The month leading up to Hunter's birth was full of sickness. The girls and Brian all took turns getting colds and strep throat and who-knows-what. It made me so terribly nervous. I was absolutely tied up in knots so many times because sick kids was not part of my ideal birth plan. The thought of not being able to introduce Reagan and Maddie to their baby brother at the hospital on his birthday absolutely destroyed me. Not to mention the fact that I didn't want one of them to be home sick for 3 days without their Mama to take care of them. I was so greatly relieved that everyone was healthy JUST in time for December 17. And it was a really fantastically special moment when Brian walked in my hospital room with one daughter clinging tightly to each hand - both of them wearing the biggest smiles I have ever seen. This was the last we saw of sickness.
Until Wednesday when Reagan came home from school. She went downstairs to play and about one hour later both she and Maddie came up to tell me they had headaches. I checked and yes, both had very low-grade fevers. That familiar sense of doom crept in. I called Brian at work and told him I thought they had gotten something. He told me that I was over-reacting and that he was sure they were fine.
Hmm...yeah...not so much. They spent the evening laying on the floor downstairs watching public television cartoons. We made sure they got enough medicine and put them to bed and things were pretty okay all night...considering.
But we weren't over it. Every time I looked at Reagan on Thursday she was curled up on the couch downstairs, underneath a blanket, watching Maddie play. Poor kid was still running a fever and suffering from a headache. And then Brian came home from work and told me he didn't feel well. Worse - he was forced to admit that I was right.
I am very thankful to still be feeling fine. But I feel so incredibly torn. I knew it was likely to happen - what with all the horrible reports of pandemic outbreaks of influenza. We all got flu shots but of course that doesn't guarantee that you won't get it. So I had this sort of feeling that at some point, we would also take our turn with a bug. But the idea of having sick people in my house when we have an infant is really a little nerve-wracking to me. I spent most of the last few days keeping Hunter away from everyone but me. And sometimes, I even dodge the sickees myself. Do you now how hard it is to keep Reagan away from Hunter? It is absolutely destroying her. She can't help herself. And I feel like a meanie when I push her hand away as it approaches his face or his hands.
Thankfully, this is just a virus. Thankfully, no one is sick to their stomach. Thankfully, I don't have it and Hunter seems unaffected. Thankfully, there is over the counter medication that for the most part takes care of the fevers. Thankfully, all the sick people sleep well despite their illness.
Last night, Hunter and I occupied the master bedroom while Brian took his germs and slept on the couch. Hunter slept all 8 hours again and I got lots of good rest too. And I woke up thankful that it wasn't any worse. Because it could easily be a lot worse. Hopefully, we are soon all in good health once again. Until then, we'll just keep being thankful for the little good things we do have.
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