Sick Days

We have been having a lot of sick days around here, for the past month.

I am growing suspicious that the children's museum we visit frequently is the germ culprit. There is such a pattern with visiting there on Monday, and Jersey #5 coughing through the night by Wednesday. We took a week off, then it will be Spring Break. So, I am hoping to get everyone healed again in that time. Part of me wonders if we should return for science classes there for the rest of the semester, or if I should just cut my losses and not return for a while.

I am not normally a germ-a-phobic individual. Actually, I am a big fan of natural immunity, letting kids get dirty, and childhood fun. I teach the kids to wash their hands, as the best means for staying healthy. Even with a daughter who is a heart patient, I consider myself realistic in the precautions we take.....more precautions when she is weakest, and less precautions when she is healthy.

I find myself in unfamiliar territory now. Jersey #5 seems to catch a cold, cough, or some sort of upper respiratory infection every other week. He takes longer to get over them. He gets so congested. To make matters worse, he is already allergic to 2 classes of antibiotics, so his treatment options are not as open as my other children. We try to let more illnesses run their course with him, before rushing to the doctor, and hope that his respiratory tract grows stronger as he grows. A little Tylenol and/or Benedryl at bedtime goes a long way for helping him sleep and breathe, pain free.

Lately, staying home in our PJs, resting more seems to be the best medicine for him. He sleeps a lot more when he is sick, which is a trait he must get from his Momma and his PawPaw. We both do the same thing. Resting at home has become such a frequent thing in the past month, it is really helping me see where my real priorities are.

It is hard to see the little ones sick like this. I had really been hoping that the warm weather would bring a healthier winter all around. Unfortunately, that has not been the case.

Can it be summer time yet?

Rocking My Baby

I love rocking my babies. Those sweet, cuddly moments in time, when I stop the hustle and bustle of life, and spend time just cherishing my little one. It is such a fleeting opportunity. Those babies grow up so fast.

They become so independent. They want to run and play, and dress themselves. They are too big and too busy to sit and rock like that.

I am really struggling with the short season of motherhood lately. Jersey #1 turning 9 years old hit me hard. If I keep this up, I am going to be a wreck when my nest starts to empty.

And then I was blessed with a golden opportunity. A reminder that my role as Mommy changes and grows over time, but does not lose its significance.

Jersey #1 asked me to sit with her. She wanted to climb into my lap and rock. She was sick. She was full of fever. She wanted the comfort of her Mommy.

She is 9 years old.

Her request was rare. It has been many years since she last rocked in my arms.

I settled into the recliner and pulled Jersey #1 into my lap. I wrapped her up in her blanket, and held her close. It was hard to see her suffer. Her fever was so high it was causing her pain and tears. We rocked together and waited for the medicine to do its job.

I cherished that moment of having her in my arms again. I knew it would not last. Tylenol is pretty quick. It had her feeling better in 10 minutes.

But, those 10 minutes were a blessing.

They were also a reminder to me. This season of motherhood is short. The level of dependence decreases quickly as a child grows.

But, the comfort a mother can bring is forever.

Hand Washing

I did not used to be one of those germ-a-phobic Moms, not even with my firstborn. When friends would ask if they should visit if their child had a runny nose, I would answer that we are not afraid of germs at our house. We eat well, sleep well, play outdoors, and wash ourselves...so we cover the basics for overall good health. Plus, natural immunity is a good thing, right?

Um, yea, well that way of life has just gone right out the window. For now.

We take Jersey #2 out of state to a big-named Children's Hospital one week from today. She will undergo open-heart surgery 2 days after our arrival. Yikes.

I am hoping to keep her as healthy as possible both before and after surgery. I am taking 2 approaches: 1) quarantine ourselves away from the public, and 2) frequent hand washing.

I've been working with the kids on proper hand-washing technique. It seems to be the best way to combat the common spread of germs from person to person. We will have to be diligent with hand washing after Jersey #2's surgery also. It may take a couple months just for her wound to close. It may be 6 months to a year before her body finds its new normal.

