laid low

Posted by & filed under audrey, Being a Mom, Hazel, Oliver, Ryan.

I have all kinds of things I want to write and tell you about and show you and share. We have made some happy changes to our play room that I am absolutely loving AND I have plans to put together a Sewing 101 series for the beginning of next month for all of my beginner seamstress friends.

But not today. Today, we are laid low.

Hazel was randomly sick Sunday afternoon. Without any other symptoms she just started throwing up every hour like clockwork, each time with no warning for 8-10 hours, then it was over. I felt so terrible for her. She was so dehydrated and just wanted to sleep but she just kept waking up sick. Misery.

(this picture isn’t actually from when she was sick. but, it’s cute and pitiful, and thus it has been included)

But that was Sunday. I thought we were good. So, last night I happily flitted across town to catch a performance of “You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown”. (I left Ryan at home because he was feeling tired and crummy with a cold. Poor guy.)

Ooh, and while the house lights were up I snapped a photo of the school bus for the set. Pretty cool, eh?

The show was amazing. I didn’t expect any different. And I’m definitely going back to see it again.

But back to the sickness…

Just as the house lights came up after the second Act, I saw a call coming in from Audrey on my phone. She rarely calls when she’s watching my kids unless it’s an emergency like “What’s your Netflix password?” or, well, mostly just that one time… :)

Anyway, I knew it couldn’t be good. “Hello?”

“Hey, Oliver’s throwing up. Please come home!”

Oh no. I’m not even sure how I did it but I made it home in record time. I spent the rest of the evening rinsing and washing bedding, slipping the sofa cushions into plastic recycling bags for protection, sterilizing every hard surface in sight and emptying sweet Oliver’s bucket and brining him a new one.

And that was bad. But it got worse. On one such bucket-rinsing trip I was returning from the kitchen and heard the sounds of sickness, but this time in stereo. Ryan too. I stood there, bucket in hand, unsure where to run with it first.

Oh, it was bad.

I ran upstairs and told Audrey to go to her parents house and to save herself. Instead, she just started getting her affairs in order – trying to knock out as much homework as possible before the inevitable hit her as well. And poor girl, just a few hours later, it did.

Last night was a long night. I finally crawled into my own bed at about 7:00 this morning and slept until 12:30. So far I’m the only one in the house to remain unscathed, but we all wonder if it’s only a matter of time. I did get a flu shot this winter, but I’m not sure that’s going to cover this kind of nonsense. Ryan talked to his Dad who said that this bug is actually going around the country right now and that it originated a few weeks ago on a cruise ship. All the passengers went home sick and spread the ickiness all around our fair United States.

And that is our estate. Ryan and Audrey and I spent the last hour in my room, staring, aching, and swapping war stories. At one point I realized I was hungry and asked Ryan if we had any of those Keebler Mint Bars left in the pantry and Audrey swiftly nixed all talk of food. Fair enough.

Her Mama braved the war zone and brought us all carbonation and crackers, just like a Mama would do. Sometimes you just need someone to come over and make a sad, sympathetic face at you and it just makes things feel better, you know? Mamas are good like that, even if (in my case), they’re more peers than Mamas. :)

I hope this post wasn’t totally offensive. Probably y’all didn’t even need to know this but here I sit, in my bed, awaiting the inevitable and missing blogging. So this is what you get.

Are y’all seeing this 8-hour sick bug in your respective necks-of-the-woods?

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30 Responses

  1. keight 7 March 2012 at 4:15 pm

    we 4 got it 2 weeks ago. we had it north and south! and audrey “putting her affairs in order” is sterling prose. so grim and resigned. love all ye myers (and audrey) and your GI’s!

    Reply
  2. Julie 7 March 2012 at 4:16 pm

    Oh yeah, 2/4 of my boys have had it, but suprisingly it was a week apart! I’m glad it’s almost done, and I really hope you don’t end up getting sick too.

    Reply
  3. Sara 7 March 2012 at 5:01 pm

    It went around church and work here in Alaska a few weeks ago, and it was as miserable as you have described.

    Reply
  4. Christine 7 March 2012 at 5:13 pm

    Please get better soon! I have news that may or may not help: the actual influenza (which your shot helps to prevent) is WAAAAY worse and lasts WAAAAY longer than a stomach virus. So. Count your blessings? Or just hate me a little, that’s okay too. I sincerely hope this one skips you.

