Sick Kids Can Be Really Sweet

Yesterday, we were having a slower-paced day. Kevin just didn't seem very energetic, and I thought he felt kind of warm to me. However, when I took his temperature in the morning, he seemed fine.

However, as the afternoon progressed, he became warmer and warmer. When I finally took his temperature around 4:30 p.m., his armpit reading said 101.4. I didn't like that much, so I called my mom and asked her at what temperature I should give Tylenol. I know that fevers are the body's way of fighting off diseases, and I didn't want to stunt Kevin's battle.

She told me about about 101-102 you should help him out, but not to really worry unless it got up to 103 and 104.

Then, after thinking a minute, I asked, "When it's an armpit reading, you add a degree, right?"

She said, "Oh, yeah. So, his temperature is actually 102 something. You should definitely give him Tylenol."

I did, and he drank it right down. Then, he laid on the couch with his blanket and his bear that he calls "Baby" and watched Winnie-the-Pooh. (I should have taken a picture.)

I asked him if he was sick, and he said, "No, I'm not sick. I'm just tired." It was really cute. Anytime I mentioned that he was sick to my mom, he would deny it and remind me that he was just tired. He did look exhausted, and I hoped that he would take a nap.

Nope.

His dad got home a few minutes later, and I told him not to ask Kevin if he was sick. "He's not sick," I warned, "he's tired."

However, when Grig saw Kevin, his daddy instincts came out and he said, "Oh, are you sick?" Adamantly, Kevin protested that he wasn't sick, he was just tired. It kind of made me laugh. You could tell the moment the Tylenol started working, however, because he was suddenly my bouncing bundle of energy again. He proclaimed that he was hungry and only wanted hot dogs.

I made him some chicken noodle soup, and he tried it, but he was more interested in hot dogs. So, he got them. I was just happy he was wanting to eat. I'm afraid he got what I had.

Last night, Kevin came into our room about 12:30 a.m., and he got in our bed. Usually he goes right to sleep, but he just kept tossing and turning. When his foot touched my hand, I realized that the fever was back in full-force.

I quickly got up and poured some Tylenol. I tried to hand it to him, and he protested, "No, I don't..." then he saw what I was holding and said, "ok." He took it and drank it. I put the medicine
back and came back to bed. I rubbed his belly and his face while I waited for the medicine to work. He continued to be really restless, and then he sat up and said, "I have to go potty."

We went in the bathroom, and he was pretty cheerful, though he wouldn't let me turn on the light. After we washed his hands, we came back in the bedroom and he wanted to snuggle by his dad. He told him, "Daddy, I'm cold."

Grig said, "Come and snuggle them," and he burrowed in next to his father. I was unable to sleep for the next hour until his fever finally cooled.

He's much cooler this morning. Hopefully he is able to get over whatever he's got. He hasn't been coughing much, so maybe he has something else. It's hard to say.

Either way, he's a really sweet boy, and we're lucky to have him.

Kevin's Superpower

Once upon a time, there was a young married couple who desperately wanted to have children.

Thankfully, their prayers were answered, and the mother delivered (via c-section) an incredible, handsome son who they named Kevin.

The new parents rejoiced, for they now knew that the greatest joy awaited them: the joy of parenthood.

They loved every second with their son, even when he drove them a little crazy!

However, it turned out that they had given birth to no ordinary baby. Instead, the were given the opportunity to raise a child with an incredible super-power: the ability to climb anything!

At first, this was a point of pride for Kevin's parents. At a mere ten months, he was already climbing on and off couches and beds. However, at seventeen months, things were beginning to get a little more intense.

One day, Kevin realized his time had come. He looked over and spotted the dog in a sound sleep.

(She didn't really drink this. She just fell asleep with it laying next to her, and we thought it was hilarious.)

Kevin realized that the time had come to invade and conquer her home! Before his mother could blink, Kevin was climbing the dog kennel.

 Kevin's parents were proud and horrified at the same time. Their last secure stronghold (the computer desk) was now under attack from their incredible toddler. No matter what they tried, the security of the desk was compromised. If they moved the kennel away, Kevin was tall enough to reach the printer chord. If they left the kennel alone, they couldn't prevent their son from climbing on top of it and trying to jump off.

The frazzled parents wondered what they could possibly do. They decided to take their son outside to burn off some energy.

Then, they carelessly stated the oft-repeated curse..."At least it couldn't get worse...right?"

Wrong.

The mother and father were now concerned. Unfortunately, along with his climbing abilities, Kevin had not received super strength (though he was pretty tough). They now faced the unanswerable question that every parent with a male offspring had uttered: how could they keep their son safe?

Their friends and family told them that boys will be boys, and you can't be there all the time. They could only pray that their son would be kept safe while he practiced his superpower and monitor the use the best they could.

Really, what else can parents do?

And hopefully, they lived happily ever after.