Last week, all the kids at school were coughing. On Friday, I found Jonah in a sea of dried mucus flakes in his crib in the morning. On Saturday, he became the star producer in Daddy's lucrative (and imaginary) mucus-export business - out of every orifice: his eyes, nose and mouth. On Sunday morning, his eyes were sealed shut with dried goo. He didn't so much like that Mommy was constantly attacking his face with a washcloth to remove excess secretions, and would play defense, batting his hands to protect his face or offence, stealing the washcloth from Mommy.
Jonah also ran a bit of fever Friday and Saturday nights. I never understood how my mother knew when we had a fever just by touch, but lo, an behold! It was rather obvious by his flushed cheeks and warm forehead that Jonah was more than 98.6deg. This lead to an amusing bout of "new-parentness" in which Dr. Daddy tried to administer acetaminophen. We were well stocked, thanks to Jonah's prepared and thoughtful Aunt Pamela, who gave us a pharmacy of baby remedies. However, that left Daddy with a few too many choices of measuring implements (do you use a dropper, cup, or one of the three differently-sized syringes?) and vague directions "for dosage under 2yrs, ask a doctor." Naturally, in this time of crisis, Mommy couldn't be expected to remember what the pediatrician instructed two months ago! Fortunately Daddy is a doctor and was able to get a conservatively small dose in. It wasn't until the second night and a little research that Mommy figured out how to get the suspension out and dosed properly.
As Jonah's cold ran its course, Daddy and Mommy each took a turn in their own way. Daddy with a head cold lasting several days, and Mommy with a fever that came and went in a night. Poor Jonah had both.
