Sickness has invaded our home

For reals.

First, Peanut fractured his tibia. Monday marked one week in the cast and overall, it's going better than I expected. Okay, that's a lie. I wrote it, but it isn't true.

It's been hell.

Well, scratch that too.

During the daytime, it goes better than I thought it would. He drags and scoots everywhere with pretty much ease. He has figured out how to get up and down off of the couches, he can get his toys or make his brothers do it for him without much effort.

But bedtime, naptime...is horrible. He won't sleep in his toddler bed {really there is no space for him and his giant cast} so he's sharing a bed with me while B gets stuck on the couch. Oh how I envy B.

Peanut sleeps all.over.the.place. I mean he flips and flops, he turns completely upside down and sleeps with his head just inches from the foot-board. He has to sleep with no less than four of his "loveys", two of which sing. He has a mandatory pillow pet as well as a sippy of water.

Did I mention we only have a queen size bed!?

So it's him, his four friends, his pillow, his cup and then me. He wakes no less than once every two hours, usually only half awake screaming, hitting, kicking, and usually trying to pull the cast off. I know it's hard on him. I know it probably hurts. I give Tyleonl and/or Motrin like the doctor suggested but it doesn't begin to help with the night wakings. I try to calm him down and it's no use. These night tantrums last up to 10 minutes and there is no rhyme or reason as to why they suddenly stop. We can't prevent them, we can't control them. We tried moving him to his bed after he fell asleep but before tantrum...yeah he woke up, scooted all the way to the kitchen {with all the previously mentioned ''necessities'' and proceeded to scream for his mommy.

Naptimes are better because he is so tired he falls asleep instantly. The problem is he sleeps about an hour, wakes and is miserable. He's not getting enough sleep which is effecting all of us with his behavior. He's acting out, he's throwing tantrums, hitting and kicking his brothers, throwing toys, slapping me. It's like the terrible two's arrived at the exact wrong time.

I'll be honest, the first couple nights/days I felt horrible for him. By night five, I was starting to get irritated. Now after a full week, I'm about to lose my mind. I've averaging maybe five hours of sleep and it's not even continuous. I have an almost four month old who sleeps all night but yet I'm getting nada. Last night I gave up and made B sleep in the bed with him while I parked on the couch. I try to let him get the peaceful sleep, even if it is on his couch, because he has to go to work in the morning. Of course I have to get up with the kids but I can rock the sweatpant look all day. If I'm lucky, I can even take a nap. It doesn't usually happen but occasionally the moons align and I get to rest.

However if all of the above wasn't stressful enough, every.single.kiddo is now sick.

Bubba has a high fever, nasal congestion and general bodyaches/tiredness.

Pooks has a cough and nasal drainage that leads to him coughing so hard he throws up...anywhere and everywhere, that kid pukes.

Peanut of course has the cast; but on top of that he's had a cough with nasal congestion/drainage which leads to wheezing. I took him to urgent care and they think he has the influenza virus. Despite getting a flu shot, he got the flu. So he's on breathing treatments, Tylenol/Motrin and an oral steroid.

Sweetcheeks didn't get off to easy either. She is really congested so I'm having to suction her nose out several times a day, which of course she hates. The congestion is leading to drainage which is causing a cough. So we've got a vaporizer running, baby vicks slathered on her and we're keeping her as upright as possible.

Basically every kid feels like crap and is moody. No one is getting enough sleep and we're all on our last nerve. Not a good combination. To top things off, it's freakishly cold in Texas and snowing (!) which basically shuts the entire city down. So we can't really get out to change the pace or scenery. It's been a super long week and I don't see it changing anytime soon.