Down but not quite out

I hate this time of year - when the germs creep in and everyone gets sick. Gboy came down with something at the end of last week. This is the 3rd illness he's had since Peanut was born. I think he's probably had 5 illnesses in the 8 years that I knew him prior to our daughter's birth. I'm not sure if he's just exhausted, but he seems far more susceptible since we've had her. And who is in charge of childcare while he's laid up? Yours truly. Because he doesn't want to expose Peanut to any sickness, he refuses to touch her and avoids her at all costs when he's sick.

The first time he was sick for half a week, Peanut was one and half months old. My husband had to make a 5 day trip to Japan for his grandmother's funeral and I was alone with the baby. My mother had stayed with us for the first 5 or 6 six weeks of my daughter's life (thank you Mom!) so this was a rude awakening for me. I wasn't used to being on my own and suddenly I was entirely alone for 5 days, (his sudden departure came approximately one week after my mom left). Even when Gboy returned he left me to tend to Peanut by myself for another 4 days or so because he came back with a cold. It was brutal. The next time he got sick, I ended up getting sick right after he did. But his recovery time was much more prolonged, so even when he started helping out it again, it was on a part-time basis and more out of necessity because I was beyond standing up for a couple of days.

Now, he's been sick again. And I've been unable to post or do much else besides trying to keep Peanut from killing herself while she climbs on EVERYTHING in sight. I am convinced she is a future Olympic athlete - gymnast, rock climber, you name it. I've battled vertigo and nasty cold of some kind for the last several days, but as I see it, mothers don't get a day off. (Personally I don't really think fathers do either, but I can't quite convince him of that since he's certain he's doing Peanut a favor by not giving her germs.) I love my husband and he is uber-helpful when he's well. But when he's sick...man it's tough.

Although we're staying with my in-laws, they're rarely around and I don't get much childcare support from them, so once again, it's all on me. And tonight they're having friends over for dinner and somehow this involves Gboy cooking. He's a great cook and normally I'm very thankful for his talents in the kitchen, but right now, I'm wishing he didn't have to dedicate several hours to cooking; I'd so much rather he take on childcare so that I could rest. *sigh* How do people with more than one child do it? Most days I feel like I'm barely able to manage my one!