day one: sick

I feel like this is a repeat of when Brian went to Newport for the first time.  Only this time it's coughs and fevers instead of the stomach flu, and this time it's all three of them, instead of just McKay.

Brian left yesterday for Grants Pass.  Layla's been sick for about a week, and now the other two have joined her.  If I didn't hate that they were sick, it would be really funny to me that it happened again- my first day of being alone and someone gets sick.  Last night was one of the worst nights I can recall as a mother- getting up every hour with at least one kid- if not two, giving cough medicine, checking temperatures, nursing (bad little baby), giving Tylenol, getting drinks of water, watching Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at three a.m. because he was the only thing that could console a certain eight month old.   It's just not that funny after a night like that.

When I woke up at 8:15am this morning and not one of them was stirring after the wakeful night I declared it a jammie day and decided to keep McKay home from school.  I also declared it a cereal for dinner day too.  We needed it.  We watched movies and played and drew and organized.    
 
Just before bedtime we skyped with Brian and he gave us a tour of his new house.  We read him the books that the kids made today, and Layla was happy to see her daddy on the computer screen.

And now they're all in bed again.  This time I'm a little more prepared.  They're propped up on pillows so they don't cough so much.  They're loaded with meds and I'll re-load them again when I got to bed tonight.  The thermometer is next to their beds and I have a change of clothes ready for Ellery in case her new night gown proves to be too hot with her fever.

As prepared as I may be, I don't like this.  Nights are so hard when you're alone.  Nights with sick kids are a nightmare.  I miss him already.  It was really hard to not reach out and hug him as I was talking to him on the computer.  Thank goodness I will see him on Friday night.  That day and a half is what's keeping me going.

Hmm, is it December yet?