Sickness Strikes !

It's hit the White House ... the notorious, dreaded, draining stomach flu. Elaina has been the first to fall prey to this heinous flu bug that spreads faster than wild fire yet, is every bit as devastating in it's own special way.

Elaina had a typical evening last night. Minimal dinner. Books. Playtime. Kisses, cuddles, jammies and bedtime. I had just gotten to bed after midnight and was still warming my feet on Eric's legs when I heard Elaina begin to whimper and then begin to cough and cry. This wasn't a cry like I had ever heard from my baby before and it sent me throwing off my covers and running in to check on her. She was sitting in her crib, crying with her arms outstretched. To my dismay, I saw evidence of what she had coughed up all over her sheets. And her pajamas. And her blankets. My baby was sick !

I peeled Elaina out of her jammies and held her tight to comfort her before I snuggled her up with Eric in our bed while I stripped her stenchy, soiled bedding. I was pleased that I had the foresight, 17 months ago to register for two mattress pad covers for her crib. Smart Mom Tip #1 : always have spare bedding for occasions such as this. Heading into the 1:00 hour, I had her sheets in the laundry, crib bedding fully remade, new pajamas on baby girl and was attempting to comfort her with a damp, warm washcloth on her face in the bathroom. I foolishly believed that this was an isolated incident and that she'd gotten it out of her system. I must have had a blast of stupid, not remembering from every year prior that once you are a victim of the flu, it holds you in it's tortuous clutches and tries to wring your insides out, quite literally, for at least 24 hours. Elaina was only one hour in and 23 miserable hours to go.

For the remainder of the night, Elaina lay in our bed at my side. (With the occasional jolt into the bathroom. ) She continued to ride the puke cycle well into the morning hours. Around 5 a.m. Eric was due to get out of bed and hit the road for a weekend gun show. I'm guessing that he was able to squeeze in about 4 hours of restful sleep amongst the mayhem of which we called our night. How's that for a 6 hour drive ahead of him followed by a solid 4 hours of set up time ? Welcome to parenthood.

Obviously, I took the day off from work and Elaina and I managed to get in a few naps here and there. I'm happy to report that the remainder of the day, Elaina was vomit-free and we spent the afternoon curled up with one another. Here's hoping that she is well on her way to feeling better soon !