Sick Parent
Dad Battles Baby’s Sickness, Baby Takes on Trash Can
Just as Maddie was starting to feel better, her Dad got a real taste of exactly what was troubling the baby. Suffice it to say that Mom had to take over sole caretaking responsibilities while dad battled the nasty stomach bug.
While Mom set her sights on Maddie, the baby had a new adversary to tackle.
For weeks now, we have not been able to stop Maddie from digging into the kitchen trash and removing items of interest. It was a game at first, but once it became a contest of wills, there was no stopping Maddie from dumpster diving.
That’s when Maddie’s parents decided to flip the script on the baby.
We tracked down a taller trashcan that’s equipped with a butterfly lid. This lids opens up and out. At first, Maddie was determined to crack the code. She tried to coax the can open. When that didn’t work, it was time for more drastic measures.
Maddie started placing items on top of can and knocking them off. But no matter how much abuse she heaped upon the new can, she couldn’t get inside. It only took about a half an hour for Maddie to lose all interest in the new trashcan.
When you have an opponent like the Mad Madster, you have to celebrate the small victories!
What Happens When Dad Gets Sick?
At 1am, I knew I was in serious trouble. It was the first time since Maddie’s birth that she would be stuck with a sick parent. My stomach was in dire straights and I felt deathly ill. However, all of my thoughts revolved around making sure Maddie didn’t suffer the same fate.
As if I didn’t feel badly enough, Maddie sounded an earsplitting wakeup call promptly at 4:30am. Now we had a real party on our hands. There was no way to explain to the baby that her father was not up to par.
It was a lucky thing for me that Maddie’s grandmother would be awake soon. The burning stomach and pounding head would have to wait. Again, all my thoughts revolved around making sure that I did not infect the baby.
Once MiMi was awake, relief was close at hand. The only problem was that she was exhausted from waking up too early. What a pair, a sick father and a cranky baby – MiMi was in for a real treat. The baby was running around like crazy and I was no help at all.
I even tried to take a stroll with them, but barely made it to the end of the block before turning around. It wasn’t until the early afternoon before I was finally able to help MiMi with the honey badger.
Maddie was chalk-full of craziness all day long, but MiMi held her at bay long enough for us to regroup and join forces. All in all, Maddie had a good day despite the fact that her dad was under the weather.
Stay Home PaPa 