Day 1
Well, it has finally happened. After years of waiting and wondering, chicken pox has finally invaded my home. I’m relieved, to be honest, it will stop my annual pre-holiday panic that chicken pox is going to stop us going on holiday.
Chicken pox is doing the rounds at school. So much so that they sent a printed letter home about chicken pox with my pox-ridden child yesterday. I didn’t know she had it until she was snuggled up next to me on the sofa and I noticed she felt a little warm. I lifted her top up to reveal a smattering of twelve spots across her chest and tummy. A glance at her back revealed a couple of blisters.
“You’ve got chicken pox?” I said.
“No I haven’t.” She insisted, staring at me with dead eyes.
“You do, look.”
“No.” She said, clamping her arms over her chest.
Then, five seconds later, she was ‘so itchy’. Um.
I sent Laurie to the pharmacy for supplies. I ran Ebony a bath with bicarbonate of soda in and tried and failed to find her some matching pyjamas. We never have matching pyjamas, or socks, in this house.
Despite her heartbreak at missing World Book Day (she was going to be Matilda), she seems indifferent to the pox. After some initial denial, she has now thrown herself into life with the pox. One of them itches, apparently, but only one of them. She will probably need to watch lots of movies, she thinks.
My main concern as far as the chicken pox is concerned is actually for Ember. She does not have the chicken pox, but she does have the abundant energy of an 18-month-old and so the thought of being stuck indoors with her for close to a week is less than thrilling. She already punched me in the face this morning because playgroup was cancelled thanks to the snow. I am already nervous about telling her we can’t go tomorrow.
Ebony insisted on separate baths because she was worried Ember would poke her pox. I think this was very wise because Ember is exactly the kind of sociopath that would deliberately hurt a poorly person (remember when she punched me in the face because playgroup was cancelled?).
Day 2
Ebony woke up this morning with 14 spots, she went to bed with 63. They’re starting to itch now but so far I haven’t seen her scratching. She has been enjoying the excuse to watch lots of television and do some crafts. She has looked exhausted all day but didn’t nap, just stayed awake in a dazed state.
I applied a cream to all of her pox just before bed. The blisters are gross but they are on her back so she has no idea the level of mothering I’m achieving by touching them.
I tried to take them in the garden to play in the snow, but that very quickly ended in tears. Ebony hurt her finger when it got trapped between the sledge and a little wall. Ember thought the snow was too cold and burst into tears. It took longer to heave the sledge from under the stairs than we spent playing outside. Will not be attempting outdoor play again to pass the time.
Ebony is quickly tiring of me counting her spots. And the doesn’t want me to call her ‘poxy’ anymore. Chicken pox makes her quite grumpy. A day of trying to get inventive with the bare kitchen cupboards improved when the Ocado shop arrived. I made vegan coleslaw and Ebony loved it, she thinks we should send the recipe in for the dinner ladies at her school, I’m sure they would love that.
Ember is going to all lengths to compete for my attention now that Ebony is both off school and poorly. So far, she has:
Licked all the shoes
Fallen face first off the sofa
Battered the TV
Shoved her sister away from me
Pooped on the floor
Pooped in the bath
Pulled everything out of the kitchen cupboards
Licked all the shoes
Fallen face first off the sofa
Battered the TV
Shoved her sister away from me
Pooped on the floor
Pooped in the bath
Pulled everything out of the kitchen cupboards
Day two was better than expected. I worry about my sanity tomorrow though.