ALL MUFFED UP!

Archive for November, 2008

After today I literally felt like running Caution tape all around my windows and doors to send a clear warning signal to all who might wish to enter. A few days ago I wrote about the stomach flu that has been running a muck amongst members of my family. I foolishly stated that up until that point Kayla, my 1 year old, and myself were the only two yet to be inflicted. I should have waited on that declaration.

This morning began like any normal morning except that most mornings Kayla is awake by 7:30 am at the latest. I had the monitor on listening for her to stir, but she was silent. By 8:00am I thought for sure she must be awake and was probably just laying there sucking her thumb staring out of her crib. Sure enough. She was laying there in her crib sucking on her thumb clutching onto her Bear. Only when I approached her closer did I notice the vomit all over her bedding. I quickly shifted my eyes to Kayla and saw that she had vomit on her pajamas- both shirt and pants- as well as all over her beloved Bear. Ugh!

I felt horrible that either during the night sometime or early this morning she was sick and I had no clue. How long was she laying in her own vomit silently?! Poor Kayla. I disrobed her while she was still in the crib. After lifting her out of the mess, I was holding onto her with one arm and gathering her bed sheets, mattress cover, blankets, soiled pajamas, and Bear with the other hand. We headed downstairs where I threw her laundry immediately into the washing machine on the sanitary cylce..Bear included.

She wanted her milk but wasn’t too interested in eating the waffles, sausage, or muffins that were prepared. I didn’t push her to eat but did sit down with her on the couch with a small bowl of plain cheerios incase she wanted something. Kayla seemed happy with the cheerios and got about a handful worth in her before she started vomitting into the bowl I was holding in my hand. Once I was sure she was done, I braved moving her into the bathroom so I could once again take her clothes off. I drew up a warm bubble bath and bathed her attempting to get the smell of vomit out of her hair.

All seemed to be okay with her until lunch time. Kayla was acting hungry and I felt cautious about giving her anything more to eat. I tried the cheerios again along with some saltine crackers and a little gatorade. I don’t even recall exactly when or how it happened. All I do know is that I was holding her and for the second time today I was spit up on. Thankfully though, this time it all landed on her sweater and missed her other clothing. I peeled off her sweater and added it to the puke pile that I would be throwing in the washer.

Here is where Mikey starts getting sick too. Though not vomitting. He’s in the bathroom for like the 4th time today with another bowel movement. Normally he has a bowel movement once every other day or so. He woke up this morning with a soiled diaper and made several trips to the bathroom today.

At dinner time Derrick and I get a double dose. Mikey was told to go back in the bathroom to put on his underwear after he used the potty. It had been awhile so I went to go check on him. He was sitting on the potty pooping AGAIN. Well I noticed that he was wiping his face and saw that both his hands and face looked like it had something on it. I wanted to wretch right there! It was POOP! Mikey had green poop on his hand and had wiped it on his face across his nose and mouth. !!!! I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at this point.

I cleaned Mikey off and helped him try to potty some more and then Derrick stepped in to help him out. I finished up with Mikey by helping him get dressed. No sooner did I get out of the bathroom with Mikey when Kayla was walking toward me with this look of dread across her face and her arms outstretched for me. Just as I was about to pick her up, she vomitted on the carpet. >_<

Racing across the carpet to the kitchen, I held her over the sink incase she had to let more of her little eaten macaroni fly. She didn’t seem to like being held over the sink so I put her down on the tile floor. Once her feet hit the tile, she was spewing up more of the little food she managed to eat at dinner. Standing there with vomit from her chest to her toes, across her arms, and on her face she looked just pitiful. She was frustrated with getting sick yet again and was shaking from having ICK all over her. I disrobed for the third time today and took her straight to the bathroom for bubble bath #2.

She seemed fine after her bath and even wanted these animal cookies. I told her no and she kept crying for them. I felt horrible for her so I broke off half an animal cracker and fed it to her in tiny pieces. That’s all that I would give her for fear of her upchucking once more.

It was her bedtime at this point so I took her upstairs to rock her for a good bit before laying her down in her crib. I could tell she appreciated the extra snug time and was reluctant to let me leave her. I plan on sleeping with the monitor next to me tonight incase she gets sick in the night again.

Now after being vomitted on 3 times today and cleaning up poop and whatever else, I will not be surprised in the least if I come down with this stomach bug. You better believe as soon as the kids were in bed, I took a very hot shower hoping to burn the germs off of me! So far I’m the lone ranger in this saga but I attribute that to me being the Mom and I’m not allowed to get sick while everybody else is sick.

On a side note, I do have some very uplifting news to share that happened to me today. During the afternoon hours when Mikey was refusing to eat his sandwich and instead was poking holes in it with his fingers, and Kayla had just laid a nice pea soup diaper for me to change, I was reminded that I am not alone in my trials.

In an attempt to quiet my soul, I turned on the Contemporary Christian music station on the tv like I sometimes do. I opened the curtains to let in some natural light to lift up my mood. As I was pleading with Mikey to eat his lunch, I looked up from the floor where I was changing Kayla’s soupy diaper and saw an amazing sight on my carpet above from where I was sitting.

This cross was the only sunbeam in my entire living room. There were no others and it was perfectly formed. When I saw this as I looked up from changing Kayla I just smiled. I am amazed that anybody can see this as pure coincidental. I had just turned my mind from dwelling on the things at hand to a mindset of wanting to praise Jesus. The next thing I see, a lone sunbeam cross draped across my carpet directly where I am sitting. Because this is not the first time I’ve seen the hand of God in my life I can look upon this as a gentle reminder that no matter what struggles we are going through, we aren’t in it alone.