Be a Mommy First, Okay?

The winter cold and flu season has hit the Ford house... with a recurring vengeance.  It's not that either of the girls has been terribly sick for more than a few hours at a time, it just seems to keep coming back, over and over again.  We keep getting calls to come and pick up one girl, or the other, whichever one decides to spew all over the babysitter that day.  None of these illnesses really last longer than 24 hours, and usually by the time the girls arrive home, they're smiling again.  But it just, keeps, happening!

The first round of spewing came the day after I got my flu shot (better late than never).  I kept my fingers crossed that I could stay germ-free long enough for the vaccine to kick in.  But with throw up and fevers and coughs and boogers running rampant through our house, I was a little skeptical.  I am happy to announce, I made it through the 10-days germ free!  Bring on the flues!  

Last week I went to bed one night with a tickle in my throat.  By the next day I had a chest cough.  No sore throat, no runny nose, just a deep hacky cough.  By day three, the cough felt like fire in my chest (although still no sore throat) and by then coughing also made me feel like someone was whacking me in the noggin with a sledgehammer.  I was also utterly and completely drained.  Exhausted beyond belief.

One night, we were skyping with my parents, and my mom said to Gracie, "Gracie, you should let mommy go to bed early tonight because she doesn't feel well."  Gracie just laughed and said no.  Nanny tried to convince her it was the right thing to do, but she wasn't buying it.  She said I could go to bed when it was bed time.

The next morning, I dragged my ass back out of bed and got the girls and myself ready for the day.  On our drive to Nancy's, Gracie said, "Are you still feeling sick mommy?"  I told her I was, a little bit.  And then she told me something every mother knows, but we secretly hope our kids will forget... "I love you mommy, but it's your job to be a mommy first, okay?  You can go to bed at bedtime." What the damn hell?  Who told her that's the way it is?! She's right though... somehow everybody in the house can get sick, and yet it's always mommy's job to be a mommy first.  Sleep later.  Be sick later.  Got it. *sigh*  Here's hoping for a short flu season!!