Down for the Count

All three of the Lovelettes have Coxsackie (Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease). If you are not familiar with it, be grateful. It causes high fevers and very painful sores in the mouth. Poor Lily hasn't really eaten anything (a bite of popsicle or ice cream here or there) for 4 days now. The worst part is that she is SO hungry now that her fever's gone but the sores make it impossible for her to eat anything. It is so heartbreaking to watch her take a big bite of biscuit only to spit it out, grab her tongue crying that it "howts my tum!" Or to watch her get so excited about eating corn but then sob pitifully, "howts too much".

We have a toddler bed in the middle of the living room for whoever is feeling sickest at the moment and we are on a continuous drip of ibuprofen, tylenol, benedryl, malox and PBS. Gus is nearly over it - today seemed like a real turning point for him. As I mentioned, Lily has it the worst so far but I'm thinking she must be towards the end. Moses is at the beginning so his throat hurts but he can still eat some things (popsicles, pudding, yogurt, etc.) - his problem is that even with tylenol/ibuprofen his fever is nearly 103.

This whole thing is wiping us all out. David and I haven't slept for a couple weeks either because right before this we had some cold/ear infection episodes. And when they don't sleep don't nobody sleep.

Then there's the house. The other child. The child who is terribly dirty and uncontrollable. Even this kid keeps me up at night since our radiators clatter and clang every morning around 3:30 a.m.

All this to say that life is good. I'm grateful for a house of my own where I can let things fall apart without wondering if the evil landlady is going to stop by and question my sense of responsibility. I'm grateful for modern medicine, and since that's not working so great for us, I'm glad to know that this virus usually just lasts a week. I'm very grateful for a TV and really boring, old railroad movies that you couldn't pay me to watch but keep some happy. And I'm so, so, so grateful for the special surprise package that came in the mail today with gifts for me and my two sickest kids. Train puzzles, glittery red shoes, and the most gorgeous aprons that I've ever seen. SAVED.THE.DAY. And made us all feel loved. And sometimes when you are far away from the family and friends who would come and clean your house for you when all of your kids are sick getting an apron in the mail makes everything better. To quote one of our movie-friends from earlier today, "just a spoonful of sugar...".