Morning surprises

Happy New Year everyone!

This morning, T came into the bedroom around 6 am and woke me up. I figured he was excited about going back to school today, so I didn't think much of it. I offered him some juice or milk and some breakfast and he said no to both. Around seven, he asked for some chocolate milk so I fixed it for him and noticed that he took a sip and put it down. Honestly, we were playing Thomas the Train, and we all know that Thomas trumps just about everything else on the planet, so I didn't think too much about that either. But all of a sudden, he stopped playing and walked up to me and said, Hold you (which in T speak, means to hold him). So I picked him up and asked him if everything was okay. He nodded and snuggled up to me, so I chalked it up to being tired. T, like his mom, is sloooow to wake up and get going, so he'd been up a while when he came into our room at 6.

And then, all of a sudden, I heard it. THE GURGLE. I tried to head to the bathroom but it was too late. He threw up all over me, himself, the couch, and the floor all the way to the bathroom. Actually, pretty much everywhere but the trash can or toilet. Poor thing. I'm pretty lucky in that I don't have a really weak stomach. But the delicate, pungent aroma of puke will almost always make me throw up too. So, while I'm trying to calm T down, change his clothes, wipe him off, and clean myself up, I'm also trying not to throw up myself. To all of you who said that when it's your own child's vomit, it won't really matter - Liar, liar, pants on fire!!!!!!!!

I got T cleaned up and settled, then started to try and clean up the mess. By the way, a HUGE shout out to Arm and Hammer Baking soda for not only removing the odors associated with this spectacular debut of stomach bug, but also getting the stains off the carpet and couch. Half a box of baking soda and almost an entire container of Lysol wipes later, I've cleaned up the mess, wiped down all the toys in the living room (just in case) and scrubbed the kitchen counters and floor. Okay, okay, the floors weren't exactly scrubbed - more like...spot cleaned but still, I get extra credit for the baking soda use, right?

I go in to check on T and am hoping he's asleep, but nope. He's all curled up in his blankets looking all tiny and vulnerable. I sit down beside him just in time to hear a couple coughs and another gurgle, and then he throws up all over his blanket. I get him cleaned up, me cleaned up, start some laundry (I'm accumulating quite a pile today) and get him settled back down - all before 7:40, at which time I hear S. Thank goodness for high chairs! I put her in the high chair with her bottle and go to check in on T, who is thankfully sleeping. So, S and I play for a while until she's ready to take her morning nap, at which time T wakes up and seems to be feeling better. So we play with freshly cleaned Thomas the Train when all of a sudden - yep. The gurgle. Having learned from my first couple of experiences this morning, I have a trash can handy, which T decides to throw up beside. But hey, he was close. And he's feeling better because he goes right back to playing. So, I think, that's probably it. I need to give him clear liquids and soup (if he'll eat it) and he should be fine by tomorrow. Only, I don't have soup or any thing besides milk or white grape juice to drink, and neither option seems ideal for an upset tummy. Since he seems to be feeling okay, I decide I'm brave enough to try to run to the post office and store.

Can you guess what happens in the the car? Yep. The gurgle and what always follows it. I find a spot to pull over, clean him up and the car up (as best I can) and decide we'll just run in to the store to get some 7 Up. Because he doesn't feel well, he wants to be held, but I coax him into sitting in the cart, which means I have to carry S. Quite the sight we are, but really - who cares?!?! I grab some clear fluids and some Popsicles and we head back home (and yes, I sanitized the cart before we left!) The rest of the day passes uneventfully and T seems his old self by bedtime, with no more spectacular digestive pyrotechnics.

I tried my best to make sure that S and T were separated, but I know that tomorrow, she'll probably have the bug. I have my trashcan and extra large box of baking soda at the ready and am contemplating a new fad diet - bottle the smell of what I dealt with today and take a whiff of THAT before you try to eat. We'll all look like Angelina Jolie by this time next year. And we can buy fabulous wardrobes with all the money we don't spend on food. HA!!!!!!