It started with a phone call...

You know the one we never want to get...

"Mom I feel sick".
Not sure you believe her you ask if she can wait a bit. After all you have a friend playing with the twins and people scheduled to arrive in 15 minutes to visit.
"no" she emphasizes.

So you call the friend and drop the three girls to her house. Cancel the visit. Still wondering if you were taken for a ride.

Pick up said child (who looks Grey by the way). To prove she is not faking she needs three emergency stops to throw up the whole way home. The stomach flu has invaded! If your like me this strikes fear in your heart. If you have four kids (or any kids for that matter) you know how it works. If it hits one it will hit all. You can look forward to many sleepless nights filled with violent puking and the washing machine working overtime. If your lucky you will get it too and no one will take care of you.

And so it goes.
Lindsey spent the day puking, and freezing and aching poor dear. Fast forward to the next day. As I am heading off to the gym (at 9pm) I hear Sydney cry and its all too familiar. She is sick too.

Now mind you I am no first timer with these kind of bugs and went in prepared. First I removed the comforters to all the beds (they are a beast to wash) and then each child sick or not sick was made to sleep with a bowl. They were also given instructions on what to do if they feel sick at all.


So back to my story (you may be wishing for me not to continue but I promise your kids won't catch it just from reading about it). Sydney was puking (my twins go more violent than most when they get this type of bug) every 15-30 min for over an hour when Hailey sat up and declared if she heard one more throw up she would puke too. So she did. It was at this time that Alan headed upstairs realizing the situation was escalating. So there we were two bowls, two pukers, it was going to be a long night. Except all the sudden I thought I felt sick. I barely made it the bathroom and realized I was quite sick (I'll spare you the details). So I spent my night in the bathroom miserable, achy and very sick hearing Alan spend his night waking every 15-20 minutes with two very very sick twins. It lasted non relenting till 7am. Mind you he is not trained for such feats as I go easy on him and always take that duty, but every time I would hear a cry and try to help it hit me worse. So I could not.


Sunday rolled around and the kids seemed somewhat improved though weak and tired. I, however, still could not get out of bed. The body aches and nausea were still overwhelming me. I spent the entire day and night without leaving my room. Monday at 4am I woke and realized the body aches were gone. I was left with weakness and a queasy stomach which was bad but an improvement. I slept a bit longer and at 7am struggled out of bed to survey the situation. I found Alan doubled over in the bathroom, three girls each who had thrown up again (probably from overindulging on a weak stomach) and a boy who looked quite fine but claimed he was too sick for school. I was too weak to care and scooped up the twins and went back to bed. At 10am I woke to find Alan, myself and the twins all in bed asleep. Lindsey in her room asleep and Jacob happily playing video games. It appeared he had missed school while still unscathed and again we were all too weak to care. The day was spent with Alan in bed experiencing my previous days torture. I slowly tried to do the basics. Wash what needed to washed, feed who had to be fed and that was it. As evening rolled around Jacob's day was ruined when he too succumbed to the beast that is the stomach flu. He brought in the tail end to the most horrible, violent, fast moving stomach flu we have ever seen. Thank goodness its over. I almost felt relief as he got it. Knowing that while it would be a long sleepless night it was the end in sight.

Today sheets are washing in hot water and small mild meals prepared.

Things I am grateful for while sick..
Mom's getting sick on the weekend!
Alan who took on the twins sick and all day Sunday when I was in bed.
Sisters who brought sprite and Gatorade.
Text messages to check if were still living.
Soup and meals dropped by Grandparents.
Good books. I read fire the sequel to Graceling in two days! Mostly Monday. Sunday I could barely keep my eyes open!
T.v and video games which entertained the children.
meals of just toast, toast and more toast. No one can eat.
and lastly but most of all the good health we have now its returned.

The stomach flu really is miserable!