By: Revanche

Living in the time of pandemic: COVID-19 (80)

December 13, 2021

Year 2 of COVID in the Bay Area.

Year 2, Day 267: Possibly my least favorite thing about the responsibilities parenting right now is doing the night time floss and brush with JB. They whine so much. But we must because the dentist says we must and while I might naysay most anyone else, I will comply with dentist’s orders like whoa. I love going to the dentist and I want to always love going to the dentist, I don’t ever want to walk in there with guilt and shame over having neglected my kid’s teeth. PiC does a lot of those too but I feel more responsible since he already does most of the kid night time routines.

*****

Everyone is sick today. 🤢 Even Sera is sneezing her head off!! Smol is spiking a fever, JB and PiC are leaky faucets, I feel wrung out and drained to the dregs (which is also normal for me too but in a sick way this time).

The only good thing is when I administered the first dose of ibuprofen to Smol for the fever, braced for baby war, they relaxed and didn’t fight every microliter like the last time they were feverish. I don’t know if this was a fluke but I hope they’ve developed a taste for the medicine enough so we don’t have to battle it out every time.

*****

I am hoping I fixed the dishwasher leak problem. PiC noticed it was leaking during a cycle the other day and I wondered if it was a seal problem. Wiped the whole thing clean with vinegar and discovered that HELLO there was a screw loose in the casing that was preventing the door from sealing. It also damaged the seal but I’m hoping that small tear isn’t enough to cause leaks.

Year 2, Day 268: Huzzah, Smol will take their medicine without flipping out!! Thank everything. I wonder if it’s because I upgraded to a bigger and better syringe or if it’s just because they’re older, don’t feel as terrible as last time, and the taste isn’t new. Whatever it is, I’m grateful every single time I dose them.

*****

We all feel like some version of garbage today. Of course JB remains full of energy and Tigger bounces around despite their symptoms. I’m grateful to yesterday me for poaching chicken breast to make broth. That broth plus rice became warm breakfast chao ga. 8 year old me would be aghast that I served rice porridge for breakfast, I used to hate that. But everyone here today was happy with their breakfast. Hint: remember to take zinc AFTER eating. Before makes all the food taste terrible!

We did the most sloth-slug possible version of parenting today. We traded childminding every one or two hours as usual. For his off time, PiC passed out on the ground. The kids and I watched the robot vacuum, me quietly taking satisfaction in having the grit removed from our floors, them slightly concerned about the possibly sentient being.

We went outside for a breath of fresh air. I’ve been trying to get them out for walks midday, today was an extremely abbreviated jaunt.

It was my turn to work after I sent Smol to Sleepytown part 2. I decided in favor of self preservation and stopped after I cleared the most time critical work. JB built a nest for me and waited by the bedside until I went to lay down. They read the rest of the time. PiC was still miserably sick but went out (masked of course) to pick up the provisions that we had so unfortuitously ran out of. It was a hot and sour soup kind of sick day. Hot and sour soup feels like it burns out some of the sick. Of course it doesn’t but the numbing effect is appreciated.

I dosed everyone with ibuprofen, Zarbee’s, or Robitussin and sent everyone to bed early.

Year 2, Day 269: Another weird day as everyone continues to feel cruddy.

Smol was grumpy half the day but oddly cheerful intermittently so they must not feel so bad. They, bless all the things, continue to take their medication happily so that’s one less fight.

*****

I sorted a medium load of laundry and got that running. Even when I’m feeling run down, I’m so grateful that I can take dirty clothes, put them in a machine, then put them in another one, and they get cleaned and dried. Growing up, I spent time out in the countryside where all the washing was done by hand and I never again took our luxury of a washing machine and dryer for granted. Even if I don’t put them away right away, it also makes life so much easier to have some clean socks, underwear, masks, and a few shirts somewhere.

*****

YAY I just sold the last of the Snoo swaddles. PiC had commented that he’d have thrown them all into a bundle for $30 and unloaded them in one go. I therefore took that as a silent challenge to make this worth my while. In the end, I made $76 after fees! Woo! My way was slow but it was worth it! Because I more than doubled the amount he would have randomly listed it for. 😉

Year 2, Day 270: I thought I’d feel better today but I was dizzy half the morning through a very important meeting where I had to look and sound coherent. Awesome. Really love that.

*****

We had registered for the state’s Brace and Bolt program a couple years ago but they gave us such a short timeline, at a really bad time for us, to get the work done that I had to let it expire. The program opened up again recently and after three reminders, I decided to just submit our application again this year just to see if we get approved again next year.

*****

I bumble along best I can when I’m sick, trying to learn to pace myself better and take breaks when it doesn’t feel like there’s any room in the day to take breaks. If I don’t, my whole body will fall apart. Once I’m sick, it sets off a cascade effect with my fibro pain so not only do I get the fun viral stuff (sore throat, runny nose, cough, fatigue), I also get intense joint and muscle pain every single time. Woo. I’m learning, though. I’ve been getting by on the bare minimum this week so the pain is a little less intense. My wrists couldn’t bear weight yesterday, which is just perfect when you’ve got a little one crawling about, but fighting my urge to force myself to power through means today, that particular pain is less intense than it would normally be. Other aches pop up, and again, I focus on doing the best I can to rest and doing my best not to fret about it. Fretting doesn’t help and it actually probably makes the pain part worse. I do whine though. Grumble grumble whine.

*****

JB read to Smol for bedtime tonight, and then asked me to listen to them read for their bedtime. They don’t often want me for bedtime reading, they strongly prefer PiC and I’m usually so tired I just roll with it but I’m trying not to miss these small moments so I go and sit with them before bed.

Year 2, Day 271: I’m laying on the floor to write this at the end of Friday night so that gives a general idea of the state of things.

A miserable Smol is in bed. JB will be soon. I hope to be very very soon.

Smol no longer takes their medicine without a screaming (them) fight/struggle (both of us). 😔 This is no good.

It’s also gotten ice cold this week and that doesn’t feel so great in combination with my worn out state. So this is the boo hoo section. Moving on…

*****

Taking a moment to be so grateful for our community who pitches in when a friend is in need. My head has been congested and splitting all week so Abby kindly assisted with getting the message out and our people stepped up. We bought our friend a little breathing space and a safe place to stay for a few more days while they regroup and figure out next steps. Some offered assistance with job hunting and that may be useful soon, we’ll find out. It’s amazing how a community can lift one another up if we’re willing to make the effort. (The irony of that metaphor as I lay on the ground tickles.)

*****

I’ve finally wrapped almost all the holiday gifts that I had ready. I still need to figure out what’s going on with my sewing machine because I wanted to whip up a quick blanket for JB from the remaining project fleece I’d bought. I only have a few more days to do that before I’m out of time for such things. I hope I have the energy to do that this weekend. We have our boosters scheduled for the weekend and that could really upend all the plans.

:: I hope your holiday plans are bringing more joy than stress?

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