The Plague has finally left us

Thanks for all the prayers. I tell you I needed every one of them. As it turned out, baby wasn't showing improvement on Monday, and she continued to be very sick. Finally, finally yesterday morning when we woke up she stayed awake for a while, got out of bed and walked around a bit, picking up toys and muttering to herself. She and I had been sleeping either in my bed or on the couch, with me sitting up and her on top if me. She wouldn't consider sleeping in her bed, or apart from me. I wasn't really comfortable leaving her alone either, as she had a horrible cough, and a fever that would come out of nowhere.

She had a day or two of HORRIBLE nose-bleeds. I never, in all my baby years, have seen such a sight as going in to get her after a nap in her crib, and having her be covered in blood, from head to toe. I can't even remember all the thoughts that ran through my head, but after 10 minutes and lots of washing and nose holding and baby screaming and trying to calm down the other freaked-out kids, and calling dh to come home, I was spent. And I think that was last Thursday. And then it just kept going - she stayed sick, and the rest of them dropped like flies, even dh on Saturday. By Tuesday night, I was just in tears from fatigue.

And then the clouds parted. Wednesday, baby's fever was gone, and she ate, and drank without me forcing her. She played, she smiled. The others where up and about. We had family dinner last night. Only the hold out 9 year old if feeling poorly, and we'll see today what that turns into.

Whew. What a ride. That was the first time so many kiddos where sick at the same time, and having dh sick, too, well, I don't want to do that again any time soon. Worry and fatigue put together are ugly, and never since I had all seven of these kids has it seemed like so many. I told my mom, "It really FELT like seven kids was alot when they were all sick." She said, "On a good day seven kids feel like alot. When they are sick, it probably feels like you have 14 kids." That about sums it up.

Now there's just lots of coughing going on, and I am still pushing fluids. It's looking up.

Funny thing, we have this new addition, and all that. When everyone was feeling so badly, they all wanted to be in the same room. So the smallest room in the house, the den, was the infirmary. It is right next to the kitchen, a bathroom, and has the TV in it. Worked well.

Statistics:

Went through 4 jars of apple sauce, two batches of Tapioca pudding, 9 boxes of kleenex, 2 liters of pop, 5 containers of O.J.,3 big bottles of apple juice, 9 episodes of "The Lone Ranger", over and over and over, 4 bottles of children's motrin, a phone call to the doctor, 3 containers of Clorox wipes, and 2 new humidifiers.

Okay, I am going to stop whining now. All is well again, and I am grateful beyond measure. Praise God!