The Hand Foot and Mouth Plague

It all started last Monday, the 16th. We had had a fun birthday weekend for Bronwyn and we had an appointment for her to get her kindergarten shots around lunchtime. Because I knew she would worry and panic about it, I didn't tell her until about 2 hours before it was time to go. She was worried, but survived.

Fast forward to Thursday. Mirren had a fever, and wasn't feeling well. I thought it was probably her molars coming in. Friday she had the same fever and I thought nothing of it, except that she had it during the day.

Saturday morning, she woke up with spots ALL around her mouth. They freaked me out, but I linked it to the previous teething, but they didn't seem to be going away like they would once she was awake and her binky was out of her mouth. Mid-afternoon, I looked up her symptoms. And found that yes, she had ALL the symptoms of Hand Foot and Mouth Disease. Oh boy.

I immediately quarantined her to her room and one chair in our front room, so as not to spread this illness. Sunday was awful. Reed and I took turns going to church and all the kids stayed home so we didn't spread it.
Monday came and mid-afternoon Bronwyn had these 2 strange bumps around her mouth and a LOT of weird bumps on her upper thighs, but all of those disappeared within a few hours. I was still suspicious. I made her and Mirren share the bunkbed room and moved Aftyn in with Lochlan, since they weren't sick. Tuesday afternoon, Bronwyn got a fever. I was glad I had put the two sicko's together.

Wednesday. Today.  Bronwyn still had a fever this morning. By this afternoon, Lochlan had a water blister on his right pointer finger and a fever. I gave him Tylenol and put him down for a nap.

We've used up 10 oz of hand sanitizer, and we're working on bottle number 2. I have an extra bottle by my bed, and one additional full bottle that I'm pretty sure we'll be utilizing. Everything I've read says kids are contagious if they have a fever AND if they have any oozing blisters. I thought Mirren had already emptied all her blisters but just now as I was washing her hands, I found a big one on her finger that hasn't popped yet. So, on her day 5 now, she's still contagious. 3 down, I'm so hopeful that the other 3 of us won't get it. Pictures to come. And by the way, this all came from that fateful trip to the doctor for shots.

Post Edit: Reed came down with the fever yesterday. It's just Aftyn and I, except Mirren may or may not now be not contagious. And I broke my baby toe yesterday. We got this. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Pictures

                                                        Favorite loved fluffy skirt

                                                  Cute. Cute. Cute.

                                                           Superheroes!

                                            Because they do dishes together :)

                                        Angelic sleeping babies. Gotta love them.

Sunday

Amidst the hustle and bustle of choir practice, Sunday School teaching, baby blessing, and all the other various responsibilities I have on any given Sunday, I had this wondrous moment that made all the crazy, horrible, uncomfortable, s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g moments of the past year worth it.
       
In pondering my busy day and accomplishments I said to my Self: "Self, what a good day you've had! Look at all you've done, look at how genuinely you have been yourself in the things you have done." And I felt a sense of satisfaction that I was truly needed today. At choir practice, in church, and just in general in my life. And while feeling all the feels, I felt a truly resounding happiness deep to my spirit that whispered "You were needed. You are needed. You are important. YOU matter."


 And so do YOU.