Flu Bug Don't Bother Me...Again!

Well, I've been MIA for a week now and here's why. It all started last Sunday morning at 2 a.m. I heard Joey calling my name, "Mom! Mom!" - I ran in, and he said, "Turn on the light! Turn on the light!" and was crying. I hestiated, knowing he was going to tell me he lost his Spiderman or Venom or Green Goblin (you get the picture) and needed help finding him. But, I decided to do as he instructed and thank God I did. There was puke everywhere- on his face, on his head, soaked through his pillow, the covers, the floor....it was nasty. Not knowing where to begin, I took him immediately to the shower and stripped him and put him under the water. I then woke up Joe and he went to his room to do the duties of the bedding, all the while gagging. After convincing Joey it was not morning time yet, we finally all got settled into bed at about 3 a.m.

All Sunday, Joey ached and moaned out loud. Everything in him ached and it was so hard to watch. He laid in bed in our room and watched cartoons and sipped Ginger Ale. I did my best to spoil him and I hugged him and loved on him and risked catching it myself. Sunday afternoon, diarrhea set in....Joe and I officially reached a new level of parenthood cleaning up as much puke and poo as we did on Saturday and Sunday. About Sunday night, he seemed to be barely turning the corner. On Monday, Maddox went to Bobbi's and Joey stayed home. By mid-afternoon though, he was climbing the walls as I was trying to work so he went to Gma Bobbi's as well. I knew he was on the mend and it was a 24-hour bug. He wasn't himself yet but he was definitely better. On Tuesday, I didn't feel good but decided to carry on and not slow down - my way of convincing myself I was just fine. Wednesday, I felt even worse. I threw up a little but was really avoiding eating and drinking in fear of the worse. But, my aches and chills were getting worse. At 4 p.m., I knew I was down for the count with the flu bug. At 4:08 p.m., Lisa called: Maddox had just throw up all over. Gma Bobbi came to the rescue again, as Joe was at work, and I could barely move. Joe came home around 5:15 and had both boys to himself while I was in bed. On Thursday morning, I've never felt worse. Bobbi to the rescue (again)- she came and got both the boys. My stomach ached, I had chills, and after talking to Joe's dad, decided I better go to the ER room. I guess the "not eating, not drinking" for 2 days probably wasn't the best medicine- I had become too dehydrated. I got to the hospital around 8 a.m., and while at the hospital, Joe got the chills and aches, as well. We both went home around 11 and were miserable all day. We slept until 4 p.m. Maddox was enjoying his own case of diarrhea at Bobbi's by this time. It was a family affair- we've never felt so bonded in our life! Not wanting to give Lisa this crap before her family spring break trip, Bobbi took the boys on Friday while I continued to suffer at home another day. Unfortunately, Joe made himself go to work, not wanting to miss out on some key business deals. I started feeling better about 10 a.m. on Friday. We finally were together (and mostly healthy) on Friday night!

Let's just say that being a parent is hard enough, and parenting sick children is awful, and then parenting sick children while you are sick, well that's just a whole new low. It's very difficult and you have to try your hardest not to be impatient or get frustrated. Finding childcare for sick children isn't easy, and we're just lucky we had Gma Bobbi who's willing to risk her own health (and sanity) for us! God bless her!

I thought a lot about my grandpa while I was sick. My stomach hurt so bad, and his stomach hurt a lot during his final days. It goes to show how often you take your good health for granted- you kind of forget what it's like to feel so sick until it strikes again. At the hospital, they asked what my pain was on a scale of 8-10....I heard that question so many times asked to Grandpa. I felt sad answering it- sad because I know how much he must have been hurting but how strong he was.

Anyway, we are now over our flu battle, but I woke up with a cough, dry eyes, and a runny nose. Apparently, the flu wasn't enough- I had to get a cold, too. Great. I'm trying to kill it with sleep and Tylenol and Afrin for now.

Maddox is growing up so much lately. He tries out new words all the time. Here are some of his words out of his ever-growing vocabulary:

Ooby-Ooby Doo; Beeee (please); Dog; Mayyy-zeeee (Maize, Joe and Bobbi's dog); Bay-Bay (his blanket); Hulk (as in "The Incredible"); Awwww (it's so cute when he says this); It-It ('sit' to the dog); Ap-Man (Batman); Milk; Mama, Dadda, Papa, Ma-maw (his attempt at 'Gma'); No-No; Uh-huh- his version of 'yes'....I love that he's starting to hold conversations now!

