Monday, November 21, 2005

Mini-Monk Mayhem Part II...only worse!

In this season of giving thanks I am having to ask myself, "how does one give thanks for a stomach virus?". The two small Mini-Monks came home from church last evening quite ill. Actually, we had no idea of the proportions of thus said illness until the evening wore on.

Vomiting is not something on which one should dwell, I'm sure... but I just have to comment on it. If it weren't for the obvious pain the Mini'swere going through, the whole evening in retrospect, could have been almost comical.

Just as our 5yo dd gets settled in our family room the virus kicks into full force. The first episode takes place around 8:30pm all over the family room carpet. As I clean up my poor, sweet 5yo and get her settled with bucket in hand and cool washcloth, 2yo girl begins to complain that she has a tummyache. Mind you, this kind of banter is common, especially when attention is focused on someone other than her cute self. So I place 2yo on opposite sofa with sippy cup and blanket. In the meantime, 5yo begins to vomit again. I now switch opposing couches and begin comforting the 5yo. After the second time around, 5yo feels a little better so I go sit next to 2yo. 12yo daughter seems completely amused by the whole situation at this point. At this time, 2yo stands up (on the towel that covers up the now cleaned first vomit episode) to take a drink from her sippy cup and proceeds to vomit all over coffee table and the same spot in the floor where I have just cleaned up 5yo's mess. I begin hollering to the Mad Monk for back up. Between he and 12yo dd we now have a second pail, another washcloth and a second set of jammies. We have now had 3 vomit episodes and gone through two sets of jammies and it's only 9:00pm! This is where it gets good. Several minutes later 5yo begins to cry that her tummy hurts and she's going to throw-up. So I run to her on her couch and begin to comfort her while she is at this point having horrible dry heaves (which she continued to have all night- poor baby). At the same time 2yo dd is looking at 5yo with obvious remorse for her pain and begins lamenting into her own bucket that she is going to "puke" (her exact words..no kidding). Once again, I think this is just her sympathy pain for her sister, when lo and behold, here it comes again with her! I now have two children vomiting into plastic buckets in sync on opposing couches. What is a momma to do? I yell for 12 yo dd to come comfort 5yo as I race to opposing couch to assist 2yo while hollering for back-up from the Mad Monk once again. 12yo is no longer amused by this situation now that she is a part of it. BTW, 14yo ds has long since retreated to his room with a can of Lysol spray in hand forbidding anyone and everyone from entering.

Long story short, it was a long night for the Monk's wife. She was up many a time with ill child and probably only got about 4 hours of broken sleep. Amazingly enough, a momma's body seems to put "self" on hold when it's babies need them. I truly thank God for creating us that way. Mini-Monk's are much better today and have had not one episode of tandem vomiting. For that I can find true thanks!

Psa 127:3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

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