Boy it's been a crappy day (literally). Kelan and Lauren are sick again. What we thought was the stomach virus may be giardia (that means parasite). Let me back up.
Kelan first threw up on July 31st (see Heirloom Tomatoes posting). No panic. Vomit happens. A 24 hour thing at best. He got better. Then the vomit and diarrhea started again. He got better - again. The doctor even gave Kelan the "go ahead" to be around folks. Then last night (note: Kelan sleeps with me) at midnight I heard the rumblings that can only mean 2 things. Vomit or diarrhea. Soon explosive sounds were coming from Kelan's bottom (thank goodness for night night diapers, lots of towels already under Kelan, and my poor sleep habits that make me alert enough to be prepared for what is about to happen). We have a winner. Diarrhea. During a pause in intestinal expulsion, I managed to get Kelan on the toliet. Good thing too. Kelan let loose a fury I did not know was possible. I cleaned him up, put him in a new diaper and we went back to sleep.
3am. I heard more rumblings. I shot out of bed and got Kelan into the bathroom only to have him throw up all over the floor, violently I might add. I called for Dan (who's upstairs asleep in Kelan's bed) - I needed reinforcements. Kelan is now pale and shaking. I strip him down, clean him off, get him in a new diaper and clothes before I tuck him back into bed. Dan is cleaning up the mess in the bathroom...reluctantly (hell, I would be too if I had just been startled from sleep and been told to clean up vomit. Have I mentioned that I have the best husband? He also went into work late this morning to let me sleep till 8am). I take all the bath towels used to clean up the mess and start a load of laundry while Dan is disinfecting the bathroom. It's 4am. We're exhausted. We head back to sleep.
I have to say that Lauren was NOT asleep through all of this. We heard sporadic cries coming from her room. But then she would quiet down - so we figured it was just her teeth and she went back to sleep. This morning we found out that she had diarrhea in her diaper and had thrown up on herself sometime during the night. I am such a bad mom.
I decided to take the kids to the doctor this morning. We learned that the stomach virus that is going around does not behave like this and that we need to get tests. This means: stool sample. I am instructed to get some Saran Wrap to line the kids' diapers to collect samples. However, Saran Wrap is not absorbent, so it is very messy. Additionally, to get both kids to poop at the same time seems an impossible task.
Early this afternoon I smell something from Lauren (success!). I do not want to just drop off one sample at a time (and it needs to get to the lab in short order once collected), so I ask Kelan if he can poop. "No, I'm fine," he says. I look at him again and say, "I will give you a cookie if you can poop in your diaper right now". I'm such a bad mom. But you know what? It worked and he got a cookie.
I collect the samples, the kids and head out to the lab to drop off the poop. Lauren's turns out to be not enough to test. I'll have to redo hers. Lovely. We go home. Around 4:15pm I collect her sample - again, the kids - again, and head back to the lab to drop off her poop - again.
It has been a day. I am worn out. The kids have watched a lot of Thomas, Sesame Street and Clifford today. I am such a bad mom. But there are not a lot of options for sick kids (with a tired mom) who need to be quiet and have something to do. Hopefully tonight will better, but just in case, all bedding and towels are clean for round two should we need them.
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