Today is a new day (don’t read this if you don’t have a strong stomach)!

December 11, 2010

It was the night of Hunter’s Christmas performance at school.  A night he had been looking forward to for many weeks.  As a family we had planned to eat out first and then attend the performance together.  Trent went out in the afternoon for a quick scouting trip in preparation for a hunting adventure planned a few days later and planned to be back before dark so we could all leave together.

As I drove to pick up Hunter from school, Ashlyn began complaining of an upset stomach.  Figuring that she was just hungry, I decided to stop for a quick snack on the way home.  When she didn’t touch her apple slices or want any chocolate milk, my mind began to wonder if this wasn’t something more serious.  A few moments later she threw up all over herself in the back seat.

I attempted to find a place to pull over on the slushy road while also trying desperately to locate a container, a bucket, a suitcase, anything to give her in case she had more on the way.  Thrusting an empty paper bag into her wet hands I pulled off the road.  I did the best I could to clean her up with the pack of baby wipes and roll of paper towels (which, incidentally I had been staring at for the past week, wondering “why do I have a roll of paper towels in the car?).

The remainder of the ride home I was reminding Hunter why it was inappropriate to complain about the smell when instead he should be sympathizing with his sister’s pain, while also trying to air out the van and symotanousely keep us from freezing by putting the heat on full blast.  After a phone call from Trent alerting me to the fact that he had broken down in the woods and would not be home in time for our dinner out but would hopefully be home in time for the performance, I began to frantically try to plan out the evening.  We arrived home, Ashlyn went in the bath, I threw some jam and bread together for dinner, dressed Ashlyn, wiped out her car seat as best I could, lined it with a clean towel and packed everyone back in the car to return to the school (which is 30 min away).  Meanwhile Ashlyn is still complaining of her stomach. . . I covered her with a towel and grabbed a large bowl from the kitchen.

As she continued to throw up in the car, I couldn’t help but question why I was even leaving the house, but I  was torn because I knew how much this performance meant to Hunter and hated to see him miss it.  So onward we drove.  Along the way I realized Quinten needed a diaper change, bad.  Unfortunately, I didn’t pack any extra diapers so I put in a quick call to a friend who would be at the performance and asked if she could bring one along.  As Ashlyn began to fill up the bowl in her lap, I struggled to keep my attitude in check.

Thankfully, Trent arrived just as the performance started and he took Ashlyn and Quiten and headed home to put them in bed.  Hunter’s performance was fantastic and he did amazingly well.  On the way home he started complaining of a stomach ache. . .

Once all the kids were asleep I began to realize that I didn’t feel very good either so I went to bed early.  Ashlyn continued to throw up every few hours and around midnight was joined by Hunter who started throwing up every 30-45 minutes.  By 3 AM I had not yet fallen asleep due to my sour stomach and finally joined in the party officially in the wee hours of the morning.  Unlucky Trent became the officall throw-up helper since he was the only abled body adult who had not yet been stricken.  However, by the time the sun was peaking up, he too had joined the “fun” and our sleepless night slipped away.

Fortunately, Ashlyn was on the mend by morning which gave us hope that we too would soon be recovering. Unfortunately, we were not nearly as quick to bounce back but remained drained, tired and sluggish most of the day.

HOWEVER, today was a different story. We all woke up feeling like new people and appreciative of feeling good in the way that can only come after feeling miserable. Praise God that Quinten has stayed well and we pray that continues.

If you haven’t been sick lately let me be the gentle reminder that feeling good is not to be taken lightly.  Take the time to enjoy it and to praise God for it!

Now I am off to do some much needed laundry. . .

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