What a week!

If I had to describe this second pregnancy in one word, it would no doubt be exhausting. I'm sure I was tired the first go around, but back then I only had myself to worry about. Well, except for the two yappy dogs that were my babies then, but even as high maintenance as they are, they are completely content curled up in your lap. Jack is not. My week started off with a call from his school on Monday saying he had thrown up and was running a temperature of 99. Now my doctor says it isn't fever unless it's 100.4 and you don't treat it unless it's 101, but to the school, 99 is bad enough and obviously, he needed to go home if he was vomiting. He also kept asking to pee, but couldn't go once he got there. First thought in my mind - H1N1. I've heard it often starts with stomach problems and one of the biggest dangers with it in children is dehydration. Now Jack was vaccinated for this a little over 2 weeks ago, which is the period of time they say it takes the shot to take affect, but I was afraid we didn't catch it in time. Blame it on exhaustion or hormones or whatever, but I bawled my eyes out the whole way to pick him up at school terrified of how sick my dehydrated, swine-flu infested child must be and what kind of mother I must be for not seeing the signs.

My parents were in town that day, so they beat me to the school to sit with Jack until I got there. His first words to them were "I got choked on my food and it made me frow (throw) up!". Mom immediately took him to the restroom where he quickly relieved himself and he danced around as soon as he saw me. All my fears disappeared and I thought I was just in for an afternoon at home. The fever spiked that night and the next morning we drove to the doctor's office to find out that he has yellow fluid behind his ear drums, a red throat and thick congestion in his nose. A very eventful trip to Walgreens, where Jack carried around the basket putting everything in sight in it, an antibiotic and cough medicine later and we were home. I don't know that I've ever seen my child sicker. Jack has always been a healthy child, so that statement isn't really a testament to how sick he was, but to how healthy he has been. The congestion and/or sore throat was so bad that he couldn't eat and he kept gagging on it. Once again, he started having trouble peeing and worry crept back into me. I played the role that my mom and grandmother always played and made him chicken noodle soup and jello, which he wouldn't touch. My poor baby couldn't eat, was getting dehydrated and I didn't know what to do.

Popsicles. Sounds so obvious, yet when Liz suggested them it was like a light bulb came on. So I gave him one then another then asked Travis to come home with a blue slush from Sonic (his favorite). Once again, I fixed him chicken and rice soup with jello. He wouldn't touch it. Travis had tator tots and Jack devoured them then requested chips and dip and a sandwich with cheese. All this time I was trying to fix him the foods that make me feel better when I'm sick and it wasn't that he couldn't eat them. He just wouldn't eat them. I was suckered again.

Day 3 at home started out with a bang. Jack woke up and came to our room and I immediately smelled pee. His pajamas were soaking wet and his diaper was completely dry. WHAT? Then I saw it. Evidently, he went exploring in his diaper last night and forgot to tuck himself back in before falling asleep. The diaper caught nothing. Pajamas and sheet caught it all! Add washing his sheets and mattress pad to my list of things to do for the day. What will I do when I have 2 of these little boys to handle? Then I found the vomit that I heard the dog doing in the middle of the night on our carpet. Apparently, Jack isn't the only one sick at our house. I decided I would take requests for breakfast and he wanted waffles. While getting out the toaster, it hung on the cabinet, fell to the ground and broke. What a day and it was hardly 9 am. In all honesty, the day got better. Unfortunately, my co-workers had planned a snack day with cake to celebrate Marshall today that I had to miss with my sick child, but I work with such great people that they fixed us some plates and drove the food to us. What a pick-me-up!

I ache, I am exhausted, but one thing I've realized is how much I've truly enjoyed these past few days at home with Jack. It almost feels like God knew just what I needed to get ready for Marshall and what a way to give it to me. I guess a sick child is the only thing that would slow me down enough to realize what's really important in life. A few of my favorite stories from the week:

Tonight he was doing anything and everything to procrastinate going to sleep. I was in the kitchen cleaning up and he hollered from his bedroom "Mommy, I gotta pee!", so I told him to come on out and I would take him. Sometimes he does this and he goes and sometimes he doesn't, but I haven't gotten to the point of not allowing it yet. Anyways, once he got out of his room he said "Thank you! That make my throat feel better!"

Another way he suckers me into coming back into his room at bedtime is "I need some help in here!" We almost always get to him and ask him what he needs and his response is "Ummmm....." then he thinks of something like "I need more paper (toilet paper to wipe his nose with)." or "I need one more song."

In his bed, he was putting his feet on my stomach and I told him to stop. He immediately put them on my stomach again and said "I put my feet on your tummy to make them feel better." How many times do you think he's heard that something or another will make him feel better this week? He'll be milking that one for months to come.

I guess his manners are my favorite thing with him right now. We've always worked on his please's and thank you's, but he's really started using them here lately. I washed his "binkies" (blankets) and he threw an absolute fit about it. When they were done, however, I said "Jack, I have your binkies and they're clean!" and he came running into the room and said "Thank you! I hug you and say 'Thank you, Mommy!'".

His favorite book right now is a question and answer book he calls the rocket book. Travis is much better at reading this than I am because I like to read stories that have a beginning and an end and this book just has page after page of information. Travis evidently puts a spin on it that I can't, but Jack still requests that I read it. The kid's memory is unbelievable. We tell him something one time and he remembers it. Here lately, everything I see in it he'll say "Me and Marshall do that." and then he'll name whoever else in our family will do it with them. It's things like hot air balloons and roller coasters, but it's so sweet to hear him already talking about things he wants to do with his brother.

Who knows what tomorrow will hold, but I am certainly cherishing the memories we've made so far in this crazy, exhausting week.