Poor Moose.

We’ve had some kind of upper respiratory thing going around, and yesterday, Moose started coughing, running a fever, and generally acting out-of-sorts. Everyone went to bed early last night, and I was hoping we’d see some kind of improvement this morning.

He got up like he usually does, wanting to have a snuggle. I noticed that he was pretty warm, but he wasn’t complaining, so I let him snuggle for a bit before getting breakfast and Tylenol. The children all decided it was time to eat before too long, so we got up to go downstairs. As soon as Moose stood up, he said, “Carry me.”

I asked him why, as he’s a big boy who doesn’t generally ask to be carried too often. His response?

“It’s spinning.”

Now, he didn’t specify what was spinning, so I don’t know if it was the room, or his head, or what, but this was huge that he could find words to let me know he was dizzy. That’s been one of the biggest struggles for me in regards to his autism–he often can’t find words to let me know what’s wrong when he’s sick or hurt.

Well, he did manage to eat, and I got some fluids (and Tylenol!) in him, and then he went back to bed. It breaks my heart to see him feeling so down, especially because I have no idea what’s going through his head when he feels bad. No child likes it, but I don’t know if he understands sickness at all. He does understand dizzy, though, and I’m happy he let me know before he fell trying to go down the stairs!