Kiddo Whispers

I was getting ready for work this morning, trying to tiptoe around the house so as not to wake anyone unnecessarily, when I heard a raspy cough and then a quiet, but somewhat strangled, "Mommy!" I headed toward the sound even before I was beckoned, so I was almost to the door of Kiddo's room when he called for me. The dog, having been completely asleep, was startled by my sudden appearance and scrambled out of the way as I made a bee-line for Kiddo's bed, wrapped snugly in my soft, pink bathrobe. (Hate the color, love the robe.) He says pitifully, "I lost my voice, Mom!" and then begins to cry silent tears. I said, "Hey buddy...how many times have you heard Mommy lose her voice?" He whispers, "A lot." I ask, "And how many times has my voice come back?" He responds quietly, "Every time." I say, "So are you afraid your voice won't come back?" He says, "Not anymore," and then adds, "Can I have some medicine?" I tell him that there really isn't any medicine I can give him for a lost voice, but I can give him his vitamin and a cup of water. He agrees to this readily. While I hustle around the kitchen, trying to be quick and silent at the same time, I hear him trying to clear his throat. Poor kid. He chews his vitamin, drinks his water and then says, "I think this is going to help, Mom." I can't help but chuckle a bit. He asks me to tell Daddy that his voice is gone, which I do. Then he whispers that he loves me as I head out the door to work. At times like this, I want SO badly to stay home with him. I know he's not really sick, though. He doesn't have a fever and there are no other symptoms except some slight congestion. I think his voice was affected by post-nasal drip - which happens to me more often than I care to admit. I know exactly how he feels. It's a somewhat helpless feeling to not be able to talk above a whisper, especially when you feel pretty much OK otherwise. We'll keep an eye on him to see if he is getting sick, but I think he'll be fine. Little Bit is fighting something, too, though...she's really congested and has a little bit (tee hee) of a cough. I'm sure this is nothing more than a change-of-season cold, which I get every year between Summer and Fall and then again from Winter to Spring. It's no fun, but it could be worse. Wish us luck! TTFN JMS