Yucky Bug

Our poor little Emmy got the stomach flu! She started throwing up at 1am early Friday morning and couldn't keep anything down all that night and day. I think we got 2 hours of continuous sleep the whole night. She was one sick girl! I kept expecting her to get better throughout the day, but when she couldn't keep down water or ice by 2pm, I decided to talk to the doctor. She was listless and crying because she was so thirsty - just plain miserable!

The doctor finally got back to me a little after 5 and called in a prescription for Phenergen. That is my favorite drug. Not that I've taken that many prescription drugs, but Phenergen is the one that helped me finally stop throwing up when I had a nasty bout with the stomach flu during my first trimester with Emmy. It makes your stomach calm down and makes you super sleepy. After being so darn sick, those are the two things that make life better. :) So I was happy that Emmy would get that relief.

As I expected, she fell asleep 20 minutes after getting the medicine. But then I learned that adults know how to handle the sleepiness and disorientation caused by medications much better than children. When Emmy woke up that night, she would just cry until falling back asleep. The good news is that she felt much better in the morning and had drunk an entire sippy cup of Gatorade throughout the night...and kept it down! When she woke up she wanted to call Grandma and share the good news. "I not s'row up all night! Mommy called Dr. Doyle, and him call the pharmist, and Daddy get medicine, and Mommy put it in my bum!" *giggle* (I was amazed at how well she handled the suppository, and quite honestly how well I handled giving it to her. :) )

She was still weak and tired all day Saturday. We had already made plans to go to the BYU basketball game during the afternoon with Brett's dad and brother as a Valentines date. Since she was doing better, we left her with Nana, and I really enjoyed a break from being Mom.

We were disappointed when Emmy threw up again that night and in the morning. But we were grateful that she was keeping down some food and water since I was starting to get really scared about dehydration. Sunday evening it was like we had our old Emmy back. She ate chips and cheese (only 3) and a mayo and mustard sandwich (as in a piece of bread with mayo and mustard on it and folded in half) for dinner. Those were the things that sounded good, and I decided to trust her since she hadn't eaten much of anything for three days. She had enough energy to talk and read stories and even threw a tantrum. Who knew I would be grateful to have her throw a tantrum? :) And even though she threw up at 10:30, I figured she'd gotten most of the nutrients from the food. It was so much improvement from Friday! And she only woke up one other time throughout the night. That was especially nice because I was getting exhausted!

So that brings us to Monday morning. She has drunk water, eaten half a piece of toast, and watched Cinderella...all before 9:15. She fell asleep on my bed while I showered, and I had to snap a picture. It captures our weekend perfectly. Notice the towels under her. She has been the cleanest thrower-upper that a 2-year-old could be. I taught her to throw up on blankets or towels if she couldn't get to her bucket (also pictured) because they are washable and carpet is not. So I've been doing laundry CONSTANTLY but I haven't had to clean any carpets. Also in the picture are her Dora sippy cup and snuggle, the 2 must-haves. But she has been better about accepting snuggles other than her white one which is a good thing because snuggles have been the most-washed items. Also, you'll notice the toys by her. She hasn't felt up to playing with much of anything, but she likes to have a toy or coloring book close by so she feels like she's playing, I guess. Poor girl!

Emmy has been so sweet and patient throughout this sickness. And I've been blessed with a whole lot of energy and patience, too. Although I would have preferred for Heavenly Father to answer our prayers with a immediate and miraculous recovery, I am grateful that he has granted us the strength to deal with this challenge. I have definitely learned to appreciate simple things like 4 hour stretches of sleep and seeing yellow pee in Emmy's potty. This will end, and based on the small and simple improvements of today, it's looking like it will end sooner than later.