The Very Worst Part of Living with Kids

No doubt about it. Hands down! Germs are absolutely the very worst part of living with kids!! I've been sick more this past year than in the last five years. It's crazy! I think they are little incubators breeding, fostering and sharing the strongest and most intense germs known to man. They put everything in their mouths, touch every surface and no matter how much you disinfect, wash your hands, etc. there is no escaping it. Colds, the flu and viruses are just part of life with little ones.

Somehow it seems all that's needed to invite those buggers into our home is making plans. Funny how that works, isn't it? I had big plans for Restaurant Week, I had dinners coordinated with friends, reservations were made, and then it struck... Poor Lexi was the first to show signs, followed by Addy, and then, Frank. By the time, Frank was full blown sick, Lex was so dehydrated she had to be hospitalized. That's when we learned it was Rotovirus. Addy also needed fluids, but she was never admitted. It was bad, bad, bad. Frank was miserable, but heavy doses of Pedialyte kept him from needing medical care. Just when we thought we were on the path to wellness, not even I could escape the inevitable. All the hand washing, scrubbing, bleaching and disinfecting wasn't enough. Nick, Amy and Jeff must have immunity of steel because they were unaffected. The rest of us, though... Man, it was the pits.

Without kids of my own, I've never had to care for kids under the weather. With Amy and Jeff both working, I look after the kids 3-4 nights a week. The two weeks while the virus ran through the house was incredibly challenging. Sick kids are just pitiful. It's the saddest thing to see their spirit drained. You want nothing more than to scoop them up and make them well. Hospitalized babies just split your heart in two. I'm thankful that Lex was able to get the help she needed and only needed to stay for two nights. I know many families aren't so lucky and time in the hospital can be more common than time at home. I cannot imagine what they go through, but thank goodness for pediatric doctors and nurses that work so hard to make them well.