A little bit of a suckfest

Friday, I took Bella and Jackson to the gym to join. I took them into the babysitting and worked out for a bit. I waffled on whether or not to shower before collecting the children. I decided not to shower and went to retrieve my kids. As we got ready to leave, my cell phone rang. The caller ID said it was the kids' teacher. When your children's teacher's personal cell phone number comes up on the caller ID, you answer. I answered.

"Kat? I think you've got a sick kid."

"I do?"

"Maddie keeps complaining of being hot, then cold, then that her legs feel prickly."

"Ok. I'm on my way."

When I get to school, both Bella and Jackson are sound asleep in the car. I pause. How do I get one sick one out while carrying two sleeping ones in? I park in the front drive of the school and quickly run in. I grab Maddie's stuff out of the classroom and quickly convince the teachers that I don't need to take Liam right then too. I grab Maddie out of the sick room. She looks pathetic. I grab her lunch and head out to the car with her, her bag, her coat, her lunch, the mittens she left in her cubby a few weeks ago and her homework. When we get to the car, I can hear the crying as we approach. I open the sliding door to the van to let Maddie in and Bella is standing at the door crying. She's standing in the classic "I peed myself" postition - arms and legs spread apart. She woke up, decided she really had to pee and couldn't figure out what to do.

I sigh. I get Maddie settled in to the car. She's freezing, so I wrap her in a fleece blanket I had in the car. She leans against the side of the car, holding up her head as if it would fall off if she didn't. She immediately closes her eyes. Bella has stopped crying, but she is soaking wet. Oh. And cold. Very cold. There's one other blanket in the car. It's on Jackson, who is still sleeping. So I take Bella's car seat off, get a fleece jacket, lay it on the leather seat, sit Bella up on it and buckle her in. And off we go...

Then we get home. Reverse the entire process: carry urine-soaked kid out of car at arm's length away from body, deposit in bathtub; carry sleeping baby out of car and carefully lay on bed without waking him; carry sick child in to couch without having her cry about any number of things I am doing wrong. And it's not even noon yet. Rock and roll.

In case you were wondering what was wrong, here are Maddie's list of complaints:

• it feels like someone is poking my leg
• I feel cold
  
• my throat hurts when I cough
• Bella's singing is bothering me
  
• I feel hot
  
• my eyes are stinging and watering
• Bella's talking is bothering me
  
• I feel cold
• my throat is sore
• I feel hot
• Bella's singing is bothering me

Wish me luck.