Letters to Emma: What’s the Temp?
posted in Letters to Emma, Viewed: 740 timesNeedless to say when you were born your father and I had no idea how to take care of a baby. One of the things we noticed about you was the way you would chatter your teeth while we were in the hospital, so your dad was sure you were cold. (Turns out many babies chatter their teeth as their neural system develops.) But because your dad was convinced you were cold, you would be bundled up sometimes in 3 layers. The nurses would take your temperature once every few hours and so we found out pretty quickly that you were hot and only 1 layer was sufficient.
But then we got you home and we were convinced you were cold. So we took your temperature in your armpit with the thermometer they sent us home with. To our horror, it showed you were extremely cold!! So we had you bundled up again till we could feel your feet were hot. I didn’t trust the digital thermometer, so I used a different one we had bought. Again, it showed your temperature was 1-2 degrees below normal. Now I was suspicious of these thermometers. It just didn’t make any sense. It was then that I decided we’d have to take your temperature the traditional way…rectally. I sent your dad out to buy a rectal mercury thermometer but what did he come home with? A cartoon character digital thermometer that would sing a tune once your temperature was taken. How humiliating!! How would you like to know that a character named Sponge Bob was in your bottom and sang a song when your temperature was ready to be read??
- Shannon
