All week, I have had a five-year-old with a sore throat and snotty nose to rival all others.  Honestly, how much green nastiness can one little noggin hold?  It is not only gaggingly disgusting, it’s mind boggling!  It got so bad, that he broke out in a rash all around his mouth, and ended up with horrible scabs on his nose from all the blowing and wiping.  I think he was breathing (and drooling while he slept) through his mouth and it caused the breakout, not unlike what babies get when they teeth. 

As if all of this wasn’t enough, Pierce started feeling poorly on Wednesday as soon as we dropped Mikey off for his first day back at school after his illness.  There was a lot of whining and tears, and then Pierce threw up a little, then passed out on his bed for the longest nap in a good while.  When he woke up he was better, but I found he was constipated.  After he demanded that I go in the “chichen” and make “yunch” I realized that he was trying to fill his pull-up.  When I was done laughing because he actually whispered his command once, I pulled his pants down and put him on the potty.  It was a long, looonnnggg drawn out elimination, with some desperate expressions and sadness, but he finally went.  It was like a hard ball, but not as impressive as one would have thought for all stress.  He ran around like dog, wagging his tail and kicking up his heels for the rest of the evening, so I chalked his illness up to constipation.

2:00am…he is standing in my room like it’s time to get up.  I went back to his bed to lie down with him in the fetal position, against the wall, on the lower half of the bed.  I found him a bit warm and fidgety, and all I could think was “Crap!  He better not throw up, I just washed his bedding today!”  Sympathetic, eh?  I gave him something to drink and some Tylenol, and finally two hours later he told me to “go to Daddy’s bed.”  Just to clarify, I asked if he wanted to come, too and he said “no.”  Oh thank god!  I went back to my bed, and a few minutes later he begins to cry for “Daddy.”  Oh!  THANK GOD, AGAIN!!!!  I nudged dad and told him it was his turn; his son wanted him; and I went back to sleep.

7:00 am…Pierce comes out in a good frame of mind, but he has huge welts all over him.  At first I thought they were bug bites, because we were out drawing on the driveway with chalk the night before.  He was full of hives, for no reason I could discern other than being viral.  We battled a fever off and on all day, and by evening, he was pacing like a caged lion.  I realized he needed to poop, again when we were standing in the kitchen, and he told me to go in the “chichen.”  There’s my clue and cue—off with the diaper and onto the potty.  More tears and drama and pain.  Finally, following an afternoon of torturing him with liquid Benedryl and chewable Tylenol, it was time for a little more torture—a suppository.  I don’t know if it was painless for him, but it was quick.  It worked, and the largest BM I have ever seen came out of my 28lbs. tot.  I should have weighed him before, because he was easily 10 lbs. lighter after the fact.  It truly was horrifying, but he felt better. 

His hives are improving today.  Now it seems to be more of a rash, but his skin is still feverish.  You’d never know it though…because his disposition is back to normal.  We’re still not sure what that was all about…