December 20

Thank you for all the kind words about us getting well…you guys are just super nice.  We’re holding steady at 3 Vs. 3…Harper, Sol and Amon all tested negative for flu…virtual high-5s all around.  Since being on heavy meds and totally out of it for large parts of the day due to sheer exhaustion and just feeling like death in general, here are some things I’ve taken note of during our week with the flu.

**I used to be rock solid…like rock.solid.  Now I’m a big gushy mess.  I cry all the time and well, give me the flu and the water works go into overload.  I miss my Mom and just like a little kid, while feeling so sick all I want is my Mom.  This week is one of those where she would have taken off work in a heart beat and taken Amon to her house and let us all get better.  And don’t even get my heart thinking about how she didn’t get to meet Amon…buckets people, I could have filled buckets at this point with the tears I’ve cried over that little fact…she never saw his sweet face.  Gosh.

**Last night while semi trippin’ on really strong meds and unable to sleep I tried to figure out what we were going to do with Amon today.  I thought, “I can put out a Help Wanted facebook post”.  Clearly finding someone to watch Amon…hello…the cutest baby ever…would not be too difficult.  I figured I’d slap a cute picture up, add some facts like “world’s cutest baby” “most fabulous hair ever” yada, yada, yada “Did I mention fabulous hair” and we’d have us a taker for our little ace of hearts for the day.  In the end, Josh just called his mom.  A much better idea.

**I didn’t get much sleep last night and I’m not even kidding about some of my medicines wigging me out a bit.  Use Care When Operating A Car Or Dangerous Machines.  Yep, that warning is for reals.  I was a bit out of it this morning and apparently after dropping Harper off at school I came in and laid into Josh, while he was laying there in all his flu glory at 7am in the morning, because I thought the car broke down in the driveway.  He said I insisted the van broke down and that it was the transmission.  There was some yelling on my part and I may have used the word ‘damn’ thrown in for dramatics.  All I remember is crying on our floor and the next thing I knew I woke up in a pile of dirty clothes on our bedroom floor.  This flu thing is not for the faint of heart.  It makes you crazy.

**As Josh was proofreading this post he said, “You forgot to mention there was nothing wrong with the car.”  Yes, Josh Kelley, got up and took the car to the shop…almost throwing up in their waiting room…all because of my hallucination.  He’s a keeper.**

  **Josh and I got a good flu laugh when we decided to change our Christmas card picture to this one.  Thank goodness our Christmas cards have already gone out.  Merry Christmas from the Kelleys…and…you’re welcome.  #bestfamilyportraitever

**I realized this morning my monthly business tax had to be post marked today.  Really?  Today?  But I made it happen.  It was super windy and warm here in Tennessee, so wearing the exact same flu stricken clothes I’ve worn almost all week with hair that has not be combed in, ummmm, 6 days and barefoot, I dragged my achy body out to the mailbox…and stepped in a big pile of dog poop.  Yep.  It just gets better.

**When I was pulling out of the driveway to pick Harper up from school…same flu stricken clothes and week long uncombed hair…I did wipe the poop off my foot…the wind was blowing so bad I noticed our mailbox was open…and my business tax…that had to be post marked today…was not in the mailbox anymore…and our mailman had not come yet.  I then proceeded to make my way through our neighbors yards trying to find the envelope.  Flu stricken and breaking out in hot flashes, I finally found it 3 houses down.

**We’ve had back-to-back, to-back, to-back doctors appointments.  In two days every person in our family has had a doctor’s visit and copay.  Glad maxing out our family deductible and really sticking it to our health insurance was one of my 2012 family goals.  I kid.

**Huddy and Sol were suppose to be enjoying a Christmas movie day at their MDO today…wear PJs to school, eat cookies and popcorn, Christmas parties and book exchange kind of day.  When I broke the news they would not be going Huddy broke down in a big, loud teary mess of a cry…his little voice and his hot little feverish head just pushed me right over the edge.  I then warped into a 4-year-olds mind set too and started to cry…and loudly.  Josh just laid there looking bewildered, back and forth, between me and Huddy crying our big drippy loud tears.  We’re kind of dramatic.

**And tomorrow’s kindness isn’t going to happen as planned…again.  I shouldn’t be baking anything…for anyone.  Unless you want a flu sandwich.  But with all the pain and sadness going on in the world this week, we’ll spread some sort of kindness tomorrow.  I will forever believe that kindness, no matter how big or small, really matters.  It truly does.

Hope you’re still spreading kindness.  Hope your holiday is starting off sweetly.  Hope your house is flu free.  And hope you didn’t step in dog poop barefooted.  Here’s to the weekend.  Soak it up and enjoy those babies.

December 19

No post yesterday…were you worried?  Well you should have been 🙂 Apparently we welcomed the flu into our house and asked it to stay for the holiday.  Yeah.  It’s bad.  I’m miserable.  Josh is miserable.  And now Huddy is miserable.  Flu, flu and yes, more flu.  We’ve got an appointment tomorrow to take Harper in for a recheck…even though she’s already had a negative test…and for Sol to get checked.  Ugh…nothing says “Merry Christmas” like a house full of flu infested people…the coughing and snot and you can just feel the germs everywhere.  I’m a bit pissed about it all.

And yep…I did just post this most hideous picture of myself.  Keeping it real.  Maybe too real.  I need a serious shower…walk me through a car wash…that will do just fine.

Josh and I should probably go ahead and purchase some small stock in Tamiflu.  That stuff better work because it costs a pretty little penny…that’s for sure.  I felt terrible walking through Kroger…coughing and wheezing and feeling like I was going to pass out at any minute…all those unsuspecting shoppers were being exposed.  I felt like I needed a bio hazard sign taped to my chest and I just wanted to yell things like, “Clear the way.” and “Run!  Save your self.”  Poor unsuspecting Kroger shoppers…I still feel a bit guilty, but I had to make our much needed purchases.

It’s kind of funny, but yet, not.  Josh and I are still trying to figure out how tomorrow is going to work.  2 sickly flu parents who feel like death and just want to lay in bed handling one flu kid, 2 possible flu kids and a heart baby who cannot…do you hear me…cannot, cannot, cannot get the flu or we will be wishing you a Merry Christmas from the hospital.  I can maybe see the comical side to this, but ask me when we’ve found our way through this one.

And our kindness advent…well, I’ve waved my white flag and decided the Kelley’s kindness acts will be keeping our germs to ourselves and making our way through the World’s Largest Bottle of Hand Sanitizer and trying not to get anyone else sick along the way…except those unsuspecting shoppers in Kroger tonight.

You other kindness doers out there…march on…we’re laying in the trenches right now…throw us some Tamiflu and cough drops when you pass by.  I’m going back to bed now…I need to have a few more hot sweats and cold chills to complete this night.

Peace, Love and Tamiflu.