Down with the sickness

Happy Easter weekend!  I didn’t work Thursday or Friday, but not for fun reasons.  We were really excited to visit our friends who came back from “wintering” in Florida on Wednesday and headed over with the dog and baby.  Kelley hadn’t seen Jenson since January, and he’s a whole different boy now!  He spit up and needed an outfit change before we left for their house, but we didn’t think anything of it because he tends to spit up on me almost every day after work (darn reflux).  After we’d been at their house for an hour or two, Lo took him in the basement to watch some of the Jackets hockey game with him.  Ten minutes later he came back up and Kelley and I heard him make a noise, but didn’t really look at him.  He said “HELP” more forcefully as he was walking into the kitchen and he was COVERED in baby vomit – from his chin to his waist.  It was shocking- I didn’t even know where to grab Jenson without getting it all over me.  I told Kelley to take a picture first, lol (but I’ll spare you the picture), and then took him to get cleaned up.  We put 2+2 together and realized the after work spitting up was more than normal and was probably the start of everything.  His sitter and sitting Buddy had it over the weekend, but symptoms were gone, so we didn’t think they’d be contagious.  Oops (but none of those involved should feel bad because we can’t protect him from getting sick and it’s better that he get sick sooner than later so his immune system gets strong! 🙂 ).  When we got home with him, he threw up again while I was holding him, and it was heartbreaking because I could feel his stomach clenching and rolling as he was heaving.  He didn’t cry or anything – just got it out and was back to normal. 

I decided that I’d stay home with him on Thursday so I could nurse him a lot and just love on him.  Other than being extra sleepy on Thursday and having more vomiting and diarrhea, he was really pretty happy all day.  I did call the nurse line at the pediatricians to make sure they didn’t need to see him.  She said if he was still vomiting the next day, I should bring him in. 

He seemed back to being himself by the evening, so we assumed it was the end of it and put him in his crib to sleep.  Lo went to bed earlier than I, as usual, and about and hour later I heard him get up and go in the bathroom…and start vomiting.  I checked on him and he said he didn’t need anything.  Jenson woke up around 2 a.m. just screaming.  I picked him up and he was still asleep but screaming with his back arched so far, and he was soaked in vomit.  I tried to get him to calm down by nursing and he wouldn’t and finally got him a little calm by bouncing him and brought him downstairs to change his clothes and spend the rest of the night on the couch with him.  A couple hours later he woke fussing and had quite audible diarrhea.  Of course, it got on his clothes since he wears disposable diapers overnight (and they literally can’t hold in crap), so I changed him again and settled back down with him.  I knew I’d need to take him to the doctor’s in the morning and was hoping Lo was feeling well enough to keep him for a few hours in the afternoon because there were some things that I HAD to get done at work, since we’ll be off Monday for his lip and tongue tie revisions.

Luckily the Dr. got us in the the morning and Jenson hadn’t lost any weight, so he wasn’t dehydrated.  He suggested that rice cereal could help the diarrhea (I can’t get away from the dang rice cereal suggestions, but at least this time it was for a good reason).  He said the vomiting is probably almost over, but the rhea could continue for a week or more.  He also had a rash on the back of his neck and shoulders that we noticed once he was undressed in the Dr’s office (I’d dressed him in the dark both times in the night).  We’re pretty sure it’s from when he threw up overnight and laid in it for awhile before he started crying. Lo wasn’t getting sick anymore, but he wasn’t well all day.  I was still planning to go into work for a few hours and then realized that I was probably also contagious and was going to infect everyone if I went in.  I got permission from my supervisor to remote in for a few hours to do the stuff I needed to get done (benefits of being married to one of the IT guys).  It’s not something that’s ever really allowed, but these were special circumstances and I told him I would totally come in if preferred, but was probably going to get people sick for Easter.

Jenson did a lot of burping/swallowing whatever he burped up all day, but didn’t really vomit more than what is a typical spit-up amount.  He had a few disgusting diapers though, so he’s still sick on that end.  I took him to the grocery store so Lo could get some sleep and bought some organic rice cereal.  When I tried to give some to him later, he’d just started getting fussy and pretty much stayed that way until he went to bed an hour or two later, so he wouldn’t eat it.  He still doesn’t really know what he’s doing with eating yet.  I’ve given him cooked carrots a couple of times in the mesh feeder bags and he mostly just sucks on them.  I didn’t want to get him fully started on food since he was going to have the mouth surgeries and would have to “relearn” how to eat once his tongue was freed up more.  He’s really not that interested in food still anyway.

Sadly, we had to cancel his 6 month photos tomorrow.  We didn’t want to risk getting the photographer’s family sick since the shoot is at her house.  We are planning to go to Lo’s family’s on Saturday to celebrate his mom’s major milestone birthday and for him to meet some relatives who live further away, but it’ll just depend on how the boys feel.  I really don’t want to spread their sickness either, but his fam assured us that most of them already had the nasty stomach bug and they were fine with us coming.

Hopefully he’s past the worst of it and he won’t have such a bad night, but he’s squirming around in his crib as I type.  Luckily, I’m pretty used to going on little sleep at this point.  I think I earned my mom card with this virus though.

I missed posting my Friday photos on time again…but it seemed more timely to post this.  Those will come later.