Being a Mom

Yesterday I woke up with a cold.  Laura got a cold the day before, so I wasn't surprised.  I felt pretty crappy yesterday, but Fany brought me a yummy dinner and a special drink she knows I love at night.  It's a recipe that her mom makes by hand.  Her mom roasts cocoa beans and corn, then crushes them into a powder with some sugar.  Then Fany just adds warm milk and it makes the thickest, yummiest hot cocoa you've have ever had.

I took my favorite cold medicine, Sudagrip tea, and went to bed.  Today I woke up feeling much better.  Sudagrip tea can fix almost anything.

Today I thought Laura and Fany weren't home because I never heard them outside.  Usually I can hear at least a couple shrieks from Laura each day.  I was surprised when Fany showed up with ginger tea, our latest addiction, in the late afternoon.

She said she had been cuddled with her daughter all morning because Laura was not getting any better.  But she was due to go back to the doctor today anyway.  I offered to give them a ride.  As we were leaving I looked over the meds she was taking and realized there were two of the same thing.  Then Fany realized the pharmacy gave her two of one thing (they were packaged differently) but she didn't have the antibiotic at all.  So the antibiotics the doctor prescribed on Wednesday were never purchased and she was giving her daughter a double dose of the anti-inflammatory medicine.

She felt horrible!  She said the doctor was going to yell at her.  I told her no, he is not going to yell at you.  She said lots of doctors do.  I told her he would understand it's a mistake and we will get the correct medicine right away.  She said she is a bad mother.  I assured her she is not!

We got to the doctor's office early, so there was no line.  (There are no appointments here.)  Laura has stopped screaming and crying the second she enters his office, which is nice.  She was calm and relaxed, partly because she was too sick to do anything.

Dr. Gustavo joked with me about leaving his church and going to my new church.  He told me not to worry, everything will always remain the same between us (I will continue to be the pediatrician's oldest patient).  I was very grateful for that.

Then he started digging for antibiotic samples for Laura.  I could see he wasn't really finding what he wanted and I promised him we would go directly to the pharmacy to get what he prescribed on Wednesday.  He said yes, she needs them "as soon as possible" in English.

Laura took the medicine without problems because she understands she is really sick.  Her fever was 102.  She vomited once afterward, but it was 50 minutes later, so the medicine should have gotten into her system.

Tonight I made dinner for her Fany.  She invited me to sit and eat with her.  Afterward I was at home and she called.  She said Laura is having an allergic reaction.  I said I will be right there.  So I went over, expecting Laura's throat to be closing or something drastic.  Laura had what looked like little bug bites on the bottoms of her feet and under her forearms.  She said they itched, but it didn't seem to be too itchy.

We discussed whether or not we should call the doctor.  Finally I decided that yes, we should,  because she was supposed to take her next dose at 6 a.m.   I know that sometimes allergic reactions can be stronger the second time and then what would we do?  So we called Dr. Gustavo and he answered.  (Fany said he always answers.)  He was eating dinner but he told Fany that Laura will be fine and she should still take the dose in the morning with an antihistamine 15 minutes ahead of time.

So Fany should be able to sleep a little better tonight.  Except Laura is so sick she keeps whimpering in her sleep, which makes Fany nervous.  Laura isn't talking at all because her throat is so sore, she just whimpers.  We sat and talked quietly until almost 11 p.m.  Laura was sleeping fitfully as Fany rubbed her back.  I could tell Fany didn't want to be alone.  Poor Fany is going to have another long night, I think.

I came back home to find my cat having an asthma attack.  She is usually fine, now that I have moved into the city.  But her asthma does not like cold weather.  Last night it turned cold and has been cold and super windy ever since.  So now I have my own baby to take care of.

I told Fany that I will come over tomorrow morning when she gives Laura the medicine if she wants me to.  And we knew if we call Dr. Gustavo he will always answer.  It's hard being a mom, but Fany is a good one.