Down for the Count

I don't remember the last time I ever had a cold like this one. Our whole family has been really sick. Everyone is taking some form of antibiotic. Jonathan is on his second round, as the first one didn't clear up his ear infection. Luis and I, since we don't have any prescription coverage, opted to buy antibiotics from the Mexican store in Anderson. A little risky, but the way I figure, if I had to put up with this sinus infection for another day, my head was probably going to explode anyhow. I feel like I dove into a pool and got water up my nose. Maybe a better analogy would be if someone stuck two water hoses up my nose and turned the spigot on full blast. Yea, that's sounds more like it. I have lost all sense of smell. so food has absolutely zero taste. (What a waste of calories-maybe it's time to start that diet I've been talking about for the last 10 years.) On a bright note, Lily's diapers are odorless...well, for me anyway. Unfortunately that means I don't know when Lily has a dirty diaper, until she does that "bottom scratching" dance on the carpet. Don't pretend you don't know what I am talking about-your kids have done it too. Yesterday, I got home from an afternoon at the doctor with all three children still alive, a feat in and of itself. I filled Jonathan's new prescription on the way to Josh's baseball practice, which, although he has a cough like a barking dog, I allowed him to attend in a moment of deliriousness on my part, and crocodile tears on his. I am very easily manipulated when I am incoherent. Remind me not to answer the door or the telephone for the next 24-48 hours. I got home from Josh's practice to find Lily waddling in the garage while she straddled her bulgy, soaked diaper, Luis sitting at his workbench trying to fix an engine under the influence of contraband antibiotics and large doses of pain killers, and Jonathan crying on the couch with green slime in his eyes. Instead of putting Luis to death on the spot with my evil laser eyes (which is what I wanted to do), I decided to extend the mercy rule, since he has been just about as sick as I have ever seen him, yet has not missed a day of work. I'm sure he appreciated that I spared his life. I told Jonathan to follow me to the kitchen, and I pulled out the new medicine. His crying went from a few boo-hoos to full blown wails at the sight of some other pink liquid he was going to have to ingest. I know the economy is tight right now, but you think they would always put a little extra medicine in children's prescriptions for those special times when the first dose shoots out of the child's mouth and lands on your shoe. Just a thought. We then went to the bathroom to wipe the radioactive goop from his eyes, and I sent them all to bed without brushing their teeth or taking their showers. Safe to say I am not winning any Stay-at-Home-Mom Emmy this week.


Today, I am beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel. Jonathan has his appetite back, Lily's nose is running clear, and Luis is finally able to swallow his own spit. If that's not progress, I don't know what is! Jonathan is back to asking me how to spell every word in the universe, and Lily has resumed climbing on everything that is able to be climbed upon. As much as I have needed a little down time lately, this is not the way I wanted it. I'll be glad when my family is up and running at 150% as usual!