"Daddy's a Superman"

WARNING: THIS POST IS ABOUT THE STOMACH BUG AND IS WRITTEN FROM A MOM'S PERSPECTIVE. IT MAY NOT BE FOR THE SQUEAMISH...

We went to bed last night at a decent hour. I took some awesome cough medicine and my antibiotic and hit the pillow. Rudy was snoring before I fell asleep and the baby monitor was whispering the sound of the wave machine in Caleb's room. Somewhere in the 1:00 hour, that all changed. I heard Caleb start to call for me. In my narcotic-induced fog, I checked the clock, but can't remember the exact time. I told myself to stick to my guns and make him cry it out. After all, he slept through the night Sunday and Monday. Fifteen minutes later, he was still crying, " Mama, Mama, Mamamamamama..." I tapped Rudy on the shoulder and told him that I needed for him to go check on Caleb to see why he was crying. I honestly would've done it, but waking up from a hydrocodone sleep is tough! He got up and I quickly heard him come back to the bedroom. I asked what was up and he told me that Caleb had gotten sick. He threw up in his bed. Immediately, my maternal guilt set in. I let him lay in his throw up for 15 minutes, calling for me and I didn't go get him. How was I supposed to know? Rudy told me to stay in bed since I'm already sick and he would take care of the situation. I grudgingly agreed and just as I started to doze off again, I heard that sound. I jumped out of bed, threw on a pair of PJ pants and headed (still foggy) into the living room. Rudy, still waking up, was determining the best way to help a vomiting 2-year-old at 2:00 in the morning. Unfortunately, Caleb had thrown up on the floor in the living room. When he stopped long enough, I helped him to the bathroom and held onto him while he finished throwing up. It was one of the saddest things I've had to do as a mom. It was the first time he's been old enough to understand that he needs to throw up in the potty. I kept telling him to "spit in the potty" and he would do just as I said. When he was finished, I took him in the living room and held him while Rudy spot-cleaned the carpet and stripped Caleb's bed. Caleb asked me what Daddy was doing and I told him that he was cleaning up. Caleb's response was priceless, "Daddy's a Superman." I agreed with him 1000 percent! After that, he told me one other time that he needed to "spit in the potty" and sure enough, he did.

I got Caleb a plastic bowl to hold in case he needed to throw up again, but he didn't want it. He kept giving it back to me. Knowing that he needed something "just in case," I decided to make it more appealing. I took the cup in the bathroom where we still have some potty training stickers left over. I put truck stickers all over the cup and took it back to Caleb. I told him it was his "truck chuck cup" and if he needed to throw up and couldn't get to the potty, that was the place to do it. He grinned and took the cup like it was the greatest thing in the world. Score one for Mama!

Rudy insisted that I go back to bed in order to go to work today and that he would stay home. I did and he stayed up with Caleb the rest of the night, holding him and helping him when he got sick a couple more times. When I got ready to leave for work, they were still in the recliner, exhausted from a long, hard night. It broke my heart to leave them like that.

Rudy tells me that Caleb only got sick once more during the night and at some point, it switched to diarrhea. That has been the case all day long. When I called home mid-morning, Caleb was soaking in an oatmeal bath and Rudy was going to put some cream on his bottom. The poor kid was miserable. He has felt better off and on today and tonight. He enjoyed playing cars tonight and understood when I told him that he couldn't have any milk until his tummy was better. He napped from 1:30 until almost 6:00 and asked to go back to bed at 8:15.

Rudy is staying home with him again tomorrow because of my work obligations. If we need another day on Friday, it'll be my turn. We're just crossing our fingers that we don't get it next. Mom and Mr. L. are supposed to come up on Friday for Halloween and to watch Caleb while Rudy and I go to the last football game of the year. We have really been looking forward to their visit and hope it doesn't get cancelled.

Monica and I were laughing via e-mail today about Caleb's tummy troubles on his first Halloween. I don't know what's up with that, but it needs to stop! This is not a tradition we need to carry on!

As for me, I'm still coughing. I feel a little better, but not back to normal yet. It's hard to tell what's pneumonia, what's lack of sleep and what's stress. The combination isn't healthy, that's for sure!

Here's hoping for a speedy recovery for the little man, a miracle that Rudy and I don't get it, my recovery from pneumonia and a Bootiful Halloween. I'll keep you updated...