The sickest, saddest Wren.

Joel was gone for two weeks, you may recall, and we had been invited to my second cousin's house last Friday for a big pizza thing, buncha families, kids everywhere. We were super excited to go, but then Geneva wouldn't eat her lunch. I texted Josie saying, Geneva's a bit off, we might not make it. Come, she says, even if you just come to eat and then go. But come.

Geneva woke up fine, so we piled into the car and drove off, and two blocks from the house, Geneva barfed everywhere. HA HA GOOD THING YOU ATE LIKE BASICALLY NO LUNCH, I said. I am extremely good at wiping barf off of kids by the side of the road. We were going to just go in and hose Geneva down and then leave again, but she seemed fine after the barf. Stay! everyone said. So we stayed, and didn't touch any of the babies. Eleanor ran riot in the backyard and had pizza with the big girls and basically had the time of her life. It was amazing.

Saturday morning, Joel was home but on call, so we went to the farmer's market without him and he met us there after rounds. Geneva fell asleep on the way there.

She seemed okay after that, and after Regular Naps we walked down to the Food Truck Festival (Joel drove down so that he could take off if he got called in).

Geneva ate, like, two nacho chips and a fry. There was a lot of Baby Reclines On Lap While Contemplating Food But Not Eating It.

Lookit her dipping in the salsa, though, that dainty little fat hand.

And then we walked home, and I'm all proud of myself for remembering sweaters for the walk because it's fall now, it gets chilly.

But by the time we got home, Geneva was shivery and shuddery and I got her in her jammies and then held her - feeling horrible and guilty - until she fell asleep, and then until she stopped shivering, and then a few more minutes just to make sure.

She was looking pretty rough on Sunday morning, but the weather was beautiful and we had a literary festival to go to, so I put her in the carrier and she fell asleep IMMEDIATELY.

We walked down to the Word on the Street festival (Geneva slept) and Eleanor did some coloring and some puzzles and some beading and some parachute-shaking and some enormous spelling.

Geneva slept. We were only going to stay for an hour, but then we heard there was fairy tea party at 11:45, and Geneva was sleeping anyway, so we stayed for the tea party.

Geneva woke up VERY briefly to be sad, and then went back to sleep.

She hadn't really been eating all this time, and her fever was high but controllable and she was drinking fine, so we weren't really worried. But when she woke up from her regular nap Sunday afternoon, she was lethargic and inconsolable and refused to drink anything, so I took her in. Joel was in hospital, and he came down to visit us once we got a room.

Eleanor was thrilled. Geneva was miserable.

We were there for hours. Geneva perked up and perked down. They ran some tests and we waited for the test results and four hours is such a long time to be in a tiny curtained room when no one has had supper. Eleanor ate a granola bar I unearthed from my bag. Geneva ate my will to live.

Anyway. No ear infection, no urinary tract infection, just a virus that needs to run its course. We left the hospital at 9:30 and I could not find my car, and we retraced our steps twice and I still could not find it, and some maintenance people were like, Are you ok? And I ALMOST CRIED and they made me describe where I had driven into the lot, where I had turned, and then were like, Get in the truck, we'll take you there. Eleanor is all, I AM NOT IN A CAR SEAT THIS IS INSANE and aside from the glove balloons, that was probably the highlight of her night. Seeing my little car waiting for me was the highlight of mine.

Geneva is still pretty rough today. She went back to sleep about an hour after waking up, thank goodness Joel was home so I could take Eleanor to preschool without having to wake her up. She's grouchy and she needs a lot of holding and my back is killing me because she ain't no newborn. But we made it to preschool and we made it to dance class and tomorrow we have a playdate at the park and the weather is amazing and we're MISSING IT but she can't be sick forever. If it's a 7-10 day virus then we're at least halfway done.