One Very Bad Week

I think there has only been one other week in my 2 1/2 years of motherhood that has tried me as much as this past one (that was November 2006 when Micah had a string of colds leading to a double ear infection while four new teeth were coming in, and I was 20 weeks pregnant.) Anyway, Thursday morning Matt left for work not feeling well. He called a little later to say that he had gotten extremely sick when he got to work. We wrote it off as some bad food off a buffet the previous night at a continuing education seminar. That is until around noon. I was making lunch for Micah and me when I heard it: projectile vomiting coming from the den. I got him off the rug as fast as I could and tried to get to the bathroom, but not before he threw up three more times. Oh, the smell and the mess! I got Micah cleaned up and settled watching a movie while I proceeded to scrub the rug and mop the floor (three times). Sure enough later that night, I began feeling a queasiness in my tummy that lasted until the next morning. Matt was thankfully better and headed back to work, but I had to call him around noon to come home because I was getting sick and couldn't take care of the boys. We assumed Micah was over the worst of the virus, and were so thankful that Owen was avoiding it so far. There were lots of prayers for Owen to stay healthy, and for God to make Mama and Micah healthy. I had a bad night of fever, but woke Saturday to just a mild headache. Micah, on the other hand, was apparently not over it, and was sick a few more times on Friday and woke very weak. We tried a little lunch, but it came right back up during his nap. By Saturday afternoon, Micah had thrown up so much he was starting to get dehydrated. It was a little scary for us because he was starting to show signs of severe dehydration (fast pulse, sunken eyes, strange breathing, etc.) We began taking drastic measures by syringing a teaspoon of Pedialyte every couple of minutes for an hour. We felt better as his color and breathing improved, and he had stopped throwing up. Dr. "Bomp" also helped us know when he would be serious enough to go to the ER. We obviously wanted to avoid that traumatic experience as much as possible. Well, Sunday and Monday came and went with no improvement, and this is where my patience began running very thin. I was ok with cleaning up on Thursday and Friday (this is what mothers do right?), but by Monday I was so sick of changing sheets and pillows sopping with vomit, scrubbing floors, sanitizing toys, bathrooms, etc. that I thought I was going to lose it. Matt was, as always, taking it all in stride (Sorry baby for being so uptight and for being such a cleaning fanatic. Thanks for putting up with me, for helping so much, and for taking care of all of us! I love you more than you know). I wanted to keep that virus in check and to get it out of my house, mainly because I didn't want Owen getting this mess. Praise the Lord for keeping him healthy. I don't know why he didn't get sick. I do know that the Lord was protecting him with my antibodies and had a host of angels guarding him. Of course on Tuesday we took Micah to the doctor. The doctor said, while he is very sick (he had lost 3 pounds, which is a lot for a little guy), he is hydrated (thanks to Dada's syringe of Pedialyte), and that there is nothing to do but wait out this virus. Throwing up is how he is ridding his body of it and to stop the vomiting would give the virus a chance to replicate and make him more sick. Okay, so I don't like giving unnecessary medicine, and I like having a doctor that understands when and when not to give drugs, but at this point we were so worn out and just wanted to be out of this nightmare. To pack up, wait at the doctor for an hour, have him poke and prod on our little boy, and then say, "wait it out" was enough to make me want to scream. I told Matt today, I think that it would feel good to throw something glass against the wall and watch it shatter. Am I losing it, or what? I am getting out tonight for a girl's night, which should be somewhat therapeutic. What I really want is a wonderful, romantic date with my husband, but until Micah is well, this will have to do. Thank you again, Hoff, for watching the boys so I can get out. Can you please give me some of your stamina and patience? We are still praying that Owen stays healthy and most of all, that Micah will get well. We were awakened last night to him crying and throwing up again. Yes, another load of sheets, another new pillow, and another sleepless night. I know those are selfish comments. I really just want my sweet boy to feel better, (the ease of housework will be a bonus though!). Please pray with us that he will be well soon, and that he will keep down some nutrients. He is starting to literally waste away. Here are some pictures from the past week. All in all, Micah has been in good spirits (except when he is actually throwing up). He is very weak, so he rests most of the day. We are trying to teach him to smile for the camera, so that is what all the funny faces are for. I was also teaching him the art of relaxing in a bubble bath!