Oh, Ladies...
...I don't even know where to start.
How about with Friday, January 18th?
After a exhausting day running around with Luke while the older two were in school, the kids and I met up with my husband at a local restaurant for dinner. While walking to our table, our 2-year old literally begins throwing up everywhere. In a panic, and to prevent the restaurant patrons from being totally grossed out, I begin catching vomit in my hands. We've all been
that mom, right?!!! Needless to say, dinner out was cancelled. A kind busboy did bring me a "to go box" to politely dispose of Luke's stomach contents.
Saturday was a quiet day nursing Luke back to health. Daddy stayed at home with him while Mary and I accompanied Benjamin to the dreaded "Chuck E. Cheese's" for a birthday party. Ugh. Already in paranoid-mode from early bouts in the season with stomach flu, I was extremely cautious with Ben...doling out hand sanitizer and requiring multiple handwashings in the Women's Restroom under my supervision. Cue the ABC song while handwashing!
Sunday, January 20th, Chris was back on duty and I made an executive decision that although we could use the blessings and graces of Mass, it probably wasn't in the best interest of Luke...or the parishioners of Holy Family...to attend. And a good thing too. Around 9:30 AM, Mary runs screaming into the family room that Luke just vomited grape juice all over the hallway. Yes, on carpet. No, it wasn't white...grape juice. It was purple...it was ugly...and it was everywhere. I wanted to cry.
Monday was Martin Luther King day and the kids were off from school. Mary had a birthday party to attend at the local roller rink. I hated for her to miss it, but I just couldn't justify dragging Luke and Ben out to yet another germy location. I arranged for another mother to watch her. I felt terrible. Mary's not the best roller skater (we just don't do it enough). She fell. Hard. She cried. She's NOT a crier. And mama wasn't even there. *sigh* Less than 12 hours later, I was there. Holding her head up as she heaved over the toilet at 3 in the morning. No school on Tuesday...for Mary.
Tuesday afternoon, exactly 12 hours later, my girlfriend Kim is bringing Ben home from school. Kim always walks my kiddos to the door at carpool dropoff and as we are standing in the doorway she mentions that Ben told her in the car that his stomach "hurt all day at school."
Cue.The.Vomit.
Literally, Benjamin starts throwing up all over the mud room and kitchen hardwood floors.
Ladies, my home looked like something out of a Roman vomitorium (which is actually a misnomer of the word!). Needless to say, when Ben starting throwing up, I quickly called my husband at the fire department and asked him to find a way to come home.
Good thing, too, because just a few hours later, I was sick. One can only clean up vomit so many times and not catch illness themselves! Chris came down with the ickies too missing yet another day at the Fire Department.
And lest you think that we took this past weekend to recuperate and get well...don't hold your breath.
Sunday afternoon, January 27th, I came down with headache, chills, and fever. My throat and chest ache. Yup, I think I actually have influenza or the "flu" that has making news headlines. I'm pretty sure it was norovirus that we had last week.
I haven't been to the doctor for an actual diagnosis, but as of tonight, I still have a low-grade fever and tight cough.
Regardless though, we've still been able to accomplish a few things here and there...I managed to get all the bulletin boards finished for Catholic Schools Week and Luke Alexander turns 2 1/2 years old, TODAY! He's getting to be such a big boy!
And although I really did not get to enjoy the 75 degree weather in Kansas City yesterday, I welcomed today's rain and am praying for a snow day for the kids tomorrow! Thursday morning's predicted high...4 degrees! Wow.
Anyone up for a quick prayer to Our Lady of the Snows? ;) (One of my most favorite childhood memories is a trip from St. Louis, where we took both grandmas, visiting from Detroit, to the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows! So peaceful and beautiful.)
Anyways, blessings to all. Thanks for your heartfelt prayers. Might I ask that you continue to pray for us, specifically for health to return to our household and most importantly for Mary Catherine who makes her First Reconciliation on Friday morning? Thank you, dear friends!
