Sick of the Sickness

It was a good thing I got away when I did and home when I did. After crawling into bed about 11:00 and having difficulty falling asleep, Maisie was fussing at 1:00. I went into her room to check on her and discovered what every parent hates discovering...vomit in the bed. I began the process of cleaning her up and stripping the bed. When I got new sheets out, I woke up Brandon. :) He was a big help and brought up some of his camping gear. I slept in his sleeping bag on a couple of air cushions, next to Maisie. I say "slept" loosely. Maisie was very good about telling me when she was going to be sick. I'd hear this, "Mommy, help." I'd grab the bucket, she'd do her thing, I'd rinse the bucket and crawl back into my sleeping back. For awhile I was up with her almost every ten minutes. As the night progressed, it became less frequent.
By morning she was doing much better! She ate small portions of things throughout the day, but she never got sick again. She even had most of her spunk!
Monday night I enjoyed a complete night in my bed.
Even though Maisie was doing better, I decided to pass on Bible Study. Instead, we went to Walmart. Taking both girls is never easy, but we managed. Maisie loves it because I let her get a gumball (from our little machine). She carries it in her pocket and chews it once we're at the store. So simple and effective with her.
After naps I noticed Sadie had diarrhea. I was a little concerned, but we had to go pick up Analise from school. My mind began that "What will I do if...." game. Well, it happened. We'd been parked in front of the school for less than two minutes, when I heard Sadie throwing up. Did I have things to be prepared? Yes. Did it help? Not really. She is facing backwards, and there was no way I could get to her in time. As quickly as I could, I grabbed our barf bags (which we got from a nurse when I was in the hospital. They are the best!) and hopped in the back just in time for round two. I opened the side door and began to "clean up." Of course I had to call Brandon at work and let him know of the misery I was going through. :) We had a chilly ride home with all the windows down. I told Analise we could either be cold or endure the stink. She wisely chose cold.
Straight to the tub she went, and the carseat sat outside. I don't remember the other two getting sick at this age, so I wasn't sure what to do with her. I ended up putting her in the highchair in the kitchen and stuck close by. I was able to learn her sick cues and got the bucket there in time. Poor girl was just worn out. She even fell sleep in the highchair!
After dinner, I began to feel sick. It hit me fast and hard. I spent the night on the couch and in the bathroom. By morning I felt better but very tired and weak. Brandon decided to stay home to help. However, by late morning it was his turn to be sick. Bummer! My dear mother in law took the girls at lunch time to feed them and let them nap at her house. Brandon and I were both able to relax. It took a couple of days for us to get our strength and appetites back, but now we are all doing well! It was simply no fun to go through it all!