Tuesday, December 16, 2008

When it Will End, Nobody Knows

We've been sick here for, oh, I don't know. A couple of weeks. Last week was the worst. Sunday afternoon, we ventured to a Lisbon market and then dinner at the only brewpub in Lisbon (Beer: okay. Food: unmentionable). We kept the kids on our backs at the market. No need to test their fragile immune systems in a crowd full of people.

I've been trying to stay positive through the whole thing. Olivia's in school for the first time. So, despite being sick a lot now, she'll be healthier in the long run (or so I'm told). The crying and middle of the night, stumbling down the hall to sooth a child (read: give more drugs), has been the only really stressful part (oh, and the time I was sick, with chills, soaking through two shirts a night, and had to get up with sick kids. That was great fun).

DH was not spared. He got it. Chills and all. He worked in his cramped office, despite feeling like death. Tell me, is this really a good time of the year to go to work when you've got the flu??? You probably don't care what people do or give it much thought - until you spend your holiday trip to Rome sacked out in your hotel bed because some jerk came to work sick and infected your entire office a week or two prior to your epic trip. I don't know if anyone in DH's office is going to Rome. I'm just saying...

I was hoping, by yesterday, we'd move past the worst of it and into the clear. Then, Lila cried most of today saying something her stomach.

Worse, this was a dinner table conversation:

Olivia: "Ouch! My ear hurts. No, maybe they both hurt. I don't knooooowwwww! Ouch!"

Mom: "Matt, her temperature is 100.1"

Dad: "What? I thought we were done being sick! What is wrong with these kids?" (read: "DW, what are you doing wrong? These kids should be better by now.")

Olivia: "Okay, I'm ready for bed now. Right now. I want to go to bed."

And, off she went. To bed. No fighting, crying or whining. Forty-five minutes before she normally goes to bed.

Do I want to go to the doctors? NO! Why? Hummm. Maybe because I'm afraid the kid who was there before my kids, left behind some germs we have not been exposed to...

Who should go to bed early? Who? Who? ME ME ME!!! Because, once the dose of Motrin I gave Olivia wears off...

When it ends, nobody knows!

1 comment:

Katie said...

This post is giving me an anxiety attack. Seriously.

I feel your pain. Last year was the worst for us...Becca was sick--REALLY sick--a lot and it is horrible. I am so sorry you're going through this. It sounds hideous...and I know exactly what you mean about the germs at the doctors' offices. I am the same way. I wish they could give out beepers (like at restaurants) and you could go wait in your car for your appointment. Wait. I wish the doctors could just make house calls. That would rule. Plus, you know you'll drag everyone in there and they'll be touching everything and picking up new germs and the doc will say "It is just a virus" and send you home. so, why bother, right?