More than a week ago I discovered that my central heat and air unit is entirely on it's last leg. The $2,000 I spent having them put in new return duct work basically went down the drain. It was a tough call to make but if it had worked it would have been great. As the weather started heating up I find out my conditioning side of the unit is giving up all together. The repair man says, "Fixing it is going to cost around the same as (a back up measure like a window unit) and will probably still go out on you within a short amount of time." That would be ok if it weren't 15 days to the end of the month and there weren't many more dollars than that. I was hoping this heat would be more of a short wave than a tall one but it is hitting hard and not really letting up anytime soon. Again it is still June and probably going to get worse. What ever it feels like outside, it feels like it is 20-30 degrees hotter inside. I have one window I can open, the rest had been painted shut by the previous owner. (On a side note - he can paint the windows shut but he can't caulk around the panes?) And trying to get them open would be next to insane in this heat.
I have been so disturbed by this that every thought from, "what is there I can do" to "I am packing up and going back to the mountains" has run through my head. Mom has helped out with some money. If I'd asked her for enough to buy a window unit she would have sent it but I have yet to ask. I finally settled on cashing out my IRA rollover from my two years in Knoxville and then trying to find a unit to put in today.
Naturally I am behind the curve on this so finding a reasonably priced one on short notice is difficult but I managed to find one that should be in tomorrow at ACE Harware, just down the street from my house. I used some of the money mom sent to buy another fan making it 2 box fans and 2 stand fans. It only helps a little because you can hardly call 95 degrees a cool breeze. Supposedly they have my name and number and are supposed to let me know as soon as they arrive at the store. (Why do I think that is going to go south quickly?) I pleaded with their sense of dignity and let them know I have a small child and no a/c so this is vital for me. I am going to be spending most of this evening trying to find a small unit to put in my small window in the baby's small room and hopefully that will be my back up incase I find nothing tonight.
That is the hardest part though. Not the finding of a small unit it is dealing with the fact that X is vulnerable to the heat. Two nights ago she was warm enough that she was breathing fairly quickly for being asleep so I grabbed her and the fan and went outside where it had cooled off by a few more degrees than it had in my house and there was a slight and warm breeze. The sad thing for her is that she also has loose poo problems that have given her a diaper rash from hades. The poo is not a heat related issue (as I was told by my doctor) so we will also be buying the regimine he suggested for healing the rash and solving the loose poo. When you have diaper rash it is hard to sit still when you are being held and standing out on the porch together was not helping that situation. Finally her breathing slowed down enough that I felt better about taking her back in the house. I put all of the fans on her and she seemed to do well enough to sleep ok. Of course I had to change her in the middle of the night and keep pushing the fluids a couple of times. At this point I am not even stressing out about my lack of sleep, I am just concerned about her getting enough sleep and being cool enough. I am going on my third day of restlessness from checking to make sure she is breathing ok to guaging how much sweat she has produced and filling bottles with milk and water to make sure she is getting enough fluid.
Tonight is going to be rough on her as well since we will be getting in and out of the car constantly looking for a window unit in this city that is within the price range of what I can pay. I will be putting her food together and hoping she will eat it. When the baby has poo problems like this the doctor says her diet needs to be Banana, Rice Cereal, Applesauce, and Toast (BRAT). For the rash she will get corn starch. And push fluids (except milk). This is where I feel inadequate as a mom. Other mom's know this stuff - I don't. Fortunately I have excellent support behind me so I get to learn this stuff. Right now I have to focus on finding a window unit. How big is that stupid window anyway?
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