That Dang Wilbur Flu

Okay, so I HIGHLY doubt Fam Och (minus Daddy Och of course) had a personal encounter with this pandemic...but for a while there, I was a bit worried. For the past week, we have been cooped up, wiping snot, hacking up bits of lung, and praying for death to come and end it all. And yes, you read correctly...WE...not I...nor she...nor he...nor they....it was ALL of us. All four of us in varying stages of the sickness (Liv, Soph, myself, and Dyl in that order) hunkered down and waited for it to fade away. While Mister D missed a whole week of school, we lived off of microwaved dinners, ramen, and quick minimal-exposure drive-thru take-out. And for that one day that left me in tears, the great Heps came to the rescue and brought over pizza for dinner. Laundry has accumulated into a hideous mountain that dwarfs the washing machine and my usually shiny floors have hazed over with layers and layers of dust and dirt and filth.

I was genuinely concerned I ran into some living petri dish of swine flu fresh from spring breaking in Mexico. But thank goodness, I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Today, I have been able to move without pain in my joints, and smile without any particular effort. BUT we all made it alive...or at least we're almost there.

This last week has undoubtedly been the hardest since L's been gone. Thank goodness he's coming home in less than 30 days!

Happy Easter

Easter week started off a bit bumpy...we were all sick...but, we managed fairly well despite the sickness and still had an enjoyable Easter.

A couple days before Easter, we managed to put together this Easter shortbread house. Can you tell who wasn't feeling too well?
Easter morning...the generous Easter bunny left all three kiddos a nifty little package by the fireplace.

Here's a sleep-deprived Liv managing to attempt a "cheese!" but fell short of opening her eyes for the camera.

Ready, set, go!!!

Each year, we hold an Easter egg hunt in our front yard. Usually, at this time of year, my tulips and daffodils would be in full bloom. BUT, the constant cold weather has led us to less than spectacular pics of the event.

Cousin Madison and Liv enjoying Easter bubbles.

Perhaps it is because L isn't here this year, I decided to forego the traditional rosemary and garlic roasted lamb. Instead, I roasted rock cornish hens served on a platter of cornbread stuffing instead. It just isn't the same without the hubby around.

Tease

Don't you hate it when that wave of relief washes over you when you assume the sickened kids are better and then have it come slamming down that you are undoubtedly wrong when the sickest one burns a fever again? GEEEEZ!!!! Liv's fever was all but gone by bedtime, but then by midnight, I flinched as I touched that hot little forehead.

It was my turn to be sick yesterday. I was relieved (rather me than the children), and settled in for a night of restful sleep. BUT, Liv and Soph took turns...Soph kept crying out in her sleep, yelling about Liv needing to turn something (who knows? that little runt can dream of anything), and then laying herself sideways on the bed and on top of Liv. Once I got her corrected and back to sleep, Liv will start screaming about an itchy foot and other nonsense. They took turns continuously, until three o clock in the morning, at which point, Liv decided to become fully awake and demand for food.

After feeding her and shoving a fever bullet into the poor baby, she finally fell asleep.

And so our bout with this evil evil bug has yet to conclude.

SICK SICK SICK

That's three sicks, for the three of us who are ridden with this crappy cold slash flu slash hand foot mouth disease. Waaaaah!

Earlier this week, Liv started the trend by surprising us with a lovely rash on the soles of her feet and the palms of her hands. Got her checked out...hand foot mouth disease. Two days later, the nose started to run...and run did it ever. With all that running, the fever jumped onboard as well. So in the last three days, I have probably logged in a total three or four hours of sleep. Ugh.

I don't give a * that it is a sign the body is fighting infection...fevers scare the crap out of me! I've already weathered Soph's bout with febrile seizures, I am deathly afraid Liv may take after her big sis and do the same. Bad thing with the little one, she REFUSES to take meds. The cocky docs think I'm exaggerating when I tell them about her antics, and insist it is a simple matter of shoving the medicine dispenser into the back of her mouth and squirting it in. SURE! It would work if she didn't lock her jaw down while she flailed her body every which way to escape my hold...and if she didn't sputter it out once the liquid got past her lips...and if she didn't have that uncanny ability to resist the reflex to blink and swallow when I blow on her face...and if she didn't give that heartwrenching, "Mommy, love you."...and if she didn't automatically puke if it ever got further than that.

Anyway, today Soph, jealous of all the attention being re-directed to her little sister, decided to become sick herself. She has a slight fever and a runny nose now. Fun.

To make things even more exciting, this morning, I felt the tickle in the back of my throat mushroom into a full blown stuffy headache and sore throat. My whole body aches. Wooohooo! Let's get the party started!

And as luck turns out, we were out of juice and Otter Pops...so I lugged all kiddos, my hair in a ridiculous state, snot smears all over my shirt (Liv's not mine), and trudged over to Walmart to grab necessities.

Thank goodness it's spring break and there's no carpool to do this week.

Nerves

Mr. D is the one of our three born with a halo; one to follow rules and always always eager to please. He prefers structure and routine, and definitely walks the line. The one thing that gets to me, however, is his (how do I say it delicately?) fearful nature. He is our worrier, concerned about sicknesses and diseases, backup plans, and schedules. But the one thing he is most afraid of is hypodermic needles. (Good thing, I won't have to worry much about intravenous drugs with him.)
But it's flu season, and Fam Och is the type of fam that benefits from the flu shot. Others do perfectly fine without it...we don't. And so, tonight, we herded the brood over to the flu shot clinic, and my little man reacted the worst of all three. He wouldn't stop talking about it all day, announcing his countdown in hour increments. I tried to reassure him as best I could, reminding him that he has received the same darn shot every year and he turned out fine. The logic seemed to escape him, and the countdown continued, but with an added,"Mom, don't get mad if I cry."
When his turn came up, he froze and tensed up and started yelling out loud in short bursts. L tried to distract him, but the only way he looked away was for L to grab his face and force it in the direction of the wall. He was so consumed with fear, he didn't even realize the shot was already administered.
Now, the boy is ten years old. L and I have realized that this may be a long-standing phobia that will accompany him to adulthood. We have tried all sorts of different approaches to address the issue: gentle re-assurance (it seems to feed the fear monster even more) and tough love (but we're afraid this will make him feel inferior). So as of right now, L and I are at a loss of what we need to do to alleviate his fears.

What would you do in our shoes? What fears slash phobias do you have? What do you do to help the issue out?