It's 5am. It has started again.

Actually, it started about 2 hours ago, but that was only one child and I was able to crawl back into bed with little more than giving a dose of medicine to keep the Fever Monster at bay.  But that little monster had other plans somewhere around 4:30.  In the morning.

Let's back up and state that around 11:30 pm last night was the hour that I finally managed to see the last of the four drift off into sleep and I sat down to download a new Hilary Weeks CD, read a little of a book that was recommended to me by my visiting teacher called "The Peacegiver" and then take 2 Advil PM's and crawl into my bed with a sleeping 12 year old.  Back to this morning.  Kyra had stumbled in with a fever that was making her head ache about an hour ago.  Medicine.  Something to drink, though to be honest, I can't recall what I gave her, and tucked back into the comfy couch in the living room.  She thinks it's more cozy and much closer to me when she is up at such hours.  Then comes Kaden.  Oh, he is miserable.  Remember that he is behind on this show by 2 days, so his symptoms are more severe at this point.  Fever up to 103.  Bad deep cough.  I give him medicine.  He coughs a lot.  He throws it up.  Into the bath to help the fever and calm his nerves so that we can try round 2 of meds.  In the meantime, I hear a little bird whimpering upstairs.  It's all she can do as she has lost her voice.  In stumbles Kimball who has a rather pained look on his face and is clutching his chest.  His cough is horrible.  Tears are shed, not for the first time in this you understand.  I have Kaden getting in the tub, Kyra mumbling a little on the couch, Kierstin whimpering and Kimball really needs a breathing treatment.  I am having some trouble with the little magic machine that helps them to breath.  I have to figure that out.  Now, Kierstin and Kyra have drifted off to sleep, Kimball is in between but snug in my bed and Kaden is out and freshly bathed with a now 101 degree fever.  He did get some medicine in him but we shall see if sleep will be his friend or not...or mine, for that matter.  The house is still again after this latest episode.  And it's only 5:18am.