It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Yes, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.  Which at our house means, someone is sick.  Poor James.  He was so excited to decorate the Christmas tree, find all his ornaments and hang them, put on the vintage looking, silver garlic (garland) that we found at IKEA, and generally be in the spirit.  But after a while he said, "I need to go to bed."  When a kid says that, you know something is wrong.  Probably really wrong.

And it was.  A few minutes later he was crying pretty hard and begging for a breathing treatment.  He knew something was wrong, and usually that means he can't breathe and a breathing treatment makes it all better.  We knew better of course.  In the nick of time, I grabbed a bowl and out came just about everything in that boy's tummy.  Man does he pack it in there.  

He felt so much better, and for quite a while too, that we began to get comfy.  We settled on the couch to enjoy the tree and a movie Aaron had picked up earlier.  "Maybe it was just the candy canes he had last night at the parade.  And the 12 pounds of cheese he consumed at the party.  He hasn't had a square meal in a day and a half.  I think that is all it is."  Oh the little lies you tell yourself to make you feel better.  Just as the movie started, we heard some screaming. 

And thus the long night began.  

He woke up Lilly, but not William, and so Aaron and I took turns tending to the both of them, until sometime around 2 am, when William did wake up.  So I took the 2 little ones to our bed, and Aaron stayed up with James who continued to throw up until 5 am when he finally fell asleep.  Only to awaken in a few hours and throw up some more.

We know the reason for his sickness.  It is called the Christmas curse.  It began 4, or maybe 5 years ago with Aaron being sick on Christmas Eve.  Since then, some one in the family has been sick on Christmas.  One year we even gave it to my grandparents, parents, brother, Aaron's sister traveling in airplanes with small children.  That was the Christmas morning that I came out of the bedroom at my parent's house and my brother Ben said, "where's Aaron?"  Just then we heard the unmistakable sounds of someone puking their guts out in the bathroom.  Merry Christmas!

2 years ago William had pneumonia, James and Aaron had ear infections, bronchial infections and sinus infections.  Last year, my Bible study groups began praying in November that we would be well on Christmas.  We were.  But for the first 3 weeks of Dec everyone was sick.  I did all my shopping on line and in the 3 days before Christmas, I baked and did Christmas cards.  

So for us, Christmas is coming to mean illness.  (Lilly and William have sinus infections, by the way)  I am curious to see what the rest of the month holds for us.  But I am optimistic.  We decorated the tree.  We saw the Christmas parade.  If James can get off the couch tomorrow, we might just be making some glittery decorations.  We'll just keep a big bowl handy in case of emergencies.  

I have to go.  William just threw up.  I wish I was kidding.