Birthday Jinx

I think I jinxed myself, I really do. In last week’s post, I talked about how my son “ruined” my daughter’s birthday because he got sick and we had to cancel her birthday party (he didn’t actually ruin his sister’s birthday, she still had a great day and we only had to postpone the party one day). Well, my birthday was back on Monday and guess what. I was the one who was sick this time.

It started back on Saturday night. My wife and I managed to get a babysitter and when out for dinner and a movie to celebrate my birthday. We had a nice dinner, were again reminded of why we don’t go to the movies very often (who can afford the ticket prices anymore), and had a nice evening out of the house and kid free. By the time we got home though, my stomach was already upset.

When I woke up Sunday, it was clear that my stomach was more than a little upset. I was down for the count. As I managed to crawl back into bed, my wife reminded me that she had to go into work that afternoon. Not only was I sick, but I had to go solo with all three kids for most of the afternoon. After grabbing several more hours of sleep, but feeling no better, I managed to arrange for my two boys to spend the afternoon at a friend’s house. Unfortunately, there aren’t many places I can send my three-year old daughter. After she had taken a nap, I managed to drag myself out of bed and curl up in the recliner in the family room. A couple hours of “Dora” video didn’t help my stomach any, but it kept my daughter occupied enough that I survived until my wife made it home.

When Monday, my birthday, dawned, I felt better. I didn’t feel great, but I was better. I managed to get through my morning routine and even made it into work before my stomach proved that I was not up for being at school. I quickly through together some lesson plans for the sub and headed home. Again, I curled up in bed and slept the day away. When it was time to pick up the kids from school and baseball practice, I was a little better, a little. All three kids wished me a happy birthday as they piled into the car and then immediately asked if they were going to get any of the birthday cake my wife had made the night before. They were concerned that because I was sick and wasn’t going to be having any of my own birthday cake that they wouldn’t get any either. Although I held the cake “over their head” during homework time, they all got to enjoy a nice big piece of my cake, while I didn’t.

Did I get sick because I wrote about my son “ruining” his sister’s birthday? Did I tempt fate? Did I jinx myself? I don’t know, but is there anything worse than being sick on your own birthday?