Parenting While Sick -or- "Sorry I Didn't Mean to Sneeze on Your Head"

Mama, if I grab my feet will you feel better?

I don't remember my mom being sick while I was growing up. Of course she got sick, (she is only slightly less than superhuman) but I think I was generally pretty oblivious to what was going on around me and never noticed. I just survived my first Sick Week as a mom and the thing that really struck me was, "Mom did this with THREE of us." How the hell did that work? I felt awful on Monday. Just terrible. If I held some crappy retail job, I would have absolutely called in. How do you manage three kids while feeling that way? Of course, the answer is the same for most parenting questions: you just do. The same way new parents get through the sleepless nights and diaper blow-outs. If you try to think about the logistics of it all your brain might explode.

I suspect that being sick with a young baby is probably one of the easiest times to be sick. Our routine didn't change that much apart from more cuddling on the bed and couch and trying to keep The Buddy from stealing my used tissues. Hanging out with a super smiley baby makes up for not being able to breathe through my nose.
On top of various respiratory atrocities, being sick totally messed up my schedule. I hate that. We don't have a very rigid schedule at all, but I like to think we have some semblance of a routine. Everything just felt messed up: I have a new gym membership but didn't go once last week. The floor was apparently vacuumed sometime but you couldn't tell by looking at it. I'm trying to start baby signing, but kept forgetting to actually use the signs. Blerg. This week will be better. And now Doug is sick, so I'll have two babies to take care of.

Necessities this week: Tissues (Costco-sized boxes), lanolin, Brussels sprouts, slippers.