Monday, March 25, 2013

Allergic to England or Just a Bug?

The Sad Eyes of The Boy Who Just Keeps Throwing Up
Either we're all allergic to England, or the schools need to buff up their 'sick' policies. They still tell kids to cough in their hands, children may return to school as long as their fever is gone (no time frame) and it's 24 to 48-hours (instead of a solid, no-longer-contagious-48) after vomiting or diarrhea.

Last Monday Sweet Rose was down with a fever and a cough. Her fever lasted around 30 hours, so I kept her home Tuesday as well, when big sis was also hit with a fever. I kept all 3 of the kids home that day, as I saw no point in dragging them all for a 20-minute return trip just so The Boy could attend playschool.

Saturday, around 1:30 in the morning, The Boy awoke with his first of many, many, many episodes of vomiting. It began hitting his other end by Saturday afternoon. I ended up putting a Pull-Up on him for the first time in months because we ran out of underwear!

I thought he'd be better today. He last threw up yesterday morning, but no, just a few minutes after waking up and having a drink of water, he threw up all over me! Thank goodness it was clear and minimal.

Nature Girl complained that her tummy hurt, but as Sweet Rose was feeling fine and needed to get to school (her attendance is lower than standard for the first time ever in our school experience), I told her to get ready for school anyway and we'd take it moment to moment.

I brought along 2 containers, just to be safe. What do you know? Minutes away from school I had two kids throwing up at the same time. I pulled over, did minor clean-up, dumped The Boy's watery bucket and put the lid on the other, as it would have been rude to dump it where we were. I considered just turning around and taking all 3 of them home, with perhaps school is the best place to keep Sweet Rose for the day!

Back at home, I dumped two kids on the couch, cleaned buckets and gave them back. Nature Girl had her second episode in the middle of me writing this post and The Boy has managed a few sips of water. Thank goodness he managed some yogurt and a banana yesterday.

I'm exhausted. Did I mention my husband has been gone since last Tuesday? At least I've been going to bed earlier without him, but man alive. What does a working mom do? Thank goodness I'm not employed. There is no way I could keep a job with the frequency of my kids' illnesses.

That's it. Thanks for reading. It's times like these, when I'm completely wasted from caring for my own kids, that I desperately wish my own mom was here to take care of me! Through all of it, I just keep asking what purpose this is serving. There is always a purpose, a meaning or a learning to be had. I'll tell you more about what I think this experience is serving later this week.

Send me hugs. I need them. Then give yourself one for me just for caring enough to read this lengthy vent. :)

7 comments:

  1. Sending HUGE hugs your way!!! It's exactly the same here in New Zealand - bug after bug after bug, very frustrating to say the least. I've turned into 'one-of-these-moms' that has dis-infectant everywhere! Wipes, spray, soap you name it, I've got it :-) They even have a little dis-infectant bottle in their school bag (shhh, don't tell anyone) with strict instructions to use it!
    I just simply can not afford the days of work.
    Hang in there, summer is on its way and just remember; we are super moms after all :-)
    Hug hug oxox

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    1. Thanks, Raquel! I've missed your input and I'm glad to see you active online again. :) I'm glad I'm not the only one carrying around hand sanitizer everywhere I go!

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  2. You really have had alot of sickness since you left the states. I'm sorry baby. I also wish I could be close and take care of you but alas as you know I'm quite busy helping take care of Grams, who by the way has done an 180 for the time being. Energizing bunny that she is.

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    1. She'll probably live to be 180!! ;) I know you're busy this time of year anyway! Love you!

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  3. Tam, I noticed with both of my children that when I put them into daycare they immediately started getting sick after sick after sick. Morgan had hand foot & mouth virus 5 times in 4 months! My pediatrician said I should expect them to be I'll for basically a year after putting them in a public school atmosphere while they build up their immune systems. Wyatt rarely gets sick now even when Morgan brings home another bug! I'm guessing that this is what you are going through now. New country, new viruses, new strains of viruses, new germs that you all have to build up immunity to. Just settle your mind to being in for the year long haul on sick kids & wait patiently for the reprieve that will eventually come, and I promise it will! They may miss quite a bit of school this year but your children have brilliant minds & you are both a wonderful mother AND teacher & will have no problem helping them keep up with their schooling, and by next school year I think you'll see much less of sick kids stuck at home barfing on you! HUGS!!

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    1. It's so frustrating, isn't it? What did you do about work when they had to stay out of daycare? I'm missing school buses, because I still have to drag the sick kids on a 30 minute trip back and forth to get the healthy one(s) to school! Grr.

      I hadn't thought about all the different strains in a new country. I guess brilliant minds run in the family! ;) And they did get staggeringly awesome reports this term! I'll surely brag, I mean blog, about that soon!!

      Thanks for the hugs! XOXO!

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  4. Unfortunately when they get sick I have to call out sick, too. Fortunately for me I've earned a position that allows me the freedom & paid leave to be able to do that. And I have a husband & mother-in-law that never fail me when I'm in a real bind!

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Go on, tell me what you think!