We made a decision before Chicago not to get the flu shot because we were worried that we would feel sick on the trip. That was a bad decision because Curie got sick after and ended up with pneumonia. This was October. We planned on getting flu shots after but one by one each of us were sick, even though we knew we needed to get the flu shot. Then Curie came down with a fever again, and was out from school for another week. Getting the flu without the flu shot is a 5 day affair, with the flu shot is only 3. After she was over the flu we immediately went to go get it, but the pediatrician didn’t have any availability. We went to CVS, but they were closing so we went to Giant where it was a terrible ordeal. Elia was not allowed to get a shot at Giant because she was not 5 yet, so she got hers later at an urgent care.
When Curie had pneumonia, we had to get blood work done which was pretty traumatic. We found a book she made in class about her experience where she recounted her experience. To read how scared she was and how Albert took care of her is pretty heart breaking. So when we were getting the flu shot Curie had significant flight or fright reaction that took some calming down. We got our flu shots and will gt them earlier next year.
While Curie was sick, she was pretty weak and would go to sleep much earlier. Albert would take her up, and hold her while she fell asleep, while she slept, when she would toss and turn and settle down again. We would check her temperature, and pull away sheets and blankets, put cold compresses on her head or take her to the shower to cool her down. When the temperature would hit 103 or higher we would insist on medicine to bring the fever down. And the fever would spike and disappear and spike and disappear and then finally, gratefully, thankfully, went away.
Curie was sick over Thanksgiving, and you can see the days where she didn’t have fever in the pictures, but she was tired and the fever would spike again. We took her to the pediatrician right before Thanksgiving and the doctor told us to give her the Tylenol or Motrin to let her be more comfortable even before it went to 103. We were just worried that her lungs might not be clear, but they were and so we lay with her as she slept hoping the fever would break. When you parent, you hope a lot, even knowing that hope is not in and of itself a strategy. There is so much not in your control that you can only guide and teach and set up as much for success and let your child grow. You want them to be happy, to succeed, and so you hope and you pray.
The time bonding with Albert has been good, especially since Albert picks up Elia and Elia has taken so much to him. Curie still asks Albert to hold her (though when the kids wake up they are looking for mommy and not daddy). Albert has been helping Curie with math and science while Erin has been working on the reading – one of us needs to help her work on her writing though. The studying with Albert has also been great bonding. Albert asked Curie why studying was so amazing, and when she asked why, he told her, it is time they get to spend together. Curie will now study with Albert to claim her time with him when possible.
Studying is paying off. Even with being sick, Curie is getting 3s and 4s on her tests. Note that Erin worked with Curie as well, especially with her Powton Indian test on which she got a 4. Curie is very proud to do well, but worries about perfectionism at times. We keep at it, and she still needs to catch up in her reading and writing. We are glad that she has found success, and strength in her math and science.
When she was sick, Curie was more apt to whine and had less control over her emotions. She lost a lot of weight that she has been working on putting back, but it told us how much her nutrition and her sleep affects her mood and ability to cope. We are more conscious about getting her fed and getting her sleep, and are trying to teach her to be aware of it as well. She is like Erin and can get hypoglycemic, not clinically, but her mood is very dependent on if she has eaten. She is also like Albert and is “hangry” when she has not eaten.
We are exceptionally grateful that she has recovered from the flu and from pneumonia, and we are hopeful that he flu shot will provide some protection. We stay in more in the cold to help ward off the coughs and runny noses, but we must not have thought it through carefully since we are going to Montreal in the winter for vacation. We forget that she is seven because she is the big sister, but we are reminded that she is so little and needs us still with every hug, and care, and new exploration. We can only guide and loe and keep them as safe as we can. Ad we hope, an we pray.