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Oh my!
Relief centerWow, not only is it Friday already, it is also March 1 tomorrow! Where has the time already gone this New Year?
I had hoped to be back earlier with more posts; however as anyone who knows our family can attest to, there’s never a dull moment over here! My hubby's pneumonia seems to have disappeared just in time for our son to acquire a lovely cold and the onset of the chicken pox's grand arrival. We were prepared however, and did know it was advancing upon us, bracing ourselves for it's eventual appearance.
We knew it was upon us because our son had been exposed to an outbreak of chicken pox when visiting his nieces and nephew during his recent trip west, so it wasn’t a great surprise when the “spots” finally appeared, more relief they were here at long last. Though this wasn’t exactly the best timing for a visit with grandbabies under the weather, our family discussed the situation and the predicted exposure to such a thing before taking flight, and all concluded hands down they couldn’t imagine canceling the trip just to avoid it, nor take the trip and not visit them at all. Besides, the boys were eager to have their anticipated visit for meeting their new niece.
Two Uncles holding their new niece, Jacinta.
One has to weigh the odds against them in advance, and we concluded the people involved mattered more than the consequences of the exposure. Instead of being fearful of his exposure, our son preferred becoming a blessing assisting and lifting the youngsters' weary minds and bodies with his visits , including much play time, and that of becoming a great distraction to them all overall. He loved being with the little "Spotties", and surely it will be a memory with the ultimate and expected end result (grin).
Nana and the "Spotties"
Yes sir, another round of dot-to-dot pictorial play will eventually rotate from our youngest son to his younger sister over the next two weeks. Oh joy! In actual fact, we are quite relieved to get this childhood disease onward and over with here. It’s been long overdue to commence with the younger ones.
Keeping his nephew busy, taking his mind off spots.
On day one, when a few spots appeared on our son’s chest, he was very proud to have them and know it would be over in due time. He posed for my camera, lifting his shirt and grinning for all to see. He quarantined himself away by spending much time inside his “tent”, formed within the structure of the bottom bunk bed in our guest room. He took his schoolbooks with him, a few toys, a few books and things were just fine….until last night.
The grand tent has been occupied
in the guest room.
Calling him “Spotty” was an understatement, the itching episodes became frequent, and mommy began rolling up her sleeves, working hard with liquid relief for those dreaded itchies.
As the day progressed, I became a speckled sight though my dots were the pink spots on my clothing, my hands, my socks, and the hardwood floor underneath my feet giving me away to a humorous display of nurse play. As well, the eventual blended scents of calamine and lavender gave our home an uplifting and springtime smell.
So many spots he thought,
until the next morning.
As advantageous as it seems to get this behind us, and the experience reminder from six other children’s episodes of the same disease, we knew this was just a wee honeymoon before the tough moments were about to begin. By late evening last night, a low-grade fever and a mighty stuffy nose began to plague our son, sleep was not easy as he became quite dramatic over time. After the umpteenth application of lotion near
In everything, there is a promise though, this too though shall pass and it will soon become his younger sister's turn.
