The loss of a great love

Any parent can attest to the fact that once you have children you will lose sleep. Gone are the days when you can just curl up and take a nap after a big meal. No longer can you enjoy a short snooze while it is raining.

It gets even worse when your child is sick. Thankfully Ryenn has only been ill twice in her very short life, but it doesn't make it any easier. On Sunday afternoon we went to a birthday party. As soon as we arrived Ryenn began sneezing. Her nose was terribly runny. I attributed it to the fact that we were directly across from a cotton field. Later that night she didn't sleep well, but of course she still couldn't breathe. It was awful...she couldn't sleep flat or she would sound like an offspring of Darth Vader. She didn't want John to hold her. Needless to say I spent a long night of trying to put her to sleep.

Labor day Monday was spent at the Creek with the Nunley family. My daughter was miserable. I had considered not going, but John decided that it wasn't any different being sick at home. So things were packed and off we went....and we were the first ones to leave.

Monday night was not much better, and since John had to drive back to Tucson for work the next morning he had a very rough night. Around 2:00 am her fever seemed to break. She finally slept for about four hours straight! I decided that since she was better we wouldn't go home with John. So much for that plan....

Tuesday was worse than before. If she wasn't asleep she was crying. She was bright red, and her fever had returned. So after requesting the aid of my father-in-law we arrived back in Tucson yesterday. The Pediatrician's advice was to wait until Thursday and if Ryenn wasn't feeling better by then we would need to seek medical help. Thanks a lot.

Last night was by far the most difficult. Ryenn fell asleep around 9:00 pm. So John and I used the opportunity to catch some z's as well. I think she may have woke up every hour or so. She decided that she really didn't want anything to do with me. Poor John had to put her back to sleep each time. Until 4:00 am when she decided that she didn't want to sleep at all. I tried for a while, but she decided that she would rather sit on the couch and play with a cell phone or remote control. This game went on until 6:00 when I just had to get some sleep, as I had started to feel ill myself. So, John and I switched roles until 8:45 am when she took a nap and is still asleep now! I was very grateful, and took about an hour nap myself.

So...Goodbye to sleep. I will miss you. You have been a dear friend.