A while back, I wrote about why I hate Thursdays, and in that article, I mentioned that I also hate February. Here is why.
In February, 2005, I was in the throws of Post-Partum Depression. The Boy was born in January, and spent 10 days in the NICU with pneumonia. Brian and my Mom had to go take an Infant CPR class (I was already certified, so I didn’t need the class). This was right around Valentine’s Day. On his way home from the class, Brian had to pull over to barf. Thus started a nasty round of the stomach flu. The Girl got it later that day, and I got it several days later. Did I mention that I have an intense fear of vomit, that was only amplified by the depression? Yeah, there was that.
Jump to February 13, 2006. I picked the kids up from my mom’s, and The Girl has a huge black eye. Mom tells me she fell and hit her face on the wooden foot of the couch. Fine. The next day (note: Valentine’s Day…again) I again pick the kids up. I notice The Girl has a weird rash. I lift up her shirt, and it’s everywhere. I decide we need to go to the hospital RIGHT NOW. So we go. We are there for hours upon hours. The Girl was wearing an undershirt that had lace hearts on it. When one of the many doctors lifts her shirt to examine the rash, the rash has actually taken the form of the heart! He touches her skin, and it leaves more of the rash. This is not a rash, folks, it’s essentially a giant bruise! The formal name is petechiae, and it sucks. They try to tell me she has Leukemia, which of course is devastating. Turns out, it’s not Leukemia (WHEW!), but it is serious. She had a blood disorder called Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, or ITP. Basically, her platelet level was dangerously low, and she could have bled to death. They transfer us by ambulance to another hospital, where she is admitted. For several months, we have to take her to the Oncology Unit at Detroit Children’s Hospital to have her levels checked. She had to wear a bike helmet for a few weeks. Finally, it turned out to be the acute version of the disease, and we were out of the woods by her birthday in June, but those were the worst months of my life.
February, 2006 and 2007. I don’t remember specifics, but I know that the kids got sick a LOT in those months. Mostly colds and asthma issues. Oh yeah, and more stomach flu. It was during these years that I decided that I would no longer participate in February. We started calling it JanuMarch, and I wouldn’t leave the house for the entire month unless absolutely necessary.
February, 2008. Brian was working the auto show circuit, and wasn’t home for…wait for it….Valentine’s Day. Are you sensing a theme here? I am. Anyway, My mom called me at work to tell me that The Boy was barfing. A lot. So, I spent Valentine’s Day at my mom’s house being barfed upon by my son. And I still have that pesky fear of vomit, so I was all hopped up on Xanax as well. I remember that I missed half of LOST because I had to change my clothes. I was pissed.
However, I think that February 2008 was a turning point for me. On February 29th (Leap Year, Yay!), I flew out to LA and got a job offer. We moved out here a month later. And, because January has been so full of illness (we have all had a nasty cold or flu bug that’s going around…and The Boy spent a night barfing), I’m convinced that February will be great! I’m not going to let this month get the best of me this year! I will participate! I won’t hide! And no one is allowed to get sick!
Two Working Parents 