Distraction, Germs and Sleep

As previously mentioned, our family, in its entirety, was hit by some pretty nasty sickness.  It has been a windy road of high, never ending fevers (two kids ran fevers of 102-105 for 5 days each), three visits to the clinic, one blood draw, three throat swabs, one chest x-ray, two viruses, three courses of antibiotics and one case of pneumonia later, we are finally seeing rays of sunshine through the clouds.  During that time, family was in town, my parents, sister and her two kids whom I only see a couple times a year and who I anticipate I will only see next at the baby's birth and funeral.  I felt awful having kids here who were sick with a very contagious virus and wanting so badly to be around family but at the same time not wanting to expose them to the most minute germ for fear they would get sick too.  These sicknesses also really knocked our kids out too, they were definitely not themselves.  Ugh.  Then my brother and his new wife who we've never met came and we find out that she's a germaphobe, nice.  She kept her distance to say the least.  Not exactly ideal circumstances to meet someone.  I have to really say that everyone made such an effort, as much as I could have expected, to include us in the family activities despite our sickness (my husband and I also fell ill but not nearly as severe as the kids).  The distraction of the adults, kids and even the two dogs was a blessed interference in my roadmap of grief.  Somehow, I also managed to get some sleep.