Sick Mommy

As in I actually called in to work tonight.Well, not really called in. I cashed in on a favor that was owed me by a coworker and got him to cover my shift so it doesn't count as an absence. Despite all of the time I have had to be off of work, I actually have never had an "absence". If I'm off, it's a doozy. The Pregnancy from Hell is an example. The other time was when I had pneumonia bad enough to cause the lower lobe of my left lung to completely collapse. And both of these involved hospitalizations and FMLA, and thus no occurrences. So...

Mommy and Zach have been cuddled up all day. It's a miracle Zach isn't sick. All I can say on that is that breastmilk is goooooood stuff. And I'm actually feeling a little better, though I still feel like shit. But I am working 4 nights in a row starting Saturday, then am off for 2 days and go back for another 2. OT again. So I figured it would be wise to take the rest of tonight off, hoping that my immune system can kick this cold's arse by tomorrow evening when I start my Hell Week. Incidentally, did you know nursing moms can take jack crap by way of OTC cold meds? I use a small pharmacy located in my hospital, so the pharmacist knows I am nursing. So I go in looking and sounding like death, and I hold up various meds for him to see. Nyquil: "Can I have this?" I ask. Nope. Tylenol Cold? Nope. Motrin Cold? Nope. H finally tells me that if it is good and will work, it's a no-no for me. They all have antihistamines in them, and a baby's liver cannot handle those until at least 6 months of age. I can take Sudafed if I want to chance it dropping my supply even more. No Thank You! So I had to settle for a generic cough syrup that I can only use sparingly. That and a cup of hot tea and I am knocked on my arse for hours. The only thing I can compar it to was when I was preggers and in pain and they finally got me to take pain meds and I would take half the dose they prescribed and be in a 12-hour-long coma.Anyway...

So what is the picture above, you ask? This is Zachy after napping with Mommy this afternoon. He stares at me with those big eyes, and acts like he's either A) completely amazed by me or B) thinking "What is it???". But regardless, he's my angel. And he loves me even when I have vaseline coating my poor chapped nose, and my eyes are red and watery, and my hair is sticking straight up.....That is the joy of motherhood. The unconditional-ness of it all. (On a seperate note, notice how much hair he has lost, and that his hair/ eyebrows are coming back in in that reddish brown hue? He gets that from John's dad.)