This title couldn't be more fitting... Should I even type this... I feel like if I relive it, it may happen again!!!
The past couple months have been tiring for Mommy. First Cecilia was hospitalized with a bad stomach virus... then I got a stomach virus on Thanksgiving Day (hey, at least I didn't gain any weight, right?;)) -- this was on top of a cold I had had for about 2 wks.... in the midst of this I was planning a Christmas party and C's second birthday party back to back weekends beginning of December... then the day after her hectic birthday, our little family was headed off to Houston for a relaxing, fun week of shopping and eating yummy dinners while Daddy worked during the day. We even lined up our wonderful sitter Annie to travel with us, so I would actually be able to enjoy myself. I questioned even going because packing for two kids and me just flat out isn't fun. (Posts to come re the Christmas party and her birthday, but I had to get to the more important post --- the trip of death and destruction).
Here is us en route... ohhhh, smiling faces and sunny skies (all fun and games until someone starts puking).
Even Les did great on his very first flight. Like a pro!!
So we arrive... weather perfect, traffic not too bad, zipped over to the house... I was told I had an hour to get ready for dinner (we were staying at the company house and Jonathan Jones and his girlfriend, Paula, were there). They told us to get ready; we were going out for sushi with another couple from Hou. C was acting a little fussy, but we thought nothing of it. Off we go to have our first relaxing dinner of the trip.
Jonathan said he felt a bit queasy when we sat down but we shrugged it off. Within 30 minutes, Annie calls and says Cecilia had thrown up all over the place. YAY!!:( Jonathan realized this may be the explanation as to why he was feeling bad too. We take the keys and get back to the house to find Annie holding Cecilia on the bathroom floor, both covered in vomit while Les slept happily in the swing. Annie showers then takes Les into quarantine mode, and I take over Cecilia... who quickly decides to vomit all over me. I'm consoling her on the bedroom floor and I look out of the corner of my eye --- Daddy starts vomiting exorcist style into the toilet. YAY again!! As I look at him, Cecilia doubles over again and is now dry heaving. Honestly, I started to laugh. Out loud. That's all I could do. A few hours go by and Cecilia is still dry heaving and at this point glassy-eyed, can't walk and ridiculously sluggish. I called our clinic who said the best idea would be the ER. Not the ER again!!?:( I call Jones, and they hurry back to take Cecilia and Jonathan to the ER. I stay with Annie and Les. The doctor said that Jonathan was worse off than Cecilia in terms of dehydration. Cecilia was given meds while Jonathan got 2 bags of fluid. This was the picture update I received from Jones, as I'm trying to clean mac n' cheese out of his carpet. Disgusting.
Poor things!! I feel bad for sweet Ceci. Look at that pitiful face! Daddy will be ok.:)
I call Jonathan's Mom to tell her they are in the ER and his Dad answers... Jonathan's Mom is sick and vomiting!! The plague. Oh and one other victim the same day... Jonathan Jones' grandmother, aunt and cousin hopped on the plane after us. Jones got a call hours after that flight. His cousin was sick, at the doc with a fever and vomiting. Really. Really!! The plague.
The next day, the maid cleaned house. Hooray to a germ-free environment (yeah right!). Oops Carpet Cleaner also came by to steam clean the rug. When Jonathan and Ceci returned to their quarters, the rug was still wet, so I called the guy. He knew our 2 yr old was sick and staying up there. I asked if the chemicals were fine for her to walk on wet. Sure, they are "just fine"... As I'm saying that, C is rolling all over the carpet, rubbing her eyes then starts screaming "my eyes hurt, eyes hurt..." Oh my gosh. Really!? I snatch her up and run her to the sink where I wash her eyes out with cold water. Fortunately, everything was fine. But seriously - the comedy continued to play out.
I told Annie she was quarantined with Les until further notice. They stayed locked in their room on the second floor while the two sicklys came back and were on lock-down on the third floor. NOBODY wanted to go in there. Of course, I had to deliver lots of soup, liquids and meds but LOTS of hand washing went on. A couple days went by, and the rest of us thought we were home free. Jonathan and C were on the mend, and nobody else was sick. Well, not so fast... This was Sunday and by Tuesday night 10 pm, Annie was throwing up. I took over Les duty on the first floor. By 2 am, I was throwing up. I literally slept on the hard, cold tile floor in the bathroom from 2 am until 6:30 am. At one point I crawled up 3 flights of stairs to tell Jonathan I was dying. I thought that was around 5 am but he informed me I woke him up at 4 am. I eventually got a blanket because I was freezing, but I continued to lie on the bathroom floor until the next morning... sick as a dog. (So much for washing my hands in scalding hot water to ensure germs weren't being passed around. I ended up with second degree-looking burns on my hands for nothing. Nothing!)
The next morning decisions had to be made. I was feeling like death (as was Annie) but Les seemed to be ok. (And Jones scatted out of there in a quick hurry to a hotel. ha!). We couldn't arrange the flight that day, so Jonathan took one of the vehicles at the house and drove home --- 9 hours with a 3 month old!! We had no choice. We were all sick and nobody wanted Les sick too! 9 hours later and Les is in the care of his Mam-ma (Jonathan's Mom). THANK YOU, MAM-MA! Times of desperate need for sure. She was feeling much better, and we decided to it would be ok to have Les there. Well, that left me with Cecilia after a long night of vomiting. I called my friends in Hou to see if another sitter could help. Such last minute notice on a weekday, no luck. Now I really know what it feels like to have no help as a Mommy. At home I am completely spoiled with Mam-ma only five minutes away. Nevertheless with a little Barney and The Wiggles (shoot me), we got through the day. Annie was still recovering in her room probably wondering why she ever agreed to go with us.;)
The next morning, Annie, Cecilia and I flew out. Finally. Got. Home. So basically from the time we landed (an hour in) to the time we got back in my driveway, someone was sick. Dog sick. Wow. What a fun trip for everyone!! Whoohoo to the nice relaxation Mommy looked forward to. And have I bought one single gift for Christmas? No. I was supposed to shop in Hou, remember? I won't dare to say could it get worse... because we do have one "last man standing..." Way to go, Les!! I will continue to pray this little man fights off this vicious bug. Prayers and hand washing... all I can do! (I'll pass on all the details re C and her diarrhea that week. Let's just say I threw a few outfits away.)
I may never go back to Houston. Ever. Just because.
