Big, Bad Germies

I'm not a germaphobe.

In fact, I'm the very opposite of a germaphobe. I think that healthy immune systems need germs to fight, lest they become unhealthy immune systems. I resolutely stayed away from the anti-bacterial bandwagon. I dust and clean my house, but usually not with products that claim to kill 99.99% of bacteria. (After all, it's that .01% that worries me.) I don't get flu shots and sometimes, I get the flu and during those times, I drink lots of fluids and hibernate like a grouchy bear.

And then, I went and had a kid. Now, all of a sudden, I'm like a CIA agent, scoping out public places for anyone who so much as has the sniffles. Now granted, this is partly because this is predicted to be an especially bad flu season and I don't want him getting sick, but more than that? I don't want to get sick.

For the first time ever, I'm considering the flu shot--both swine and regular. Because this year, I can't hibernate. I can't call in sick, I can't take the morning off, heck, I can't even skip the 3 am feeding to get a full night's sleep.

This year, I'm suddenly considering stocking up on anti-bacterial soap. This year, I'm turning into a germaphobe. This morning, when I woke up with a headache and a sore throat and a cough, I almost called a doctor.

But anti-germaphobic habits die hard, so instead, I drank some tea and took a nap with the baby and I'm hoping oh-so-hard that my immune system lives up to the trust I'm placing in it because this year, it's fighting for two.