Pride got the best of me...

I think I've learned my lesson.

KEEP YER TRAP SHUT!!

I was so proud that none of the family had come down with any of the ick that has been going around. I was thrilled that Justin was so healthy, and that Jake had managed to weather the winter in preschool without any of the cooties...

And then it hit...

At the beginning of last week, Jacob started with some sniffles... then a bit of congestion... then the cough. ACK! I kept him home on Wednesday - he didn't have a fever, but he was pretty congested, coughing a bit. And he was totally content to sit on the couch with his blue blankie... which, if you know Jacob, is TOTALLY out of character! The "ick" seemed to be defeated with lots of fluids (yay rocket blender!!) and some good sleep... and by Thursday he was ready to go back to school.

Thursday was a pretty good day! Then Friday came... Both kids were a little snotty - but still, I hoped the "ick" would just pass over us OVER...

Until Saturday...

>Lucky Jake was better - he still had a bit of a cough, but he was well enough to be the little dictator I love... Poor Justin wasn't so lucky. He woke up with a runny nose, some nasty congestion, and that tell-tale cough. I had some errands to run, and I hoped the car ride would put him down for a good nap... No such luck. The poor kid must have felt so lousy that his little red-cheeked face just screamed "Mommy GIMME SOME NYQUILL!!" Unfortunately, that's not on the list of approved meds... I cut the errands short and gave him some Motrin. Even though he didn't get in a good nap, he seemed in better spirits. He woke a few times through the night - but for the most part, he slept well.

But I think the hours of good sleep let the "ick" really set in... He woke up this morning (Sunday) with a 101 fever and one whopper of a chest cold. I've been keeping a real close eye on him, to make sure it doesn't go beyond this. Jacob has his share of respiratory illness his first 2 years, so I know what to look for - - - and so far, Justin is just in the "I feel like poo but I don't need to go to the doctor" stage. I made sure to give him whatever he wanted - which was nothing more than juice, milk, and the occasional apple slice. He did gulp down a container of yogurt before bed, so I'm hopeful he's satisfied. Between a full tummy, some Motrin, and the remainder of my "taken-off-the-market" PediaCare cough and congestion formula, I hope he feels well enough to sleep well... Poor little man!

That being said, *I* am going to bed. I've started with a wee bit of a scratchy throat this morning... and as we all know, Mommy can NOT get sick!