First Day Post-Season

I tried to take a nap in the recliner. I didn't sleep, but I stayed there over half an hour.

My house smells like chickens.

Wrestling Season is Over

Two down as a head coach. I'm one away from tying the coach who taught me.

We had our last match on Tuesday with the private school down the road. I had hoped for a better showing after some kids went 3 and 0 last Tuesday, but it shows wrestling can be hard to predict. I'm glad we got to end with a match instead of a surprise fizzle like last year.

Today, we had our final practice. Five wrestlers showed. We played a slew of different wrestling games and I prayed no one would get injured (There were a few close calls).

All the kids improved throughout the season. I'm glad that they all got at least a couple of wins sprinkled in, too. More than that, I hope they gained friends and confidence in their abilities and what they can survive.

I'm happy to start having some time off.

Until next year.

Not So Sick Sick Day

Carrie stayed home with Shane this morning. The plan was for her to take him to the doctor, but his fever evaporated with the morning dew. Thirteen hours of sleep worked its magic. 

I'm glad he's healthy, but also feel a little suckered. 

Anyway, we decided while Shane was 102+ Farenheit that Carrie would take the morning shift, and I'd relieve her after I finished my busiest classes. 

I got a text 1st period. The chickens were relocated to comfier digs.

It was a great project since was Shane electronics-free and suddenly well-rested and fully energized. They even made a chicken shaped/themed train track (birds on the brain).

I came home a little before 1 PM. Shane and I went to Costco and then I took him to my final wrestling practice.

It hit 70 F today! Is this really winter? We played outside with Henry when we got home. Some birds made nests in some dense bamboo and fascinated the boys.

Amazon dropped off a pair of deliveries before the sun went down. The chicken track got new engines to cruise on it.

Again, I don't know who was more thrilled: Shane or Carrie.

Carrie complained to Grandpa that our old Thomas engines weren't cutting it. They must have got the same idea, because we got two packages from the same retailer instead of one.

Chicken Pickin

Surprise! More chickens!

Carrie brought home four Silkie-mixes from a farm in Crozet ($5 each).

They're all ladies according to the crests and old wives' tales.

And they're in the kitchen (alive). Max wasn't impressed.

Carrie bought them after work. She must have taken them with her to pick Shane up from school.

Speaking of Shane, he wasn't feeling the best. He woke up at 1 AM saying his mouth hurt. A flashlight revealed six year molars. Ibuprofen put him back to bed. Then, he had a rough day at school. He had an orange day, his teacher said he tried to lay down in the middle of the room, got pushed on the playground, and came home with a fever of 102.2 F.

He was asleep on the couch by 6:30ish PM. I carried him up at 8 PM and gave him a dose of medicine to keep the fever down in the night.

UPDATE: He slept for 13 hours and felt much better in the morning.

Meanwhile, Bucket worked up the nerve to check out the chicks.

It was a peek and run.

Carrie remained fascinated.

Right now, all of our silkies have gone broody and stopped producing eggs. Carrie must have missed the collection, because she's supplemented!

Carrie really wants a farm one day. I hope our flock doesn't swell beyond our means before it happens.

Red Dot Day

Shane had another red dot day at school. He was talking over the teachers and not following directions.

That translated to a talk, electronic restrictions, an apology letter, and cleaning. Shane will be TV and video game free until he brings home a green day or better.

Shane's funny in that he tries to say "It's fine!" or "I'm awful!" There's usually no in between. Maybe that's most kids. It makes for a tightrope walk to keep him accountable without crushing him.

So far, Shane's rallied every time he's had a bad day. I hope he's off restrictions tomorrow, so that Carrie will have an easier time. I'm going to be busy with my final wrestling meet of the year.

Venturing Forth

Shane and I left the house for the first time since the Doctor's on Wednesday. We went to the Southern States.

Shane was basically fever free by Saturday night. We were told he would be non-contagious after 24 hours of no fever.

He should be good for school tomorrow. He's certainly showing enough energy.

Maybe it's because I told him he could play video games during the Super Bowl. This year, LI, it looked like it was going to be a Falcons blowout over the Patriots. I turned it off at half time. Carrie turned it back on later and fell asleep.

I hopped on the computer, talked to John, and looked back and saw the start of a comeback. I paid only passing attention until it got closer and closer. Then, OT.

I was rooting for the Falcons, but it's hard not to start to root for a team that comes back that hard from that far behind. Made for a memorable Super Bowl.

I'm looking forward to going back to work and getting back into the swing of things tomorrow. It's time to be healthy!

Sick Day Chores

It's useful to have a handywoman for a wife. Carrie switched out a broken light switch and we took care of some random chores for our sick Saturday. 

Shane was feeling and looking better, but I was wiped. I wish I wasn't, so I could have got the dishes done.

Sick Day Trains

Carrie bought a box of used track off eBay. She's always been good at finding deals.

She was frustrated with the amount of track we had. Now, she has y-junctions, ramps, supports, and more track to play with.

Shane approves, of course.

He supervised while Carrie made him a sick-day track on Thursday.

Shane tried to customize it later. By Friday, it was redirected to go into the front hallway and turn into the sitting room.

UPDATE:

After multiple revamps, the track is contained to the living room and goes under a chair.

Carrie's researching train costs now. Our one little Bash puttering along isn't up to her snuff.

Ready to Be Healthy Again!

It's a weak flu, but it a flu. Shane's temperature and demeanor are fine while medicated. Overnight, the meds wear out.

Shane woke up at 5 AM Wednesday and 4 AM Thursday. He didn't go back to sleep either.

Thursday and Friday night, I wised up and set an alarm for 1:30 AM to refresh his meds.

The days have gone by well enough. I spent all of Wednesday and Thursday doing laundry. Shane's watched some TV, but not hours and hours. With me, Shane watched Ultraman and Time Fighters. With Carrie, we watched Finding Dory and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Shane listened to the audio book already). His countenance visibly changes when the fever creeps up on him, we medicate, and go back to playing and hanging out.

It's predictable.

Shane's enjoyed the home time, but I'm ready for everyone to be healthy again. He seems to be getting better quicker than me.

ADDENDUM: Once upon a time, when I was sick I knew the games I would play and the books I would read. I would binge on an anime or series. It's different now. The desires aren't the same. I want to do something that 'has a point to it.' I want to be purposeful and mind my purpose. Makes it harder to sit at home all day. I may feel very different when Shane's older and more self-sufficient.

In-FLU-enced to Stay Home

Shane woke up coughing at 5 AM. He didn't feel feverish to me when I checked his forehead, so I gave him some cough syrup. I hoped it would at least be a placebo and get us to sunrise.

Thankfully, I started to wake up more and realized something. I was feverish. Of course, he didn't feel hot to me. I used a thermometer this time. Then I grabbed the acetaminophen and emailed my boss. I must have shared my bug.

Shane and I showed up at the Doctor's as they opened. He didn't act very sick.

When the nurse took his temperature, she said it was 98.8 F. I think he jumped off the exam table and climbed back up on it. At that point, I half-hoped Shane would test positive for something, so that I didn't look crazy for bringing him in.

The medical student who came in next didn't seem too concerned (Maybe it's because he was a robot. Shane couldn't find his heartbeat with a stethoscope).

The doctor came in with a full face mask, though. Shane and I both got a q-tip up the nose.

Twas the flu.

It has to be the weakest flu I've ever seen, but contagious is contagious. The doctor was surprised we acted as healthy as we did.

Guess who all is going to stay home for a while?