Thank Heavens for Bathtubs and Laundry Machines

I have just finished a week I would be very happy to never repeat in my entire life. I thought the first half was bad. From Monday to Thursday we had a contractor working on some home repairs the landlord had set up. I hadn’t really given any thought about how that might change our routine. That as dumb.  It was an exhausting few days keeping the kids out of the way. I was carrying them everywhere, keeping them behind closed doors, in their highchairs, or on several outings a day, just to pass the time. They were just too interested in the tools, and wet paint. It took a lot out of me. We were all pretty cranky about the stress is caused on all of us, and although the man was very nice, clean, and fast about his work, we were happy to say goodbye on Thursday afternoon. Penny was sick from Tuesday on, so we couldn’t go downstairs and play with her, so I spent some quality time with my babies as I got creative with places to go. Here are some of the outings the babies and I did together.

Annapolis Mall play place (No pictures. I was too busy making sure everyone was accounted for, and worrying about germs.)

Ikea for a late lunch (on free kids meal Tuesday!)

Wendy’s Drive Thru for Breakfast.

Visited KC at work. All the women came running.

Bennett was slightly obsessed with the elevator. I think he yelled “elevata!” a hundred times.

Another mall where we hung out at Bass Pro Shops,

 

and got some self serve frozen yogurt. Of course I couldn’t decide on one flavor when they had 8 to choose from.

They also though it was so great to play on the the furniture that was moved around for the wall repairing/painting.

But I was excited about the weekend, so I pushed through all that with something fun to look forward to. I had been planning a surprise guys night for KC for the past couple of weeks for his birthday on Saturday. I emailed his best buddies, and had a menu written up, and was getting really excited to see how he’d react to everything. I hid food all over the kitchen where he wouldn’t think to look, and made sure to wash any dish that might cause questioning. He just thought we just had plans to have dinner with the Ribeiras for his birthday.  So the day was approaching, and on Friday night I sent out a reminder to all the guys. I was exhuasted from the busy week and went to bed at 9. That was all before the evil wrath of the  stomach flu hit us around 11 pm that night.

Alex started the fun, and about 10 minutes  later, Ruby woke up, so as a precaution, we just got her out of bed, and it was a good thing cause she followed his lead a few minutes later. So our hands were very full with two children purging every 10 minutes or so, and my mind started to race as I wondered what would happen if Bennett woke up doing the same. Well I didn’t have much time to think, because minutes later, we heard the tell tale sounds coming from his crib. I said to KC in a very matter of fact tone, “Okay honey, WHAT are we going to do?” They kids wouldn’t sit still since they felt a little better for a few minutes after each episode, and I didn’t want to run after everyone all night, or have to buy any new rugs. And it was so frequent that we had to keep eyes on everyone at all times. I didn’t have time to panic. I needed a plan ASAP. So my first thought was to strip them down and put them all in the tub. And so we did. And there we stayed for about an hour, changing the water as necessary, as they watched Finding Nemo. It worked like a charm. They’d beg to get out at times, mostly when they were upset and traumatized after throwing up, and wanted to be held, but were alright again once the water was changed and they felt better. I really don’t know what else we could’ve done.

Since it seemed like the worst was over, we got them out, put big shirt over their pjs, just in case (we have more of those than pajamas), lined the living room with sheets and towels, and spent the rest of the night there. We had a pretty good system as they kids would show signs that it was their turn, we’d take care of it, and keep an eye on who we expected would be next (yes, we started a chart). We made it through with minimal cleanup, which is saying something considering Ruby’s and Bennett’s hatred of any catching device. They’d resist like crazy, making it an even more horrible experience for everyone, but we restrained them as needed, and it worked out okay, even though we were all out of breath afterward. 

As we were sitting there all night, I told KC about the party I had planned, and was nearly in tears thinking about how it was all out the window now. He was sweet and said he really appreciated everything. I’ll definitely make it up to him somehow.

I thought it would be over after a couple hours (Ruby had a night of throwing up the week before Christmas that only lasted a couple hours and then it was over—and I thought that was bad), but as they continued, I started to worry. I called our on-call pediatrician at about 2 AM (sorry doc!) and she said if they aren’t as least slowing down in the next couple hours, we should take them to the ER. Oh my, that sounded like an even worse nightmare, trying to keep things contained in the car, stroller, waiting room and then figuring out how to hold everyone in the ER as they got examined, and given possible IVs. And we were starting to feel it ourselves. Yikes. We weren’t going anywhere. We then asked Jeff to come up to help with some blessings around 3:00. They were all beat by then, and were just flopped all over the living room. I helped Ruby through her last little sick moment for the night around then while she just laid on the floor, and hardly moved, the poor girl, and there she stayed  and slept the rest of the night. The boys continued, though more spaced out, until about 8 AM. We’d all shut our eyes for a little while, but when we’d hear the sad whimpers, we took care of it, and started all over again.

