After our visit to the pediatrician last week I thought we had the worst behind us. Robert’s appetite was returning ever so slowly and his nasty molar has finally cut through, but things took a turn again to the worse.

Robert went to day care on Thursday and Friday and his father took him on Saturday. The routine now, and because my ex husband doesn’t want to be bothered too early is as follows: When I work on Saturdays Lucy comes at five thirty in the morning to sit with Robert until his father shows up. On the Sundays she also shows up at the crack of dawn, but stays with Robert the whole day while I am at work. It is another temporary solution until I figure out a better way to deal with the 8-hour shifts I work on some weekends. I am starting to think that I should tell management that I just cannot and do not want to work weekends, end of story. I wish I had the courage to that sooner rather than later, my style however is too try anything, no matter how inconvenient it is.

On Saturday my ex complained that Robert’s nose was running “like all the kids in the playschool”, and on Sunday I noticed that his eye was gummy with puss. Before she left Lucy advised me to put some of his wee on the eye(the remedy of course is familiar). The weather on Sunday was beautiful and Britt had invited us over for a braai, but I felt guilty taking a sick child to other children. Britt solved the issue by telling me that both her children have runny noses,  the rest was easy since I was keen on the visit.

There was a small group for supper: Trish, whom I met before at the Aquarium; her daughter Gabriella is now six months, and later two other male friends. Robert and I enjoyed our time as best as we could under the circumstances of runny nose and itchy eyes. Robert in fact surprised me by eating some vegetables and meat. He is still on a fasting routine and only likes fruit yoghurt.

When Robert woke up on Monday morning his left eye was swollen and glued shut. I took him to yet another GP whom Britt recommended. This doctor was good and obviously familiar with younger children, she mentioned that she had two small ones. So another bill for the doctor and another trip to the pharmacy, this time for eye drops and nasal spray. The doctor advised me to keep Robert away from daycare until his symptoms calm down, especially the eye infection.

Two days later and Robert’s nose is still running like a tap. Yesterday I took him out to the shops in the howling wind, which was almost strong enough to carry a grown person off his feet. Today the miserable weather continued with streaming rain and gale-force wind. The mere thought of carrying my child to the taxi under the rain and then to daycare gave me a shudder; I simply wasn’t that desperate to show up at work today. My valid excuse is my son’s sickness, but I am hoping that by tomorrow he will be well enough to spend half a day at creche.