Germ Warfare
January 09, 2013
FIRST WAVE:
Child #1 coughs once. Maybe twice. That is the end of it, and also the beginning.
SECOND WAVE:
Child #2 starts coughing all over the place. Especially at night, or at 5 am in the morning. They also develop a runny nose. Any tissue that touches even the outermost bare edge of their nostril is immediately discarded in utter disgust because BOOOOGERS. Yet there is no such similar aversion to walking around with their sleeve as a reusable snotrag all the livelong day.
THIRD WAVE:
Child #3 comes down with the bug just as soon as Child #2 has thrown out the last perfectly usable tissue, and comes down with it HARD. Coughing, hacking, sneezing, wailing, gnashing of teeth, tearing of garments, hurling of sippy cups, etc. Maybe they toss in a fever, just for fun. Sleep goes all to hell, unless Child #3 is held upright by you, with your shirt/skin/hair as the resuable snotrag while they sigh and moan pathetically. You perform this job gladly, of course, because snuggles are snuggles, bitchez. And hey! At least it's not barf. This time. Yet. Oh, God.
(Note that if you make it through this wave without a middle-of-the-night ear infection, it will be a goddamned Christmas miracle.)
(Yup. Hi.)
We were deep into the third wave yesterday, but thankfully Ike woke up this morning greatly improved. Which means now we get to sit around and wait for the FINAL WAVE, which usually comes right after Children #1, 2 AND 3 are back at top speed and full volume, and consists of the worn-to-a-nub parents (who, as a reminder, have likely not gotten an uninterruped night of sleep since at least the second wave) getting whacked at the kneecaps with the worst cold of their adult lives. Or the worst cold since the LAST worst cold of their adult lives.
Anyway, I need to go take some zinc or vitamins or antibacterial soup tea or whatever, and wash my hands up to the elbows for the 20th time today. Also, does anybody know if you can just hose a house down with bleach? Asking for a friend.
I am so sorry. We've had The Barfs in our house, and I shit you not, I Lady Macbeth'd my hands UNTIL THEY BLED. I had to apply Neosporin with pain relief last night. To my hands. From washing them.
Godspeed, Amy.
We start using Lil Critters Immune C supplements this year and our overall family health has improved. It has zinc, vitamin c and echinacea, and the kids will actually take it...
Mix about a TBSP of bleach into a 20 ounce spray bottle of water. SPRAY ALL THE THINGS, including furniture - of course test it on a spot, but it did not do any damage to our dark taupe couch or the dark red and purple throw pillows. Good luck sister.
Sounds mucus-ee and very unpleasant...and yet sick Lil' Ike is SO squeezably adorable.
May the virus leave your house without further causing mischief!
You're lucky you got 3 warning waves - it was a tsunami of puke in our house last night.
Oh and the sickie in question just looked at your photo and said 'baby' (which sounds like beebee in our house) a zillion times. She's still feeling puny, but at least she can keep down pedialyte and a waffle...
Seriously, that face. Omg.
I swear you blog everything I would blog if I got off my ass and blogged. Today marks 23 days straight of some nasty respiratory thing my three have been passing around. That would be EVERY single day of Christmas vacation. Last night, as I sat up with my 19 month old again (who after a relapse was finally okay last week) because he couldn't breath again, I kept chanting it's not barf it's not barf oh god no barf.
Feel better soon. :(
In the FINAL WAVE here...
I was thinking Hazmat Footie-Pajamas for the next go round...
How about opening all the windows wide, and leaving the house for an hour or two while everything airs out? Bonus: you get out of the house.
Poor Ike looks so pathetic. I think we are in wave #2 but possibly moving into wave #3 as the littlest is acting more fussy and pathetic by the hour.
When the boys start this, my husband and I do a prevetative nasal rinse to try to prevent the final wave from beign so bad!
Omg, poor baby Ike. DO you realize he looks EXACTLY like you? THat picture is you holding a small boy version of yourself. Hope neither of you get the cold.
Oh my heavens, I'm sorry. I think we've had a cold that we've been juggling back and forth for approximately the last six months. Every time I think I've gotten out, the critters haul me back in again. And it's never bad enough to really slow them down. It's just irritating to me, and there's snot everywhere. Uck. I feel for you.
Oooo middle of the night ear infection. I didn't know those existed. After last Friday night/Sat 545am..I do now. Suxor.
Jean took the words right outta my mouth--He Looks Just Like You !~! my daughter looks just like TheOtherGuy and so when I see a kid that smacks so of the mom, I get a teeny weeny bit JEALOUS... nothing harsh or uneasy, just a longing for a progeny that favors little-ole-mama.
I hope to hell and back that your household recovers from this yuck and enjoys the winter. Living in SF, I cannot imagine winter, but Hey, y'all must see something in it to stay there....
HazMat Footie Jammies sounds like a good idea. We are now entering Round 2 of Us vs the Flu. Yes, we had flu shots. Yes, 3 out of 4 of us had the flu already. Yes, we took TamiFlu. Lo, the Mighty Flu Bug Careth Not. Sigh.
At least you can remember it fondly with that adorable picture? Sick snuggly babies are the sweetest.
Was going to stop lurking and tell you how I've just found your blog, and love it...but then I melted entirely at the little one's beautiful/pitiful big eyes and got all "awwwthepoorsickwiddle" and can't type now.
So that happened.
Sick kids I can handle. Grown-ass men who act like little bitty tit-babies when they're sick? Ummm...not so much. Seriously, dude? You called me all the way upstairs just to fluff up your pillow? You're lucky I don't hold it tightly over your face until you stop struggling!
Make a solution of 90% water and 10% bleach and put it in a spray bottle. Spray everything, and wipe up with paper towels.
Wash all sheets/pillowcases in HOT water.
We just made it through our plague as well. Best of luck to you!
I didn't think any baby could look more pathetic than Ezra when sick, but now there's Ike with that sad widdle face, omg. Feels better, y'all!
That is the most pitiful face I've ever seen......we've all contracted whatever this awful thing is going around. I'm tired of buying bleach and paper towels.