Projectile projections!

Hmmmm, if I had a crystal ball that I could have looked into last week to see what this weekend would entail, it would NOT have been a pretty picture!

I could just see it now... the mist clearing in the crystal ball to reveal a mount Everest of bedding laundry to be done. Oh me oh my! Perhaps a sleepover with many people? Perhaps I would be overly ambitious and do ALL the bedding laundry in one shot?

Rolls upon rolls of paper towels... hmmm, perhaps a hot water tank issue? Maybe a big party with lots of people who eat very messily followed by a big ol' sleepover?

Nope.

And then the next image... Anika's rosy cheeks, Ethan's sick eyes, empty boxes of Jell-O, Duane home on what should be a day shift and the horrific permeating smell of perogies and sausage from supper filling the nostrils in a bitter way.

Ah... don't tell me... a wicked and rampant bout of the flu?

CORRECT! Good thing there was no crystal ball or I may have driven myself to Texas in anticipation of what this weekend would entail! What would I have done without Duane's help??

It began Friday morning when Ethan was refusing to eat anymore of his avocado & banana, which is really unlike him. Poor little guy, we forced the rest into him anyways (as we know the consequences of him being underfed!) only to have him begin to cough and throw up all over the table, his booster seat and the kitchen floor.

First thought? Wow, did I really feed him that much?

Second thought? And this is why I DON'T wash the floor on a regular basis!

Third thought? He should really learn to chew better.

And so commences the cleaning up and the wondering if this throw up was caused by the brutal cold that has also been rampant in our home for nearly two weeks now or if there is something else going on, now, too?

Cue to last night when Duane and I are watching a movie and he suddenly gets up and walks calmly but quickly towards the bathroom and unnatural sounds like a moose trying to commit suicide begin to emanate from the bathroom! Because these strange sounds are resonating from the sound of a toilet bowl, it was easy enough to deduce that a moose had not in fact made its way into our bathroom but rather it was my poor husband emptying whatever stomach contents were left from last week! Oh boy!

And then cue the moment when Anika woke up at 1:00 a.m. throwing up all over her pillows, pajamas, bed, bedding AND floor.

First thought? Why was this STILL in her stomach?
Second thought? Is there a way to stop breathing while I clean this up?
Third thought? How the heck do I get those pj's off without smearing this stuff all over her face and hair??
Fourth thought? Why don't my kids chew their food??!!

Duane put her in the shower as I dry heaved cleaning up in her bedroom listening to her little whimpers about having yuckies in her tummy. And the delightful nearly-break-my-neck as I slip on a camouflaged puddle of upchuck and the EW-GROSS dance that ensued while picking off the chunks from the bottom of my foot!

Too many details? Oh hardly! This is motherhood, after all!

Second set of bedding is put on, a cleaned up shaking Anika climbs back into bed desperately clinging to her drink of water. Goodnight kisses & cuddles and a sigh as we drag our feet back to bed.

Only to be awoken at 2:00 a.m. by Anika coughing and that familiar sound that has resonated in the air for the last twenty-four hours. Crap... not again.

Round two of shower, dry heaves, another pile of bedding by the washing machine that is working diligently in the middle of the night... thought? Hope this is it because I am running out of bedding!

3:00 a.m. comes around and of course we begin round three. Anika has nearly got this down to an art at this point as she climbs out of her messy bed and trudges towards the shower once again. Duane and I climb back into bed and lay there like zombies and I say to him "I sure hope Melina isn't throwing up at that birthday party right now."

Which she did not. Instead, she waited until tonight and "blessed" our new addition bathroom as well. First thought? Thank goodness she's old enough to clean it up herself!

Okay, okay, I know that's terrible but I have to be honest with you! Melina is my iron-clad child who NEVER gets sick! So you know it is bad if she is sick, too!

While the day was at least filled with cuddles from a feverish Anika and slightly less active Ethan, there were still episodes of vomiting that visited throughout the day. Poor Anika sat on my lap for hours and her breath was so volatile (and a pregnant woman's super sense of smell is of no help) that I had to keep my own bucket nearby from the nausea of breathing her little breath in!

So here I am like a sitting duck... strange gurglings have been haunting my stomach all day. Other than Isabel who cannot vomit due to her fundoplacation surgery, I am the only one who has avoided kissing the toilet bowl! But for how much longer? I think before I know it, I won't be looking into a crystal ball but rather a porcelain bowl!!

Here's hoping you are all free of rampant annoying flu bugs and maybe even enjoying clean bedding. This has been the only plus side to this whole thing. Well, that and the hours of cuddles we have gotten from the little ones! Hopefully Ethan and Anika will be able to keep SOME food down by tomorrow as this is an alarming stretch for such little people, particularly Ethan who has been having issues since Friday morning!

Take care, all of you, and thank you for taking the time to be a part of our family life!! No matter how gruesome the details!