When our daughter Shannon was born in 2002, the three of us could not travel to the beach using our car. We had so much baby gear (mostly hand me down, but baby gear nevertheless), that we had to send the pack n play with a family member. By the time she was six months old, we had given in and replaced a car with a minivan.
Now that our daughter is four and our son is two, we are enjoying being able to pack up the entire family for an overnight...without using a checklist for bibs, breast pump, portable high chair, bottles, sippy cups, diapers, pacifiers, etc. etc. We can fit the entire family needs into a few bags. Hallelujah!
But this time, our minimalism went too far. For EVERY trip we have ever taken since Shannon was born, we packed a small pharmacy. We left the pharmacy at home- who needs the ear thermometer, benadryl, albuteral, cough syrup, and motrin for a two night stay at my mom's? Answer: our children needed all of it.
Jacob ate chalk just before we left on Wednesday. By the time we stopped for dinner, he was blotchy and had swollen eyes. On Thursday night, our wheezing, croupy, coughing daughter burst onto the scene, erasing all hopes of a good night's sleep. We still have not had a good night's sleep. I don't hold out much hope for tonight either. She still has a fever, is wheezing, coughing, and is generally not well.
Where is the grace in all of this? Well, Shannon remains one of the best sick kids God has ever created. She is such a sweet, gentle trooper. We bought Benadryl and gave it to Jacob, then Shannon. We were home a little more than 12 hours after Shannon arrived in our room in the middle of the night, and she did not get really bad until after we were home with the medicine.
Note to self: minimalism is good, but my pharmacy will never remain home again.
