Its that time of year. If a kid gets sick, everyone else comes down with it as well. Princess was the first to get hit. She has had this kind of thing before so it wasn't too distressing for her. In fact, this time she remembered what it was like last time. Unfortunately, she also remembered hating the medicine we gave her. Fortunately, she started having a sleep in the afternoons. Unfortunately, she couldn't share a room with Little Man in the afternoon because neither of them would go to sleep. Fortunately, she was able to sleep in our bed for a couple of hours. Unfortunately she sweats a bit when sick and slept on my side of the bed. Fortunately, DW promised to change the sheets. Unfortunately, DW decided to wait until Princess wasn't sick. Fortunately, I didn't know this until after the fact. Unfortunately, I know it now.

On Sunday, Princess was feeling much better but was still coughing a little. She was doing some drawing while I was cleaning up and then she sneezed. I said "Bless You" because she gets upset if you forget to say that. Then she called out to me. I looked over to see what was the matter and a fully grown live alien monster had burst forth from her nose. It was green and angry and looking to hurt someone. It was horrible and wobby and absolutely huge. I know I exaggerate sometimes but I think this beasty from the snot dimension was about the size on a fist. As any good father would do in such a situation, I screamed, only it came out like a strangled squeal. I leapt for the tissues. One, two, three... better just take the whole box... and perhaps a tea towel. And a bowl. Thank God I didn't have a camera handy or I would have been compelled to take a photo.

As I arrived in front of Princess in a clatter less than two seconds after the... let's call it a birth, Princess laughed. Not a giggle and not a raucous guffaw. More of a single, "HA!" The result was terrifying. The snot monster became like a great toad looking to mate, with a huge bubble swelling suddenly and threateningly. There wasn't much time. I threw the tea towel over the thing before it burst and quickly wrapped it up. It still amazes me that I could feel its structure and mass through the tea towel. I was just in time as I felt the bubble burst and heard the pop followed by a squelch. It was too much. I dropped the whole lot into the bowl at Princess' feet. It turns out snot monsters have roots, or maybe very long legs, but it didn't want to leave its cosy home in Princess' nose. I actually had to get a handful of tissues and drag the beast out. Later, Princess was laughing and I assumed she, like all kids, just thought snot was funny. Then she said to me, "You should have seen you face! It was like..." and she pulled a face that was probably very accurate and I guess I probably did look quite funny with my mix of horror, disgust and more horror.

Now Princess is pretty good about putting her hand over her mouth when she coughs. However, she doesn't seem to understand that after having coughed and prevented the spread of germs by covering her mouth with her hand, she now has a handful of germs. If her hand was wet, she would wipe it on anything handy, such as her clothes or Little Man. Perhaps she has noticed how well things stick to his hair. I suppose its better than last year when she would cough up phlegm and then find DW or myself and spit it into our hands. Obviously we could have refused to cooperate, but when its hanging from her mouth and descending toward the carpet, you do what you have to. The first time it happened, I picked up Princess and moved her quickly to the tiled area, but didn't take into account the sheer mass of the phlegm meant it had its own momentum and made a bad situation worse. So now I just catch it. Only this year, as I mentioned, she wipes it on stuff.

So it was pretty much inevitable that Little Man would get it, his very first cold. The use of a tissue is greatly enhanced by one's ability to blow through one's nose. Little Man, like all babies, has no idea how useful this skill is. Its not that he can't do it. In fact, he is extremely good at it. Only he won't do it if there is a tissue or hanky anywhere near his face. I said this once about Princess when she was the same age and it is true again. The little Poo Factory has expanded to Mucus Production. Its like following a snail. And now that he can walk, he is so very much faster and wide ranging than a snail. Also, he does this weird thing like when kids take a mouthful of water and push it backwards and forwards through their teeth with their mouth closed. Only, he does it without having taking a drink of anything. DW explained that what doesn't come out his nose goes into the back of his throat and often into his mouth. I'm starting to suspect that he has actually cut several teeth and has simply eroded them to nothing with his snot.

Fortunately Little Man quite likes his cold medicine. Unfortunately, he doesn't like panadol. Fortunately, he can't tell one syringe from another and so doesn't know which one he is getting until its too late. Unfortunately, he has learned how to spit out what he doesn't like. Fortunately, a dummy also acts like a plug.

Well, we are still not getting full nights sleep but I getting around five hours pretty consistently now. I've been covering the night shift because DW has also been sick and I can't do much during the day. Last night when I was putting Princess to bed, I was putting her wheat bag under the covers to keep her feet warm when I found a bowl. I figured Princess had been eating in her room, which is not allowed. I was about to remind her of that rule when I noticed that she hadn't been eating in her room. The bowl was still full of sultanas. Princess looked up at me as she realised I had found the bowl and said in an angry whisper, "I didn't want you to find those!" I guess that means we are into the next phase. Oh well. You have to admire her candour.

Ciao!

Thought for the Day: If Peter Piper peddled pickled peppers, the peddled peppers picked and pickled by Peter Piper would be Peter Piper's Pick of Peddled Pickled Peppers. And if Peter Piper picked a pickled pecker, who's pickled pecker would Peter Piper pick?