After several minutes I went and got her and put her in bed with me. She seemed happy enough to watch Dora the Explorer on my laptop while I rested, but when I went downstairs to get ready to pick up Ethan from school, I heard her scream. When I made it up the stairs, she was covered in puke. Think curdled milk.
{This is where the story gets icky, but anyone who has ever experienced morning sickness or hyperemesis can probably relate. It is bad news for an expecting mama to see puke/hear puke/touch puke. At least for me it is.}
Dave was in Lawrence in a meeting, Ethan needed to be picked up from school in 24 minutes (the school is 15 min from my house), and I had some major clean-up on my hands. Oh yes, and I was sobbing. The only calories I had consumed all day were flushed down the toilet, and it left me pretty shaky. I am ever so thankful for my friend Ashley, and her willingness to pick Ethan up and bring him home for me. She is such a sweet friend.
I am a mess, I tell you. A mess.
By the time Ashley dropped Ethan off, I had just finished cleaning the carpet, the mattress, bleaching the tub after Clare's bath, and the sheets were going in the washer. Ethan walked in and said, "Mom, my throat hurts really bad! It has hurt all day!" And he laid down on the couch in fetal position. He just finished his round of antibiotics for strep throat 2 days ago.
It has been the longest day I can remember in a good long while. Longer than yesterday, even. :) I held Clare most of the evening {and let's just say this afternoon wasn't a fluke} and talked to the doctor's office in between cleaning her up, while Dave attempted dinner and a Dillons run to get ibuprofen. As soon as the kids were in bed, we noticed the washing machine was leaking.
Gotta have a working washing machine when the stomach flu hits. ;) ...oh my...
But as Dave was working on the washer, and I was attempting to remake our bed so I could lie down, I had this thought. Wow, things could have been so much worse. Haha, no really, its true. I am beyond exhausted now, yes, and 2 out of 3 kids are sick...but when I stop and think about the reality of the situation and all the Lord spared us from today, my perspective changes.
For instance...I am so thankful for:
29. A laptop that still works {the puke was ever so close, but not a drop on the keyboard}
30. A dependable friend
31. A mattress that we were already planning to replace - no need to worry about that one, cleaned it the best I could but we'll see.
32. A middle child who rarely gets sick and knows how to play on his own when the going gets tough around here.
33. An email today, reminding us of our free period of the Starz movie channel. Playing tonight: Up and Planet 51. Thank you, Lord.
34. 2 extra hours to get my Azure order in.
35. Dillons mashed potatoes.
36. A washing machine that leaked after my sheets were clean, not before.
37. A handy husband who attempts to fix issues on his own {and sends me to bed}.
38. Tomorrow: a chance to stay home and hibernate in this blizzard. :)
I'm sure there are more things to praise Him for, but my eyes are heavy now. Janet posted this quote on fb today that sums it all up:
7 comments:
What a day, I hope you sleep well and the house is quiet all night.
I love your perspective, willing acceptance, it is all about what we choose to see. For He is certainly always the same.
Is it wrong that I want to beg the Lord that he would give me Si's immune system? That boy is made of iron!
God is so gracious to give us help and perspective! Thank you so much for sharing! {I am grateful for your kindness to us in cleaning up puke when you were pregnant with Clare}
Amen! Thank you, Rachel, for the reminder of how we can find God's goodness to us in the hardest of days. I have loved all your posts recently. A fresh look at the worst of days is something I definitely want to work on. Hope you and the family recover quickly!
Hope, that is only a distant memory now. :) And for some reason, this was so much worse...probably b/c I had no idea what I was walking in to. Sometimes I have to psych myself up for smelly stuff like that. It's over now. :) And even today, with continued sickness, I am handling it better. I really think it is a mental thing with me. If I can keep myself calm and thinking like a nurse, I do fine.
I'm sorry you all were sick and praise the Lord for Si's immune system. It used to make me feel overwhelmed when several of the kids would be sick at once. I'd be so glad when Marvin got home and helped clean things up and get meals. {Praying for you)
Thank you so much for this post. I was reading it amidst trying to be grateful, yet wallowing in self pity. I had NOT been a good day. But after reading it I could willingly and exuberantly say "Thank you Lord for all you have provided and all that has gone wrong today!" It is through the tough circumstances that we grow, and not the easy ones.
Jeni, I can't tell you how many times I've had to deliberately choose to dwell on His goodness during this bout of sickness {it has been a long one}. My mind wants to feel sorry for myself, and sometimes I trick myself into thinking that's what I need...to wallow in it. Because it IS hard to keep going sometimes!
But despite that, the Lord still chose these days for me, and in saying YES to Him and His plan for me, I am really a happier person. Despite how exhausted I am. Go figure. Anyway, I totally commiserate with you...I know how easy it is to feel defeated on the hard days.
Sometimes we just have to beg Him for His perspective, because all we can see is the hard stuff. And sometimes when it is impossible to understand, we just have to bow at His feet and submit to whatever He brings. I'm finding myself there today. :)
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