Antibodies for Halloween

Sick season has officially arrived and has reared it's ugly, horrible head at our house.

I was the first victim. Sick all last week. Runny nose, coughing, not sleeping because of the coughing..... still coughing a little.

Mary Kate was next. She was down all weekend with fever, aches, chills, cough. Luckily she is a very pleasant sick person. She just laid on the couch and watched Haley Mill's movies all day, maybe asked for a drink now and then.

Now it's on to Jeffrey....

Take notice everyone. This is probably the one and only time you'll see this kid holding still. I can't believe how still he is when he's sick! Normally he never stops moving. My house is so much more peaceful when Jeffrey's down and out! He just lays around and tells everyone that walks by that he loves them. Kind of sweet actually. Still, I think I prefer a healthy Jeffrey. I hate when my kids are sick. Breaks my heart.

Jonathan, so far, has remained healthy. It could have something to do with the fact that he refuses to get within 10 feet of any sick person, but he's always had a healthy immune system. He inherited this from his father. Mike has an immune system of steel. The last time Mike was sick enough to speak about was when we were dating. He hasn't had a good, knock-down illness since '95. It's so not fair!



Yesterday I went to Costco and stocked up on these babies. I'm loading the kids up on vitamins. I also bought a vat of anti-bacterial hand sanatizer. I'm going to take some precautions around here this winter. I'll do what I can do, even though I know it's only so much. Sickness is just part of life, right? I am hoping that Swine flu won't be a part of our life. I can hope, right?

One October, years ago, my friend Amy and I were having a conversation with her little sister Tiffany who was about five at the time, asking her what she wanted to be for Halloween. She thought hard and then announced that she wanted to be an antibody. An antibody!? We were surprised she even knew what antibodies were, but sure enough, she knew that they were the little things that float through your body and fight the germs that make you sick.

We were highly amused with her choice, and curious, asked her what a person would wear as a costume if they wanted to be an antibody for Halloween? She answered, "I would wear one of daddy's ties and a helmet, that's all!" She knew an antibody had to dress to get down to business and fight.

Now that sick season is here and Halloween is coming up, I think I'll try and talk my kids into being antibodies this year. Just a tie and a helmet, sounds like an easy costume, and maybe we'll get some good germ fighting karma going on around here. I think we're going to need it.