September
30, 2003
“I’m Super Cub!” Chace started squealing at the top of his lungs seeing his
brother, standing on top of the table, with a bath towel tied to him and his
underwear outside his clothes. I covered my mouth in laughter.
“Elliot, you clown”
I said tickling him. “What do you think you are doing?”
“I
Super Cub!” He said while
standing on the tip of his toes, then going back down on his heels. Then jumps onto the floor
from the table top. I shook my head as I laughed.
“Alright little man,
you just jump on the floor, and not on the tables.” I told him as I stopped him
from climbing on the table again,
“I want to jump from
here though!”
“But you could get
hurt, Baby.”
“I
not a baby, I a big boy!” Elliot as he got out of my grip and tried climbing up the table
again.
“Elliot Iaxior, I said not to climb on here, Please
do as I ask.” I told him setting him on the floor again, “It’s
Okay to jump on the
floor, but its not okay to jump off the table.”
“I not jumping Mamma, I flying!”
“Flying or what ever
it is does not happen on the table.” I told him letting go of him, and heading
into the other room to see how some of the other children were getting along.
The only ones that weren’t even playing were Skyla and Kenya, they were still
upstairs in the corner of their bedroom. Grounded for last
nights fighting. The others how ever were involved in a nice quiet game.
As soon as I sat down to read a book I felt something put pressure on my
lap, I looked down to see Tanjia, I put the book down, and pulled her to me. She
looked tired, she had for the last couple days. When I
wrapped my arms around her, I noticed that she felt hot,
I looked at her face and noticed that she had already fallen asleep. I smiled
and held her close knowing that she didn’t feel good. I let the rocker move
slowly to keep her content. I wanted her to just rest and enjoy herself.
“Just close your
eyes and sleep Tanni,” I told her when she woke
again, rocking her trying to get her to sleep some more. I looked at her, as
she squirmed,
“You want to go lay
on my bed?” she shook her head and leaned against me again. I knew she was
miserable. I laid her back so that she was cradled, in my arms, and started
rocking her again. I could tell that this ten year old was trying to fight this
herself, but wanted the comfort that I could give her.
As I kept rocking her, the fever I knew she had rose higher,
I could feel the sweat through her clothes. I stopped moving, she woke as I
started stripping her clothes from her.
She started to stop
me.
“Tanni,
I need to so that you don’t get over heated. So that you
don’t get sicker. I also want to get your tempture,
She shook her head,
“I need to see how
bad it is baby,” She shook her head again as I pulled her off my lap and set
her in the chair to go get
the thermometer,
“No!” she yelled as
I came back and closed her mouth. I knew I needed to do this so I spoke to her
gently but firmly enough that it would get the point across.
“Tanjia,
we can either do this the easy way or we can do it the hard way.” She seemed to
understand and opened her mouth so I could do what I needed to do.
It was high but not
that high, so I settled for rubbing her down with alcohol, and giving her some
of the fever reducer that I had. She was still to hot for me to let her have
anything but her blankets, I was just to scared that
she would also over heat. I watched as she started to sit up,
“Tanjia,
please stay still, I don’t want that fever of yours to go any higher, She said
nothing just raised her hands asking for me to hold her. I did just that, I
knew that was just what she
wanted.