Funny in the Flu

"Tis the season to be laid low by cold and flu. Sunnyville is not immune to the season. In fact, it is my belief that all the vacationers arriving daily to our fair town bring their germs from far and wide, exposing us all only after they have distilled in the petri dish that is air travel. So, it comes as no surprise that Youngest is currently home sick.

There are many things about sick children and spouses that are no fun. I could write woeful tales of dealing with the crankiness and tears that preclude illness - before you have any idea there is a problem and wonder what alien or demon is inhabiting your child and how to get her back, or the adventure that is stripping and cleaning beds when the upset tummy has exploded in projectile vomit - at 2 in the morning, but why dwell? Each bout of the flu brings its own form of entertainment, and happily this outbreak has brought more comical moments than misery.

Take diagnosis - completing this with a pre-k child is a tricky business. They aren't so great at sharing symptoms, a condition that is clearly seen in Youngest coming to us with flushed cheeks and shivering with cold while radiating heat like a space heater to ask, "Am I still sick?" Hmm, let me think - yes!

And when asked where she feels bad I am just as likely to receive a full accounting of her small scratches - we adopted a kitten at Christmas - as I am to hear, "My neck hurts" or "My water tastes too funny today." From this I conclude cold with sore throat.

Then an intermittent cough appeared, so we revisited symptoms. When asked how she was doing I was told, "My breathing isn't going so well." Huh. That's a new one. So, I applied more Vapo-rub and tucked her into my bed to watch a movie - thank you TV programmers for choosing this weekend as a Disney movie marathon making the need to hunt for DVD's unnecessary.

However, even watching movies can be too much when you are a sick child. At least that is the only conclusion I can draw from her wandering into the kitchen as I prepared dinner to tell me, "My eyes aren't working when I lay down on the pillows." That's called sleeping, dear. 

And when she looks at me with watery eyes as I tuck her into bed mentally preparing sub plans for the next day, I do my utmost to avoid her breathing on me only to be foiled by a sneeze in the face as I lean down to give her a good night kiss. ACK! Get the sanitizer!