Bogged down with sniffles and earaches

As predicted we all have come down with the sniffles, cough, and other cold symptoms. Nicholas began with a runny nose and whenever he needed his nose wiped he would say ''Mommy, my nose is bleeding!'' I don't even ever remember him having a bloody nose so I have no idea where he got that from. A few days later he refused to sleep and began complaining that his ear was hurting. He insisted on a band aid for his ''big ouwie'' that he put on himself. I am uncertain how he managed to put the band aid on the correct way himself with very little light, but as you can see he did it! The remainder of the night proved to be tough as his ''big ouwie'' AKA earache worsened. He was up all night complaining that ''it hurts in there'' (pointing in his ear). By early dawn he got himself so worked up that he sprung a fever and vomited. The next day he barely ate and spent some ''quality'' time with Mommy (as anyone knows, Nicholas is not the snuggler out of the two, so the only time I get to snuggle with him is when he is sick).

The following night Noah decided to jump on the sick train and began complaining that his belly hurt. We had to get up about 5 times to use the bathroom because he needed to poop. However, nothing came out! So after about 4 hours of that I said no more bathroom breaks! He tossed and turned for the remainder of the night and awoke me at the break of dawn with vomit. Today, he complains that his right ear is hurting. He is no where near as ill as Nicholas so he still has the energy to play, run, and aggravate Nicholas. On this very rare occasion that both boys were not feeling too hot I managed to get a few pictures of all the kids together. Of course there was no way the 4 of them would sit still long enough to get a good picture, but the pictures can be pieced together to showcase them all. Noah and Jasmin sitting together watching TV. Justin is to the right of Noah and I was trying to get him to get in the picture too. The tough part was getting my poor sick Nicholas to cooperate for the photo shoot. He just plainly refused! So instead I tried to get a good picture of the Noah and his two cousins. After a few ''please Nicholas, please'' he made his way over to the kids but did not willingly want to be photographed. The awesome thing about Germany is that when one is sick they can go to the Apotheke, tell them whats wrong, and they will recommend a homeopathic remedy to try before seeking medical attention! I went today and told the lady that the kids were sick with earaches, fevers, and sniffles, and she went in the back and got me some medicine that is made out of natural substances such as Chamomile, Echinacea, etc. She also suggested I bathe them in this Eucalyptus oil bath remedy that helps open up their airways and helps them breathe easier. Both remedies and a bag of kids cough drops and we were on our way out the door. I immediately felt better knowing that I had something else besides Tylenol to offer the boys for their pain. We will see what the next couple of days are like and hopefully they will be on the mend. For now I will continue to enjoy my snuggle time with Nicholas and choo choo playtime with Noah.