Tuesday, June 5, 2007

The Not So Nice Side of Being a Parent

It all started sometime early this morning between 12.00 and 4.00, Chloe who had been having a lovelly sleep woke up screaming. Ben raced into her room to find that she had thrown up last nights dinner all over her cot. Fish in white sauce. Lovely. I was lying in our bedroom and I knew something unusual was happening when the light went on and I heard Ben mutter 'oh no'. He brought in a very smiley and smelly baby who obviously thought this was all great fun. Ben handed her to me and told me what he had discovered. After cleaning her up I decided the cot could wait until the morning. I grabbed Chloes spare snuggly (a little blanket with a rabbit head sewn onto it) and put her in the middle of us in our bed. What a stupid idea this turned out to be when half an hour later she was sick again. Ben exclaimed "how could there have been anything left in her!" Believe me, there was a lot left in her! I pulled back the doona and said "ok, we are all getting up!" Ben put Chloe into her second change of clothing for the night, she was still smiling as if it was Christmas. Ben played with her in the family room while I changed the bed sheets and the cot sheets. By 4.30 I had a full load of washing on including both her snugglys! Then we had to debate who would stay home with Chloe as we couldn't take her to day care. In the end Ben convinced me that it was best that he stay home. He sat up with Chloe until day break while I went back to bed. By the time I got up at 7.30 Chloe was in her third change of clothing as she had been sick again. At this point I knew that I had the best deal out of the two of us. Work looked pretty good compared to staying home with the spewy but happy child. Also, one of the great parts about work is that it is full of experienced mothers who have done it all before, including Helen who used to be a mother craft nurse. Thanks guys!

I have to say this was the most revolting part of parenting I have experienced so far. Luckily Chloe is still happy though which makes it alot less worrying. When I rang day care to say she wouldn't be coming in the lady said not to worry, by next year she will be a little trooper with a fantastic immune system! I hope so!

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