Down for the Count

When g'parents Ohio came to visit in the first part of October, we warned them not to come--the whole house is sick, we said. Feeling guilty about cancelling earlier in Sept., they came anyway. I don't know if they ever got sick, but we sure got worse the longer they were here. The kids had already been sick at least 2 weeks by then and Den and I both caught horresndous, lie-in-bed colds.

Thank goodness for g'parents. They helped with the kids--and helped with us.

Fast forward to this weekend. G'parents Wisc. came to town. We knew a norovirus was circulating at the local school, but had told our nanny to steer clear of her usual neighborhood buddies for the week until it passed. So I was pretty miffed when I got home on Wed. to find her telling me that she had 8 kids over that afternoon doing craft projects and making cookies. Normally I wouldn't think anything of it, but not this week....

Friday morning after the most delicious dinner date night at a local resturant, complete with wine pairings, I woke up feeling ill. I figured it was the red wine that had done me in as I felt better by the afternoon. We went to a Halloween party, went on a marathon trick or treat session and even Josie got one piece of chocolate for their efforts (and Thank Yous).

Then at 11:30 that night Eddie woke up. I got him back to bed until he woke again at 12:30, kind of whining out. Upstairs, I find him standing next to his bed, filled with puke. Poor kid. As I rush him to the bathroom, he pukes in the hallway and again in the bathroom. Eventually Den woke up and tended to Ed while I tended to the mess. Let me just say, not only was Eddie a trouper ("kinda funny, Josie threw up on my bed, and now I threw up on my bed" [that was from last winter when she had a bad cold and I'd gone with her to tend to Eddie]). But Den was a champ too. He can tough it out through just about anything but puke--it's is achielles heel. He made it though. I on the other hand began feeling ill and continued to feel ill the rest of the wee hours of Sat. morning until I woke up Sun. morning.

So Den hung with Eddie all night, as he puked every hour, on the hour. Poor kid. Poor dad. I went up to help with one more sheet change and then after 2 sheet changes and about 6 pj changes, they were fine. Ed was pretty okay by morning--after sleeping in until 9am. Meanwhile J woke up and after a robust cup of milk puked all over Den. Meanwhile, I began my day sleeping on the bathroom floor. All I have to say is, thank goodness for radiant floor heat, it actally felt kind of good to lay there (all things considered). We told g'parents to go home, so if they got sick, they would at least be home and not en route. They refused and helped both with the kids and with me. I of course hope they don't get it, but if they get it, I hope it isn't while traveling on Monday.

J continued to have some challenges during the day and by the time I began to feel like I could sit up, she came to lay in bed with me and promptly puked all over our bed. I was basically sick all day Sat. and when I woke up on Sunday morning with Eddie standing next to our bed (at what I thought was 6am, but was really 5am), I was feeling much improved. Den brought J out later and went back to bed with a migrane that seems like it has started to turn his stomach. Hope it's just related to the migrane.

J continues to have some diaper challenges and is downing the pedialyte while Ed seems to have bounced back fine. I'm mostly better, but Den seems to be on the cusp off the illness. G'parents think they have a shield on and won't get it--hope they are right.

So....Halloween pictures soon. As well as a couple pre-Halloween ones...