Illness Update, Winter 2008

Annie has the stomach flu. Again. I sort of thought that once you had that lovely virus, you were safe for a while, but I guess I thought wrong. So we spent yesterday and today out on the couch with a bucket, watching Cinderella umpteen times and trying to keep Jemma away.

On my top ten list of fears, I would list vomiting/whole family getting the flu. And this is its third pass at the house this winter. I am not coping well. I have broken out in hives.

I am supposed to go to Chicago on Friday morning. Apparently, the stomach flu strikes our house just when we're about to leave for one of our precious few getaways per year. That way, I get to spend the week before the getaway mentally counting how many hours it's been since the first person showed signs of the virus and then calculating when the next person is likely to be knocked down by it, and then worrying constantly up to (and a little past) that point, and then calling my in-laws and/or my parents to tell them that at least one child might puke all over their house while they're taking care of them, and then pack things like gallon Ziploc baggies in my travel bag in case I puke while on some sort of mass transit.

I have - had - given up complaining for Lent. You know, trying to be more positive and just not say the negative things I'm thinking, especially if I'm in a situation where I can't change it via constructive criticism. I've been holding up pretty well (even saying ridiculously optimistic things about the weather and how spring is JUST around the corner) until now. Now, I am going to do a lot of complaining about the timing of sickness and a lot of pessimistic wondering if this is how every single winter is going to be while I have school-aged kids. Now, I am going to say to Jason, half-jokingly, several times per week, "Put me on a plane." Now, I am going to call my dear friend's husband and beg him for some Valium. Now, I am going to decide whether or not to eat things this week based on how awful they'd be coming back up.

So that's what I'll be up to for the next few days or so. Just kidding about the Valium, kind of. But I am going to need something stronger than Benadryl to make these hives disappear . . .