That night is pretty far up on the list of the worst nights of my life.

The rest of the morning, was everyone catching a little sleep here and there. Luckily we got a few quiet hours out of each of them, though at slightly different times, making it pretty frustrating for us. I was so nauseous then, but remembered I had some pills for such an occasion that I took. After a nap, I was feeling like the worst of it was over, thank goodness.

When they woke up, the poor dehydrated kids were begging for “a dink, a dink!” We put tiny amount of diluted Pedialyte in bottles so they’d drink it slowly, not wanting to upset their weak stomachs further. They just begged for more. The rest of the day was diluted juice, and crackers, with a few bites of bananas here and there. They wanted it faster that I was willing to give it to them the poor kids. They had their happy moments, and their lethargic, sad moments, but we made it through the day in a blur, and put them to bed at 5:30.

I went on a sanitizing frenzy. I knew we might not be done with this, but my germaphobic tendencies didn’t care. I wanted it clean for at least a moment. Throughout that night and day I think I did about 8 loads of laundry, even if it was just blankets and pillows in the same room as the kids. (And I think I have about that much more to do again now.) I kept most toys and books away from them so I’d have less to sanitize when this is all over.

It wasn’t two hours after I had the bathroom shiny and smelling all antibacterial, at about 8:00 PM, that we heard Bennett start to cry, and then we found ourselves right where we were the night before. Ruby woke up as I was fixing up B’s crib, and began again, and a few minutes later, Alex was up. He was pretty cheerful, but we got him out of his bed anyway, and sure enough, that happiness turned into sadness within the half hour. Crazy how synchronized their little bodies are. We started our routine again, and the poor pitiful children just had nothing left. They just weren’t themselves, looking at us with droopy eyes, so confused at what was happening to them. They couldn’t even sit up. We were SO relieved when, after the last episode at about 10:00, they all seemed to stay asleep wherever they decided to land on the floor. We left them there, afraid to wake them if we moved them to their cribs. We took turns camping out on the couch. Around 2:00 I woke up to Alex’s darling face  staring right at mine. He was probably so confused, so I’m glad he found me. After I held him for a moment, and saw that he was okay, I put him in his crib. I did the same with Ruby when she woke up at 3, and Bennett stayed right there on the floor until 6 AM.

They all woke up around then, and luckily I had prepared watered-down apple juice pops the night before, which they enjoyed thoroughly. When they were still begging for liquids, I made a Pedialyte slush in the blender, and that help them to eat it slowly. I sent KC on a popsicle run  sine they really liked them. I used a trick I’m sure I saw on Pintrest to put a cup under the popsicle. It worked great! The rest of Sunday was spent much like the day before, with a serious amount of Backyardigans, Sesame Street, and a LOT Of sleeping. We were all zombies. KC and I were feeling closer to ourselves by then, which was a great relief. 

We knew Penny’s bug lasted a few nights, so we prepared for the night, and eventually fell asleep before we heard anything from the kids. I woke up every couple hours worried that I’d heard something, but was pleasantly surprised when all was quiet. They woke up around 6. We actually made it through the night, puke-free! I couldn’t believe it. They were all completely parched and starving, and we felt pretty comfortable letting them drink to their hearts’ content. I think Alex ate two bananas in 5 minutes. We are crossing our fingers that this is all behind us. We know we aren’t completely out of the woods yet, so we are still taking it easy, but it’s nice to see some semblance of our old life again.

We are in desperate need of some fresh air, and a change of scenery. And we are excited that it just so happens that my mom flies in tomorrow! What great timing. We need some fun around here! And I’ll be sure to have the place spic and span by the time she arrives. This nastiness stops here!

Sorry if you felt this was tmi.  I tried to keep the details pretty vague so you wouldn’t have to live through it like we did. But I just wanted to document it because I really felt like this was a real initiation into parenthood for me. A milestone of sorts. It have always been frightened about this part of being a mom, and hoped I would know how to handle it. Remember how I said Ruby was sick a few weeks ago? Well, that night I was a basket case, and couldn’t stop freaking out about the possibility of everyone getting sick at once. I think it was just the unknown that was getting to me. And then the boys didn’t get it, so I let that thought  leave quickly, not even allowing myself to wonder about it anymore. But when it actually happened, I was thankful that I was able to put my anxiety aside and focus on what was required of me. I had some pretty low moments, worrying, and wondering when this nightmare would end. But we all made it through, and now I don’t have to wonder anymore about what a situation like this would be like. The pressure is off a little bit.  Of course, I would be the happiest lady alive if this never happened again, but at least I know that we can live through it if we have to. Am I sounding crazy by saying all of this? Is/Was anyone else afraid of these parts of parenthood, or am I just a nutcase? We’ve been trying our hardest to keep these kids in a quarantine again this winter, but somehow something got through. You can bet I’m going to up my precautions from here on out. Homeschooling sounds like a good idea about now.