Maddox had his 18-month appointment and I don't think I ever reported his measurements! Get ready (drumroll please)....he's off the charts for height, he's on the charts for weight (thankfully) weighing in at a hefty 30 lbs. (90%) and his head is in the 96th percentile! As the doctor told us, "Yep, he's about the size of an average 2-year old- do you hear that a lot?" Yes, all the time....people are constantly surprised that he's 18 months and are always saying one of the following comments: "Whoa- what a big boy!" or "Wow- he's big!" or "Hi big boy!" or "18 months?????" or "He's going to be big, isn't he?" And, then people also try to put the blame somewhere or on someone by saying one of these comments: "What are you feeding him?" or "He must like to eat????" or "Were you that big?" or if Joe's not with me, "His dad must be big, huh?" I always laugh thinking of what I could answer. For instance:

"He must like to eat???"

Me: Actually, no- the only thing he will eat is Snickers and Ho-Hos. Isn't that odd?

"He's gonna be big, isn't he?"

Me: Well, I sure hope so. It's always been my dream to have a large, obese child someday.

"His dad must be big, huh?"

Me: Yes, humongous. Why just yesterday, he topped the scales at 6'6 and 492 lbs.

Not to worry, I take no offense to these comments and I laugh and smile every time I hear one (like yesterday in the grocery store). And, I hope to be the last one laughing when Maddox takes the field as a lineman for the Chicago Bears. I'll be laughing all the way to the bank over this one.

And, to catch up on other happenings in our house the last two weeks....We had our first "cousin" sleepover here with Grace and Maya! The girls were VERY good and everyone played together great. Maddox was crabby but the other three entertained themselves. We decided to put them to sleep all in the same room and maybe that wasn't my brightest idea. But, I cherish the memories I have with my cousins, Jenny and Kelly. We had sleepovers and they were the BEST. So many great memories and I guess I was trying to do the same for our kids...but maybe they were a little young for that. But, it still was cute- they were all jabbering until 11:30 at night, until Joe had to go in and threaten poor little Maya and poor little Joey! But, it worked- they finally went sleep!

We went to the "Gospel of John" at our church with Joe and Bobbi. It was very good- it was a one man show with a few simple props and he had memorized every single word of the Gospel of John. Amazing. Us Lutherans- we LOVE to memorize, don't you know? We tried a new barbeque place in town on Ingersoll Avenue- Uncle Wendell's- it was awesome and their coleslaw was top-notch. We grilled with Tony and Kelly and Cary and Ali one night. We got together with Joe and Allison for some post-Cancun laughs. We celebrated Maddox's second baptism birthday with cake. And, we went wedding dress shopping with my cousin, Ashley. It made me want to get married all over again! A lot of fun!

Joey also got in trouble at school for the first time. He apparently pulled all of the typewriter ribbon out of the typewriter. He told Joe a little bit about it and when he got home as I questioned him more, I realized that he probably did something very bad. Then he said to me, "And, I did not say I was sorry and I told her I did not want to sit in timeout." Uh-oh. So, little Mr. Trouble had to call Mrs. Doner and apologize. I figured I might as well get used to it- there are going to be a lot of apologies out of this little boy's mouth....putting gum under his chair, tying Susie's hair in knots, throwing mud, spitting spitballs....his apology, as we scripted out together went like this, "Um, Mrs. Doner. This is Joey. I am sorry for the ribbon I pulled. It won't happen again. I will try better next time. See you on Thursday!" I wish I would have videotaped it. On Thursday, Mrs. Doner said to me, "Thank you so much for calling- it was my fault too. I should have been watching him better." Translation: I have to keep a VERY close eye on your child or he'd destroy the whole classroom in seconds- why haven't I learned my lesson? I just smiled and nodded.

A few prayers before I close:

*A close friend of Tony and Kelly's water broke early- she's not due until May 8th. She's at the hospital now and we pray for a healthy baby and mommy.

* My friend, Hannah's 5-year old cousin passed away unexpectedly due to flu-related causes. Please pray for Hannah's family as they mourn her passing.

* Joe's friend, Matt- his dad is in ICU after complications from surgery and a fragile heart. We pray for his recovery.

Like I said, you forget what it likes to NOT feel good, that you often take for granted what it's like to FEEL good. Here's to a healthy spring! Here are a few photos!