Tooth Fairies and Puke Pots

The last two weeks have been…..well, just not much fun. Sick kids tend to make life a little more trying. And there’s that funny thing about having more than one child. Sickness never, NO, not ever stays self-contained. No matter how many times you Clorox-clean the door handles, wash the linens or Lysol every square inch of the house, it always spreads to the others. Two weeks ago, d1 had strep. No big deal. After one round of meds, he was good as new.

Then last week d2 had strep but with the added fun of vomiting and, specifically, when I’m driving. First day started on I-85. He said he thought he might throw up. All I could find in my immediate reach was a cardboard tissue box. I mean, I was driving 70mph – my options were limited. I handed it to him and, as he waited for that first surge to hit him, he got bored, I guess, because he started disassembling the box. I told him to stop in case he did throw up and before I even finished the sentence, he was filling the container with his breakfast. I quickly cut off handfuls of cars in my attempt to cross three lanes of traffic to get to the nearest exit. I warned him to hold the box very still while I pull off at Burger King to get rid of the box and get him a Sprite and a new ‘puke pot’ until we got back home. As I pulled in the drive thru, he was handing me the box and, just as the lady said, ‘Welcome to Burger King, can I take your order?,’ the flood gates opened, so to speak. Remember the side he dismantled moments before? Oh yes and right in my lap. I’m sure the lady on the other side of the speaker was probably a little grossed out by my dry heaving noises. I really can deal with most anything – poop, boogers, bleeding, severed worms. I don’t really freak too much over such things. But vomit? Oh, the sounds and the smells I just cannot do.

The second time in the car wasn’t nearly as traumatic to me personally, more so to the floorboard so I won’t go into details. I think the last one was enough, don’t you? Good.Times.For.Sure.

Thankfully, this is really the first bout of funk we have had to fight in several months. We were fortunate to make it through the true cough, cold and flu season rather unscathed so I guess we had ours coming but no one likes their baby to be sick. OK, maybe that’s not entirely true. I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the lethargic yet cuddly behavior when their fevers are rising. It was a refreshing break to have them laying on the couch, asking me to hold them rather than comparing Best Somersault off the side of the same couch. So….there it is. Infection, stay away! You are NOT welcome in this household….EVER.

Oh and let’s not forget that d2 also lost his first tooth last week. He lost his a good year before d1 lost his first one so we were a little surprised. Of course, we shouldn’t have been. I’m not sure this little toofer was really ready to pop out but after attending a birthday party at Monkey Joe’s with Daddy, d2 came home with it hanging by a thread. Now, the story that I got was that d2 was in a bounce house with a friend and when D1 peeked in on him and did a little wrestling, his mouth somehow ‘bumped’ D1’s hand. However, since I know just how much D1 enjoys {fake} boxing with the boys {he’s even taught them to make the punching noise and to fall down very dramatically}, I would guess that is how the fist met the face.

And to finish the bizarre story of Father Knocking Child’s First Tooth Loose, d2 went to school a couple of days later {with tooth still in place, albeit barely hanging on} and when I picked him up, I noticed his tooth was gone. When I asked him where it was, he just shook his head. He didn’t know when it fell out or where it was. Our best guess is that it was washed down with that day’s meatloaf. When he started to realize that no tooth may mean no tooth fairy which may mean no loot, he started to get upset. First we told him that we would make a fake tooth. Then we thought a letter might be better, explaining what happened. Of course, it didn’t help that d1 was standing there, whispering in his ear, ‘The tooth fairy won’t leave you any dollars if you don’t have your tooth. She’ll just fly right over. She only wants real teeth, not notes. I’m about to lose a tooth soon and I won’t lose it. I bet I'll get a lot of dollars.’ {Don’t you love the older brother commentary?}

So, the quick-on-his-feet thinker that he is, D1 ran upstairs, came back down and told d2 to check his pockets again, that maybe the tooth had fallen in while he was eating. He helped him look and, all of a sudden, a small, white tooth magically appeared. He was SO excited and I was quite impressed with D1’s sharp skills. Almost makes up for him knocking the tooth loose in the first place.

No, we don’t just keep random baby teeth in our sock drawer – it was d1’s first tooth…..and he’ll never know…..that is, until he reads this one day…..