Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Job? What Job?

I dropped Bear off at daycare at 8 this morning and headed off to work. My second day back after being out for a week. At 10:48 the daycare calls and says he has loose bowels and I have to come get him. But they are being nice and say that IF I can get a doctor's note saying the medications he is on are causing this they will let him come in tomorrow. Otherwise I can keep him home another day. GGGGAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!

After having a mini panic attack, I pick up the phone and call my husband who absolutely cannot get away from work today. He took off the Friday before last to get Bear and stayed home with him Monday and Wednesday of last week. I took Monday and Tuesday of last week. I call the doctor's office and explain to the girl on the phone that I NEED A FREAKING DOCTORS NOTE , AGAIN (even though I just got one Sunday from them to bring him back to daycare on MONDAY!). She takes my frantic message and tells me the nurse will call me back. I grab my purse and head out the door to get Bear while cursing the daycare under my breath.

I get to the daycare and they start telling me all about how they are sorry but the state requires them to send him home. I explained that the doctor gave him a clean bill of health SUNDAY and said he could go back to daycare Monday with the caveat that the medication was going to cause an upset stomach. Thats all fine and good they say but they need another note stating that so they can put it in the records in case another kid gets sick. They also mention they have 4 babies who haven't come back yet from the Thanksgiving holiday because they are sick. One has a confirmed case of RSV. The teacher brings in the center director to explain all this to me as well. I understand CYA but seriously? I could have had the doctor fax them the note right then so he could stay but NO I had to take him home today and bring a note tomorrow.

I grab him and strap him in his carseat and run home to grab a blanket and some toys. I snuck him back into my office so I could try to finish a few things before I went home. And because I suck at being sneaky, I left my office keys at home and have to carry him through the office looking for someone with a master key. I get let into my office and put him on the floor with some toys and finished a couple of things. We head home and when I get home and settled in the nurse calls to say I can come pick up the note. Half way across town. Closer to my work that I just came from than my house. So I call my husband and he is an hour and a half away and won't be able to make it by the doctor's office before they close. So I load Bear back up in the car and we got to the doctors where the girl at the desk HAS NO CLUE where the note is. After waiting 10 minutes I get the note. While I am there I notice the flu shot clinic is right there and Bear is due for his 2nd shot. So I decide to walk over and get that done. Of course the line is several people deep with everyone needing to talk to the nurse for 10 minutes. We finally got that done and headed home 30 minutes later.

I'm sorry this is running so long but I am beyond stressed. I have no more sick leave and I am burning through my vacation days. I'm freaking out about the idea of what happens when I run out of leave completely? My husband has about burned that bridge too. We have to find another solution but I only have 3 options.

1. Quit my job of 4 months and make a dramatic cut in our budget
2. Find another child care arrangement (I have been looking but I haven't found anything better)
3. Keep with the status quo and hope Bear finally gets immunity to some of this junk and stays healthy for awhile.

I'm so stressed and frustrated.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I know how frustrated this makes you... truly.

I sincerely hope it all works out. Could you work part time? Is it the benefits that are keeping you there? Could you downsize anything? I know you've probably thought through all of these things, but I just want to help so badly! Please let me know if there is anything I can help with. I may have a few connections left in College Station.

Hell, I could always just send a card.

I'm thinking of you.

Jennefer said...

Jobs are just not child-friendly. Neither are the red tape of child care centers are not job friendly. It should be different. Jobs should support families and child care centers should have plans in place for sick kids.