Last Night Was NOT My Night

Of course Creed’s croup had to get worse before it got better, and since I’ve spent a lot of time holding him while he coughs in my face, it was only a matter of time before I got the same virus. It has been nasty.

The worst part about being sick, while trying to take care of a child who is sick, has been having a husband who HAS to leave us on our own so he can take care of people who are even more sick at the hospital.

I woke Sunday morning with that my-body-aches-and-I’ll-break-into-a-sweat-if-I-try-to-stand-up feeling. Luckily Larry didn’t have to leave for work until 11:00 a.m. (which was really 10 a.m.) so he took Creed until then and then I spent the rest of the day laying on the couch with Creed watching Noggin and Animal Planet while I worked on coughing up my small intestine (no, I didn’t mean coughing up a lung, it was way worse than coughing up a little ole’ lung).

We made it through the day, and I put Creed to bed, knowing I would have to get him up soon to pick up the Zozes from the airport. Larry had committed to picking them up on their return from France without thinking about the fact that he would be working the overnight shift on Sunday, but that was fine with me until Creed and I got so sick. Truthfully, I was perfectly fine to drive, and the Zozes have done a million wonderful things for us so I was still happy to be able to do one little thing for them.

Donny called when they arrived. I packed everything I would need up in the car and then I got Creed and bundled him up. I strapped him in his carseat, opened the garage door, and then it happened; my car would not start. It only made a horrible clicking noise (does that mean my battery is dead? I have no idea). Creed’s screaming, I’m saying a little prayer to myself, but no, the car will not start. I run inside and try to call Donny back to tell him we won’t be able to come (because they are so nice I know they won’t mind taking a taxi). There’s no answer. I page Larry and he calls me back after a few minutes, and I tell him the car will not start. He starts telling me this story about Donny paging him earlier and I hurt his feelings by shouting, “If this story has nothing to do with helping me solve this problem, I don’t have time for it right now!!!!!” We hang up while I frantically try to figure something out. I try calling Donny again, still no answer and I’m getting a weird busy signal after three rings.

The I realize that the Zozes cars are safe in their garage three doors down, and I can probably use one of their cars, as I’m pretty sure they’ve used our car to drop us off. I’m sure they won’t mind, but after a frantic search everywhere I can think that Larry might put the Zozes spare key to their house, I cannot find it. I page Larry again. He calls me back and tells me that their house key is actually in my car. I pick Creed up get the key and slide my way to the Zozes. Mind you there was just a blizzard here and the 20 inches of snow in the sidewalks have not been cleared so I’m sliding down the street. Knowing that Larry has at least cleared a walkway for the Zozes down their driveway to their garage so they won’t have to drive their luggage through the snow, and then I realize that I forgot to ask Larry for their garage door code so In my pajama pants and ballet flats, I have to hike through the snowdrifts to their front door, with 26 lb Creed in my arms. I finally make it inside, and I’m sure I scattered snow all over there house, and I begin the search for their car keys. I’m sure they have to be there because why would they take their car keys to France? I look all over their first floor while Creed’s laying on the floor bawling and then I calm down and realize that I actually know exactly where they keep their spare keys. Duh!

Ok, so I have their keys, I’ll just call them and make sure that’s ok and telling them that I’m really sorry that I’m late, but I’m finally on my way. Oh wait, after a quick look around, I remember, the Zozes do not have a home phone. At that point, I’m so late I just have to hurry and leave. I pack Creed up in their big Santa Fe and get ready to go. I do not have time to shovel the driveway, but I figure their big SUV will make it just fine. I don’t have the guts to gun it in someone else’s car so I make my way slowly down the driveway, I make it halfway into the street and the front tires get stuck in the big drift from the snow plows. CURSES!

I try and try and the car will not budge. I leave Creed locked in the car and get the Zozes snow shovel. I dig and dig and keep getting in and out of the car trying to see if it will move yet and it doesn’t budge an inch. By now Creed is screaming at the top of his lungs, and I’m sure one of the neighbors will hear and come out and help me, but they do not. I can’t find the hazards lights in the car so I can’t just leave it hanging out in the middle of the street and the Zozes don’t have a phone so I can’t run in and call anyone. Besides, I can’t call the Zozes now and say, “I’m sorry, I know you’ve had a travel nightmare getting back from France, but now after I’ve made you wait forever, I am not coming to pick you up, and oh, by the way, your car, that I did not ask to borrow, is stuck in a snowdrift and hanging out in the middle of your street so ummm, good luck with that!”

I can’t traumatize Creed any longer I finally figure out where the hazards are, and I take him out of the car and walk back to ask some of my own neighbors for help. The first house that I knock on had all of their lights on even though it’s 11:00 p.m., my little neighbor answers and says her parents aren’t home. CURSES! I hike across the street to my next door neighbor who also has several lights on and they don’t answer the door. Granted, it’s late at night, but I’m holding a screaming baby, so you’d think they might check it out.

Then the older sister of the little girl across the street comes out and asks if she can help. She offers to watch Creed in front of the front window where I can still see him from the Zozes while I continue to try to dig my way out. (I do know them fairly well, and they love Creed, but I was still feeling like the worst mother in the world at this point. I kept telling myself that all of the cold air was doctor recommended for Creed’s croup, but I knew the crying wasn’t.) By then I’m also crying and I give up on the snow shovel and get a real shovel and try that for awhile. I’ve long ago taken off the thin jacket that I was wearing because between carrying Creed, shoveling my heart out, and my fever, I’m burning up so I’m in a short-sleeved t-shirt and soaking wet pajama pants.

Finally, after ages, I actually get the car free! I pick up Creed, we drive to my house and call the Zozes to tell them we really are on our way now and I apologize profusely and tell them I’m going to come in their car. Of course they are as nice as they can possibly be about everything, but I felt so bad. All of that seemed to take forever, but I only ended up being just over an hour late to pick them up, but I knew they were already really tired from all of their travels.

Anyway, the rest of the journey was uneventful. I got home and didn’t even bother to put away Creed’s carseat and left my soaking shoes an pants on the hall floor and we went to bed. In fact, I haven’t had the heart to cleanup anything since then so my house looks like this right now.

And the rest of the house just gets worse, I promise! Embarrassing, but true. I should probably get up and at least clean up the dishes and the food that Creed has thrown on the floor.

The good news is that Larry will soon be coming home from his 30 hours of work so he can get some sleep, but he has the day off tomorrow and my friend Elle is going to babysit for part of the day so we may just clean up this mess yet! For now I'm not answering the door or the phone and I'm spending as much time in bed as I can!