Damage Control

At any given moment, I could take a picture of the pass through, and it would speak volumes about what’s been happening in our family. It’s not just a little window into the kitchen. It’s a window into our family life.

First, a little timeline:

Tuesday, January 27. I’m in California and my mom tells me that Logan falls asleep on the couch after school. I wonder if he’s getting sick because that is very un-Logan like. Camryn starts getting congested and snotty.

Wednesday, January 28. Still in California. By evening, Logan is definitely not feeling well.

Thursday, January 29. Logan is sick, running a fever, and coughing. Derek gets home from work that night and feels like he is coming down with something.

Friday, January 30. I arrive home at lunch time. Logan is better, Derek is home, definitely coming down with the bug.

Saturday, January 31. Derek can barely get out of bed. Connor starts running a fever.

Sunday, February 1. Connor and Derek still not feeling well, especially Derek. Camryn starts running a low grade fever. I start to feel a little sick that night. My chest feels tight.

Monday, February 2. Connor wakes up in a great mood, no fever, and he goes to school. Camryn is really snotty, but no fever. She’s pulling at her ears and I wonder if she has an ear infection. I’m definitely not feeling well, running a bit of a fever, coughing.

Tuesday, February 3. I’m still not feeling great, but I can function with ibuprofen. At Camryn’s 6 month check-up, the doctor finds ear infections in both ears. (Sidenote…she weighs 17 lbs 13 oz, and is 28 inches long.  She’s little compared to C and L, who were almost 21 and almost 20 pounds.  But all 3 have been 28 inches long at 6 months.)  She starts an antibiotic. At noon, the school nurse calls. Connor is in her office complaining of ear pain. We make a 2nd trip to the pediatrician’s office in the same day. He’s got minor ear infections in both ears. We get the prescription, but the Dr. wants us to wait and see if they clear up on their own since they aren’t too bad.

(meanwhile, Logan is still in perfect health, and Derek has fully recovered, too.)

That night, I start to feel worse.

Wednesday, February 4. I wake up feeling awful. Connor was up at 4 a.m. crying with ear pain. He obviously doesn’t feel well that morning so I keep him home from school. I start Connor’s antibiotics. Camryn starts running a fever again. I run a 102 fever all day. And Logan is running around, totally stir crazy because he feels great. Camryn sleeps practically all day. I sleep and do as little as possible. Even Connor sleeps on the couch. Logan does the opposite of sleep.

Today: I’m functioning again. No fever, just a painful, juicy cough. Connor’s ear just feels “funny” but doesn’t hurt. He doesn’t have a fever, so he goes to school. I had lunch with him, and he’s feeling good still, thank goodness. Camryn is running a low grade fever, even though she is on antibiotics, which makes me think that in addition to the ear infections, she’s now got the virus that we’ve all had.

And today, I get to start the clean up. Damage control. Here’s just a sampling of the mess…