Antihistamine, The Anti-Sleep Drug

I am running on almost no sleep at all today. The only person in my house acting on less is Bubba. Last night all three boys started running fevers. They have all been a little sniffly with little coughs, but nothing uncommon. Then last night within an hour, shortly after bedtime, they were all running fevers and complaining. Munch and Bubba can run high fevers and not be brought down, but when Buddy runs even a low grade fever, he is down and out on the couch.

I dosed Buddy with ibuprofen and put him to bed, then Bubba woke up having a hard time breathing and coughing up a storm. I decided to give him some cold medicine (yes, I know this is against all the recalls and such, but I've given my children them before and know the proper dosages.) Within twenty minutes he was wide awake and jumping around in his bed. This was about 10:30, conveniently the same time I was ready to go to bed. While I was trying to get him to go back to sleep Munch woke up. I obviously couldn't deal with both of them, so I took Bubba down to the basement to sit with Mark, who was winding down after work. I managed to get Munch back to sleep within a half hour--it's now midnight--and put myself to bed.

Throughout the course of the night I was up three more times with the two of them. Bubba was ready to be up for the day at six this morning after finally falling asleep at 1:30! How he was able to get up, I'm not really sure. But since Mark was sweet enough to stay up with him so late, I dragged myself out of bed and down to the basement with Bubba so Mark would be able to sleep. I drank chugged down two of my big mugs of coffee and was somehow able to make it until nap time.

I laid all the kids down to sleep and hit the couch. I was just starting to doze when Bubba came down the stairs a very, very short half hour later! So I am now reaching for caffeine in every form and toothpicks to hold my eyes open. Hopefully I will make it until bedtime. I will never give Bubba cold medicine again.