Loving...NOT Loving: This Weekend

Loving Having Friends Over After School on Friday...

 

Loving little boys playing with tractors. And little girls playing dressups. Baking Gluten Free cupcakes and chatting with a friend... until...

...the Puking started.

NOT LOVING THE PUKING!!

Poor Miss Fab was not eating any cupcakes. She was complaining of a sore tummy. I thought nothing of it, mumbled something vaguely sympathetic and carried on sipping my coffee, talking to my friend.

Suddenly there was puke all over my kitchen floor and Miss Fab was crying, "See Mummy I TOLD you I had a sore tummy...!"

NOT Loving that the Puking Always Starts When Daddy is Out of Town

Say no more.
You can imagine my night. Puking, Changing Sheets. Holding Hair Back. Rushing to empty buckets, washing bedding, and comforting the poor sick brave girl.
Not much sleep.

Come morning I knew that I had to get some help. Somebody to take the boys off my hands so I could concentrate on my very ill patient, who didn't want me to leave her sight.

So I switched on my computer and FaceBooked an SOS. Help!! Two energetic Boys free to a good home!!
I had an immediate response from the lovely Laura in Connecticut offering for me to put them on a plane to her... sweet (so appreciated) but totally impractical of course :(

So I left a message on hubby's phone.

"AbFab really sick. Need some help or you might have to come home..."

We started txting madly and before long I had offers of...

~ An all-day playdate for Dash
~ Door-to-door delivery of Popsicles for the Patient
~ A young couple willing to incorporate Scrag into their Date and shopping expedition.

I am LOVING my Awesome Friends

The lovely Meg turned up on my doorstep with a Box of lemonade Popsicles for Miss Fab, a couple of PS2 games for Dash, some books and puzzles for Scrag and some homemade Brownie for me! All presented with a bunch of hand-picked freesias. I am sooooo loving Meg. She is a wonderful friend.

Dash went off to spent a day rolling in the mud with his classmate Ed.

Our awesome friends Rachel & Nathan spent  time playing trains and cars with Scrag before they took him off to share their romantic date. Reassured that they were "good peoples" he went off happy as Larry with his Choochoo train lunch box packed with treats.

Rachel txted later that Scrag was "So happy!" and they enjoyed playing mum and dad for the day. What a pair of Legends. Aren't they gorgeous?? (You can bet that when they have their own babies they will have a willing babysitter right here)

Much much later, after a day of holding back hair, rationing water-sips and emptying vomit buckets in a peaceful house, my boys came home happy after a great day out. I chucked them in the bath, made them cheese & egg toasties and put them to bed, ready for another night shift.

Poor Miss Fab was so truly miserable she didn't even want to lay on the couch and watch TV. She just wanted to snuggle with me in my bed...

LOVING the Wisdom of Handy Manny

As we were laying there, between pukes, My little patient whispered to me, "Mummy, on Handy Manny it said you shouldn't get close to a sick person. Are you going to get sick too?"

I melted. Went all gooey from top to toe. Bless her caring little heart.

"Darling, that's just what us mummy's do. We look after you when you are sick. And if we get sick too, well, that's a risk we have to take..."

Right then I felt like some kind of SuperHero facing danger, putting my gut on the line for my sick child. That's just what mummies do.

LOVING My Boys. And Having Daddy Home.

Daddy made it home this morning to take the boys to church for a special Fathers Day service. (Yes it was Fathers Day here in New Zealand. Lucky I was prepared in advance!)

I got my boys all spiffied up in their sharp new gears so their daddy would be proud to step out with them. Don't they look handsome? Daddy decided to be matching too. Gotta love these guys. They are special.

LOVING the Fathers Day Card by Dash {the reluctant artist}

Awwww, daddy loved it too. And of course he got the "Vaocha for cisie" from Miss Fab.

NOT Loving Super Bugs that Race Through School like an Epidemic

I've heard of quite a few of Miss Fab's classmates who have been laid low with this same misery this weekend.

I am NOT Loving that this tummy bug has lingered now for 48 hours. Miss Fab has had fever bright eyes and flushed cheeks, a temperature (after paracetamol) of 39oC and is still vomiting up what little is left in her gut. Which is pretty much Nothing. I HATE my kids being sick.

I phoned the Healthline to get a second opinion on what I was dealing with and anything else I could be doing to care for my patient... apparently I'm doing what I should be. "Keep Calm and Carry On" was the advice... just like the war.

Right now she is sleeping again, and Daddy has the boys. You can bet she won't be at school tomorrow. But I'm hoping at least she may be able to hold down more than a sip of water. And her tummy won't be aching from all the heaving. And her fever will have dropped and the chills and aches will have gone. And she'll be able to move from the bed and watch TV like a recovering child. Not lie on my bed like a poor sick rag doll.

And through all of this, what's the thing I am most LOVING?
My daughter. My brave, sweet, uncomplaining patient of a daughter.

{and LOVING this Eva Cassidy Song...Songbird}

How was your weekend? (Hope it was better than mine)