Sick Days

It used to be that when a stray stomach bug wandered into our home, he might pester one, maybe two of our children, before deciding sticking around wasn't worth his time.  Besides, this crazy lady kept chasing him around with a canister of bleach wipes.  YIKES!  Stomach bugs, during this blissfully healthy time, were few and far between - and rather mild, as I remember.  (It is quite possible that I remember this time of our lives in a fairer light than truth, but honestly, I don't remember many illnesses.)  Our exposure to germs was relatively low.  Geoff went to work in his law office and to church.  The boys and I went to the library, church, the grocery store, and the park.  We had a nice little circle of friends, all of whose mothers made sure they washed their hands regularly and stayed home when their noses ran.

Things have changed.  The boys, while not venturing out to a school to greet personally every germ brought in by every child in the town, now spend time with children who do, and so we meet a few more germs than we did before.  We had a couple more babies, too, and I find more urgent matters to attend to than bleaching the excersaucer every time anyone in the house sneezes.  Dishes, laundry, feeding healthy children, and yes, sometimes just snuggling with a sick child or reading a book to a healthy one while the sick one sleeps - these things take precedence over an entirely sterile environment, a concept that now seems ludicrous.  I haven't given up on keeping things clean, of course, but there's a lot more to keep clean.  I've traded my canister of disinfecting wipes for a can of Lysol, and spray it in empty rooms when I get a chance, but yeah...  with four children in the house, sometimes it's all I can do to keep the conveyor belt of pukey sheets and blankets running when a stomach bug makes himself at home around here.  Because the stomach bugs have changed, too.  They no longer pack for a one to three day visit.  No, they look at us and say, "We're moving in!"  and it's a week of crumminess for our family.  

This past week, for example, began with Andrew being sick on Sunday, followed by Geoff and me being sick on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.  We had a brief respite - just long enough for us to feel like we'd conquered the bug - and then spent Friday night and Saturday tending to Luke and Elisabeth as they battled sickness.  Somehow, John came through unscathed.  

I'm glad to report that we have all recovered.  We survived not only another stomach bug, but as posted about previously, the death of a kitten, an event barely lamented by my dear children.  I mention the kitten's demise only because I promised an update.  The kids handled the news remarkably well.  Their biggest concern was where the kitten was buried and how deep.  They're awesome.