Strep Throat x 2!

Big Bear got home from her fun afternoon with Grammy and was so tired. She got in the bath and hardly played at all - not like her! I mentioned that she was probably getting sick too but Doug and Grammy thought she was just worn out from the playground. And then she declared that she did not have "strap throat" like Katie. Sure enough, about an hour after we put her down she called out and was throwing up. She continued getting sick for a few more hours. Luckily by this time Me Too was done getting sick and had fallen asleep - keeping her first dose of antibiotics down too!! Big Bear finally got quiet around midnight and had only one other awakening to get sick at about 3:30am. We did get more sleep than we thought we would but it was that light sleep that parents get when they are half awake listening for any little cough or whine that jolts you out of bed.

So, I wearily got out of bed this morning to get ready to go and teach preschool CCD which I was slated to do this week instead of last week because I traded with someone last week when I was so sick! It never ends! After I got a shower I felt very revived and ventured out for a caramel latte and a ham crossandwich from Burger King(my fav bad breakfast). As I ate I thought about how all day yesterday and last night as well as this morning I had offered up all of my tiredness, my nausea from all of the gross stuff coming out of my kids, and my sorrow that my children had to feel so bad for those who have truly sick and suffering children - ones who probably won't get better - and grateful I was for the opportunity to share in Our Lord's suffering in this way. I've truly learned a lot about the whole concept of offering "stuff" up to the Lord in the past few years and it's been a long journey trying to understand it. I've always said in the past that I've never felt that it has truly helped me but this time I really felt that it did. Not so much that it made it easier to go through or made me less tired or grossed out or anything, but it made me feel better in some way to know that what I was going through was helping someone else - hopefully. And then I just felt sad for those who don't know to offer up their suffering (i.e. me, not so long ago). For those people it is just truly suffering in vain. It seems so senseless and annoying to go through trials such as these. While still annoying, at least now it is not senseless and it is almost satisfying to make it through knowing that it has made a difference in the world...and in me. Just as I was thinking of writing this post, my mom sent me a link to this post at PhatCatholic which sums it up nicely! Now, let's see if I can keep this appreciation of suffering in a few months when I'm up all hours of the night and day with a newborn!