Have you ever counted your door knobs?

My heart actually leaped backwards and my stomach tumbled(you know like when a child falls and skins a knee so deep, that the injury bypasses the red bloody level and the silver white layer is showing and familiar pangs of pain from empathy fill your heart) when the reality of  "welcome to the fall/winter sick season came with the words, positive for strep and she has croup."

The immediate thoughts are of course of Emmi and how she looked at me after the third round of vomit at 4 a.m. saying, "I just hate being sick mom, I wish this was a dream!"  The second, and almost first nature feeling that floods my every thought...What does this mean for Davis?  How to separate, yet stay together.  With lab results pending, I pray for high enough numbers to fight anything that may invade his system.  Ever since the suspect to this whole experience of recent months has been the flu, I have buried the fear of the fall flu season and what that might mean this year.

I have tried not to dwell, that for me, the dreaded  l o n g winter will this year be just that, filled with dreaded anticipation and l o n g.  I have secretly prayed for Mother Nature to maintain this Indian Summer for awhile.  I recognize the need for the season to change, but time and circumstances basically skipped summer this year, can I choose to skip winter as well?...Wait, oh yes, I'm not in charge.  Life lesson # 1 revisited.

After those random thoughts were pushed back for reality to begin, I began to count the many door knobs and handles to once again sterilize for the week.  Our plan of action after receiving slightly lower immunity numbers, yet still "hanging in there" numbers is to simply take what action we can.
 "Buy Lysol and Clorox stock" is on my to-do list. 

Emmi is quarantined to one bathroom, while Davis remains the only one in another bathroom.  The couch is covered with blankets that can be easily be removed and washed.  A designated drinking cup of the day for Emily.  Medication prescriptions filled.  I felt so normal for a moment at the pharmacy as I filled a "regular, in-stock, antibiotic and common second med for the grand total of $8.09.  Laundry..sickness laundry, self-explanatory.  Grocery shopping done for the week in anticipation of being home bound to some degree.  Once again reminders of wash your hands, cover your mouth and do not get too close to Davis, mixed with the need to console and hug the cute sick Emmi float through the air on a way too regular basis.  Emily states, " mom, you will have to touch everything for me when I need something so I do not get my sick germs on anything!"  We are definitely versed in battle against germ invaders!

I remember to breathe and pray with every breath that this round of germs can somehow elude Davis.  At least the prayer, that if he does get sick, his body will have the strength to fight.

Two days down.  Emily is doing better.  Even after play dough, 2 movies, pages of coloring, reading books and piano playing, she is so bored that when a friend brings her missed homework, she exclaims, " yes, finally, something to do!"

It is now 4:17 am, day 3.  I find myself at Davis' bedside checking a temperature after complaint of a sore throat and a stomachache.  Is the vomit from the regular drug induced upset stomach, or something different this time?  Tomorrow, Thursday, is planned only to the level of getting Davis to the Doctor to check for any indication of strep or flu, hoping not to gather any other germs along the route! 

Then...well, we will go from that point.

I am both exhausted just pondering the potential of this years sick season and buoyed up by the fact that we "survived" the last.  5:20 am.  I hope my mind can disengage long enough from all the swirling thoughts to relax and get much needed energy sleep to conquer and fight through this next adventure...which I'm certain is merely 'Round One'!  DING