Thursday, May 29, 2008

Wishing For Tea

I have now switched to ice water in a big plastic cup, but I'm really wishing there was a way to make hot tea without tea bags, a kettle or microwave proof cup, or sugar. I have yet to come up with a solution. Last night was interesting... and something of a blur.

JP came home around 11 with all tests negative and a diagnosis of "viral syndrome" which he felt sounded more impressive and manly than "a virus" or "the flu". We curled up on the air mattress in the living room with folded t-shirts under his head and our fuzzy blanket under mine and tried to go to sleep. Now it gets hazy. I think I was close to comatose, but my motherly/wifely instincts kept me waking up to check on JP. Around 2 I discovered him hunched over on our wood floor with a sheet wrapped around him. Apparently he'd sweated through his side of the mattress and it was now wet and freezing and he didn't know what to do. Our apartment is all wood floors (which I hate, by the way, and will never ever have in a home I own) so there was nowhere he could move to lay down. He was freezing, I was barely responsive, but somehow managed to look up a hotel on line, call them to book a room immediately, write down directions for JP, and send him on his way to a clean bed in a warm room. He didn't even bring anything and his jacket was packed, so he was wearing a t-shirt and jeans on a 44-degree night, and running out to his car to drive downtown. He called me when he got there and I haven't heard from him since - I told him to sleep in as long as he could and enjoy the baby-free morning in a non-soaked bed.

Landon woke up super perky at 7:15. That's 11.5 hours again. There could be (and will be, as long as my life stops being so damn dramatic) a whole other post about how much fun and how good he has been for the past week. That fussy demanding baby of the wedding (and most of the past 10 months) has completely disappeared. I don't quite trust it to stick yet, but I am really, really enjoying it while it lasts.

Anyway, my brother flies in at 2:30 this afternoon to help us with our drive to Austin tomorrow. We have two cars, a baby, and a crazy cat, so we figured three drivers was necessary so one person can always be in the back with Landon. This turned out to be a really good thing because I don' t think JP can drive. I did bring up the possibility of delaying our trip, but JP said absolutely no way in hell was he staying in Chicago a second longer than necessary (my love for the city never took hold of him), and he would leave hooked up to a portable IV if necessary. The firm will pay for up to three nights hotel along the journey so if we have to stretch out the drive, we can do that. I still have another final (yeah, I kind of forgot too); it's tomorrow at 9. JP and my brother and all our stuff (so easy to pack now that there is nothing out except what we need) will meet me at the law school tomorrow at noon and we'll start the drive. Landon and I are about to get packed up to go check on daddy- we'll let him sleep a little longer, but he needs to eat and drink and I'm worried he's too out of it to do that himself. Thank you for all your comments yesterday- I told JP he was loved in the blogging world and that made him feel special (really).

So now we're at 1 day, 1 final, 1 super sick husband, 1 empty apartment, 1 happy baby, and 1 helpful brother. I think we're going to make it.

13 comments:

  1. Good luck to you (all). You'll make it indeed. Honestly, based on everything I've "seen" of you this year and my experience with 6 yrs of lawyering and 2 years of parenting, you will be VERY successful -- in all the meaningful ways. Congratulations on being this close to one end point and I hope the stars align so that you can truly enjoy a little relief.
    (my advice on bar studying: trust in barbri - don't do anything else and don't worry)

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  2. You are one strong lady, LL! As I read your last two posts, I wonder if I would have been such a good wife if I'd had all the things you have going on too...but wow, he's lucky to have you. You're so close to wrapping this all up...can't wait to see how life will treat you in Austin...a new start will be great! Safe driving!

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  3. Wow. I'm glad you have some help and won't have to deal with Landon and JP on the drive alone. If he's not fully recovered before you set off, it might be useful to look up some hospitals along the route in advance, just in case. Good luck!

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  4. Grab some extra large bottles of Pedialyte. Works just as well for big boys as it does for little ones and keep him hydrated. Poor JP! I'm glad you'll have some additional help along with you. Have a safe trip!

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  5. What a good wife. Although I would have packed up the baby and gone with him. No pillows? Seriously? Good luck on your last final. I can't wait to hear about the trip. Also, maybe try Motrin or Excedrin instead of Tylenol? I find it is kind of weak and the other 2 work much better for me. Just a thought.

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  6. What a great idea to send JP to a hotel! (Maybe you can fudge and that can be one of your moving hotel stays that the firm will pay for?)

    I hope that he feels better soon and you get yourselves down to warmer temps and sunnier skies in Texas soon!!

    Oh, and good luck on that last final! Yeesh!

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  7. Good luck on your last final, your trek across country, and getting your husband better! I don't know how you balance it all, but I hope I have a tenth of your skills when put into the same situation!

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  8. I agree with Someone Being Me...if JP can take ibuprofen (motrin/advil) it's actually better for fevers/inflammation than tylenol, and not as harsh on his liver. The
    Excedrin might not be such a good idea since it has caffiene, and he doesn't want something that's going to dry him out more and make him wakeful/jumpy/nervous (because the caffiene in a standard Excedrin dose is a bit more than a standard cup of coffee...and it's like mainlining it instead of sipping a cup of coffee over the course of an hour or so). And April's right, too, about the pedialyte (or generic form). Or if he can't stand the blandness of it, Gatorade would be good...same basic principle of rehydrating and replacing electrolytes.
    Thank goodness for your brother coming up...that will be a lot of help. As well as the 3 hotel nights!...that's just AWESOME!

    good luck on that last final...we'll be thinking about you. tell JP to get better or you'll leave him in Chicago...LOL!

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  9. What do you hate about hardwood floors? My curiosity is peaked.

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  10. You're totally going to make it. And good call for getting a hotel room. Poor guy - I once had a weird fever thing with no other symptoms for a couple of days and then it went away. Weird, but I was happy when it went away because hubby was already gone for Iraq.

    And I, too, am confused by the hatred of hardwood. Dude - I LOVE hardwood. My place has carpet which is extremely unpleasant when your kid barfs on it, and tile with never-really-clean grout. I'd take hardwood over that any day.

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  11. your life is SO dramatic. i think it's why i've kept up reading your blog since this fall, even though i don't know you that well in real life. good thing you have very helpful family and friends, and one very cute baby. good luck on your exam tomorrow - i just walked out of the law school for the last time as a student this afternoon (although i still have a paper to finish, i'll be doing it from home) and it was very sad. have a safe drive, hope jp feels better, and don't miss chicago too much!

    ~ Cathy

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  12. Wow, glad everything's okay (and hopefully feeling better), but what a crazy way to end your law school career! You deserve an entire month of hibernation after all this!

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  13. Oh, and I love hardwood flooring because carpet gets seriously nasty when you have a seriously nasty dog.

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