February - the month of ......

How would you finish that phrase?

Love? Cold? Snow? Candy?

Honestly I don't know anymore. That's because that thanks to the month we've had, February is now knows as the month of illness.

That's right - illness. No one has escaped what has been almost 4 solid weeks of someone being sick. Not someone we know, not someone in our family...

someone in our house.

And I know it hasn't been just us. We have small groups on Sunday night and on February 10th we had one family who wasn't fighting something. So I called the whole thing off and designated it 'quarantine Sunday.'

For us, it all started February 1 when Dillon went down. That was a Friday. He proceeded to remain sick until Tuesday of the following week. Shanna joined him on Saturday and we had a mini infirmary for the next 48 hours.

The rest is basically a haze by now. I think Delanie was next, maybe Dawson. Really, I forget now. All I know is that I think we've logged about 12 days of missed school just this month.

I saw the doctor on February 5th and was diagnosed with a raging sinus infection. I was back in his office on the 8th for more meds and what I've come to know as 'happy shots.' I don't know what's in that stuff but it's what he gives me to deliver a final knock-out punch to whatever ails me. I wish we could just start out with it and save the extra visit.

Fortunately, throughout all this, Shanna and I always managed to fall victim at separate times. It's a good thing too because as bad as we felt we would have just told the kids that it was every man for himself.

Then just when it seemed like we were out of the woods I wake up Monday and know something's not right. I make it to the office, tie up the loose ends, and immediately head for the house where I logged about 24 hours of couch time. This morning, I'm feeling pretty good but decide to work from the house for a couple of hours before making a commitment to the office. At about 10 I email my partner that I'm heading that way. His response - "I'm fighting off a cold, don't come in unless you need to."

I didn't - so I didn't.

My only prayer is that we can start March healthy and stay that way at least through spring break - March 17-21.

Today, we're all good with the exception of Shanna. Fortunately, it's a leap year so we've all got 2 more days to get over all our junk and start March the way I'd like to.

Hope everyone else is healthy.