I think Jersey #5 might have misinterpreted my hand-washing lesson just a little bit.

Although I did emphasize using soap and water, I did not suggest shampoo or the bathtub faucet.

I appreciate his enthusiasm.

Outside play to cure a sinus infection

The kids and I traveled to visit Granny & PawPaw last weekend. The weather was nice, and at least 10 degrees warmer than at home. That gave the kids a lot of opportunity to get outdoors and play. It helps that PawPaw & Granny's land is a big playland for their grandbabies....

We spent hours outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine. It was such a nice treat after being indoors so much this winter. It did us all a world of good.

The person who seemed to benefit the most was Jersey #5. I jokingly call him my "mountain man," because he loves the outdoors so much that he would rather turn purple from the cold than to return inside. He was thrilled to be outside all day long. What I did not expect was how well his nose would run while outside. He ran and played.....and Granny & I followed along, periodically wiping his nose. I will spare the full details, but let's just say that he was able to clear a ton of snot that changed color over time. His nasal sinuses were able to empty out quite nicely.

So there it is, from the kid who is recently allergic to antibiotics.....cure a sinus infection by going outside to play!

After a full afternoon playing outside at Granny & PawPaw's house (and going through a half-box of Kleenex), Jersey #5 had the best night's sleep in well over a week. He woke up the next morning a completely new child. He was no longer grumpy and miserable. His nose ran clear. He was full of smiles again. I am so thankful to have my sweet little boy back.

...and I hope Granny & PawPaw know to expect us over to play the next time he gets a sinus infection!

Sleeping Beauty

This is where I found Jersey #4 when she didn't come to the table when I called the kids to lunch...

I was amused for many reasons. The first one was that she was napping in her sister's bed, of all places. Second, she was still wearing the Tinker Bell dress up costume that I helped her put on so that she could join her older sisters in playing princess. They moved on from princess to restaurant, which is why she is sleeping next to the crate of play food toys. I am not sure how she halted in mid-play to take a nap. Her sisters continued their restaurant activities around her.

I took a few pictures of my sleeping beauty. She is such a pretty princess...

It is just odd that she would take a random nap before lunch. She gave up a daily nap about a year ago. Her schedule hasn't been altered lately to make her tired. I felt her forehead for fever, thinking she might be getting sick. She was cool. I decided she must be hitting a growth spurt, and needing more rest. I covered her up and tucked her in.

A few hours later, I received the answer to the puzzle. Illness. Jersey #4 spiked a fever later this afternoon. Her little body is fighting something.

Puke Bugs

Yesterday was one of those wild-n-crazy days of Motherhood. Two of my children were sick with stomach bugs, taking turns vomiting about every half hour. Every time I turned around, I had a mess to clean up and a sick little one to comfort. I accomplished very little in terms of household management, but I certainly tripled the size of the laundry pile. Ugh.

I converted the living room into an infirmary. I worked with the kids to teach them how to go to the toilet to puke. I ran a lot of warm baths (which helped with cleaning up the kids, but also helped to distract them from repeatedly asking for more to drink when their tummies needed some rest).

Jersey #3 seemed much better after a half-day of rest.

Jersey #4, on the other hand, caused me much more concern. She continued to vomit over the course of 8 hours. She was very pale. Then, she started to run a low fever. She sent me researching how long she could go on before needing to see the doctor, and what were all the signs of dehydration in a 2-year old. Had she not started to improve by bed time, I would have been making a late-night call to Granny....who is the queen of handling kids and vomit! (I personally put her through the ringers with my allergy to Ragu spaghetti sauce when I was a kid....until we figured out what I was allergic to).

Thankfully, by bedtime, this little gal was able to hold down some very dilute apple juice...

Sick children can certainly get Mommy's adrenaline flowing! I am always so thankful (and exhausted) when they regain their health.