The Best Laid Plans

I don't think many of the readers know this, but I am an exceptional Valentine's Day husband. It's not that I plan the most romantic dinners or spend the most money, it's that St. Valentine always brings my wife a tremendous array of gifts that range from the traditional chocolates to NASCAR calendars that she would use for toilet paper before she hung on a wall to keep track of the days. As Valentine's Day rolled around yesterday, I had the best laid plans for a smooth and entertaining day of love for my very deserving and very pregnant wife.

Yesterday morning, as I was preparing to embark on a journey to collect this year's stash for Liz's Valentine's Day Stocking, our daughter's health became the obvious priority as her croup flared up and her fever spiked to well over 102 degrees.

Ainsley's Daddy did his level best to address the issue, but it seemed nothing was really working to get the temperature and wheezing under control. So, as Liz was driving back to her hotel in Topeka looking forward to some sleep after a strenuous night of call at the hospital, she received another call, this one from her husband to see what could be done for Ainsley. Although a doctor's appointment had already been scheduled for later that afternoon, nothing helps more than the loving care of Dr. Mom.

By noon on Valentine's Day, we have Liz driving in from Topeka, Ainsley feeling positively miserable in Kansas City, and me at home with nothing but a sick baby to give his wife on this big day. This was not the picture I had in my mind when making plans, but it's what we had.

All the lack of sleep between us two love birds over the last several nights didn't help the crankiness during the course of the afternoon, but we got Ainsley better and we made it to Valentine's Day evening, usually the highlight of the day. However, the events of the last couple of days had taken their toll on the three of us, and we were left with a small group of dedicated people who couldn't lift their arms.

The Cheesecake Factory provided a nice meal before I put Ainsley to sleep. I felt pretty terrible that the plans I had for Liz didn't work out, so I slinked into bed beside her to tell her she had a rain check for a full Valentine's Day redeemable at any time she wished.

We ended up talking for a few minutes, and fell asleep holding hands. It wasn't a textbook Valentine's Day, but the day ended up with our daughter resting comfortably and safely in her bed in the next room and us together after a day of taking care of things that matter most to us.

I guess it was a pretty good day after all.