found some very cool rocks by the train tracks, and has since become an expert geologist.  Enjoy!