Best Illness Ever

Abbie is sick. Ordinarily, this would be cause for panic, or at least stress. Maybe we’d run to the doctor hoping for a magic elixir to eradicate the germs or at least lessen the symptoms. Maybe I’d treat her with a selection from our growing stockpile of pediatric medicines. Maybe I’d cuddle up with her on the couch and cry the night away with her since neither of us will sleep anyway.

Not this time. This time her illness is almost benign. No excess mucus. No vomiting. No general crankiness. The only symptoms she’s showing are a fever and general fatigue. I might want to wish to bottle up this germ and release it when I need an easy day if only such a thing were possible. Oh, and if that weren’t a horrible thing to wish for.

She’s been acting strange for a few days. She spent the past couple afternoons curling up in bed. Normally, the only thing she curls around during the afternoon is my leg in an attempt to drag me outside. Instead, I’ll find myself cleaning up after lunch with the boys playing under my feet, when I’ll realize that I haven’t had to investigate someone screaming for several minutes. That usually means she’s found a silent way to destroy something or otherwise misbehave. When I investigate, I’ll find her lying in bed, or possibly on the couch, looking like she’s trying hard to fall asleep.

I really knew something was wrong Friday afternoon when I found her almost asleep on the couch long before naptime. I sat next to her and kicked her off the couch to keep her awake and The Schedule intact. She immediately climbed into my lap and tried falling asleep on me.

I should’ve realized she was sick at that point since this very cute, very sweet behavior was totally uncharacteristic for her. I’m an oblivious person, though, even by guy standards, and I overlooked her fatigue. I chalked it up to not sleeping well last night, and continued with the day.

Friday night we went to the store for Vital Supplies with no adult assistance. I usually stress over this activity as I push the boys in the stroller and track which aisle Abbie just ran to while mentally calculating which toothpaste is the cheapest per ounce. Instead, she stayed by my side most of the time, responding to my commands the few times she wandered. Even when she ran off in the checkout lane, she had the decency to stare at a highly visible display a few feet in front of me.

The last cue I needed was Friday night when she climbed into bed immediately after brushing teeth. Normally she reads books before bedtime, but only after raiding the fridge, playing with toys, chasing pets, and otherwise running around the house to delay lights out. I checked her temperature, and found it hovering around 102.

I gave her a dose of ibuprofen and turned out her light at the earliest time in months. She slept well overnight, but woke up cranky a half-hour before wake time. I hurriedly prepared breakfast, and braced for a rough day.

Instead, I enjoyed my easiest day in months. Abbie spent a good portion of it lying down of her own volition. She laid herself down for a 45-minute nap in the morning, and slept for three solid hours in the afternoon. That’s almost twice as much napping as her brothers did despite them being half her age.

She was a little livelier last night after her marathon napping, but still fatigued and feverish. We repeated the ibuprofen, and again she slept well until waking up cranky a little before wake time. She seemed a little tired throughout today, but I think she’s almost over her illness now; she fought going to sleep tonight for an hour after lights out tonight.