It's Not Easy Being Green

I know that you think this post is going to be about St. Patrick's Day or something fun like that, but you would be so wrong.

Because the green I am talking about is me...and Mia...and it has come in the form of the nastiest stomach bug I have EVER had.

Last Thursday I was having a nice night out, having dinner with a friend while my mom and Mark were watching the kids. My phone rang and Mark was on the other end telling me that Mia and my mom were both sick....vomiting. I grabbed my purse and left.

By the time I got home my mom had been sick 7 times and Mia had been sick 4 times. The stench of vomit greeted me when I opened the door. Not a good thing!

It was a long night and felt so bad for both of them. And, by Saturday morning I added my name to the list of people I felt sorry for.

It hit me in the morning when my stomach was empty, so you can imagine how pleasant (much sarcasm injected) 12 hours of vomiting was. If only that was the end, but no. Then came the days, yes days, of stomach cramps, pain and diarrhea. Multiply all of that times three people in the house and woah.

Endless laundry, disinfecting, one sick baby who was breaking my heart and one well preschooler who didn't understand why Mommy, Nana and Mia couldn't play, everyone praying that Mark and Austin would stay well, and my daily mommy responsibilities mounting before my eyes.

Sunday night I called the pediatrician to make sure that I was doing all I could to keep Mia from dehydrating because she hadn't eaten since Thursday and was not receptive to Pedialyte. He reassured me, but then went on to say that unfortunately the most recent stomach bugs that were going around were either lasting 24 hours or nearly a week. I got off the phone and almost started to cry because it had only been four days. Only....four....days....of misery.

Yesterday was my breaking point. After waking up early to Mia screaming because she had diarrhea in the night and it had gone up her back, nearly to her neck, dried on her skin causing a rash, I just didn't know how much more I could take.

This has been the THIRD time our household has had a stomach virus. I swear we wash hands, disinfect, have good hygiene, etc.

I finally broke down and cried when I realized that I HAD to go to the grocery store with two kids even though I felt crappy (literally). I pulled myself together and told myself that there are people who deal with much worse on a daily basis and I was letting a stomach bug get me down.

I was exhausted when I got home and couldn't wait until nap time. It did all of us good to rest, and when Mia woke up she was much more playful than she had been. She even clapped her sweet little hands and said, "happy, happy" which of course made me cry. I hoped that was a sign from God that she was feeling better and today would be a good day.

Fortunately, it was.

Because today started with a water main break on my street and no water.

Is it Spring yet?