Down with the sickness!

We have been very sick around our house lately!! I started a new job after coming back from maternity leave because I wanted more time with my kids and also I needed the flexibility so that when they got sick or couldn't go to daycare for some reason I had the availability to stay home with them. My new job has been very understanding to say the least. Since I started my new job in August, either one or both of the boys have been sick at least once every two weeks!! Needless to say I have been out of work a lot or working from home as the kids allow me. I have really appreciated every one's willingness to help out when possible. Since we don't have family in town it makes it so hard to juggle working, kids, and home life. We always manage to make it through either by getting my mom or Josh's mom to come in or we always have some trusty sources we can call in times of desperate need. In the last 4 months we have dealt with double ear infection, hand foot mouth disease, fever virus (twice), bronchilitis, stomach virus, and colds. As you can see it is nothing serious but as Dr. Talbot (we love her!!!!) says it is the time of year and their age, they are constantly hand in mouth and in each other's faces.

This is one of the tough times of a full-time working mom. Sometimes when they are sick and I have to call in reinforcements I feel guilty because I feel like I should be the one taking care of them when they are sick. To some extent that is true but there comes a point where everyone needs some help regardless of the reasoning and my help is needed a lot on the back end of the kids being sick when they just aren't quite well enough to send back to daycare. I just try to tell myself that help is not a bad thing even when you have to ask for it. I am a very hands on person and I like to do everything myself so sometimes asking for help AND accepting it is a very hard thing for me to do. I want to send out a very necessary thank you to everyone who has sent sweet cards, prayers and even just kind words or encouragement over the last few weeks. My boys have been sick a lot and I was getting very frustrated/stressed dealing with no time off of work and properly caring for them. We all seem to be on the mend now and they are both doing much better.

Look at these sweet little faces....they are so worth all of the stress and time spent juggling and taking care of their little sicknesses...I wouldn't have it any other way. Hopefully we can make it through Christmas without another sickness...wishful thinking I know, but hey you never know, it could happen!!

Despite all of the sickness I am so thankful for my "healthy children". My problems and their sickness are not even comparable to this little boy's blog that I have been keeping up with over the last year called "EB"ing a mommy http://randycourtneytripproth.blogspot.com/ which is written by a mother Courtney Roth about her son Tripp Roth who has a rare fatal disease called Epidermolysis Bullosa which he was born with and he was not expected to live past the age of one. He did and as he continues to amaze the doctors, he is currently fighting for his life. This condition causes sores and blisters to break out all over his body internally and externally. It is an extremely painful condition and I cannot even begin to imagine having to watch my child suffer the way that Courtney does every day and handling the situation with such amazing strength as she does. Please take a minute to read her blog, it will truly make you so thankful for your healthy children. Keep her and Tripp in your prayers as they are going through a very difficult time. I do not know Courtney personally but I cry every time I read her blogs just thinking of how much pain she has to go through on a daily basis just to merely keep her son as comfortable and painless as she possibly can. She has an amazing testimony and faith in how she believes that God placed Tripp here for a reason and he is keeping him here in his suffering for a greater purpose... She is AMAZING and so is Tripp!!! Our God is bigger than EB and I pray that his purpose will be fulfilled in Tripp's suffering!