Tag! You're Sick!!

It’s been an exciting game of pass the bug here at the Grenstead for the last few weeks. It was slightly annoying but still in the realm of amusing when the first illness made its way through our usually impenetrable immune systems. However, our sense of humor about this issue has diminished now that a new pathogen has begun its rounds a mere two days after the house had resumed its typical state of health and wellness.

Our microscopic friends first took up residence in our home a day or two before our friend Elsa arrived for a weeklong stay. Typically, our hospitality is a bit better than the snot-covered reception Elsa received, but we comforted ourselves with the knowledge that Elsa herself stepped off the plane with a minor cold of her own. All was fair, we reasoned.

Elsa was in town to make good on a wonderful birthday gift she had given to Moonshot back in May. It was a coupon for sanity. It granted Moonshot help around the house, a girl’s night out, a date night with me, and a few other such things. Basically, she came to shower my wonderful wife with attention and aid. That was the plan anyway. And to some degree, the plan was a success. We did, in fact, achieve each of the wondrous feats promised by the coupon. We strolled about the Botanical Gardens, Moonshot and I had dinner out and a nice stroll through Old Town St. Charles, and the girls made it to the theater to see Evenings. The time in between such feats, however, was predominately spent resting, moaning, and recouping for the next feat on the agenda.

The first illness made its presence known in me. Sore throat, general sense of blaaah. The kind of sick that you wish was just a little less horrible so you could function better, or just a little bit worse so you could feel justified in curling up in bed. It did neither. It stubbornly hovered in that functional but miserable area for a few days before jumping ship to my wife and daughter. I would return from work to find Moonshot and Elsa sprawled on the couch dabbing their noses and Norah sitting with a blank expression…a slug-like trial of snot escaping her nostril.

I was upset for my wife that the timing was so horrible…decreasing the enjoyment of her birthday present and all. However, I couldn’t help but feel that Elsa’s presence had been, in some ways, well timed. We actually made it through a week with a sick child and were willing to file it under “slightly annoying.” That alone proves Elsa’s impact on events.

Elsa went home on Monday, the first day that everyone felt pretty close to being themselves. We were given one day of mucus-free living before a second wave of invasion dragged us back into painful throats and chapped noses. Norah sleeps poorly, snoring and waking to cough. This lack of sleep leads to general grumpiness that must be dealt with by parents who are themselves battling the round-robin outbreak and not much in the mood to listen to a little girl shriek and blow snot bubbles just because we took away the remote control.

Currently…I’m remaining relatively untouched by this bonus round…but I figure I’ll get hit just as Norah and Moonshot recover. It adds a nice layer of symmetry to the whole endeavor