There’s an Upside to Everything

Where oh where has my thankfulness gone?  It’s not that I’m not thankful, I am!  It’s that there’s an awful LOT of cr*p hitting my fan these days and I find I’m a bit too busy to write.  I do tend to think thankful most of the time (though we all have our weak moments).  It’s part of my happiness project to be cognizant of the good things I’ve got going on in my life. 

Still, with the holiday season comes the flu season, the viral diarrhea season, the vomiting season, the cold season and… I know TMI but you get the picture.  Most folks I know with children with special needs go into isolation for this season.  I’m prone towards that tactic myself.  It’s not that my kids get sick more than others.  It’s that they just take a tad longer to recover.  That means that our illnesses tend to run together — or at least they feel like they’re running together to me — into one never-ending illness that lasts from October to March.  And, if we’re lucky (we weren’t last year), we won’t collectively end up in the hospital with pneumonia! 

So last weekend, we managed to clear the gastrointestinal viruses that hounded us for 6+ weeks… FINALLY.  And we quickly nipped the follow-on cold-induced sinus infections in the bud with strong antibiotics.  Thanks Doc Zaso!  Then we had 2 — count ’em — TWO fun-filled days when, in the words of the Sarge’s favorite Chef, “BAM!” my Little Man woke up at 3 AM with the stomach virus.  In my gut, I knew it was coming.  Not because he was acting funny but because I’ve been hearing all the nightmare stories from school; one in which 13 out of 20 children vomited in one kindergarten classroom  in one day (not ours, thank God).  Slipping and sliding… enough said… you get the picture!  That’s cruel humor along the lines of Monty Python but with 5-year-olds.  So NOT funny!

So there really is no rest for the weary!  And I’m weary all right!  In spite of our self-imposed quarantine — except for school where the gruesome scene I just related occured  — we’re taking the hit.  I know school’s where he picked up the germs which means we’re probably dealing with a 36-48 hour incubation.  (Am I the only one who totally overanalyzes this stuff?)  That gives me one day for my Big Man to come down with it — that’ll kill Monday.  And another 1-2 days before my Old Soul gets hit — bringing us to about Wednesday.  With luck The Sarge being more at work than home these days — thank God for OT — will keep the germs at bay.   (No, not Occupational Therapy!  You’re thinking too much like the Mother of a child with special needs, LOL!  I’m talking about glorious pays-for-Christmas OverTime )  Still, Lysol be darned…no matter how diligently I clean up… and clean up… and clean up… it manages to spread in close quarters.

So where’s the upside, you ask? 

1.  By my anal calculations, we’ll be well for Christmas!  This time of year, that’s almost all that matters… no?

2. While my Little Man slept it off downstairs on the couch (under my watchful eye), Willow, the Old Soul’s cat, kept him company.  My Little Man LOVES the cat who rarely spends any quality time with him… him being a 5-year-old boy and all!  But this time, he got to pet her and fall asleep with her cuddled up by his side.  It was a grand gesture while he’s feeling so lousy.

3. My Little Man managed to mostly hold it off until we got downstairs to the one bathroom we have in the house.  God knows (and I know) that could have been a horrible, germ-spreading mess. But it was mostly contained thanks to his Big Boy efforts.

4. And, while we’re talking about being a Big Boy, I must commend him on his consistent use of the bucket.  So it’s only that first time that caught me off guard… took overplanned, hyper-prepared me by surprise.  After that, “Yes, NASA, we have containment!”

5. With something likely brewing in all of my kids (realist!), they’re sleeping in.  It’s 9:26 AM and not a creature is stirring!  So I get my favorite time of day — these beautiful, peaceful early mornings — to myself, to write to all you folks ;o)

6. I’m almost afraid to type this one, but it does appear most of the time that the Good Lord sees it fit to spare Mama from the plague.  I’m hoping that’s the case this go-around as well.  But I’m a big believer, so if you’re inclined, throw a prayer up into the universe for my kids and me to be spared, I’d surely appreciate it… and I’ll do the same for you and yours!

Here’s wishing you a Happy and HEALTHY, germ-free Holiday with an oversized can of Lysol in your Christmas stocking!

xo maggie

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