Our poor little family has had a terrible time with illness the last two weeks.
The boys and Girl came down with a stomach flu (Boy Two brought it home from school, wasn't that thoughtful?), but it was pretty mild with them. Then Daddy and I came down with it and it wiped us out. For five days I couldn't eat anything, and just the smells from the kitchen were enough to make me nauseous. It was like being pregnant, without the benefit of having a baby to show for it. I lolled around on the couch Friday through Tuesday and was grateful for my sweet kids: Boy One took charge of making meals for his siblings, while Boy Two and Girl brought beverages and blankets to Daddy and I and gave us kisses.
If you have to be sick, its much nicer to be sick when your kids are old enough to take care of you.
Then Tuesday through Friday Daddy was out of town (well, away from home). He drove out to a client site in Boardman, then drove back to downtown Portland for work supplies, then back to Boardman, then got trapped in Hood River due to the Bad Drivers creating havoc in the Bad Weather, etc., etc.
While he was gone Girl was feeling worse and worse due to complications from her stomach flu and the colds that all the children were warding off. On Wednesday night after I put the kids to bed I remembered that Girl had asked to sleep upstairs in my bed the next time Daddy was out of town. She was still awake and amenable to the idea when I went to her room to check on her, so we gathered her Strawberry Shortcake blanket, Dolly, Fauna, princess pillow, cup of water and flower night light (whew!) and lugged them upstairs.
Now, I was a little selfish and reluctant to share my bed because, frankly, my best nights' sleep are when Husband is out of town and I have the bed to myself. Finally, no one is hogging the blankets or snoring, there are no alarms waking me up at 3:30am or repeated midnight phone calls from frustrated employees or clients. But I chivalrously gave up my coveted solitude and shared with my daughter.
What a great decision! I don't usually go to sleep at 7:30pm, but I made an exception. She watched me slather my hands with my favorite Lemon Cream lotion (a regular nighttime ritual) and I offered to put it on her hands, too, which she loved. I also rubbed it on her feet, something I've never done before. Then we laid in the dark and I sang 'her' song to her (Just A Closer Walk With Thee) and a few more hymns, like I sometimes do during the day while I work. That led to some good conversation about God and Mama's usual Wednesday night Sabbath routine. I find that of the three, Girl is the most sensitive of our children to our faith, and I'm always trying to exploit that. Finally, she fell asleep telling me a very long, rambling, involved story the gist of which I don't remember in the slightest.
I have to remember to do this again. The children really enjoy the undivided attention when they get it, which isn't often enough.
Daddy finally came home late Friday night and was home Saturday morning (before heading back to Boardman), during which time he took Girl to the doctor's and she was diagnosed with a UTI. Ick. But at last, after three fulls days of antibiotics, she seems to be back to normal. **huge sigh of relief**
The best part of the last ten horrendous days was going grocery shopping yesterday and seeing the aisles, mounds, mountains of bulk Easter candy just waiting to be purchased and brought home and displayed in little glass jars to tempt and discourage us. I restrained myself and only bought six kinds. I'll get the rest next month.
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