Playdate Disaster

Poor Irelynn. Yesterday we had scheduled a playdate with her good...well, her only, friend. She had been looking forward to it for a long time. Everybody knows about this friend...the girl with the Dora curtains. She is involved in almost all of Irelynn's stories...whether they are true or not. She is going to come to her birthday party, in April...and apparently she will make her tea. They are going to go swimming. They will watch the Chipmunks movie together...and her friend's mommy will serve them grapes. They get tattoos together (temporary, of course.) They even cook elaborate meals together and take their babies on walks. Needless to say, this day was very important.

Unfortunately, the night before she came down with a fever of 103. After some Motrin, cuddling, and a couple rounds of Scooby-Doo, she seemed to do better...although she was very clingy and whiney. Yesterday morning her temperature was only slight...but still there. I called to cancel the playdate. We let the girls talk on the phone. I smile as I see Irelynn walk around, as though she does this all the time.

"Like, um, I'm playing Wii Fit right now. Um, like, running."

After the phone conversation, she asks me eagerly if they are going to play together.

"No, Sweetie...you have a temperature. We don't want to get your friends sick, too. When you don't have a temperature for awhile we'll set up a time to play."

She sat down to watch TV for a few minutes. Then she ran back to my bedroom, and grabbed the thermometer from the nightstand.

"Take my temperature?"

I swiped it along her forehead.

"Well, the medicine must be working...it's come down to 98.7."

"I go to her house and play now?"

"No, Irelynn...not today."

"But I don't have temperature!"

"Honey...it's come down, but you're still sick...you could still get your friend sick."

"I NOT SICK!"

And the tears started streaming down. I picked her up and tried suggesting alternatives. However, she suddenly didn't like movies, or her Leapster, or playing kitchen. She was devastated.

Luckily I was able to finally distract her with the computer...she began instant messaging her grandfather, and all was right with the world again.

Today she seems fine...and I will try to reschedule the playdate for later this week. However, this time...she will not know about it until we are ready to get in the van to go.

I wonder if the girl with the Dora curtains realizes how special she is. I'm sure her mommy already knows.

By the way...the girls will also, apparently, be competing on American Idol. Irelynn told me so.