Winter (un)Welcome

Over the past few weeks, winter has begun to make it's way here in the south. It has been unseasonably cold, getting down to the 20s at night. Coming from CO, this is nothing--no snow, minimal ice, but down here, that's cold. As a result of the temperatures, the dry blowing heat inside, and the various germs that are making their seasonal rounds--both Ava and Karsten became extremely sick this week. Karsten was diagnosed with RSV, which is a respiratory virus and Ava probably has the equivalent, only it shows up as a nasty cold in older children. RSV can be a scary thing in babies, causing them to struggle to breath. So I do nebulizer treatments every 4 hours on the baby and have been asked to carefully monitor his breathing. It has been a hard week to say the least. Lots of crying, lots of mucus, being puked on daily, sleepless nights, three visits to the doctor this week, and a generally sad disposition had by all. It has been especially hard having John away. I know he is worried, misses the kids and I & wishes there were something he could do. I would gladly take the help, extra sleep, and someone to cry to in frustration. In spite of it all--my kids are troopers, finding a reason to laugh and smile in the midst of discomfort. I so hope they are better very soon!