Peaks and valleys

Just as on Twitter there is ShitMyDadSays, my mom also parlayed advice and information to me throughout my childhood and early adulthood, though admittedly, without the sarcasm and black humor.  Most of the advice she gave me stuck, and a lot of it I will pass along to my children as they grow.   Among the most frequently offered were the following:

"Get an education before you get married or have children."

"I will not take care of any babies if you get pregnant as a teenager."

and

"Life is full of peaks and valleys."

This last one pretty well sums up 2009 for me, particularly the last 12 weeks since M was born.

M's birth was the peak, the highlight of the year.  It was also the beginning of a downward spiral into a valley of illness which my family has been trudging through for a long while now.  Viral pneumonia, pink eye, strep throat, double ear infections in all three kids, and RSV are the biggies since Thanksgiving.  This doesn't include all the little 2-day viruses that have hit all of us at least twice.

But I know that eventually we will get out of this valley and back to a peak.  It may be sometime in May 2010 when all the nasty viruses depart for cooler temperatures, but it will come.

I have been trying to find something positive about this whole experience, and I've come up with little.  There's just no two ways about it:  Illness in one's kids really, really, really sucks.  But I have found a couple snippets of silver lining in the dark clouds.

• M is not nursing well, so I now have a fabulous load of  breastmilk in the freezer.  I normally hate to pump, but it is a welcome relief given M's small meals at the moment.  My stash is ample for days in the coming months when I want to get out for some "Mommy Alone Time."

• D and I are in the battle together.  There is no way I could have handled all three sick kids by myself, so it has been a blessing that D has been off work.  He always takes this time of year off, and usually I am sick of him being around after day 2, but not this time.  Having 3 sick kids makes me realize how much I need his help.  

• M and G haven't been wheezing or experiencing labored breathing.  They are full of mucus, but it is coming out.  Though gross as heck, the RSV could be much, much worse. 

I am hoping that this is as low as this particular valley goes.  Though it could always be worse, I am beyond ready to get outta here and see me some peaks.  Hell, I'd be fucking thrilled with an extended plateau.