A New Nadir

na·dir (nā'dər, -dîr') (from the American Heritage Dictionary at dictionary.com) n.

1. Astronomy A point on the celestial sphere directly below the observer, diametrically opposite the zenith.
2. The lowest point: the nadir of their fortunes.

Actually, I think this marks several new nadirs.

1. I had to lock myself in my room to get the privacy I needed to change my clothes yesterday. At which point, Anna threw herself on the floor screaming and kicking my door. So I went into our bathroom and turned on the vent fan so I couldn't hear her.
2. I was up with each of the three kids last night... at different times. I think I got less sleep than when I breastfed them as babies! Anna has a mysterious wake-up-3-4-times-between-midnight-and-2am ailment. Sam wanted to sleep with us in our bed, and when I refused, asked me to sleep in his bed with him. Not sure what that was about! Elli woke up at 5:30am with severe diarhhea and is home from school.
3. Speaking of sickness, we've attained a new maximum in the number of communicable diseases we've been exposed to or contracted in the last two weeks:
1. Head lice
2. Chicken Pox
3. Diarhhea and fever (stomach flu?)
4. Multiple varieties of head colds
5. Hives (? -- haven't heard yet what the dr said to the mother about this one!
6. Strep throat

I think it's been over a week since I slept through the night without interruption. If it isn't the kids needing a hug or some medicine, it's Scott and I coughing and sniffling and unable to breathe from congestion. And somehow, every single night for the last 5, the second, and I mean the literal second, I finally get past the I-just-laid-down coughing and drift into sleep, someone wakes up crying or coughing or comes barging into our room. Without fail. And repeatedly for a couple of hours. Two nights ago I sat up in bed with a knitting project rather than endure the endless cycle for another hour. I wake up and trudge back to bed with the same prayer in my head, "Please God... let them sleep. Let me sleep." Or when I'm really tired, it's truncated to simply, "Please God... please God..."

Needless to say, I've scaled back my expectations for the week. Everything has now been reassigned to "if" status. If Elli recovers, if no-one breaks out in chicken pox (we got the vaccines, but I've heard some kids are still getting a few spots), if the entire family isn't puking our guts out in another 24 hours... There's nothing quite like the uncertainty of flying by the seat of your pants during the holiday season.

Don't get me wrong -- I love this time of year and it's been such a joy to teach the kids through our Advent calendar about the story of Jesus' birth and hear them pray (Anna and Elli started praying on their own this week -- it's SO precious). It's just really hard to be an energetic, creative, enthusiastic, fun wife and mother when I'm so physically run down. I guess God is working on breaking my self-reliance!