Day of Love Full of Red

It's been a long time since I had a week like this one.  The poor Magster has been down with a virus since Tuesday and it's no fun in our house.  I'd forgotten what a drag it is to have sick kids.  Sure they watch a lot of television and are a bit lethargic, but they also want to be held 24 x 7.  While the cough and fever may make the Magster miserable, the bloody noses are killing me.  

Just to back track, the Magster's always been prone to bloody noses.  When the air dries out, my little one from the very moist South China pays.  Her skin gets sensitive and her nose dries out causing spectacular nose bleeds.  (Yes, I've seen a doctor...it's fairly common.)  She isn't uncomfortable when the nose bleed hits, but the whole episode surprises her and the blood flips her out.

So, last night, when I put her to bed, it was with a humidifier, a vaseline swabbed nose and tissues tucked under her pillow, just in case.  At 10:30 she started wailing.  By the time I got to her--a second after I heard the first cry--she looked like she'd been stabbed.  Her face was covered with blood as was her shirt, her bed, her pillow, her blankets, etc.  I got her up and stopped the flow pretty quickly, but then the bed needed to be stripped, the Magster needed to be washed her up and changed and it was after eleven before I got her back down.  

After that, she was so scared, she couldn't sleep and  I was up hourly for the rest of the night.  No other nose bleeds, thank goodness, but more "Mama-I-need-you" type things:  a dropped blanket, a potty run, a dose of cough medicine, stuff like that.  When I finally did really fall asleep about five, I was so exhausted I didn't think I could sleep.  

Which brings me to today.  About a week ago, I eliminated the last of the caffeine from my diet.  And I longed for it all day.  As I looked at the pile of laundry created from a single nose bleed, I yearned for a diet coke.  While I played Hello Kitty checkers, I dreamed of a mocha.  While I swabbed her nose hourly, I swear I could smell a pot steaming hot Kona Gold brewing in the kitchen.  It was torture.  I finally closed my eyes for a few minutes about four this afternoon, but it didn't help.  I dreamed of the Starbuck's drive thru.    And decaf just doesn't cut it.  

Back to my little one, she seemed better today.  Only one minor nose bleed while we were picking up La Nina from school.  So, she's down now again her humidifier, swabbed nose and tissues once again.  I added a special "no-nose-bleed" towel over her covers too.   I'm hoping we both have a better night tonight.  For some reason, missing a night's sleep just didn't bother her as bad as it did me.