I Am Tiramisu

I am still here. Had just been very very quiet the past month. Life offline demanded my undivided attention. 

It had been a frenzied month. School is still very new for my 2nd grader, new lessons, more complicated. 

It just got most complicated.

One Monday afternoon as I picked my 2nd grader up from school a close mom friend could only utter two words: Chicken Pox!

Several classmates have called in absent that Monday as they have suddenly been diagnosed with the disease over the weekend. Instinct was to take a peek inside my daughter's shirt.

 Well kiddo, looks like we're calling in sick for the next 14 days...

Unluckily, little girl has not been spared. But luckily, she has had her vaccine. Lesions are minimal. No fever or the slightest discomfort. Itchiness lasted less than day after I put on the calamine lotion. So glad it's pink, it helped cheered little girl up. And so drastic rearrangements had to be done around the household. Helpers, my 5-year-old and hubby take the master bedroom (but only after every sheet has been changed and every nook sprayed). While sick little girl and I took over the helpers' bedroom. Yep favorite pillows, blankets, toys and books were immediately transferred to its home for the next 2 weeks. I didnt want to risk the health of the helpers so I did everything from taking the meals up and down. Washing her etc etc. Except when I really needed to go out and work.

Work had been booked months before and I never want to back down from any commitment as they were also banking on the success of their event on my photography services. I am lucky to have very understanding and sensible children, as young as they are. 

Of course there is my 5-year-old. She may have been very sensible about the whole situation but yet I felt I have neglected her a bit the past week. Finally as the weekend came about I took her on a date. A buffet dinner date. We liked to call it our fancy shmancy hotel date. Ahihihihi...

I badly needed some drink after. She got her iced tea (we indulge her sometimes) and enjoyed our moment together immensely. We were just hugging and smooching the whole time.

  In the middle of it all hubby also needed to go on a weeklong business trip. 

Yet another assignment for me so you can imagine the frenzy in the whole household. Much as we want to do it all perfectly sometimes something just have to give. A mother can only stretch herself so much. We try hard to be there for our children 100%. But it is not always a bad thing if we come short of any expectation. Balance. When balance is impossible. Sometimes we also need the help of our children. Help them understand what has to be. Give your best.... But remember it is alright to have little compromises. Much as I would want to be with my children always as a stay at home mom, reality dictates I need to earn a living whenever I can...as long as nothing utterly major is compromised. 

Towards the 2nd week, I gave my little girl a shampoo and some pampering, salon style. She loved it! with the water bucket, big towels and a chair she felt like a princess. And princess-y is her curly locks after!!!

I am aware of some parents who are wary about vaccines. Well we are not. We make sure our children get their vaccines. As evidenced by the past weeks, a vaccine ( in this case the Varicella Vaccination) is not a guarantee one is 100% immune from the disease but it helps in preventing the deadly complications. My daughter's lesions were minimal. Itchiness was minimal. She did not have fever or dizziness or the irritability that results from all symptoms. In my opinion, the vaccine was worth sparing my child all that. 

Yes I am still afraid for my 5-year-old. She has not have had chicken pox yet. We have yet to see the coming days. We may have seen the rashes on my elder daughter the instant they appeared but it only meant she had been able to spread the virus already 48 hours prior. And who knows who she had been in contact with. 

Parents, we should consult a physician once we suspect our child has the symptoms. There is an incubation period ( the time our child has come in contact with an infected person and the time chicken pox is evident in our child) of 14 to 16 days. And before we send them back to school, having a physician giving them the clear signal would be best... for the good our own children and that of other people. 

For more information please visit : Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

Thank You Boss for guidance.

Thank You for strength.

Thank You for love and family.