Why I Haven't Had Time to Write

Just a warning - I am tired, and this is whiny. And kinda gross!

Yesterday afternoon before I took Ree to dance, I put chili in the crockpot to simmer. While she was in class, I stopped for a cup of coffee. All normal winter activities. What was not normal was the fact that I was doing all of this in t-shirts and flip-flops.

For several days we've enjoyed wonderful, warm, sunny weather. It has been so nice! It's hard not to just enjoy life when the temperatures are in the 70s, and warmth at this time of year feels like a vacation. Plus it's been really nice to air out the house, which it desperately needed because we can't seem to get well.

Someone in our house has been sick at all (?) or almost all (?) times since the weekend before Christmas. Nothing too serious, but it's enough to be annoying. Jeff's birthday was on Saturday, and once again we were unable to celebrate something on the right day because someone was sick.

We've mostly had colds with various symptoms, but this round seems to be a bit worse. Last Thursday night Michael went to brush his teeth before bed, and as soon as the toothbrush touched his mouth, everything he ate that day came out. All over the bathroom. While he just stood there. Amazingly, Michael seemed much better on Friday, and he was able to run errands with Jeff.

On Friday afternoon Ree came home from school and slept. And slept. And slept. She normally avoids naps like the plague, and she didn't get up for dinner or snacks. On Saturday morning she seemed somewhat better, and she wanted to get out to celebrate Jeff's birthday. She didn't have a fever, so I gave her some ibuprofen to help with the exhaustion and achiness, and we went to Barnes & Noble and out to lunch. After lunch the kids all took naps, and when Ree got up one of her eyes was swollen shut and extremely red. I couldn't help but wonder if we threw pink eye into the mix. Good times!

Saturday night Michael couldn't get off the couch after dinner, and he asked Jeff if we could postpone Jeff's "party" (opening presents and having desserts). Jeff agreed, and it was a good thing, since snack time brought on an encore performance's of Michael's Thursday night's fun.

Sunday morning Michael felt better, Ree's eye looked normal, and I was done with everyone being sick. Natalia and I headed out early to stock up on cleaning supplies and fresh fruit and yogurt to boost everyone's immune system. We got back, and I went to town wiping off door knobs and light switches. As I was cleaning, Natalia was getting clingy, but it was close to lunch time, and that's just Natalia.

Natalia didn't eat much lunch, she kept asking to nurse (at a really odd time), and she told me her belly was "ow." She was right, and soon she joined the crew throwing up everywhere. For about 18 hours, she was throwing up just about everything, including water. I felt horrible during the night when she kept begging for something to drink and I had to tell her no. Thankfully, she is a smart girl and could at least somewhat understand when I told her she could have a drink when the sun came up in the morning. And thank goodness she does still nurse. She was able to keep down what little breastmilk she got.

So, let's see, that brings us to Monday. Natalia was feeling better, but still not eating or drinking much. Ree went to school and to dance. After dinner, it was Leon's turn to get sick. During the night, Jeff and Ree joined in the fun. I will say we hit a major milestone last night. When Ree got sick, she got herself out of bed and into the bathroom. I found her hunched over the toilet. They never mention that one in the baby books, but having a child who recognizes they are getting sick and does something about it, is HUGE!

I will cut off my whining there. I think it's time to look at a few things I am grateful for.

1. Having a washer and dryer in my home. We have done at least 3 loads of laundry every day for about 5 days now. I can't even imagine the hassle or expense of lugging that stuff to a laundromat.

2. The warm weather. It makes everything better.

3. Having a job that offers sick leave, an environment that supports actually taking it, and the ability to work from home.

That's it from our house. Hopefully I will have something more fun to write about soon, and hopefully everyone is well in your house!