The Plague

**If you have an exceptionally weak stomach, move along to your next activity.While  I don't go into graphic detail below, I still don't want to hear any complaints that I gave no warning. This is what I'm dealing with today, so this is what I'm writing about.**

The plague has settled upon the House of Kids.

Brother and Sister had it yesterday, the mom and Buddy have it today. Sick bowls and Pepto have been distributed to all, and I am taking suggestions on how best to holster the hand sanitizer bottle to my hip.

The mom stayed home with the chitlins yesterday when they were in full swing, and Buddy and I had a movie day. When everyone went down for nap, I went home. And when I called later that evening for a status report, all was well and calm in the house. The kids were no longer sickly, and everyone was loud and playing again.

Bullet successfully dodged.

I got a text message at dark thirty this morning from an exhausted and slightly panicked Mom-of-the-Kids asking if there was any way I could come in a little early, because she had been struck down by the plague through the night, and Dad-of-the-Kids had an early morning meeting with his upper management that could not be missed.

I agreed and came to work early. All was going smooth, and it was an average morning by all accounts. Except for the fact that Mom-of-the-Kids was laid up in the master bedroom infirmary in the next room. We went about our play, had breakfast, and I had an anticipatory bonus cup of coffee.

Then the words no one in my situation wants to hear: "Devyn. My tummy hurts."

It began. Soon after, I settled him in the infirmary along with his mom and went to retrieve him a sick bowl. After a briefing on proper bowl-technique, I left the room to disentangle Sister from the depths of the toy bucket. When I stuck my head back in the door, barely a minute later, Buddy was in full-force mode. BUT he was using proper technique, and all was well afterward. Attaboy.

I'm really hoping I can dodge this bug. For two reasons: 1) I have my sister's engagement dinner tomorrow, and 2) Like everyone else, I'm not a fan of being sick.

Lord, help me.