Of cheese fondue and sick babies...

Photo courtesy of LOLSaints. :)

It was an interesting weekend, and one that unfortunately involved me getting older. Let's begin our chronicle on Friday evening...

Anne was coughing. This is going to be a theme, just you wait and see. I was worried about her, but it seemed to be a simple case of the common cold. She wasn't running a fever or showing any other distressing symptoms, so we just kept an eye on her. My in-laws came over so that Mike and I could go to dinner for my birthday. (I'm not saying how old anymore. :) I'm saying "mid-thirties" and I'm sticking to that regardless of how far from "mid" I may actually be. So there).

Hence, Mike and I traveled to our local Melting Pot. Oh happy sigh. I just love it there, site of my last birthday dinner. We each get to pick on our own birthday (we have to come to a happy consensus for anniversaries and other romantic milestones) and I'd picked Melting Pot months ago. I'm a sucker for a pot of hot cheese sitting on my tabletop.

Fact that our waiter walked up to our table and announced:

"Hi folks! Happy birthday! I see it's been a little while since you were here last, about a year. Do you have any questions about our new menu items?"

...excellent customer service, or just plain creepy? Inquiring minds want to know...

So, we ordered a cheddar cheese fondue, plus our entrees with a vegetable broth to cook them in. Mike chose a seafood trio with sesame encrusted tuna, shrimp, and salmon, and I picked the awesome vegetarian plate which had asparagus, artichoke hearts, glazed tofu, spinach and cheese stuffed pasta, and mushrooms. AWESOME. You also get dipping sauces to dip everything in. Dipping = best dining experience EVER, in my opinion. Add wine into the equation, and you have one very happy Catholic Librarian.

Mike calls the Melting Pot the epitomy of a child-free dining experience. Every table has a vat of scalding hot liquid on it. This makes for a bad toddler takealong dinner.

So, that was very, very nice. Saturday morning, we woke up to a very miserable looking Anne. To say that we haven't had a good night in a long time would be an understatement. Sleep has been tough for months now, but I knew to expect this. She's still a baby. Plus she's teething. She just cut that new tooth, but her drooling is working overtime so I wonder if yet another tooth is coming in.

I mean, seriously. Does she really need more than 4 teeth?! I think God should consider my baby redesign suggestion. Additional teeth come in only when the person is a teenager and can assist themselves in the middle of the night. It would have the added benefit of humbling them during a tumultuous age. Do they really think that waiting until they're at school to apply a multitude of makeup in the girls bathroom and rolling up their skirt at the waist is going to go unchallenged? Do they really think their mother doesn't know that they do this? SHE DOES. BECAUSE SHE ALMOST CERTAINLY DID THE SAME THING HERSELF. And then a new tooth would arrive, making it hard for them to apply their lipstick when they think their parents aren't watching. See? Brilliant idea.

So anyway, Anne woke up on Saturday morning coughing and wheezing. Necessitating a trip to the pediatrician. Diagnosis: bronchiolitis and an ear infection. He gave us an antibiotic for the ears, but obviously there's nothing you can do for the virus but wait it out. He told us that she's right in the worst part of it.

Ain't that the truth. Mike commented that she looked like she'd spent the night in a crack house. Eyes glassy. Face wet from drool and snot. Aforementioned drool and snot rubbed crankily into hair that was standing up in spikes. Nose red. Expression VERY ANGRY.

Ever try to wipe a child's nose anywhere from age newborn through, I don't know, eternity?

Approach with tissue. Child moves headtoside!! Approach on other side. Child moves...headtoside!! Quick change hands with tissue!! Child...movesheadtoside!!!!!

A very frustrating endeavor. And it's what we did for 3 full days. Saturday, she enacted what is now her patented 20 Minute Nap Technique:

Nurse Anne. Lots of coughing ensues involving milk being sprayed onto both Anne and Mommy. Nurse lots more. Anne dozes off. Mommy sets Anne in crib. Anne sleeps. Mommy just starts on a chore when...Anne wakes up. Repeat process. 20 minutes later...Anne is crying. Repeat for rest of day.

And then the night comes. And well, as you would expect, it doesn't go any better.

Sunday, she woke up looking 90% better. The antibiotics are clearly working on her ear. She seemed almost herself, although still coughing. And last night...

She slept for 8 hours. Woke to nurse. Then slept until 7 am.

*ANGELS SING*

It was like a little slice of heaven.

So, she's doing better. Still on the antibiotic, and we're just keeping her in until she feels better. Hope for another good night tonight. Hope does spring eternal, after all...