Emma has regained some semblance of an appetite (translation: dry waffles, dry toast, and dry cereal), and Nicky...well, he's got a bit more substance to his product these days. Don't get me wrong, both of them still have diarrhea, and Emma is still queasy, but we're going on almost 24 hours with no regurg., so I'm finally a bit hopeful, not to mention exhausted. Of course even though I've been up with Emma every night, several times a night, often until 3 in the morning or longer, Nicky still needs to be taken care of and continues to wake up bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and full of diarrhea at 6:30 or 7am. So, (and Sara, this one's for you) anyone out there who's a mother knows, there's no sick days for mommies. There's no saying ot your 10 month old, "You know, I didn't get much sleep last night so why don't you go make yourself some breakfast and I'm just gonna' catch up on some z's." It's a 24 hour a day, 7 day a week job. No rest, no breaks, no sick days. And this week has reaffirmed for me that this is the absolute hardest job I've ever had. Some days it's physically demanding, others it's emotionally or psychologically demanding. Given the age of my kids, it has yet to be very intellectually challenging, but I know that's coming soon. In any case, I've learned that motherhood requires an endurance, a perseverance, and a level of patience that NOTHING else on earth rivals. And that is the truth.
So...here are some recent photos that I managed to snap in the last few days. And I know it sounds a little sick that I took pic's of them while my kids were sick, but I wanted to document this all for their sake and for mine. I'm a firm believer in taking pictures of all the parts of their lives. I want them to know their stories, good and bad. I want them to know their history, and to know that throughout it all, they were loved deeply, even if it meant being coated in vomit.
One of Emma's first attempts at eating after 28 hours of absolutely NO food. The poor kid looks emaciated, and I know from taking her to the doctor that she's lost at least a pound and a half. That's almost 10% of my poor 28 pound toddler's body weight. Also note that Nicky is in his diaper. This is just following one of the several diaper changes that involved cleaning up the mess that exploded out of his diaper and up his back and down his pants. Sick children are so much fun.
During one of the diarrhea episodes. I think the picture speaks for itself.
Since everyone was feeling better this morning, rather than camp out on our vomit/diarrhea-proof blanket on the couch, the kids and I played together this morning. Nicky took a liking to our bunny ears. And now I CANNOT wait for Easter! Those are gonna' be some good pic's!
Playing with his new ride-on/walker from Aunt Dixie, Uncle Greg, and the cousins. Again, you'll notice he has no pants on. I finally got sick of changing his pants after his diaper would leak and decided it was just easier to let him go pantless.
Believe it or not, this was one of Emma's better days. Note the silver mixing bowl. Ninety percent of the time, the child REFUSED to aim for the bowl, hence the quilt and towels. I swear, I'm a pro at this now. Anyone out there want to get stomach sick, I dare ya'. Bring it on. I'll have you cleaned up, washed up, and smelling like roses before you even know you got sick.
Emma serving me tea this morning after a good night's sleep. She is SO much better today, thank goodness.
And this is what happens when Doug plays with the kids. "Pregnant" Nicky. And in case you're wondering, that's a plastic bowling ball from their bowling set. What scares me is how proud and happy he looks. Oh well, that's my boy!
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