Down, But Not Out.

This photo basically captures what must be going on in poor little Ava's head right now!

Her Mommy and Daddy are currently a mess and she is trapped in the middle :)

Remember when I said I was horribly sick while we were in Chicago?  Well that was apparently just the beginning of our bout with the flu.  Yes, we've both been bit by the flu bug of 2009.

I am pretty sure that I experienced the worst of it while we were on our way to Chicago and once we got there.  Fortunately, I never got the nausea part of it, just the bad cold symptoms like sinus headache, respiratory cough, chills, probably a lingering fever and exhaustion.  Perfect conditions for walking around a cold, windy city all day and night!  Anyway, I just endured it because we couldn't back out of going and I WANTED to enjoy the weekend away, which I did.  Not my preferred way to go out of town, but what are you going to do?  Sometimes life just works out that way.  It was also a total blessing in disguise to be at my sickest when I wasn't with Ava.  Honestly, I'm very grateful for the seemingly poor timing.  My Mother-in-law was a much healthier caretaker for her and had the energy I was lacking.  However, while I am now (7 days later) feeling mostly better, I still have a nagging cough and congestion that isn't going away with over the counter stuff.  So, I'll be making my way to the dr. today to try and get something to clear up the junk in my chest.  I haven't been officially diagnosed with the flu, but I'm willing to bet that I've just experienced it.

As for Travis, he seems to have caught an entirely different flu bug that hit within hours of us arriving at home on Monday night.  Seriously, he was "normal" the whole day while we traveled home, but within just an hour of getting here, I could tell something was wrong.  When my husband is sick, anyone who's ever known him could tell.  He gets very quiet and very still and he has no appetite.  TOTALLY ABNORMAL for him.  As soon as we picked up on it, he kept his distance from Ava and went to bed.  When we laid down that night, he already had a fever of 102.5 and felt so horrible.  Tuesday was more of the same.  I took his Mom back to the airport (hopefully unaffected by our sickness) and became the healthier one of the two of us.  Travis was banned from breathing on us and Ava and I have been on our own ever since.  After worsening symptoms and a fever that would not go away, he went to the dr. yesterday and took a flu test, which was positive.  While the swab doesn't tell you if it's seasonal or H1N1, the treatment is the same, and so he came home with Tamiflu and several masks to wear.

24 hours later, his fever has gone away and he is "better" although certainly not anywhere near his normal energy level.  He's had anti-viral medicine in him for 24 hours now and they told him he should feel drastically better within 48.  We'll see.  We are both washing our hands like crazy people and I am on a massive mission to disinfect our house today.  Travis is wearing a mask anytime he's awake at the same time as her.  Not fun for him and totally puzzling for her, but it's the best option we have if we all want to live under one roof.  I have a picture of him in it, but he won't let me post it :) The miracle so far is that Ava appears to be totally ok.  She is acting just as normal as ever, full of energy and raring to go.  She is sleeping great, eating like usual, napping and playing.  We are desperately praying that the Lord will keep a protective barrier over her because we are doing the best we can, but that only goes so far.  One of us has to take care of her and although that is falling on my shoulders, I'm not exactly 100% healthy either.

So, I think we are through the worst of it, but we're not out of the woods yet.  In God's Sovereign timing, we had her 6 month pediatrician visit scheduled for tomorrow and I am incredibly grateful.  They'll be able to check her over from head to toe and give her some of the vaccines she needs to stay healthy this winter.  Only because of His grace, I have somehow remained very calm through this whole thing.  I am totally sick of being sick and so ready for our life to feel normal again, but I haven't fallen apart with worry or felt like giving Ava away to the healthiest family I can find :) Watching the news is hard to do, because so many little ones are desperately ill with this and she's still so young, but I am resting and trusting in the Lord's care for Ava.  He is able to protect her, to care for her and to treat her with far greater wisdom and love than I am.  This is probably my first real test at being the "mom" in the house, who just has to suck it up and do what needs to be done, regardless of how I feel.  He has graciously given me just enough energy to get through the days and I am trusting that He will help us make good decisions about what to do.

We all need to get out of this house and get a change of pace today, although the reality of that is complicated.  A drive in the car may just be what we can handle.  Whatever.  I'm sure we'll both feel better tomorrow, with more drugs in us and more rest.  Will you please pray with us for our little Ava??  I know that I can't control what's going to happen or what she's already been exposed to, but I can ask the Lord to keep her body healthy and strong, knowing that He will provide regardless of what lies ahead.  The flu is so much scarier this year than ever before, but our God is so much bigger than the flu! Even in this, we can see His hand and we can feel His protection.

I hope you are all well and my unsolicited advice for you today is to WASH YOUR HANDS AND SNEEZE INTO YOUR ELBOW!!  

I hope to have a cheery post tomorrow, after we get Ava's 6 month stats and are both feeling better.  Because I know we will be.  At this point, the only way to go is up!  I've got to run, I hear some little chatter from someone's bedroom and she doesn't stay patient for very long :)