Waikato Winter & CF - it can suck!

It’s that time again – winter in the Waikato. Damp foggy days that lead endlessly into one another.

Apprehensive moments when the power bill deposits itself in the Inbox.

And then there’s society – just waiting to share itself with us. And when I say Share I mean Share.

Yes It's Bug season!  

The time for flu’s and colds, for sniffles and sneezes and the time when we know Chase is more at risk for catching yet another chest infection.

It’s not the cold, the bugs hate the cold. It’s the warm damp inside conditions that seem to affect Chase the most. The warm, almost stifling class rooms with their heat pumps. The closeness of class mates as they share their lunches and ..dare I say it... SNOT!

So what do we do?

We worry. We plan and we spend extra time being more hygiene vigilant.

Washing hands, burning tissues immediately and getting out into the crisp air for some good lung burning exercise.

Finding time to live and ignoring the bugs has been my plan to date. It doesn’t always work and Chase invariably ends us with the odd bout. This typically only really happens when his weight drops. Keeping him warm is probably the biggest challenge.

He’s 9yrs old and just wants to move, and with fewer clothes on, the better. Running around outside in the ankle deep mushy-wet grass, no shows with no jersey to protect him against the blast of the southerly and yet he feels hot.  

The old saying “Put some clothes on, your mothers cold” springs to mind.

So what do I do?

I yell “get some clothes on or get inside” as I rap the window for his attention hoping it doesn’t shatter.

I crank up the oven and put together bowls of hot fat laden macaroni cheese, just to try and add an extra layer of fat to his skinny bones. I load up the school lunch box with chocolate bars and tasty treats to tempt him to eat just a bit more.

And Chase and I together, spend sleepless nights as we rely on a machine to feed him extra calories so he can remain well.

All in all, winter takes its toll. But not for one minute would I change it.

No matter how grey the slate like sky is. No matter how murky the drizzle becomes, Chase walks into the room and the sun shines through.

For that I am thankful for winter and every other season that Chase shares himself with us.