    Reply
  5. Georgia 7 March 2012 at 5:20 pm

    Nathan & Benji had it last week, but it was way longer than 8 hours so maybe it’s not the same thing. I still haven’t gotten it yet either so maybe I won’t? (knock on wood) hope you guys are all better soon!

    Reply
  6. EveryChapter 7 March 2012 at 5:46 pm

    Aww, yuck. I’m so sorry- my best friend had this over Christmas and my middle baby had it two weeks ago for two whole days (sigh) but nothing for the rest of us except a bit of strep throat so we’re good. I’m praying you really do excape. And hey, once you get a nasty bug like this it usually doesn’t come around again for a few years so you have some breathing room now :)

    Reply
  7. Meghan Hall 7 March 2012 at 7:18 pm

    I had it two weeks ago and boy was it miserable. I broke my seven year record and spent the day in the bathroom and holding my bucket. No one else in my house caught it -we were so very thankful!

    Reply
  8. Jenny 7 March 2012 at 8:22 pm

    Oh mercy! That sounds horrible! One of the local schools here was reporting 60+ kids absent from school last week because of the bug:(

    Reply
  9. Jenny 7 March 2012 at 10:35 pm

    Funny your post is about this–we’ve been sick here with it since Saturday. First my son had it, the hubby, then after 36hrs puke free my little guy started again & now today it finally hit me. :( I feel your pain! I’m laying in bed miserable myself right now. Hope we all feel better soon!

    Reply
  10. Cassie 7 March 2012 at 11:48 pm

    Yes! It was terrible.. My son was scheduled to have his tonsils out and the night before my daughter got it so we were up all night with her. Hubby had to stay home from the surgery because he had pulled an all nighter with her. Then the day after his surgery poor little guy got it and was in pain AND sick.. Poor, poor kiddos =(

    Reply
  11. Marilyn Munford 8 March 2012 at 9:40 am

    Stomach bug is the #1 worst part of parenting (especially if they can’t hit the bucket) followed closely by potty training. I hope you are spared the bug :(

    Reply
  12. Ashley Buchanan 8 March 2012 at 1:58 pm

    atleast ya’ll got it fairly close together. We’ve had IT in our house for three weeks (3 kids) except ours came with flu like symptoms as well. Bad stuff I tell ya! Hope its out quicker than it appeared!

    Reply
  13. Kayte Bush 8 March 2012 at 2:20 pm

    Sounds like Norovirus, which is thought to have originated on a cruise ship, blecccchhhh. We had it down here in Fla. two weeks ago, ravaged all three of my boys ages three and under for 24+ hours and then of course-their Mama. It was full-on barfapolooza. Horrible. First time I’ve used bleach in 5 years-trust me,it was warranted. Hope you guys get well soon!

    Reply
  14. Tracy 8 March 2012 at 2:56 pm

    Icky. :( I just got diagnosed with the flu flu (the one that your shots help prevent, like Christine said) and its sucky, too. No fun.

    Reply
  15. Megan Seager 8 March 2012 at 4:44 pm

    Raechel, we had it the last week of January. It started with our 21 month old while we were at Disneyland. And within 24 hours my hubby and 4 year old got it. Then, later that week my parents and my brother…I never got it. I don’t know how or why, but your experience above is what I did too…so hard. I think God gives us grace when we need it, you know?

    Reply
  16. carole 9 March 2012 at 9:49 pm

    Sounds like the bug that disrupted Christmas at our house this year. Eleven people each getting sick one or two every 24 hours. By the last 24 hours of it the last ones to get sick were living in fear because they had seen what had gone down before them. In the end, everyone was sick, but not everyone threw up. In our family we definitely have those who ‘blow’ fairly easily and those who don’t (I haven’t thrown up in 35 years – since my first pregnancy.) Those who have a propensity did, those who don’t didn’t, but we were all feeling sick.

    Glad the fam is feeling better.

    Reply
  17. Meg 10 March 2012 at 3:36 pm

    Sadly, it hit my husband and I last month–I actually woke up with it on Valentine’s Day morning. Happy holiday, RALPH! :P So romantic. So sorry for you guys–what a bunch of total yuck!

    Reply

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