The Sickies and the Stinkies

Last Sunday night, I heard Seth coughing in his bed. "Here it comes," I thought. Sure enough, when I woke Seth up the next morning, he sat up with a little scowl. "I have a cold, Mom, " he said.

But it didn't appear to be too bad. He bopped off to school, then he had a friend over in the afternoon. That night, as I was reading to the boys, I felt his hot little body as it snuggled up to me. I felt his forehead. "Seth, I think you have a fever," I said. "Let's check it."

It was 101. So I told him to go to bed and sleep in on Tuesday.

He was sick and running a fever pretty consistantly on Tuesday. He stayed home Wednesday and felt a little better, but the fever persisted. I had to get out to the store and to a nursery to pick up grass seed for Scott. As I was checking out of the grocery store, I reached down to feel Blane's little cheek, which was hot. Now it was two for two.

To bed they went, and I got them dosed up on Motrin. Then I started a little cough. I was supposed to help with the drama that night in the 2's and 3's class, so I called the teacher and told her I wouldn't be there. Home we stayed, and I started taking Zicam.

On Thursday, I saw a big improvement in Seth. He was really wanting to play more, though I was concerned that his fever might come back (it had done that before). But as we were playing a game in the living room, I kept smelling something distinctly funky. My two sick children had not bathed in a while, so I was not entirely surprised. "Okay, crew," I sez, "let's take showers."

So they took a very nice shower with strawberry kids' shampoo. I got them dressed in clean clothes and we resumed our play. But...sniff, sniff...I could STILL smell that smell!

I sniffed around Seth ('cause frankly, he's usually the culprit!). I still couldn't pinpoint it, though it seemed to be coming from him. Then I smelled his pants. Closer--definitely stinkier--but not quite on target.

"Seth, are your pants clean?" I asked him.

"Yes, Mom, I got them out of my drawer!"

Hmmmm. Then Seth said, "I think my knee smells."

Seth had skinned a nice big wound on his knee the other day playing kickball. Those large, scrape-the-skin-off wounds always take a long time to heal. In fact, we had been through several Band-Aids and I had finally covered it with a waterproof bandage so it wouldn't keep falling off. I had done that several days ago.

Seth peeled off the bandage. "Let me see that, " I said, and I took one whiff and nearly passed out.

Needless to say, we threw it right away, and I won't be getting those bandages anymore! It smelled almost fungus-y (which Neosporin does NOTHING for). So we opted for a nice airing, which worked beautifully. I did have to spray down his room and the living room with air freshener--it was that bad. The smell faded from his knee in a few hours (after all that great moisture under the bandage that the bugs were thriving in dried out).

Seth was back ato 100% by Friday, and the kids had no school because it was conference day. Then Zac began coughing. And we started the whole process again.

At this writing, Zac has a racking cough, but his fever is currently under control. Poor Blane is still suffering, with a fever that has popped up to 104 +. We are keeping him medicated and hydrated and watching him closely. I am cautiously optimistic that he will be improved by tomorrow. Please pray to that end.