Week 14: Sick for the holidays

Funny: As I was quickly typo-ing the headline, it autocorrected to “sick of the holidays.” No, I’m not sick of the holidays! I’m just sick of being sick. Last week I came down with the most miserable cold. I mean, it was really bad. I’ve been a mom for going on a decade, so usually I shrug off the sniffles, and “just a cold” is nothing to worry about. But this time I was in bed for nearly two days straight. Nice that it was during winter break, so I didn’t have to drive kids to school or activities, but sad for them that their first days of break consisted of playing Wii and watching cartoons. (Kidding, this was their dream come true!)
This might have been just a super harsh strain of something, or maybe the pregnancy compounded the sickness to make me feel that much worse. Either way, I was wishing I could take a Sudafed and a hot bath, but …. no. I settled for a Tylenol and a warm shower. Not quite the same.
At least by Christmas Eve, I had pulled it together enough to wrap gifts, stuff stockings and feel somewhat ready for the day. However, I had done zero meal planning or grocery shopping in my illness. Luckily, I had the ingredients on hand to make amazing crepes for Christmas morning. And when dinner rolled around? My husband made cheeseburgers and home fries. Cheeseburgers for Christmas! Again, the kids were delighted.
Now, as we approach New Year’s Eve, I’m feeling a lot better day by day. My energy is mostly back. I do still have a stuffy nose and sinus pressure, though. When I see my OB tomorrow, I’ll ask him if it’s OK to take an antibiotic in case I’m developing a sinus infection (as I sometimes do after a prolonged or severe cold). I think it’s OK to take an antibiotic during pregnancy? More than anything, though, I’m looking forward to hearing baby’s heartbeat and feeling some reassurance that things are all right in there!
P.S. You may notice my son’s mismatched pajamas in the picture. Both boys tend to have accidents at night, so we end up with a lot of grab bag PJs. (But, hey, I have no one in diapers for the first time in 9.5 years!)