All Systems GO!

We have a virus. I think "plague" would aptly describe it. I'll start on Thursday - because I'm pretty sure that's when we met our unwanted house guest:

Everett's 6 month check up:
He's 16 pounds 15 ounces
26 inches long
head is 44cm in circumference
He had 2 injections and his last rotovirus (oral) vaccine

The visit went as well as it could have with the "big kids" in tow - but they took off running into the parking lot afterward and I honestly thought I was going to have a panic attack over it...but I didn't - just cried and fussed a little (like a baby). Believe it or not, they've never gone that far before...

We came home, went to bed a while later and had a pretty good Friday. Brent was coming home from an overnight business trip and we spent time on the patio and in the garden - weeding, trimming and planting. Mary Louise and David were great helpers! We even had plans to paint our big pumpkins after cleaning up the gardening tools and supplies. But I was exhausted and Brent got home and it was nearing bed time so we put it off. The pumpkins are still sitting there waiting for their little Picasso's.

Friday night, I plopped on the sofa - felt really tired but otherwise, fine. Brent and I decided to have a take out meal and little home date night. Fast forward a couple of hours when I stood to go to bed and felt the first official wave of nausea.

Never before have I prayed and begged that I had food poisoning over something contagious.

Within an hour or 2, we found out it was no food poisoning - Mary Louise and David both woke in a mess of a bed and the nightmare went on from there.

We have done 16 loads of laundry - 2 diaper loads and 2 clothing loads - the rest linens, towels, puked on odds and ends.

My chest and back are really sore from being sick so many times and I have lost 9 pounds to date (which good golly I'd be super proud of if it had happened via awesome work out schedule - and was maintainable) - but today held down a cup of chicken broth and some plain roasted potatoes as well as 5 liters of clear liquids - so I'm coming around.

Brent held out for his turn until yesterday - which means he's pretty miserable today.

David and Mary Louise seem to be doing well as far as the nausea, but in the meantime have developed runny noses and coughs (because really now, nothing skips us). Breathing treatments have been started to try to keep the congestion in their sinuses. They are both doing well with drinking and better with eating - the amount of food isn't much - but it's better every day so I'll take what I can get.

Everett is amazing. He threw up 3 times the first night and had 3 really ugly diapers - but never lost his sweet smile. I am thankful that he has happily nursed the whole time and is about 10 times better in health than the rest of us for it.

Brent was certainly our hero on Friday night - coming back from working hard to work harder in what can only be described as a scene from a horror movie. I can't count how many times I heard, "please! try to make it in the bucket this time!" haha - poor thing - knowing the whole time the cards were seriously stacked against him to stay healthy for more than 48 hours to come. He was amazing though - and slept only 1.5 hours that night - total. David scared the tar out of Brent as he is a very restless - but very hard sleeper. He would literally vomit in his sleep - while lying on his back. So, each time Brent would have to jump out of bed, sit David up and coax him out of sleep over a bucket. David would get startled, yell (and cough) about not wanting to "fo-up!" and fall to sleep again only to get sick just a little while later. Meanwhile, poor Mary Louise would wake every half hour - as would I. Brent was a very busy man that night.

I was completely out of commission on Saturday and just tried to focus on drinking whatever I could keep down. By the end of the day, I was marginally better - no food - but keeping down fluids. Sunday was better still but Brent started feeling bad. I took my turn at trying to care for all of us but by Sunday night, I was sick again...

And that brings us to today. We had to sadly stay home from music class and I've cancelled David's teacher session for tomorrow. We'll see about Wednesday's activities - but things don't look too good for attendance there either. Hoping to really be up and running soon - but at this point, I'd settle for the kids to just be up and eating! Yowza - this really hit us!

xo,
Heather