Saturday, September 25, 2010

Winston got sick...

Winston caught a cold right after I came back from Boston. It really has been painful for me to see him sufer from the cold, with his eyes watery, nose runny and gasping for air every time he drinks milk or water or eat anything, as he needed his mouth to breathe.

He’s still at home with the live-in nanny, because I want to postpone the time when he will be catching all kinds of viruses and germs until he’s at least 2 years old. Therefore, I was not happy with the nanny or Michael. Of course, as a mother, I immediately noticed a lot of things – he was dressed too lightly, he did not have enough blanket on him, he was not separated from sick kids in the park, and his hands were not promptly washed or wiped after touching dirty things, etc.

Several friends told me that parents suffer more than the kids when the kids are sick, especially babies, and they are right. While I had a lingering cold for almost a month, somehow it was not that bad to me, except that I was constantly afraid of Winston catching it.

A friend warned me, “the year when my son went to daycare, I had never been sicker in my entire life. He brought home all kinds of nasty stuff, and I was almost constantly sick.” He asked me to brace myself for it! - I am already thinking about home logsitics when Winston goes to daycare next year. I will probably have to keep a nanny still – either a live-in nanny or a couple of part-time nannies that could be on call. Indeed it is so much work to raise a kid that I do wonder how others can handle more than one kid. Another friend said that he could not figure out how people could deal with even just one baby, since he already found it challenging to take care of just one dog! :)

Yes, perhaps I should brace myself for more illnesses to happen to poor little Winston. However, no matter how much I brace myself, I will probably still find it painful to see him sick.

On Route to Boston Again...

I wrote the entry below almost 2 weeks ago, but have been too busy to post it until just now....

I am on the plane again, and again flying from San Francisco to Boston, almost exactly one month after my previous trip. In a way, I am very happy about the business trip. I will get to meet with many different biotech companies, learning about their various programs. It is intellectually stimulating. I might have time to see a friend, but that is not even certain - this time the schedule is so tight that I have scheduled 36 face-to-face meetings at the conference, not to mention having to deal with my usual daily business emails at the end of the day and attending the conference receptions to make new contacts for business development purpose. Boston is now entering the fall season, which is considered by most people to be the best season for the city. I might be one of the few people on earth who have lived in Boston for years and who still love its hot, steamy and green summer than its cool, dry and colorful autumn. I love the idea of life at its prime, and never enjoy the season why things start to fall, wither and die. I was after all born in the heat of the summer. And so was my dear little darling boy Winston. Well, he probably does not like the hot summer as much as I do, since he was born in June, the beginning of summer, which is perhaps the most beautiful month of the year.

Ah yes my little Winston! Right now, he should be sound asleep in his crib for his afternoon nap. I have left detailed instructions for the nanny as well as Michael, but I still fret over numerous things. Will the nanny pay attention to the temperature change enough to change his clothes so that he’s neither too hot nor too cold? Will Michael remember to turn on the baby monitor at night before he goes to sleep? Will the nanny give him enough water and fruits so that he will not be constipated? Will Michael remember how to give him a bath and what to dress him at night? Will they remember to open his windows in the morning to air out his room, and close his window and door when he goes to sleep? The list goes on and on...

Indeed since I came back from the last trip to Boston, I caught a terrible cold that last for over 3 weeks. Even now I am still coughing. The stress associated with moving from South San Francisco combined with having to continue working while taking care of Winston has perhaps contributed further to weakening my immune system to fight off viruses and bacteria. I took the entire course of azithromycin, and then cough syrup with codeine, and finally started to recover. Meanwhile, Michael has stayed up alll night periodically to finish up his grand proposals. As one of my friends observed, middle-age is perhaps the hardest period of one’s life, when one has so many responsibilities at work and at home.

Winston has been going to the nearby parks. As I am writing, I start wondering if he’s now bored by the same park that the nanny likes to take him. She got to meet some other nannies and therefore likes to take him there. But he has such short attention spans! Maybe when I go back to Bay Area, I should tell the nanny to alternate among the parks. - I am already making a list of things to tell the nanny upon my return, even though I have not yet landed in Boston! :)

Speaking of the move, we finally moved from South San Francisco to sunny Palo Alto end of August. It was a lot of work but everyone is so much happier, including the nanny. In fact, she would not have come to work for me had it not been for the fact that we would be moving to Palo Alto soon. She did not like South San Francisco at all, for its weather, its neighborhood or its location.

When I took my parents-in-law to the airport last week, I took advantage of the opportunity to have lunch with a friend in Burlingame, and then got a facial and a haircut at places she recommended. It was essentially a half personal day for myself, and it felt great. Another friend told me, “I have learned in a very hard way that we need to take very good care of ourselves before we can take care of people around us.” Perhaps that is something I should keep in mind. Indeed when I feel good, I can do much more than when I feel awful emotionally or physically.

So perhaps I will not push myself to host that house-warming party any time soon. I will take it easier.