Sick-y-ness and Thankfulness...

*Warning: This is one of those, "Boring, but important to me for journaling purposes," entries.*

So every time my kids get sick, I feel so bad for them, but thankful at the same time. I am thankful that they are generally very healthy little kiddies. However, since Anna has started pre-school she's been sick three different times, and it's only November! (Two "quick" colds, and one week long flu.) I'm sure this is typical, especially since she's never been to a daycare/pre-school setting before, but I can't help but feel bad for the work-out her immune system is getting. Luckily, Ben-Ben only caught one of the colds, and it was only minor.

It's funny, when I'm in the middle of taking care of either of my sweetie's colds/flus/aches/runny noses/throw-up/fevers/wrestless nights/coughs/crankiness/etc. it seems NEVER ENDING. When I'm lacking sleep, time ticks by very slowly! And when I don't get to leave the house for days on end because I'm home taking care of sick babies, time ticks by even more slowly! It's easy for my mind to play tricks on me, and I start to feel like they've been sick forever and that they'll be sick for the rest of their lives! Dramatic, I know. So I thought I'd take a second to journal the realistic health history of my two little monkeys. That way, I can look back and remember how fortunate we are to have some very healthy babies. (I'm pretty sure I'm jinxing myself right now. :)

ANNA - Ethan and I remember being amazed at how rarely Anna got sick her first year. We felt very blessed that all she encountered were a couple minor things. The few times she was sick, we thought, "Wow, this is what it's like. Other parents have mentioned this." Hehe.

Then, when Anna was 14 months old she developed herpetic gingivostomatitis (cold sores) which comes on very severly when you get them at a young age. We're not sure how she caught them, since Ethan and I have never had a cold sore, but it happened. It was very sad, and took awhile to diagnose. She was physically wiped out for a good few weeks. Her immune system must have been weakened because for her whole second year, she caught something major or minor every other month or so. Sad for poor little sweet cheeks. (She hardly gets cold sores anymore - I can't remember the last time - and it was nothing like the first few times when they were all over the outside and inside of her mouth. :(

Anna had "typical health" for her third and fourth year. She caught a few things, but not much. Now she's in pre-school and she's been sick three times already. Her teachers say this is very typical for children entering school for the first time. I hope it works itself out soon, because no one likes to see their children suffer...and honestly, it can be very draining taking care of sick kiddies. Again, overall, I am just very thankful that she has mostly been healthy her whole life. She eats a very balanced diet, loves being active, and sleeps from 8pm to 8-9am every night. I'm just hoping that Anna is getting all the sickness out of the way now, and she won't be sick the rest of the season. Not likely, I'm sure, but one can hope.

Benjamin - During Ben-Ben's first year, he was sick a bit more often than Anna. It makes sense, since he had an older sibling going out into the world, and coming home and touching him all the time. :) I'd say he's pretty healthy, pretty sturdy overall. Since Anna has been more often sick since being in pre-school, Ben only caught her stuff once, and that was to a minor degree. It is especially overwhelming when they are both sick, so I am thankful Anna is not passing on most of this. And as with Anna Bean, Benjamin eats a well balanced diet, is very active, and sleeps very well. (He's regularly sleeping in until 7am-7:30 am - that is very good for him. Yay!) He also takes a 2 - 2 1/2 hour nap every day. Nice.

On a similar note, both kids were recently weighed and measured in October. I think it's interesting to see the differences. Both of my babies started out needing weight checks, because they took awhile to start keeping weight on. By one or two months, things had changed. Anna was always 20-30% for height, and 80-90% for weight...a very squishy, adorably chub-tastic combination. :) Over the last year she's balanced out to about 50% for weight, and in October her height was at 50% too. Ben-Ben took a little longer to gain his chubbiness, and never quite got to Anna's level. :) He was always about 50% for height and 70-80% for weight. In October he was 65% for height and 75% for weight. He is a big boy. I know percentages don't indicate anything concrete for their future, adult selves, but I still find it interesting.

Most importantly, I am just very thankful that so far, I've had very healthy kids...even if they get sick every so often. :) I am thankful for an especially helpful husband who helps me keep my sanity when the kids are down and out. I am thankful for modern medicine and decent health knowledge. I'm thankful for the Internet that allows us to find answers to medical questions in seconds. I'm thankful for a very informed sister and mother-in-law who have answered numerous health questions for us. I am very thankful for my kid's health, for the joy they bring me, and for the blessing it is to witness their growth and development.