Viruses = bad; Girl Guide cookies = good

Poor Simon. We're on day four of a barforama. He couldn't even keep down water at more than one point in the past very long few days. As if barfing every couple of hours and a fever and the squirts weren't enough to score the misery trifecta, he's got a tremendously green snotty nose.

So we went to the ped this morning, and he says, "Yep, there's a nasty head-cold stomach-flu virus going around." Back the truck up. A head-cold stomach flu COMBO virus? Now that's just not fair. But it gets worse. You see, I've been at this parenting thing for a couple-a three years now, and I at least know the rhythms of a stomach flu.

"But," I protest, "this has been going on for about four days now." Yeah, apparently this stomach flu (don't forget the combo with the head-cold) lasts five to ten days. Shoot me now.

As I said, poor Simon. He's understandably miserable. He now howls in protest when he sees saltines (the only solid we offered him on Sunday) and has lost what little affection he had for rice cakes and dry toast. He will barely let us put him down, doesn't want to sleep but feels too awful to stay awake. Did I mention it's been a long couple of days?

...

On a more cheerful note, we did at least manage to get out of the house for a while yesterday. What else are you going to do with a sick baby who hasn't eaten in three days except take him for a walk in the stroller? We were quite a distance from the house when I spied a woman walking with her daughter. The mom was carrying a big crate of Girl Guide cookies, and they were obviously making the rounds of the neighbours. Suddenly jonesing for a Girl Guide cookie worse than I have craved any food while not pregnant, I searched my pockets. And of course, I had nothing. So I called over a hello as we came abreast of them anyway, and told her if she were to make it down to my address, I could guarantee her the sale of at least a box or two. As I walked away, I ruminated on how pathetic it is to grub for GG cookies on the street from total strangers.

And bless their hearts, they did make it all the way over to my house (a good couple of blocks away) and we got our cookies after all. And damn, they were good.