We're alive!

First and foremost... Thanks to so many of you for your sweet emails and phone calls. I am alive -- barely (LOL) but still here. It's been a really rough last two weeks -- health wise, and hopefully after today we are on the mend.

In a nutshell -- last Friday (as in the day after Valentine's Day) Matt came down with the flu. He started feeling better Saturday afternoon, so we went out to dinner with several sets (5 or 6) of our neighbors. We had a great time, but later that night it became apparently clear that Matt had not recovered. He was sick until Wednesday -- that's right -- almost an entire week of the flu!

Then on Thursday, Caleb woke up from his nap with puke all over his room. All over his bed, all over the floor, all over everything. YUCK!

Saturday night/Sunday morning, Katherine woke up screaming. As you guessed, she also had the flu and threw up all over. It only lasted for a day or so, and I really thought she was on the mend. I sent her to school on Monday and then Monday night her and I were both throwing up. We spent all day today on the couch, and thankfully my mom came over and helped out with Caleb. My goodness! I'm not sure how much more of this I can take! Literally, I'm so sick and tired of being sick and tired that I'm ready to scream.

For me last week was horrible... Without boring you to death with all the details, I was so sick that I didn't even open the laptop -- no checking emails, no blogging (obviously), and no surfing at all.... I spent so much time in bed, that I was seriously concerned that I'd get bedsores! Unfortunately, it's NOT funny!

One thing that I have to share about my little man. My dad has been coming over on Saturday mornings to play with the kids and hang out. I was still in my jammies, sitting at the table and trying not to puke. (Shocking I know....). Caleb comes up to me and asks to sit on my lap. This in itself is shocking, because when his beloved pop-pops is around, no one else exists in his world. Literally. He's such a pop-pop's boy it's crazy! Anyway, he comes up to me, sits on my lap, puts his little hands on my cheeks, and says "I yyyyooove you Mommy" no less that 20 times. Then he starts asking for kisses. Talk about melting my heart! Man, that kid definitely does. He's got me sooo wrapped around his little finger! Later that day, I was on the couch praying I'd start feeling better and he comes up to me, and says "Mommy, you so purrty". Love him! I swear, he's got my number! LOL.

One other small rant that instantly comes to mind.... This winter has been horrible! We've had more snow and ice that I care to think about, and spring can't come soon enough. Anyway, on Monday, it was predicted that we'd get an ice storm followed by about 4 more inches of the white stuff. YUCK! Since it was raining that morning, I really wanted to drop Katherine off at the door at preschool, but in true Katherine fashion, she wouldn't hear of it. So we all pile out of the car in the pouring rain and start walking across the parking lot. Katherine is in front of me, and I'm loaded down -- umbrella and all of her random school stuff in one arm, and Caleb in the other. As we approached the drive up lane, a car motioned us in front of them. All of a sudden, we hit a patch of black ice and all three of us went down -- hard. I took a HUGE gash out of my knee which I'll be shocked if it doesn't scar, and Katherine fell face first into the curb and ended up with a bloody chin. We were all crying! Thankfully, one of the teachers came and picked her up, another one took Caleb and there I sat, in the pouring ran, with a bloody knee and two crying kids. The good news is this... Caleb wasn't hurt at all. His hands "tingled a bit" but other than that, he was fine. I cushioned his fall. He was, however, VERY CONCERNED that the car would run us over! Oh, the things they think of!

Why am I bringing this up??? I know that as a parent, I baby my kids more than some (actually most wouldn't be a stretch). If they get hurt, I'm the first to make sure they're OK. I coddle them. After all, they're my babies and they only stay little for a short time, and I honestly cherish every moment with them. OK -- maybe not the puking moments, but that's what their dad is for! LOL.

Anyway, I have so many friends that when their kids fall down and skin their knee, they instantly tell them that they're fine and to get up and shrug it off. One question... do you NOT remember how much it hurts to skin your knee???? I was in pain all day! I swear it burned for hours and I couldn't bend it until later that night. So... when one of my babies falls and skins their knee, I will be the first to run over and scoop them up and make sure they're OK. I won't tell them to shrug it off and pretend it didn't happen. I understand the pain. Man... I certainly felt it yesterday! So go ahead and laugh at me all you want. A skinned knee hurts WAY more than it looks! UUUUUGH!

Here's to a better tomorrow!