Slowed by sickness

It is 2:30 a.m. on Monday morning and I am sitting on the couch in my family room next to a plush duck puppet, travel soap dish, Ben's bathing suit and unused swim diaper, a pair of treaded red socks, and a couple library books. I'm hot; too hot to sleep. I've had a fever over 100 degrees for more than 24 hours and although Tylenol helps bring it down, it takes a regretfully long time for it to kick in, and I'm in one of those holding patterns right now.

It's been a rough few days, but Chris has been a saint, taking off Friday to take care of me and Ben and basically doing everything around the house this weekend (including full-time parenting) to prepare for the arrival of my two sisters and their families this week. After he put Ben to bed tonight, he started up the grill and fixed chicken and vegetable kebabs, while I sat on the deck and appreciated my first foray of the day into the great outdoors.

"Can you imagine if I was sick like this and we had three kids?" I asked from the kitchen table as Chris de-skewered our dinner onto our plates. It's a question I'd asked myself a couple times that afternoon while lying on my left-side with a cold compress on my forehead, counting the fetal kicks of my 36-week-old baby.

What does Laura Bennett do when she gets sick and can't manage the pack of boys racing around her NYC apartment? Better yet, what would Michelle Duggar do if she was laid up sick during the final weeks of her 18th pregnancy? At what kid count do you start relying on your kids to take care of your other kids rather than leaning solely on your partner?

"We'd figure it out," Chris replied. "It wouldn't be that big of deal. I mean imagine if you stayed home with three kids everyday. Would it be that different?"
"I guess not," I said, "but by the time we have three kids, if we do have three kids, it's likely Ben would be be in school, at least part of the week."

Here I am trying to have it all -- the kid count I dreamed of as a kid and the manageable lifestyle I've lived with for the first 32 years of my life. At some point, something's going to have to give. I know that. But for now Chris and I are just taking happy baby steps toward an unknown familial destination.

These past few days, as I've fought this persistent fever and general case of the blahs, have reminded me of how crucial it is to have a supportive, equal, like-minded partner when raising a family. Now it's time for me to go rejoin Chris and, with any luck, get some sleep.